On Sunday, February 22, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm A community screening of In Pursuit: Philadelphia and the Making of America episode one will also take place at Pennsbury Manor State Park. Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Friends may be interested in this documentary series as it examines American democracy through Philadelphia, where the nation’s founding ideals were debated, tested, and contested.
As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, a new historical documentary film series asks a timely and essential question: How has the American experiment actually unfolded — and what does it demand of us now?
In Pursuit: Philadelphia and the Making of America is a ten-part documentary series that examines the history of American democracy through the lens of Philadelphia, the city where the nation’s founding ideals were first debated, tested, and contested. Spanning more than four centuries, the series explores how struggles over freedom, power, belonging, and self-government have shaped both the city and the country.
“Philadelphia is not just the birthplace of American democracy — it has been its proving ground,” said Sam Katz, series creator, executive producer and founder of History Making Productions. “This series looks honestly at how ideals were formed, challenged, expanded, and sometimes betrayed, and why that history matters so urgently today. ”Episode One, Freedom (to 1700), will begin streaming February 20th, and excerpts from the initial episode will be broadcast March xx at 7 p.m. on 6abc. Designed for broad digital and broadcast distribution, the series prioritizes community access through a robust schedule of regional screenings and inclusive platform availability launching throughout the 2026 anniversary year. A trailer for the series is available now.
Freedom (to 1700) begins before the nation itself — centering Indigenous life, early colonization by Swedish, Dutch and English settlers, and William Penn’s vision of religious tolerance, while confronting the contradictions embedded in America’s earliest promises, including land dispossession and slavery. The episode sets the tone for a series that treats history not as settled, but as a living, unfinished pursuit.
“We all feel it here… it’s all in our bloodstream.,” poet and Grammy-nominated artist Ursula Rucker says in the opening to Episode 1. “What does the city mean to me? Everything. Everything.”
“Rucker is one of more than 200 voices who helped shape In Pursuit”, noted Andrew Ferrett, director of the series. “In Pursuit weaves together scholarship, archival material, original music, and the voices of historians, artists, community leaders, and descendants of those who shaped — and were shaped by — Philadelphia’s past, including Indigenous perspectives from Lenape communities, offering a fuller account of the American story”, he added, Releasing the series during the nation’s Semiquincentennial, In Pursuit arrives amid renewed debate over democracy, civic trust, and the meaning of American identity. Rather than offering simple celebration or condemnation, the series, written by author and historian Nathaniel Popkin, invites reflection — asking what it has taken to sustain democracy, who has been excluded from it, and what its future requires.
One episode will be released each month through 2026 through the In Pursuit of History Film Festival. A premiere will be scheduled for each episode, followed by the digital release of the episode and 5-6 public screenings at historical and community venues throughout Philadelphia and the region. The Film Festival was made possible through a grant by the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage and is being sponsored by Penn Medicine and Lindy Communities. Over the year some 60 screenings are planned.
For more information about the series and upcoming releases, visit www.inpursuit.tv.
About History Making Productions
History Making Productions (HMP) is a full-service film and video production studio based in Philadelphia best known for provocative character-driven history documentaries, cinematics, original music, and groundbreaking scholarship. HMP has received numerous Emmy awards for its inclusive and democratic approach to history and current events. Formed in 2008 by civic leader Sam Katz, winner of the 2021 Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film for its film on the bankruptcy of Detroit, the studio has produced over 200 films and videos on subjects ranging from architecture, baseball, and civil rights to philanthropy, religion, and science.
