New Documentary Explores How Pasadena’s John Muir High School Went from a Model of Integration to Raising Questions on the Current and Future State of Diversity in Public Education
Los Angeles, Calif. – Aug. 4, 2022– PBS SoCal and KCET, Southern California’s flagship PBS stations as well as the home for award-winning, original local content, announced today the broadcast premiere of the new documentary CAN WE ALL GET ALONG?: THE SEGREGATION OF JOHN MUIR HIGH SCHOOL. The documentary follows Pasadena’s John Muir High School alumnus and filmmaker Pablo Miralles who returns to his formerly integrated school discovering things have changed since he graduated in 1982 and reflects on whether-or-not to send his own son to the school. CAN WE ALL GET ALONG? premieres Thurs., Sept. 8 at 8:30 p.m. PT on PBS SoCal and Wed., Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. on KCET.
At his 30th high school reunion, Miralles questions what has happened to his once integrated public high school and gradually he begins to understand how perceptions and policies have created almost insurmountable challenges to maintaining well-funded and diverse public schools. Weaving stories from alumni, administrators, and civic leaders of John Muir High School’s multi-cultural community, the documentary also features Interviews with Bill Boggard, Ramon Cortines, Renee Tajima-Pena and more to illustrate the complex history of Pasadena’s schools and the 1970 court order that created the first Federal desegregation plan outside of the south. Produced by Arroyo Seco Films, the documentary CAN WE ALL GET ALONG? was honored with accolades as an official selection of New York’s New Filmmakers Festival, a Semi-Finalist in the DUMBO Film Festival, a nomination for Best Documentary Short by the Burbank International Film Festival and additional honors from the Telly Awards, the IndieFest Film Awards, Accolade Global Film Competition, the Toronto Lift-Off Film Festival and more. Writer, Director and Producer Pablo Miralles is a proud graduate of John Muir High School (Class of ’82) and has over 30 years of experience in the visual communications field. He was the creator, writer, director, and producer of the award-winning feature documentary “Gringos at the Gate – Soccer and the US Mexico Divide” (2012), a film which examines the history and passion surrounding arguably the world’s greatest national soccer rivalry. Pablo served as Production Coordinator on Cedar Grove Productions’ Academy Award® winning short film “Visas and Virtue” and Co-Producer on their Emmy® nominated short film, “Day of Independence”. Other professional experience has included motion picture and television projects at Mess Media, UBU, CBS, Neo Motion Pictures, Triangle Productions, Commercial Pictures, and Village Roadshow Pictures. Independently, he has produced, written and directed several DV short-shorts, educational shorts and online interactive marketing materials for such clients as AIG Insurance, Louis Vitton, J. Chadwick Co., Zenalta, and Intomotion. He received his BA from Sonoma State University and his MFA from the UCLA Graduate Film Program, where he won both the UCLA “Spotlight” and MPAA “Student Filmmaker” awards. |
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