LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, October 20, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — With awards-season buzz building around her latest project, filmmaker Rita Coburn is bringing her documentary on W.E.B. Du Bois to the University of Pennsylvania campus for a special preview and discussion. The Thursday, October 22 event gives students and the public a chance to see excerpts from the film and hear directly from its creator.
PHILADELPHIA, PA — The University of Pennsylvania will host award-winning filmmaker Rita Coburn on Thursday, October 22, 2026, for a special presentation of excerpts from W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With A Cause, followed by a conversation between Coburn and Penn Provost John L. Jackson Jr.
Presented by the Offices of the President, Provost, and Executive Vice President, the event begins at 4:30 p.m. in the ARCH Auditorium, Room 208, at 3601 Locust Walk in Philadelphia. A reception will follow. Executive Vice President Mark Dingfield and Lasry Family Professor of Race Relations Tukufu Zuberi will offer remarks.
The event comes as Coburn takes the documentary to audiences during awards season. Directed, written and produced by Coburn, W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With A Cause explores the extraordinary life and legacy of the scholar, sociologist, historian, author, activist and Pan-Africanist whose ideas continue to shape discussions of race, justice and democracy.
Narrated by Viola Davis, the documentary features dramatic readings by Common, Courtney B. Vance and Jeffrey Wright, alongside rare archival material and insights from scholars and cultural voices including Henry Louis Gates Jr., Eddie Glaude Jr. and Nikole Hannah-Jones.
Born in 1868, Du Bois lived through Reconstruction, Jim Crow, two World Wars and the emergence of the modern Civil Rights Movement. The film traces his groundbreaking scholarship, his role in founding the NAACP, his international Pan-African work and his final years in Ghana, where he died in 1963.
“Storytelling is how we preserve truth,” said Coburn. “When we bring historical voices like Du Bois to life, we reconnect audiences with ideas that continue to shape our democracy and our world.”
Coburn previously directed acclaimed documentaries Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise and Marian Anderson: The Whole World In Her Hands. Her latest film aired in 2026 as part of PBS’s American Masters series.
EVENT INFORMATION
Excerpts from W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With A Cause and Conversation
Thursday, October 22, 2026 | 4:30 p.m.
The ARCH Auditorium, Room 208
3601 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA
Conversation: Rita Coburn and Provost John L. Jackson Jr.
Remarks: Executive Vice President Mark Dingfield and Professor Tukufu Zuberi
Reception to follow
Co-sponsors include Africana Studies, African American Resource Center, Anthropology Department, Du Bois College House, History Department, Makuu, Penn Cinema & Media Studies, Scribe Video Center, Sociology Department and University Archives.
ABOUT THE FILM
W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With A Cause is directed, written and produced by Rita Coburn. The film is a co-production of RCW Media Productions, Inc. and American Masters, produced in association with the Center for Independent Documentary and Black Public Media. Original music is by Kathryn Bostic; editing is by K.A. Miille.
OFFICIAL TRAILER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kMsik6rDQM
For Further Information Contact: https://www.ritacoburn.com/contact
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Rachel Aberly
RCW Media
Why it matters: As the documentary moves through awards season, this campus event underscores the enduring relevance of Du Bois’s work in contemporary conversations about race and democracy. By pairing the filmmaker with university leadership, Penn is positioning itself as a hub for public scholarship that bridges historical research and civic engagement.
