Fatherhood USA is a three-part mini-series originally broadcast nationally on PBS

Public Broadcasting Service

The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....

 in 1998. It was produced and directed by Marion Lipschutz

Marion Lipschutz

Marion Lipschutz is an American film director and co-founder of Incite Pictures and Cine Qua Non , a 501, a partnership of Marion Lipschutz and Rose Rosenblatt, produces long form, dramatic documentaries and ancillary educational materials on social and cultural subjects...

 and Rose Rosenblatt

Rose Rosenblatt

Rose Rosenblatt is an American film director, film editor, and co-founder of Incite Pictures. Her work includes The Education of Shelby Knox , Live Free or Die , Fatherhood USA, and The Abortion Pill...

 of Incite Pictures

Incite Pictures

Incite Pictures is a documentary film production company located in New York City. It was founded by Rose Rosenblatt and Marion Lipschutz. Incite Pictures is the for profit arm of Cine Qua Non, a non-profit organization.- Films :...

. The program, hosted by Senator Bill Bradley

Bill Bradley

William Warren "Bill" Bradley is an American hall of fame basketball player, Rhodes scholar, and former three-term Democratic U.S. Senator from New Jersey. He ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic Party's nomination for President in the 2000 election.Bradley was born and raised in a suburb of St....

, seeks to dispel common stereotypes of fatherhood, and examine how fathers are able to build strong relationships with their children.

Program I: Dedicated, Not Deadbeat

This looks at low-income fathers, and is narrated by Yaphet Kotto

Yaphet Kotto

Yaphet Frederick Kotto is an African-American actor, known for numerous film roles , and his starring role in the NBC television series Homicide: Life on the Street .-Early life:Kotto was born in New York City, the son of Gladys Marie, a...

. This section examines common stereotypes of father

Father

A father, Pop, Dad, or Papa, is defined as a male parent of any type of offspring. The adjective "paternal" refers to father, parallel to "maternal" for mother...

hood: absent fathers, unmarried fathers, deadbeat dads, and considers different ways in which fathers working against histories of fatherlessness, neglect

Child abuse

Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...

, poverty

Poverty

Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...

, and incarceration

Incarceration

Incarceration is the detention of a person in prison, typically as punishment for a crime .People are most commonly incarcerated upon suspicion or conviction of committing a crime, and different jurisdictions have differing laws governing the function of incarceration within a larger system of...

 can still remain present in the lives of their children.

Program II: Juggling Family and Work

This section looks at fathers balancing work with family life, and is narrated by John Shea

John Shea

John Victor Shea III is an American actor and director who has starred on stage, television and in film. He is best known for his role as Lex Luthor in the 1990s TV series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and also starred in the short lived 1990s TV series WIOU as Hank Zaret...

. Examining the lives of men from around the country, this program focuses on the daily struggle of men in workplaces that are not "father friendly," and touches on the issues of making workplaces family-friendly for both mothers and fathers.

Program III: Video Modules and Workbook

This portion is designed to facilitate discussion among groups watching the program. It contains a series of brief vignettes.
The themes of the video modules are:

• The Importance of Fathers
• Father-Mother Communication
• Juggling Work and Family
• Fathers and Social Support

External links

• Incite Pictures Site - Production Company Page/ Additional Resources