Colonial Williamsburg to host free preview screening of award-winning filmmaker’s ‘American Revolution’ documentary

UPDATE 3/25/25: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has announced that this event will be moved to 7:30 p.m. – 30 minutes earlier than originally scheduled – due to the possibility of inclement weather. Schedule changes will be communicated to those who register here. -Editor

WILLIAMSBURG – Award-winning filmmaker Ken Burns is coming to the Historic Triangle to host a free sneak peek of his newest documentary, “The American Revolution.”

The film premieres on PBS on Nov. 16, but locals will have the opportunity to catch an exclusive preview on March 25 at 8 p.m. on the lawn of the historic Governor’s Palace at Colonial Williamsburg.

Burns will  share live remarks about the project to kick off the outdoor screening. He will be accompanied by co-directors David Schmidt and Sarah Botstein. Schmidt grew up in the Williamsburg area.

“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.”

Ellen Peltz, spokesperson for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, said that Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area served as a primary filming location for the production. Viewers will likely see familiar locations on screen during the preview and certainly when the project airs this fall.

“The American Revolution” is a six-part, 12-hour documentary that explores the nation’s founding and its war for independence. 

The series examines how America’s founding turned the world upside down. It explores how the thirteen British colonies on the Atlantic Coast rose in rebellion, won their independence and established a new form of government that reshaped the continent and inspired centuries of democratic movements globally.

The film follows dozens of figures from a range of backgrounds. Viewers will experience the war through memories of the men and women who experienced it, from rank-and-file Continental soldiers and British Army officers to enslaved and free African Americans.

“Our film tells the remarkable history of the people who lived through the American Revolution, their everyday concerns, and their hopes, fears and failings,” said Sarah Botstein. “It’s a surprising and deeply relevant story, one that is hugely important to understanding who we are as a country and a people. The Revolution changed how we think about government – creating new ideas about liberty, freedom and democracy.” 

The much-anticipated documentary has been in production for eight years. The film’s directors and PBS scheduled the broadcast for 2025 because it marks the 250th anniversary of the start of the war, which began in the spring of 1775, more than a year before the Declaration of Independence.

The Williamsburg event is one of the first in a series of screenings being held across the country leading up to the film’s premiere. The filmmakers will host an event in Richmond on March 23 and, after the Williamsburg stop, will travel to Boston, Lexington and Concord.

The March 25 screening is hosted by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and the VA250 Commission. Guests will have the unique opportunity to become immersed in history on the very grounds where much of America’s revolutionary thinking took place.

“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.”

The public screening coincides with the third annual A Common Cause to All, the largest gathering of nationwide organizers of the 250th anniversary of American Independence. The 2025 convening – held March 24-26 – brings together historians, heads of museums and other historical and cultural institutions as well as members of national, state and local 250th planning organizations. 

While admission to the film screening is free, advance registration is encouraged to receive event updates, including inclement weather notices, via email and text message. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets.

Additional information regarding inclement weather and parking options is available at va250.org/documentary-faq/.