Speak with Documentary Filmmaker Tom Jennings on the 25th Anniversary of the Riots that Shook the Nation
Twenty-five years ago, the city of Los Angeles erupted into chaos on April 29, 1992, after four white LAPD officers were acquitted for beating African American motorist Rodney King. Over the next six days, television and radio reports, home video, and police footage captured the turmoil that led to 54 deaths, nearly 12,000 arrests, and over $1 billion in damages. Using these recordings, Smithsonian Channel’s The Lost Tapes: LA Riots looks at one of the biggest periods of civil unrest in American history — with no interviews or recreations — just with rarely seen footage captured by video cameras and media reports — as if it were all unfolding in real time, providing a uniquely authentic and immersive experience for the viewer.
On Thursday, April 20, The Lost Tapes: LA Riots producer Tom Jennings can discuss the new documentary, placing the LA Riots in historical context, as well as their role in race relations in 2017. Tom began his career as a reporter with the LA Times (later receiving a Pulitzer Prize nomination), where he first covered the LA riots for the newspaper.
Tom Jennings is a multi-award-winning documentary filmmaker and journalist who has written, produced and directed more than 400 hours of programming for such networks as CBS, Discovery Channel, National Geographic Channel, Investigation Discovery, MSNBC, PBS, The Travel Channel, History Channel and 3NET.
For more information, visit: https://www.smithsonianchannel.com/shows/the-lost-tapes/la-riots/1004513/3437439
