Documentary film legend Ken Burns speaks at Purdue

Award-winning documentary filmmaker Ken Burns speaks Thursday (Sept. 22) in Purdue's Elliott Hall of Music. (Purdue University photo/John Underwood) Download image

Award-winning documentary filmmaker Ken Burns spoke about "Sharing the American Experience" at a lecture Thursday (Sept. 22) in Purdue University's Elliott Hall of Music.

The talk, which covered the enduring greatness and importance of the United States in the course of human events, was part of the Purdue Series on Corporate Citizenship and Ethics and was presented by the Krannert School of Management, College of Education's James F. Ackerman Center for Democratic Citizenship, College of Liberal Arts, Discovery Park, Purdue Convocations and Hall of Music Productions, with funding from Purdue Federal Credit Union. The series, which dates back to 2003, investigates various aspects of business ethics and the role citizens play in corporate ethics.

Burns produced and directed his first film for PBS, the Academy Award-nominated "Brooklyn Bridge," in 1981. His other films include "The Civil War," "Baseball" (the most-watched series in PBS history), "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" and "The Roosevelts." His newest film, "Defying the Nazis: The Sharps' War," will debut on PBS on Sept. 20.

Burns has received two Emmy Awards and two Academy Award nominations, as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Historian Stephen Ambrose said, "More Americans get their history from Ken Burns than any other source." A 2002 poll conducted by Real Screen Magazine named Burns one of the two "most influential documentary makers" of all time.