BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A new PBS “American Masters” documentary on avant-garde jazz legend and Birmingham native Sun Ra is set to bring the visionary bandleader’s life and legacy to a national television audience early next year. The film, “Sun Ra: Do the Impossible,” will air on PBS stations as part of the long-running biography series, with the premiere promoted for February 2026.
Directed by Christine Turner and produced by Firelight Films, “Sun Ra: Do the Impossible” traces the musician’s journey from the Jim Crow South to his transformative role in experimental jazz and Afrofuturism. The feature-length film has screened on the 2025 festival circuit, including the Tribeca Festival, ahead of its public television debut.
Sun Ra, born Herman Poole Blount in Birmingham in 1914, became known for his otherworldly compositions, cosmic philosophy and elaborate performances with his Arkestra. The documentary explores his self-fashioned origin story — claiming he came from Saturn — as well as his decades of bandleading, composing and community-building in Chicago, New York and Philadelphia.
The film weaves together archival concert footage, rare recordings and photographs with contemporary interviews from musicians, scholars and members of the Sun Ra Arkestra. It also examines his influence on generations of artists across jazz, experimental music and Black cultural and political thought, framing his work within the broader history of Afrofuturism.
Jazz fans in Alabama may take particular interest in the documentary’s attention to Sun Ra’s early years in Birmingham and the segregated South. Public television listings and jazz community groups are encouraging viewers to check local PBS schedules and streaming platforms closer to February for exact air times and on-demand options for “Sun Ra: Do the Impossible.”