POV .

As a tropical storm beats down on an island in the Philippines, two sisters leave work and never reach home. Paco Larrañaga, a 19-year-old student, is sentenced to death for their rape and murder, despite overwhelming evidence of his innocence. “Give Up Tomorrow” exposes shocking corruption within the judicial system of the Philippines and one of the most sensational trials in the country’s history. Two grieving mothers, entangled in a case that ends a nation’s use of capital punishment but fails to free an innocent man, dedicate more than a decade to executing or saving him. By Michael Collins and Marty Syjuco.

Watch Thursday, October 4, 2012 at 9:30pm.

Watch Give Up Tomorrow – Trailer on PBS. See more from POV.

In 2005, Academy Award-winning director Jonathan Demme set out to document the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Katrina and the rebuilding of New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward. When he met Carolyn Parker, what began as a historical documentary morphed into a vibrant character study of the courage and resiliency of this fearless matriarch and civil rights activist. This is Demme’s intimate account of Parker’s five-year crusade to rebuild her beloved neon-green house, her church, her community — and her life.

Watch POV Thursday, September 20, 2012 at 9pm.

Watch I’m Carolyn Parker – Trailer on PBS. See more from POV.

Imagine being picked up off the street, told you have committed a murder you know nothing about and then finding yourself sentenced to 20 years in jail. In 2005 this happened to Toño Zúñiga in Mexico City and, like thousands of others, he was wrongfully imprisoned. “Presumed Guilty” is the story of two young lawyers and their struggle to free Zúñiga. With no background in film, Roberto Hernández and Layda Negrete set about recording the injustices they were witnessing, enlisting director Geoffrey Smith (“The English Surgeon,” POV 2009) to tell this dramatic story.

Watch POV Thursday, August 23, 2012 at 10pm.

Watch Presumed Guilty Trailer on PBS. See more from POV.

“The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement” by Gail Dolgin and Robin Fryday
In this 2012 Oscar-nominated short film, Alabama barber and civil rights veteran James Armstrong experiences the fulfillment of an unimaginable dream: the election of the first African-American president. An Official Selection of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. Produced in association with American Documentary | POV. A co-presentation with the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC). 21 minutes.

“Sin País (Without Country)” by Theo Rigby
Winner of a 2011 Student Academy Award, this short film explores one family’s complex and emotional journey involving deportation.

“StoryCorps” by the Rauch Brothers
The Peabody Award-winning oral-history project StoryCorps brings intimate conversations among friends and families to life in touching, often humorous animated shorts that tell universal stories.

“Eyes on the Stars” – Carl McNair tells the story of his brother Ronald, an African-American kid in the 1950s who set his sights on the stars. 2 minutes.

“Facundo the Great” – Ramòn “Chunky” Sanchez recounts how the new kid at school became a hero when his teachers could not find a way to anglicize his name. 1 minute.

“A Family Man” – Sam Black talks to his wife about his father, an enduring lesson and the power of a look. 3 minutes.

Watch Thursday, August 9, 2012 at 10pm.