American Immigrants Join TCM To Explore “The Idea of America”

Special Themed Programming Airs This September

This September, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is shining a light on The Idea of America,highlighting immigrants' perceptions of The United States of America and what it means to be American, through the lens of the American movies they watched when they were young. Nine immigrants will join TCM Primetime Host Ben Mankiewicz to discuss the movies that shaped their idea of the U.S. before they moved here. They will explore where perception and reality aligned, and what has surprised them about life in America. Programming begins Friday, Sept. 9, at 8:00pm ET and continues the following two Fridays.

The guests for this series include:

• Hemrani Vyas, introducing To Hell and Back (1955), the film that inspired her father Ajay Vyas to move from Kenya to the United States and join the Army (even joining the same regiment as Audie Murphy)
• Vera Petrovic, introducing Holiday Affair (1949), which inspired her holiday traditions in the U.S. when she moved from former Yugoslavia
• Ali Estefam, introducing Cool Hand Luke (1967), a film that instilled the idea of American persistence in her as she was in college in Brazil
• Gabriel Bitton, introducing Splendor in the Grass (1961), which he imagined as the most realistic portrayal of American teenage life as he was coming of age in Morocco
• Ash Nega, introducing The Champ (1979), a movie he watched with his family in his community's one-screen theater in Ethiopia
• Crystal Lee, introducing Love Story (1970), which made her want to travel from Korea to the U.S. to study at an American university
• Ted Ayllón, introducing Higher and Higher (1943), starring Frank Sinatra, whose singing Ted found easier to understand and learn English from when he was growing up in Bolivia
• Abdi Iftin, author of "Call Me American," introducing Badlands (1973), who learned to speak English from American movies he saw growing up in Somalia
• Sushma Barakoti, introducing To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), which inspired her work in social justice in the United States when she moved from her native Nepal

Please click here for full bios and photos of each guest. Interviews with guest co-hosts available upon request.

About Turner Classic Movies (TCM)

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is a two-time Peabody Award-winning network that presents classic films, uncut and commercial-free, from the largest film libraries in the world highlighting "where then meets now." TCM features the insights from Primetime host Ben Mankiewicz along with hosts Alicia Malone, Dave Karger, Jacqueline Stewart and Eddie Muller, plus interviews with a wide range of special guests and serves as the ultimate movie lover destination. With more than two decades as a leading authority in classic film, TCM offers critically acclaimed series like The Essentials, along with annual programming events like 31 Days of Oscar® and Summer Under the Stars. TCM also directly connects with movie fans through popular events such as the annual TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood, the TCM Big Screen Classics screening series, and the TCM Classic Cruise. In addition, TCM produces the wildly successful podcast "The Plot Thickens," which has had more than 6 million downloads to date. TCM hosts a wealth of material online at tcm.com and through the Watch TCM mobile app. Fans can also enjoy a classic movie experience on the Classics Curated by TCM hub on HBO Max.

Publicity Contact:

Taryn Jacobs

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