Blog

A woman with light skin tone and dark hair wears a qipao and writes with a calligraphy brush.
Behind the Films
March, 27, 2023

Telling the Story of Keeping the Secret Nüshu Language Alive

Craig Phillips in Behind the Films

"Besides a well, one does not thirst. Besides a sister, one does not despair." — Nüshu poem Inspired by a bestselling book that featured Nüshu, filmmaker Violet Du Feng was surprised at how little she and most Chinese people knew…
An injection site in Vancouver with orange colored partitions separating different areas. A sign reads "Injection site open all night." A man with a ponytail and long beard stands in the middle of the site looking off camera to the right.
Behind the Films
February, 23, 2023

How Vancouver Finds Hope and Love Amid Fentanyl Crisis

Independent Lens in Behind the Films

  By Ivonne Spinoza One of the more horrible legacies we are left with from the war on drugs is the lack of compassion toward those who struggle with addiction. Instead of treating this crisis as a health issue, society…
A group of Black men and women sitting in a row, watching someone speak.
Independent Film
February, 22, 2023

6 Documentaries About the Black Experience

Independent Lens in Independent Film

Add these Independent Lens docs to your must-watch list. The Big Payback Directed by Erika Alexander and Whitney Dow Outta The Muck Directed by Ira McKinley and Bhawin Suchak The Picture Taker Directed by Phil Bertelsen When Claude Got Shot Directed by Brad…
A group of football players stand on the sidelines of a field during a game.
Behind the Films
February, 14, 2023

Beyond Football: Pahokee, Florida’s History of Black Resilience

Craig Phillips in Behind the Films

This community and the surrounding area around the southern shores of Lake Okeechobee, Florida, has a rich history, but the people of Pahokee's past has often been skipped over, even by those who live there.  Ira McKinley, whose family hails…
Woman with medium skin tone and long braids sits at a table speaking energetically with others.
Behind the Films
January, 16, 2023

From Podcast to Doc: Erika Alexander and Whitney Dow on Their Reparation Collaboration

Craig Phillips in Behind the Films

Will the burden to make restitution for Black Americans ever be addressed, or is it too late for a reparations movement to finally happen? That question is at the center of the provocative documentary The Big Payback, which focuses especially…
Jared Leto wearing a black Day in the Life of America t-shirt
Contests
January, 3, 2023

WIN “A Day in the Life of America” T-Shirt

Independent Lens in Contests

We're giving away ten fabulous shirts to celebrate Jared Leto's A Day in the Life of America. Stream the documentary on the PBS app by January 11. The contest runs from Jan 3 through Jan 6, 2023 at 9:00 am.…
A young girl lit by a red light points to her smartphone screen, which has the TikTok logo on it.
Beyond the Films
November, 15, 2022

More Than Just a Hashtag: Disability and TikTok

Independent Lens in Beyond the Films

By Chloe Johnson If you enter the world’s most popular app, TikTok, ADHD might genuinely be the first thing that nondisabled people think of when they imagine what "disability TikTok" might refer to. News sites are even obsessed with how…
A woman using a wheelchair dances with her arms as she sits near the seaside.
Behind the Films
November, 7, 2022

“I Want to Move, I Want to Embrace Change”: Kelsey Peterson’s Journey to Dance Again

Independent Lens in Behind the Films

By Xian Horn Kelsey Peterson and I have had very different experiences of disability—I was born with cerebral palsy, and she became disabled as an adult. But watching her film Move Me, I felt deeply connected to her. The camera…
A photo of a violinist with osteogenesis imperfecta holding her instrument. She wears a red flower in her hair and has a eyebrow ring.
Beyond the Films
November, 1, 2022

“Everybody’s Voice Is Unique”: Disability in the Performing Arts

Independent Lens in Beyond the Films

By Allison Kirkland Kelsey Peterson's journey in Move Me will resonate with anyone who has undergone change and found something different but just as beautiful on the other side of that change. Using dance and choreography as a guiding framework,…
Two young girls, backlit by the sun, take a selfie in front of the ocean.
Beyond the Films
October, 26, 2022

The Real People Behind Shadowbanned TikTok Accounts

Independent Lens in Beyond the Films

By Andy Hirschfeld Tensions are especially high across the globe right now, and on TikTok, knee-jerk reactions may drive some people into—or out of—their 15 minutes of fame. With that comes both empowerment and validation, but also hurtful comments and…
A woman with dark skin tone, wearing a black dress and pearl necklace, sits on a white couch surrounded by photos of her son who has passed due to hazing.
Behind the Films
September, 15, 2022

The Price of Hazing: A Personal Journey to Understand the Need to Belong

Craig Phillips in Behind the Films

Byron Hurt has made indelible films about the traditions of African American culinary traditions (Soul Food Junkies) and masculinity and misogyny in rap music with his daring doc Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes. For his new film, he tackles a…
A cartoonist wears a suit in front of a wall of black and white comic strips.
September, 12, 2022

No Straight Lines

Independent Lens

When Alison Bechdel received a coveted MacArthur Award for her best-selling graphic memoir Fun Home, it heralded the acceptance of LGBTQ+ comics in American culture. From DIY underground comix scene to mainstream acceptance, meet five smart and funny queer comic…