College Abruptly Cancels Prescreening Of "Bucks County, USA" Docuseries

NEWTOWN, PA — A day before it was scheduled to roll, the Bucks County Community College on Monday canceled a sold-out prescreening and discussion of the upcoming PBS docuseries, "Bucks County, USA."

In a statement, the college said it made the decision after receiving information that "raised concerns about our ability to provide a safe environment for campus visitors."

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The college did not say what information it had received.

"With the docuseries premiering locally on WHYY in less than one week and erring on the side of caution, the decision was made to cancel the event," the college said.
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"Bucks County Community College was excited to host this free prescreening in concert with WHYY, which at its core, is about education, civic life, and community engagement," the college said.

The prescreening was scheduled to include a Q&A with PBS NewsHour's Judy Woodruff and the participation of several of the main characters in the show. It had been scheduled for Tuesday evening.

"We are deeply disappointed that the college community will no longer have the opportunity to participate," the college said. "The safety of our visitors and campus community, however, is paramount."

The movie's director Robert May posted on social media that he was surprised and disappointed by the college's announcement.

"After several months of planning the event with them, the powers that be at the college ignored our plea to speak with whoever made this decision, which feels most unusual," said May.

"We remain committed to the project's goals and values and are in the process of securing a new location for the incredible people of Bucks County. As one of our participants said, 'We've now been presented with a new opportunity to bring multiple sides together," he posted.

Directed by Barry Levinson and May and filmed over four years beginning in 2020, the series focuses on the political turmoil that deeply divided the Central Bucks School District community during those four years and aims to "look beyond politics to offer an impartial, human perspective" on a deeply divided community in a very purple county and state.

The series is told through the eyes of Evi and Vanessa, who were both 14 years old and attending middle school in the Central Bucks School District when filming began.

The two friends find themselves caught between parents on opposite sides of America's culture wars and COVID issues, clashing over pandemic restrictions, school closures, LGBTQ+ rights, curriculum changes, the removal of books from school libraries over sexual content, and the weaponization of children in the political debate.

Evi and Vanessa manage to remain friends throughout the turmoil all around them as the series asks whether a community — and a country — can follow the example of its children and find a new path forward.

"Look at how these kids managed to remain friends throughout all this craziness," says a voice on the movie's trailer, released in August.

Another man says, "We've got to stop this right now. No more conservative. No more liberal. No more this side, that side, their side. It's humanity."

The Central Bucks community will see many familiar faces during the mini-series, many of whom were strongly voicing their support or criticism at the podium during sometimes volatile public comment sessions.

They'll also see familiar sights, including Central Bucks West High School and the familiar school board meeting room.

The show is set to air on PBS and be available to stream via PBS.org and the PBS app starting Sept. 20. The first two episodes will air in the first week, followed by each successive episode in the following weeks.