Blog

A husband and wife look over a fence straddling a river in Brooks County, Texas.
Beyond the Films
February, 3, 2022

“Death Valley for Migrants”: The Invisible Cost of Border Crossing

By Ivonne Spinoza What is more important: laws or lives? This is the question at the center of the immigration debate and its ramifications.  Conversations around illegal border crossings often result in the dehumanization of migrants. These are people we’re…
A family plays a video game while images of the game are superimposed over them.
Lifestyle
December, 22, 2020

Leveling Up Representation: Depictions of People of Color in Video Games

By Nadine Dornieden The $100+ billion video game industry is big. So big, in fact, that it dwarfs both the film and music industry combined. Gaming as a hobby has become much more popular every year since the 1990s, after Nintendo…
A glass wall covered in water bubbles. Each bubble has a tiny "like" button inside of it.
Beyond the Films
June, 16, 2020

Do You Live in a News Bubble?

By Brooke Shelby Biggs Whether you think of her as a visionary or a kook, Marion Stokes was far ahead of her time in addressing a problem in American media that continues to this day: a lack of diversity among…
Black and white photograph of three young people in berets as part of a Rainbow Coalition.
Beyond the Films
January, 28, 2020

From Race Riots to Rainbow Coalitions and Heatwaves: Chicago Activism on Racial and Economic Justice

It would be foolhardy to try to succinctly sum up the political history of one of America's most historically politically complicated cities--Chicago--in one sweeping post. Rather, consider this a basic primer of touchstones that connect some key dots, with recommendations…
doctor takes a patient's blood pressure; image courtesy Rawpixel.com
Beyond the Films
April, 4, 2019

New Efforts to Improve Rural Healthcare Crisis

By Suzanne Gordon The three caregivers we meet in The Providers face daunting challenges as they try to deliver medical and mental healthcare to patients in rural New Mexico. Sadly, their struggles are reproduced all over America because for decades…
An HBCU student tears up at his graduation, from Tell Them We Are Rising
Beyond the Films
February, 14, 2018

HBCU Grads Share Their Stories of Campus Life

Graduates of Historic Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are proud alums, and in connection with the Independent Lens film Tell Them We Are Rising, which tells the 170 years—and rising—history of HBCUs, we found a few who were happy to tell…
Jiro and son Takashi, in Jiro Dreams of Sushi
Lists
June, 17, 2017

12 Father’s Day Docs:  Stepping Out of Dad’s Shadow

Relationships with our dads can be complicated, as reflected in a collection of diverse, very worthy documentary films we've selected for Father's Day viewing consideration. All of the dads depicted here had a major impact on the lives of their…
National Bird director Sonia Kennebeck
Interviews
April, 28, 2017

Sonia Kennebeck Makes Film About the Human Cost of Drone Wars and Whistleblowing

Sonia Kennebeck's film National Bird, which was executive produced by renowned filmmakers Errol Morris and Wim Wenders, takes a risk just by making it in the first place. It tells the story of the United States drone war, from a very…
A Navy X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration aircraft takes off and flies for the first time Feb. 4, 2011, at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The Northrop Grumman-built aircraft flew for 29 minutes during the flight test. (Via Wikimedia commons)
Beyond the Films
April, 27, 2017

A Drone by Any Other Name: The Different Kinds of Drones

Drones are at the center of the Independent Lens film National Bird, though the documentary puts a very human face behind military drone operations, focusing on the post-traumatic stress stemming from participating in remote warfare. But for a word that comes up…
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…
Plaintiff Maria Hurtado and her husband, Salvador
Interviews
January, 29, 2016

Renee Tajima-Peña on the Women of the Madrigal vs Quilligan Case

Filmmaker Renee Tajima-Peña was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary for her film Who Killed Vincent Chin?, which aired on PBS back in 1989. She's hardly sat still since then; her films have premiered at Sundance, Cannes, San Francisco International, New…
A solider holds his head in his hand with cigarette smoke curling in the air.
Lists
November, 11, 2015

Eight Gripping Documentaries (and Five Feature Films) to Watch on Veterans Day

Established in 1919 by President Woodrow Wilson, Veterans Day (which is always November 11, to commemorate the date when WWI armistice was signed) has become a tradition to “honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve…
Postcard reading "Greetings from Alabama" against photograph of sunrise in the suburbs.
Uncategorized
April, 27, 2015

After the Storm: Interactive Documentary Launches on Anniversary of Alabama Tornado Disaster

On April 27, 2011, a powerful storm system unleashed a deadly series of tornadoes across central Alabama that devastated several cities. The largest tornado, which was categorized an F4, ripped through the Tuscaloosa, Alabama, area with winds up to 260 miles per hour, traveling…
Young African American man sits on a park bench in winter clothing.
Beyond the Films
April, 9, 2015

Homeless but Not Hopeless: Homeless Youth in America

Youth homelessness is on the rise in the United States, and the numbers aren't pretty. One in 30 kids (nearly 2.5 million children) of K-12 school age are now homeless in the US, according to a study by the National Center on…
Archival family photo from the Digital Diaspora Family Roadshow
Uncategorized
February, 16, 2015

Black Family History Through a Lens

Archival family photo from the Digital Diaspora Family Roadshow A wonderful companion piece to Thomas Allen Harris's film Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People is his Digital Diaspora Family Reunion project — a roadshow connecting communities and history through…
An African American mother works on her daughter's hair.
Test Your Knowledge
February, 4, 2015

Domestic Violence Quiz

In conjunction with the three-part series A Path Appears [episode 3 airs Monday night February 9], which focuses on gender-based oppression and human rights violations in America and around the world, we invite you to test yourself on some surprising facts and…
Screenshot of Decisions on Deadline game interface.
Test Your Knowledge
May, 6, 2014

Decisions on Deadline: Journalism Game

Connected to Samantha Grant's film A Fragile Trust: Plagiarism, Power, and Jayson Blair at The New York Times, which premiered this week on Independent Lens (check local listings to see if it's airing again in your area), we've collaborated with the filmmakers…
Headshot of A Fragile Trust filmmaker Samantha Grant.
May, 2, 2014

Filmmaker Samantha Grant on the Saga of Jayson Blair

In A Fragile Trust, Samantha Grant explores one of the most infamous scandals in recent media history, the complicated but disturbing story of Jayson Blair, wunderkind reporter who disgraced himself and one of the world's greatest newspapers, The New York Times,…
July, 22, 2013

Five Fun Interactive Features

With Independent Lens off the air for summer (and there are still plenty of ways to watch our films and via Amazon, iTunes, Netflix, DVD and more), this is a perfect time to check out some of the fun interactive features connected…
June, 14, 2013

Optimism is Revolutionary

The gap between rich and poor worldwide is growing rapidly. Today, over 1 billion people (1 in 6 of us) live in an urban slum and this number is expected to double by the year 2030. That is enough to…
Uncategorized
June, 13, 2013

The Revolutionary Optimists Filmmakers on Finding Hope in Kolkata’s Slums

Amlan Ganguly is a visionary. This lawyer-turned-community activist is not only changing a neighborhood, but also changing the way its youngest residents envision their lives. In this character-driven and highly cinematic documentary, acclaimed filmmakers Nicole Newnham (The Rape of Europa,…
Uncategorized
April, 12, 2013

What’s YOUR Superpower?

We’re all Wonder Women (or Men) inside, each with our own superpower. But sometimes, we daydream about being more than just a super-dad, super-banjo-strummer, or super-feminist. We want to levitate! Get the bad guys! Or maybe just become invisible to…
Uncategorized
April, 11, 2013

Filmmaker Kristy Guevara-Flanagan on the Making of Wonder Women!

Directed by Kristy Guevara-Flanagan and produced by Kelcey Edwards, Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines airs Monday, April 15 at 10pm (check local listings). We recently spoke with Kristy Guevara-Flanagan about her experiences making the film, a fun and…
Uncategorized
March, 7, 2013

Can a Facebook Game Change the World? Ask Asi Burak

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide was always designed to be more than a book or a documentary series—that’s why it’s called the Half the Sky Movement. To add momentum to the cause, Half the Sky…
Where Are They Now?
May, 25, 2012

Join Our Live Social Screening of Hell and Back Again with Sgt. Harris and Danfung Dennis

Using our fancy new tool for hosting interactive film screenings, we'll be offering you the chance to watch the Academy Award-nominated documentary Hell and Back Again on Tuesday, May 29 at 8pm ET / 5pm PT — following its Monday…
May, 10, 2012

Nomads’ Land Interactive Map

Our ancestors were nomads, but today, out of 6.8 billion people, only 30 million lead migratory lives. Summer Pasture (tonight on Independent Lens at 10 PM  — check local listings ) spotlights a nomadic family in the grasslands of Dzachukha in eastern Tibet. Locho, his…
Uncategorized
March, 1, 2012

Month-Long Women and Girls Lead Online Film Festival Kicks Off

Women and Girls Lead, a public media campaign designed to uplift, empower, and celebrate women who are making change around the world, is honoring Women's History Month with a month-long online film festival featuring many audience favorites from the Independent…
looking at an FBI "COINTELPRO" file stolen from Media FBI office
February, 21, 2012

Black History Month? There’s an App for That!

Shukree Tilghman, the director of the Independent Lens film More Than a Month, speaks with Hari Sreenivasen from PBS NewsHour about the special interactive iPhone app More Than a Mapp that he and Ember Media have developed to track and…
Uncategorized
February, 1, 2012

Join Our Social Screening of Daisy Bates Friday from Little Rock

On Friday, February 3 we're producing an interactive screening of the documentary Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock from Central High in Little Rock, Arkansas. Moderated by PBS NewsHour's Hari Sreenivasan and featuring filmmaker Sharon La Cruise, the event…
Uncategorized
November, 14, 2011

Behind the Scenes of We Still Live Here – Âs Nutayuneân, with Director Anne Makepeace

Filmmaker Anne Makepeace took some time out to answer a few questions about her film We Still Live Here — Âs Nutayuneân, which premieres on Independent Lens beginning on November 17, 2011 (check local listings for air dates and times…
March, 7, 2011

Live Chat with NewsHour: The Congo and Beyond

To honor the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day on Tuesday, we're co-hosting a live online discussion with ITVS and PBS News Hour about violence against women in the Congo and beyond. Our chat, hosted by NewsHour's Hari Sreenivasan, centers…