This month, KET is pleased to present a documentary film that explores the inner workings of a West Louisville drum corps and the transformative impact it’s had on the lives of its members. 

River City Drumbeat airs on Friday, June 18, at 9/8 pm on KET and on Sunday, June 20, at 10/9 pm on KET2.

The 90-minute film presents a moving portrait of the River City Drum Corps, the organization founded in the early 1990s by Ed “Nardie” White and his late wife, Zambia Nkrumah, as a way to give children a constructive outlet to engage with the arts and develop leadership skills. The filmmakers followed White as he made preparations to retire and turn over the organization’s reins to one of the Drum Corps’ star graduates, Albert Shumake.

The film is produced by Owsley Brown, a Louisville native, and directed by award-winning filmmakers Anne Flatté and Marlon Johnson. The film was a New York Times Critic’s Pick in 2020 and was screened in the nation’s top film festivals, including DOCNYC and SXSW EDU among others.

Preview link: https://youtu.be/KZxGYuxZiUU

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