AMERICAN MASTERS presents “Twyla Moves” and “Amy Tan: An Unintended Memoir”

AMERICAN MASTERS held two sessions at this year’s Winter TCA Press Tour. First, the PBS producing partner previewed its upcoming film “Twyla Moves,” on Twyla Tharp’s astonishing career.

The film features never-before-seen interviews and select performances from Twyla Tharp’s vast array of more than 160 choreographed works, including 129 dances, 12 television specials, six major Hollywood movies, four full-length ballets, four Broadway shows and two figure skating routines.

Providing a firsthand glimpse into the legendary choreographer’s storied career and famously rigorous creative process, Twyla shares intimate details behind her trailblazing dances (“Fugue,” “Push Comes to Shove,” “Baker’s Dozen”), her cinematic partnership with Miloš Forman (“Hair,” “Amadeus,” “Ragtime”) and her wildly successful Broadway career alongside such luminaries as Billy Joel, Frank Sinatra and David Byrne.

In addition to Twyla, an international cast of stars (Misty Copeland, Herman Cornejo, Maria Khoreva) are included in the documentary rehearsing by video conference during the coronavirus pandemic. The film comes to PBS on March 26.

Steven Cantor (director) and Michael Kantor (series executive producer) joined Twyla Tharp to discuss the film and her career with critics.

In addition, AMERICAN MASTERS also presented “Amy Tan: An Unintended Memoir.”

The film follows the life of novelist Amy Tan, a Chinese American known for her bestselling novel “The Joy Luck Club.”

With the blockbuster film adaption that followed as well as additional bestselling novels, librettos, short stories, and memoirs, Amy firmly established herself as one of the most prominent and respected American literary voices working today.

Born to Chinese immigrant parents in 1950s America, it would be decades before Amy would come to fully understand how her mother’s battle with suicidal tendencies was rooted in a legacy of suffering common to women who survived the ancient Chinese tradition of concubinage. This very legacy, however, provided Amy an inexhaustible well of inspiration from which to work her literary magic. Archival imagery, artful animation, and live performance from Amy form the basis for this documentary that journeys through Amy’s life and career in vivid, living colors.

To discuss the film, premiering May 3, Amy was joined by Michael Kantor (series executive producer).