Join us for a special PBS Books Filmmaker Talk featuring Director and Senior Producer Chris Durrance as he takes you behind the scenes of the powerful PBS documentary Caregiving. Hosted by PBS Books National Director Heather-Marie Montilla, this in-depth conversation explores the making of the film and its companion shorts, sharing the stories and challenges of caregiving across America.
Caregiving — narrated by award-winning actress Uzo Aduba and executive produced by Bradley Cooper — is a poignant two-hour documentary that premieres nationwide on PBS on June 24, 2025, at 9 p.m. ET and is currently available for streaming on the PBS App and website. The film highlights the personal experiences of millions of caregivers — both paid and unpaid — revealing their daily challenges and triumphs while placing caregiving within the broader cultural and economic context of the U.S. care system.
In the Filmmaker Talk, Chris Durrance shares insights on the innovative storytelling approach that includes not only the feature documentary but also 18 short films, which capture diverse caregiving stories from communities nationwide. Together with Heather-Marie Montilla, he discusses the importance of recognizing caregiving as a universal act of kindness and community, and how sharing stories can spark greater empathy and support.
Whether you are a caregiver or someone who wants to better understand this vital role in our society, this program offers a meaningful look at caregiving’s many dimensions and encourages viewers to join the conversation.
Watch the PBS Books Filmmaker Talk stream live on YouTube, Facebook, and the PBS App.
For more about Caregiving and to share your own story, visit wellbeings.org/share-your-story and join the national conversation using #ShareYourCaregivingStory.
Host
Heather-Marie Montilla
Heather-Marie Montilla, a dynamic integrative leader, is an educator and nonprofit manager. She has worked in the nonprofit sector and libraries for over two decades, making a positive impact in arts, cultural, educational, and community-building arenas.
Having joined the PBS Books team as their Library Bureau Chief in Fall 2018, Montilla is now the National Director of PBS Books and has interviewed more than 150 writers. In addition, she is a faculty member at Michigan State University and Eastern Michigan University for their Arts and Cultural/Entertainment Management Programs. Having been an Executive Director for 8 years, Heather has a wide range of experience in management, finance, strategic planning, marketing, and fundraising. Heather holds a MPA From Columbia University, a MLIS from Wayne State University, and a bachelor’s from Duke University. She lives in Chicagoland, and is married with four children, a dog, and a bird.
Guest
Chris Durrance
Director & Senior Producer Caregiving, Producer at Ark Media
Chris Durrance is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, who is director of the forthcoming PBS series, Caregiving. Durrance worked on more than a dozen films for Frontline, three presidential biographies and an independent documentary on gerrymandering – Slay the Dragon – which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. He is the winner of a Peabody, two Emmys, a duPont-Columbia silver baton and an Overseas Press Club award. Recently, Durrance directed two major PBS series on science and medicine – Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies and The Gene. He is the founder of Seven One Eight Studios.
