The 22nd season of Emmy-winning PBS documentary series P.O.V. starts on June 23, 2009 with Jennifer Maytorena Taylor’s New Muslim Cool. The film tells the story of Puerto Rican-American rapper Hamza Pérez, who pulled himself out of drug dealing and street life 12 yearsago and became a Muslim. But when the FBI raids his mosque, Hamza must confront the realities of the post-9/11 world, and himself. 

The series continues on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. through September 22, 2009. The season, as always, features a wide range of stories. Topics include crime victims who refuse to hate, a celebrated doctor working in backward conditions, public school principals undaunted by the poverty of their districts, Johnny Cash, women who would be bullfighters and a determined jurist who roams the world fighting for prosecution of crimes against humanity.

If you  missed the screening of renowned cinematographer Ellen Kuras's Academy Award-nominated The Betrayal at DocuDay, set your Tivo for July 21st. You can catch former IDA Board Member Robert Bahar and Almudena Carracedo's Emmy-winning Made in L.A. on August 11th.  

In addition to the Tuesday night programs, the season also includes two specials that will air during the fall and winter. In  November, The Way We Get By, a storyof older people reinventing their lives through tribute to U.S. troops, will air for Veterans Day; and Patti Smith: Dream of Life will air in January 2010. 

P.O.V. is produced by American Documentary, Inc. and is the longest-running showcase on television to feature the work of America's contemporary-issue independent filmmakers. 

Here's the full run down of titles and broadcast dates: 

June 23    New Muslim Cool by Jennifer Maytorena Taylor
June 30    Beyond Hatred by Olivier Meyrou
July 7       Life. Support. Music. by Eric Daniel Metzgar
July 14     The Reckoning: The Battle for the International Criminal Court by Pamela Yates
July 21     The Betrayal (Nerakhoon) by Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
July 28      Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go by Kim Longinotto
August 4   Encore Johnny Cash: The Man, His World, His Music by Robert Elfstrom
August 11  Encore Made in L.A. by Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar
August 18  P.O.V. Shorts Selection (To be announced)
August 25  The Way Up by Georgi Lazarevski
Sept. 1       Ella Es El Matador (She is the Matador) by Gemma Cubero and Celeste Carrasco
Sept. 8       The English Surgeon by Geoffrey Smith
Sept. 15     The Principal Story by Tod Lending and David Mrazek
Sept. 22     Bronx Princess by Yoni Brook and Musa Syeed
November Special    The Way We Get By by Aron Gaudet
January Special        Patti Smith: Dream of Life by Steven Sebring