Image courtesy of Colonial Williamsburg
Historian Ken Burns will preview his film "The American Revolution" at Colonial Williamsburg.
Award-winning filmmaker Ken Burns is giving the Historic Triangle a sneak peek at his newest documentary, The American Revolution (airing on PBS on Nov. 16). This free public preview event takes place March 25 at 8 p.m. in front of the Governor’s Palace in Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area (about a 2.5-hour drive from Alexandria.
Burns will kick off the event, hosted by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission (VA250), with live remarks about the project before previewing excerpts from the film on an outdoor screen.
“It’s a thrill to share the film with Virginians, especially in Colonial Williamsburg, which appears many times in our film,” said Ken Burns. “As the capital city of Virginia, Williamsburg played a critical role on the road to revolution and around 250 years later, it was an essential resource and filming location for us to capture the look and feel of colonial life.”
Photo by Stephanie Berger
Ken Burns
Ken Burns
Joining Burns at the event will be co-directors and producers Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt. Schmidt, who grew up in the Williamsburg area and worked at The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation as a volunteer youth interpreter and member of the iconic Colonial Williamsburg Fifes & Drums, will also speak at the event.
“Colonial Williamsburg is very special to me, and I’m grateful for this full-circle moment to bring our film back home, to this extraordinary place that inspired my love for history,” said David Schmidt. “CW also means a lot to our film. As filmmakers, we’ve been fortunate to find natural partners in The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, which shares a mission with us to bring our shared history to as many people as possible.”
Filming for The American Revolution, which has been in production for eight years, took place in over 100 locations across the nation, but nowhere did the filmmakers shoot more footage than in Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area. Eagle-eyed viewers will recognize Colonial Williamsburg landmarks including Raleigh Tavern, the grounds of the Governor’s Palace, the Capitol, the blacksmith shop and nearly 20 additional Colonial Williamsburg locations.
Photo by Tom Green for The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
The Governors Palace at Colonial Williamsburg
While admission to the screening is free, advance registration is encouraged to receive event updates, including inclement weather notices, via text message and email. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets. For more information on inclement weather and parking options, visit va250.org/documentary-faq/.
Previews of The American Revolution in Richmond and in Williamsburg will kick off a series of screenings and associated events being held across the country leading up to the premiere of the six-part, 12-hour documentary series on Sunday, Nov. 16 at 8-10 p.m. ET on PBS. The preview event in Williamsburg is the first public screening offered free of charge to the public.
The public screening is part of the third annual A Common Cause to All convening, the largest gathering of nationwide organizers of the 250th anniversary of American Independence hosted by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and the VA250 Commission. Since its inception in 2023, A Common Cause to All has served as a unifying force, bringing together historians, heads of museums and other historical and cultural institutions, and members of national, state, and local 250th planning organizations in the spirit of collaboration. As the keystone event of the 2025 convening, the preview of The American Revolution offers a rare chance for conference-goers and community members to engage with history in the very place where pivotal revolutionary ideas were born.
