Alabama Public Television (APT) will host a free, one-hour preview of “The War,” the new PBS documentary, on Sept. 8, at 8 p.m., at the Mitchell Center on the University of South Alabama campus in Mobile.

Filmmaker Ken Burns, who directed and produced the epic with Lynn Novick, will speak to the audience about the film and take part in a question-and-answer session following the preview.

“The War” explores the Second World War from an American perspective, following the experiences of a handful of men and women from four towns in the U.S. whose lives were transformed by the war.

One of the four cities highlighted is Mobile, a sleepy Southern port that became a booming, overcrowded “wartown” overnight.

The film took six years to complete and features interviews with veterans as well as those left at home during the conflict.

As a complement to the PBS documentary, which will air beginning Sept. 23, APT has produced its own tribute to the people of Alabama that will air at 8 p.m. on APT on Veteran’s Day, Nov. 11. This APT documentary, titled “WWII: Alabama Remembers,” features interviews with veterans in Mobile and throughout Alabama.

It was produced by APT’s Emmy-award winning executive documentary producer, Amanda Shaw Newsome.

Seats at the Mitchell Center preview will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Alabama Public Television, established in 1955, is America’s first statewide educational television network. Affiliated with the Public Broadcasting Service, it is a seven-day-a-week educational resource for every Alabamian — children and adults alike — through online services, analog and digital television programming, documentary production and outreach activities.