Thursday, April 12th on Independent Lens
When the Drum is Beating is having its American broadcast premier on Thursday, April 12th.

Haiti’s most popular band, Septentrional, is a 20-musician mix of Cuban big-band and Haitian Vodou beats that has been making music for 65 years. The band has been bringing joy to a people who have suffered through dictatorships, natural disasters, coup d’etats. Whitney Dow’s « When the Drum is Beating » interweaves a nations troubled history with a band’s joyous tale to embody the quintessential Haitian trait of finding light in the darkest situations.

When the Drum is Beating will be broadcast almost 1500 times across the 320 PBS channels. Most stations will begin their broadcast run on April 12th at 10pm and will broadcast the film up to eight times during the following two weeks. If you miss the premier, check your local listings for when it will be broadcast in your area.

ITVS / When the drum is beating
PBS / When the drum is beating