Blog

Headshot of Twin Sisters Director/Producer Mona Friis Bertheussen.
Uncategorized
October, 17, 2014

Twin Sisters Filmmaker Captures Sibling Bond

Craig Phillips in Uncategorized

Twin Sisters tells the story of the remarkable journey of identical twins, adopted by families from opposite ends of the world who discover their daughters are sisters. The film won the prestigious Audience Award at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, and it's…
Leveled Philadelphia row houses after the MOVE bombings
July, 11, 2014

From RealScreen: Archive Masterclass on the Making of the Film

Craig Phillips

Super piece by Adam Benzine on Let the Fire Burn's extensive, exhaustive archival process, with insight from filmmaker Jason Osder: "Archive masterclass: Making Let the Fire Burn'."  The film had its television premiere on Independent Lens in May. (more…)
Uncategorized
July, 7, 2014

PBS Online Film Festival (Including Independent Lens Shorts)

Craig Phillips in Uncategorized

WATCH. VOTE. SHARE. For the third year running, the PBS Online Film Festival is happening as we speak. Two excellent short films are representing Independent Lens as part of the line-up: Tryouts, by Susana Casares [official site], and Border Bedazzlers, by Grace Jackson [official Facebook…
Uncategorized
June, 30, 2014

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

Craig Phillips in Uncategorized

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…
African American protestors carry a sign that reads "Vote for Prop 6."
June, 15, 2014

The New Black

Independent Lens

The New Black tells the story of how the African American community is debating the marriage equality movement and the fight over LGBT rights. The film documents activists, families, and clergy on both sides of the campaign to legalize gay…
The New Black filmmaker Yoruba Richen
Uncategorized
June, 12, 2014

The New Black: Yoruba Richen Expands the Conversation on Marriage Equality

Craig Phillips in Uncategorized

Yoruba Richen brings to her films a diverse perspective coming from a multifaceted background, all of which came into play when making her new documentary The New Black. "As The New Black shows repeatedly and so compellingly,” wrote Cynthia Fuchs…
Three people, all with dark skin tone, stand together on Election Day wearing voting stickers. One holds a sign that says "Vote for... marriage equality."
Film History
June, 10, 2014

LGBTQ Pride: Movies That Rocked Their World [Updated]

Craig Phillips in Film History

June is always LGBTQ Pride Month, and traditionally it's been both a time for reflection on gay history and struggles (originally created to commemorate the Stonewall riots of June 1969), along with a colorful, pride-ful celebration of many important achievements and milestones. Since Independent…
May, 19, 2014

God Loves Uganda

Independent Lens

God Loves Uganda explores the role of the American evangelical movement in Uganda, the “Pearl of Africa,” where American missionaries have been credited with creating schools and hospitals, but also blamed for promoting dangerous religious bigotry. For many American evangelicals,…
Uncategorized
May, 16, 2014

Filmmaker Roger Ross Williams on God Loves Uganda

Craig Phillips in Uncategorized

Roger Ross Williams won an Academy Award for his short documentary Music by Prudence, which told the moving story of 21-year-old Zimbabwean singer-songwriter Prudence Mabhena, who was born severely disabled and has struggled to overcome poverty and discrimination. For his first feature-length documentary God…
A Philadelphia police officer observes the rubble after the MOVE bombings
Where Are They Now?
May, 12, 2014

The MOVE Bombings 29 Years Later

Craig Phillips in Where Are They Now?

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="594"] MOVE members and police during the 1978 confrontation outside MOVE headquarters.[/caption] It's the week of the 29th anniversary of the MOVE bombings, and for those who were in the middle of it and are still with us,…
Philadelphia police attack MOVE member with arms in air.
May, 12, 2014

Let the Fire Burn

Independent Lens

Let the Fire Burn is composed entirely with archival footage yet unfurls with the tension of a thriller. Jason Osder’s documentary recounts the steps that led to a horrific tragedy on May 13, 1985, when a longtime feud between the…
Let the Fire Burn filmmaker Jason Osder sitting in the edit suite
Behind the Films
May, 9, 2014

Jason Osder Explores an American Tragedy in Let the Fire Burn

Craig Phillips in Behind the Films

Let the Fire Burn, which won Best Editing in a Documentary Feature and nabbed Jason Osder Best New Documentary Director at the Tribeca Film Festival, manages to tell the supremely tense and tragic story of the longtime feud between the city of Philadelphia and controversial radical…