‘American Masters: By Sidney Lumet’ premieres January 3 on PBS

PBS’ “American Masters” series is back on Tuesday, January 3 with “American Masters: By Sidney Lumet.”  Beginning Season 31, “American Masters: By Sidney Lumet” features a new, exclusive interview with actor Treat Williams. Williams starred in Lumet’s “Prince of the City.” 

Lumet made 44 films in his 50-year career, earning four Oscar nominations. Considered a quintessential New York filmmaker, Lumet frequently used New York City’s urban mettle to infuse his films with a realism and intensity that kept audiences in suspense while prodding them to consider their own morality. In American Masters: By Sidney Lumet, he tells his own story in a never-before-seen interview shot in 2008 by late filmmaker Daniel Anker and producer Thane Rosenbaum. With candor, humor and grace, Lumet reveals what matters to him as an artist and as a human being.

Peabody and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Nancy Buirski (Afternoon of a Faun, The Loving Story, Loving) weaves Lumet’s personal stories and commentary with scenes from his films to create a portrait of one of the most accomplished, influential and socially conscious directors in the history of cinema. His catalog of movies include such Hollywood classics as “12 Angry Men,” “Serpico,” “Dog Day Afternoon,” “Network,” “Prince of the City,”  and “The Verdict.”  

By Sidney Lumet had its world premiere at Cannes Film Festival and was featured at the Tribeca Film Festival. The film will be available on digital video on demand and DVD/Blu-ray from FilmRise on January 9th.