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Independent Lens winner of 2 News and Doc Emmy Awards graphic with Emmy Award
Awards
September, 30, 2021

Independent Lens Wins Two 2021 News & Documentary Emmy Awards

Independent Lens is delighted to be the recipient of two 2021 News & Documentary Emmy Awards, as announced today by The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS). The 42nd Annual News & Documentary Emmy® Awards honored programs out…
A group of people with dark skin tone help to clean up a large pile of rubble.
Awards
June, 26, 2020

And the Winner of the 2019-2020 Audience Award is… (UPDATED)

Update (7/9): With voting now closed and a total of 13,331 votes, we are thrilled to announce the winner of the Independent Lens Audience Award: Decade of Fire Congrats to filmmakers Vivian Vázquez Irizarry, Gretchen Hildebran and Julia Steele Allen,…
A young man with dark skin tone looks into the distance. He wears a nose ring and a red hoodie. Around his photograph are graphics of gold lines.
Announcements
June, 10, 2020

Hale County This Morning, This Evening Wins Peabody Award

The Peabody Awards announced that the Independent Lens film Hale County This Morning, This Evening was honored with a Peabody in the Documentary category.  We extend our heartiest congratulations to filmmaker RaMell Ross on this achievement. Hale County This Morning,…
Unrest signature image with Jen Brea getting a test on her brainwaves, including IL audience award graphic now
Announcements
June, 18, 2018

Make Your Voice Heard: Pick Your Favorite 2017-18 Independent Lens Film (Updated)

It's that time of the year again: Now that Independent Lens has concluded another season, we need you to vote for the recipient of this year's Audience Award. Yes you, the audience! Vote for your favorite documentary from 2017-2018's award-winning…
Promotional image for The Homestretch News & Doc Emmy
Awards
September, 22, 2016

The Homestretch Wins 2016 News and Doc Emmy Award

We were pleased to learn that The Homestretch took home a News and Documentary Emmy® Award for Outstanding Business and Economic Reporting, in the News & Doc Emmy Awards ceremony held at New York City's Lincoln Center presented by the National Academy of…
Independent Lens Audience Award 2016 Vote graphic
Awards
August, 15, 2016

Independent Lens Audience Award Survey!

Vote now for your own personal favorite from the just-concluded 2015-2016 season of Independent Lens. The voting period will run through 5 pm PT Monday, August 29. There were 21 films in this season that lasted from October through August,…
A woman marches down a Delhi street shouting in protest as water cannons shower the scene.
Awards
April, 26, 2016

Independent Lens Wins 2016 Peabody Award for India’s Daughter

Independent Lens is proud to announce that Leslee Udwin’s India’s Daughter, which premiered on the PBS series in November 2015, is the winner of a 2016 Peabody Award. The Peabody Awards are bestowed by the University of Georgia’s Grady College…
webby award with binary code on it
Announcements
April, 8, 2016

Independent Lens Nominated for Webby Awards

Three projects from Independent Lens have been recognized by the Webby Awards, the leading international awards for excellence on the Internet, which were called “the Internet’s highest honor” by The New York Times. The nominees, selected by members of the…
Young reporter Neal Spelce on the scene at UT Austin shooting, 1966, from the film Tower
Awards
March, 16, 2016

Independent Lens Film “Tower” Wins 2016 SXSW Grand Jury Prize

Austin was an extremely appropriate place to premiere the film Tower, which revisits the 1966 sniper shootings at the University of Texas at Austin, considered the first mass shooting on a college campus in the United States. Many of the survivors…
Independent Lens IDA Awards 2016 for Best Curated Series, plus (T)ERROR and Best of Enemies
Awards
December, 7, 2015

Independent Lens Wins Best Curated Series and Other Honors at 2015 IDA Awards

Independent Lens scored at the 2015 IDA Awards, handed out this weekend in Los Angeles. The prestigious awards are selected by the International Documentary Association every year to honor the year's best in documentary filmmaking. The full list of winners was published on Variety.…
July, 1, 2015

And the Winner of the 2014-2015 Independent Lens Audience Award Is…

The winner of this season's Independent Lens Audience Award, as chosen by voting viewers, is.... Kumu Hina! Interestingly, Kumu Hina is not the first Independent Lens film to win the Audience Award that is about hula dance: Men of Hula won…
June, 24, 2015

Time to Vote! Independent Lens 2014-2015 Audience Award

The Independent Lens 2014-2015 season may have ended, but the Audience Award is heating up. Rate and vote for your favorite films from this past season on our Audience Awards page. In order to avoid ballot box stuffing, once your vote is…
April, 23, 2015

Brakeless Wins Peabody Award

The Independent Lens film Brakeless, which aired this season, was just given the great honor of winning a Peabody Award, which recognizes distinguished and meritorious public service by American radio and television stations, networks, online media, producing organizations, and individuals. The 74th annual Peabody…
Uncategorized
December, 6, 2014

And the winner of IDA Award for Best Curated Series goes to…

At Friday night’s 30th annual IDA Documentary Awards, given out every year by the International Documentary Association to recognize and honor outstanding documentary films and filmmakers, Independent Lens was given the great honor of winning the 2014 Best Curated Series…
October, 29, 2014

Independent Lens Nabs IDA Award Nom; Evolution of a Criminal Filmmaker Wins IDA’s Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award

Congratulations to all the outstanding films nominated for this year's International Documentary Association Awards, and for the five documentary television series nominated for Best Curated Series, let's all give ourselves a round of applause: https://twitter.com/IDAorg/status/527495624283803648 We're excited to be in…
Uncategorized
October, 1, 2014

Independent Lens Wins 3 News & Documentary Emmy Awards

Cover your ears, it’s horn tooting time here! Last night at the News & Documentary Emmy Awards ceremony, Independent Lens films won three Emmy Awards, for Editing; Investigative Journalism, Long-Form; and Best Documentary. Independent Lens had been nominated for 10 News &…
Uncategorized
June, 30, 2014

The Winner of 2013-2014 Independent Lens Audience Award Is…

The votes are in and Independent Lens viewers have spoken! Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey is the winner of the Independent Lens 2013-2014 Audience Award. Congratulations to filmmaker Ramona S. Diaz and her team. The music-filled film [official site] about Journey’s new…
June, 16, 2014

Vote for the 2013-2014 Independent Lens Audience Award!

Now that the Independent Lens 2013-2014 season is officially concluded, voting for the Audience Award is heating up. If you haven't already, rate and vote for your favorite films from this past season by going to our Audience Awards page.…
April, 2, 2014

Independent Lens Wins 3 Peabody Awards

The 73rd annual Peabody Awards — which recognizes distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations, and individuals — were just announced, and three Independent Lens films were among the winners.  The full list of winners of the prestigious…
March, 12, 2014

The Great Invisible Wins Grand Jury Prize at SXSW

Margaret Brown's new documentary The Great Invisible won the Grand Jury Prize at the SXSW festival, the top honors for nonfiction film at the prestigious Austin, Texas film festival. The film, which examines the disastrous Deepwater Horizon oil spill in…
February, 20, 2014

The Best of the Best Documentaries of 2013 Lists List

[caption id="attachment_5364" align="alignnone" width="600"] 20 Feet From Stardom[/caption] It was a good year for documentaries. Maybe we say that every year, but 2013 felt particularly strong. How can anyone keep track of all the excellent non-fiction films you need to…
January, 6, 2014

At Berkeley Shares National Society of Film Critics Best Non-Fic Honor

At Berkeley, which will be broadcast on Independent Lens on January 13, was just named co-recipient of Best Non-Fiction Film of 2013 by the National Society of Film Critics (NSFC), sharing the honor with The Act of Killing. The full vote breakdown…
October, 29, 2013

Independent Lens Nominated for IDA Awards

We're pleased to learn that the International Documentary Association, which is one of the most respected organizations devoted to promoting and assisting the documentary film community, has nominated Independent Lens for an IDA Documentary Award for Best Continuing Series. We're…
October, 24, 2013

Gotham Awards: Independent Lens Films Nominated for Best Doc and for Audience Award

Three Independent Lens films, Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey, Blood Brother (which will air on PBS in January), and The New Black (airing next June), are all up for IFP Gotham Audience Awards, which "celebrates audience award winners from across the…
July, 12, 2013

2013 Emmy Nominations for Independent Lens

We were excited to learn that several Independent Lens films have been nominated for 2013 News and Documentary Emmy Awards by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Danfung Dennis's Hell and Back Again — which had previously been nominated for…
June, 18, 2013

Which Film Will Be This Season’s Audience Favorite? It’s Up to You!

Statues, laurels, trophies, medals, plaques, certificates ... there are plenty of awards to be won in the film business, but there is only ONE Independent Lens Audience Award, honoring our fans' favorite film of the season. Like audience awards at…
January, 10, 2013

The Invisible War Nominated for Oscar!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7c6oOUd4Fvs We're thrilled to report that The Invisible War, a groundbreaking film exposing the epidemic of rape in the U.S. military, is one of five nominees for an Academy Award for best documentary feature. The film has already helped focus…
December, 10, 2012

The Waiting Room Makes Washington Post 2012 Top-10 Film List!

Independent Lens films continue to pile up incredible accolades and awards this month.  The latest: The Washington Post's Ann Hornaday just came out with her list of the top 10 films of  2012, and The Waiting Room ranked No. 3…
December, 7, 2012

How Will You Decide Your Person of the Year?

[caption id="attachment_2557" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Ai Weiwei is in the running for Time's Person of the Year, alongside contenders like the Mars Rover, various politicians, Jon Stewart, and Pussy Riot.[/caption] Time magazine this week announced the contenders for its 2012 Person…
December, 6, 2012

It’s Been a Great Week for Independent Lens!

What a week for Independent Lens! First the Sundance Film Festival announced the lineup for 2013. Then Time magazine showed The Invisible War some major love in its “Top Movies of 2012." It's the only documentary on the list! And now the Academy Awards shortlist is out with some…
December, 3, 2012

POV Announces the 25 Greatest Documentaries of All Time

[caption id="attachment_2509" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Which documentary won the most votes?[/caption] Your votes are in, the ballots have been counted, and sister series POV has announced the 25 Greatest Documentaries of All Time. Some may surprise you, others not so much.…
November, 9, 2012

Election Season Extended (for Best Documentaries of All Time)

What does it mean to be the greatest? This week our sister series, POV, launched an ambitious survey which will culminate in a master list of the greatest documentaries of all time. Obviously, we have our own favorites (wink, wink…
Primetime Emmy Awards
Awards
September, 16, 2012

Have You Heard from Johannesburg wins Primetime Emmy Award

Independent Lens Audience Award Winner Have You Heard From Johannesburg won the Emmy for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking at the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards last night! Have You Heard From Johannesburg is an epic five-part documentary series, produced and directed by Connie Field,…
August, 20, 2012

The 2012 Independent Lens Audience Award Goes To ….

We had so many great films with so much excellence filling out our 10th season that our Audience Award came right down to a photo finish. Our dual winners tied after unprecedented rates of voting by a very passionate fan…
August, 3, 2012

Which Film Will be This Season’s Audience Favorite? Vote Now

UPDATE: Voting for the Season 10 Audience Award is now closed. Thanks for participating! Statues, laurels, trophies, medals, plaques, certificates ... there are plenty of awards to be won in the film business, but there is only ONE Independent Lens…
Where Are They Now?
July, 19, 2012

Have You Heard From Johannesburg Nominated for Primetime Emmy

In January of this year, we brought you the epic five-part documentary series Have You Heard From Johannesburg, by Connie Field. This morning we learned that the series has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Exceptional Merit in…
July, 12, 2012

Independent Lens Snags Five Emmy Nominations!

We arrived in the office this morning to fantastic news! Four Independent Lens films have been nominated for a total of five Emmy Awards! We are thrilled that these remarkable filmmakers are receiving such a well-deserved honor. Congratulations to all…
Cyntoia Brown gazes out a prison van window.
June, 20, 2012

Cyntoia’s Story Finalist for Casey Medal in Journalism for Families and Children

We're excited to learn that last season's film Me Facing Life: Cyntoia's Story by Dan Birman has been named a finalist for the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism from the University of Maryland. The Casey Medals recognize exemplary reporting on…
April, 4, 2012

Bhutto Wins a Peabody Award; Public TV Scores Multiple Awards

Our heartiest congratulations go out to Mark Seigel and Duane Baughman on winning an esteemed Peabody Award for last season's Independent Lens documentary Bhutto. SO richly deserved! Other worthy winners from our friends around the public television community include: My…
Where Are They Now?
March, 1, 2012

Independent Lens Goes to the 84th Academy Awards

We're lucky enough to be able to share these gorgeous photos from Sunday night's Academy Awards ceremony, thanks to Danfung Dennis — who was nominated for Best Documentary Feature for Hell and Back Again - and Susan Margolin of New…
February, 28, 2012

Late Night Oscar Diaries

Independent Lens Series Producer Lois Vossen attended Sunday night’s Academy Awards in Los Angeles. She was there to support two nominated films for Best Documentary feature: Independent Lens's Hell and Back Again and If a Tree Falls (which aired on…
February, 25, 2012

Two Independent Lens Docs Nominated for Independent Spirit Awards

More awards season news for the Independent Lens family. The Film Independent Spirit Awards are also this weekend, and Independent Lens has two nominated films: Hell and Back Again is nominated in the Truer than Fiction category, and We Were…
1971 quiz
February, 24, 2012

UK Prime Minister Hopes for a Hell and Back Again Oscar Win

Prime Minister David Cameron sent this note to Mike Lerner, producer of Hell and Back Again, yesterday. The very British Roast Beef Productions are the clever lads behind Danfung Dennis's Oscar-nominated documentary. We say ditto! Good luck Danfung, Mike, Martin,…
October, 7, 2011

Catch These Documentaries About Two New Nobel Laureates!

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and Leymah Gbowee of Liberia (along with Tawakkul Karman of Yemen) were announced as winners of this year's Nobel Peace Prize today. As you likely know, Independent Lens is a proud partner of the  Women and Girls Lead public media campaign, and…
June, 30, 2011

The 2011 Independent Lens Audience Award Winner is … Two Spirits!

At film festivals, the award that often matters most to filmmakers and their subjects alike is the Audience Award. They know they've struck a chord when the audience applauds their efforts. The race for the most coveted award of the…
Interviews
February, 8, 2011

Live Chat with Best Doc Oscar Nominee Lucy Walker

Filmmaker Lucy Walker joined us for a live chat on Wednesday, February 9 to talk about her film Waste Land. The documentary, which airs April 19 on Independent Lens has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.…
December, 6, 2010

Five Independent Lens Films Win IDA Awards

Wow, what a weekend. The International Documentary Awards bestowed high honors on several films that will make their broadcast premiere on Independent Lens in coming months. We want to extend our heartfelt congratulations to the filmmakers and give you our…
October, 27, 2010

Three Independent Lens Films Nominated for IDA Awards

The International Documentary Association has given Independent Lens not one, not two, but three big compliments today, announcing that a trifecta of this season's films have been nominated for prestigious IDA Awards. Congratulations to the filmmakers! Waste Land by Lucy…