AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange, the Peabody Award-winning series by Black Public Media (BPM) and WORLD, brings two powerful stories featuring LGBTQ+ protagonists to Season 17. The films — Neptune Frost, by Anisia Uzeyman and Saul Williams, and Mama Gloria, by Luchina Fisher — present an Afrofuturistic tale of an intersex hacker and the real-life story of a pioneering trans woman. Presented by Black Public Media, WORLD and PBS Plus, AfroPoP remains the only U.S.-based public media show focused on independent documentaries and narrative films from across the global African diaspora.
In addition to broadcasting weekly on public television’s WORLD through June 30, episodes from this season are also available to stream on WORLD’s YouTube channel, on the Black Public Media YouTube channel and on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS App. PBS Plus will also release the season to additional public television stations across the country weekly (check local listings).
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Directed by Williams and Uzeyman, Neptune Frost premiered on WORLD on Monday, June 23, and has been released to streaming on worldchannel.org. An Afrocentric musical set in the hilltops of Burundi, the film follows Neptune, an intersex runaway portrayed in dual, resonant performances by Cheryl Isheja and Elvis Ngabo, alongside Matalusa, an escaped coltan miner played by Bertrand Ninteretse (AKA Kaya Free). Together, they spark a hacker collective that aims to overthrow an authoritarian government profiting from their country’s exploited natural resources. The film, which is executive produced by Lin-Manual Miranda and Stephen Hendel, among others, is streaming as part of an AfroPoP episode that also includes the narrative short and cinematic elegy, Tsutsue, by Amartei Armar. Set in a small Ghanaian fishing town perched on a toxic landfill spilling into the ocean, the film follows two young brothers, reeling from the drowning of their eldest sibling.
On Monday, June 30, WORLD will broadcast an exclusive encore presentation of Mama Gloria by Fisher, an Emmy-award winning director. The GLAAD-nominated documentary offers an intimate portrait of the late Gloria “Mama” Allen (1945–2022), a trailblazing Black transgender elder from Chicago. This heartfelt and hopeful film follows Gloria as she reflects on a life lived authentically — from her coming-of-age in Chicago’s pre–Stonewall drag ball culture to founding a self-funded “charm school” for young transgender people experiencing homelessness. More than a celebration of survival, it’s a testament to joy, grace, acceptance and intergenerational love. Mama Gloria is also available to stream as part of AfroPoP.
A conversation with Fisher, journalist Imara Jones and multimedia artist and producer Zackary Drucker around issues raised in the film is now available on YouTube at:
“AfroPoP is proud to showcase queer Black voices that are visionary, defiant and deeply human,” said Leslie Fields-Cruz, executive director of Black Public Media and AfroPoP executive producer. “These stories are not only timely — they’re timeless.”
“This series celebrates the power of global Black storytelling and the urgent need for diverse voices,” said Chaudry. “At WORLD, we are committed to ensuring these visionary films reach audiences who can see themselves — and the rest of the world — reflected on screen.”
