This Week In Conversation: Filmmaker Ken Burns On New Ali Doc

In Conversation

Muhammad Ali, Louisville’s favorite son, left a big footprint on the world.

It’s about to become bigger with the new eight-part documentary produced by filmmaker Ken Burns that premieres this weekend on PBS. Burns brings his storytelling eye to the life and legacy of Ali, as he has done with a wide variety of subjects over the years, including wars, sports, and music. This week in Louisville there will be a series of events celebrating the series, which runs September 19-22.

On this week’s “In Conversation” we had an all-Ali hour hosted by Rick Howlett. We talked to Burns about the making of this film, and his acclaimed career documenting some of the most important cultural topics and people in history. WHAS-11 reporter and anchor Doug Proffitt told us about the archival footage his station discovered and provided for the Ali documentary. And Laura Douglas, who leads the Ali Center, shared her thoughts about how Ali’s legacy still endures and influences future generations.