Blog

Illustration of a white man in colonial garb towering over miniature couples and families.
September, 30, 2024

The History of White People in America

Independent Lens

A series of musical animations, chronicling diverse experiences of how race has helped shape American culture. These shorts provide insight into the unique lived experiences of historical figures who played a role in the evolving definitions of identity.
80s style illustrated film poster depicting different iterations of Bored Apes in a grid on a retro computer monitor.
September, 10, 2024

Minted

Independent Lens

An insider’s look at the rise and fall of the NFT (non-fungible token) phenomenon and how technology transformed the traditional art world, for better and worse. Featuring verité footage and candid interviews with groundbreaking artists—like Beeple, Latasha Alcindor, and Loish—…
Black and white photograph of six women, one man, and a child in 1800s clothing standing behind a well-stocked bookshelf in a library.
September, 10, 2024

Free for All: The Public Library

Independent Lens

Free for All: Inside the Public Library tells the story of the quiet revolutionaries who made a simple idea happen. From the pioneering women behind the “Free Library Movement” to today's librarians who service the public despite working in a…
Photograph of a man and woman looking at a cityscape out of floor-to-ceiling windows covered in graffiti. One of the windows is broken and glass is scattered along the floor.
July, 3, 2024

Skin of Glass

Independent Lens

A journey to reckon with Brazil’s harsh inequality begins when filmmaker Denise Zmekhol discovers her father’s architectural masterpiece in São Paulo—a 24-story tall modernist icon known as “Pele de Vidro” (Skin of Glass)—is inhabited by hundreds of unhoused people. But…
Illustration of six hands each taking a slice of a round "I Voted" sticker.
June, 26, 2024

One Person, One Vote?

Independent Lens

At a time when many Americans question democratic institutions, One Person, One Vote? unveils the complexities of the Electoral College, the uniquely American and often misunderstood mechanism for electing a president. The documentary follows four presidential electors representing different parties…
A man with medium-dark skin tone and a large black mustache poses with a shovel in a sparse forest. He wears a thick sweatshirt, hat, and knee-high boots.
Beyond the Films
April, 1, 2024

Temporary Farm Workers by the Numbers: How Do They Make Ends Meet?

Independent Lens in Beyond the Films

By Ivonne Spinoza From working hard jobs for extremely low wages to being separated from their families for up to 10 months at a time, the sacrifices and challenges seem never-ending for temporary workers in the U.S.  In the documentary…
A man with light skin tone, a red beard, beanie, and glasses drives a tractor through a filed of corn that has been lightly dusted with snow.
Beyond the Films
March, 25, 2024

“A Stoic Group”: Midwestern Farmers Talk Frankly About Mental Health

Craig Phillips in Beyond the Films

Filmmaker Samuel-Ali Mirpoorian was inspired to make Greener Pastures after hearing a report on NPR’s All Things Considered that farmers had the highest rate of suicide by any profession, by more than 30 percent. Thus began his five-year, 60,000-mile journey to…
Two female doctors, both with light skin tone, pose outside of their mobile health wagon.
Behind the Films
March, 17, 2024

When the American Dream Becomes Survival: Short Doc Chronicles Rural Healthcare Crisis

Independent Lens in Behind the Films

By Nathan Duke Director Ramin Bahrani’s acclaimed films (like Man Push Cart, Chop Shop, and 99 Homes) focus on people struggling to survive due to economic challenges or failing to achieve the mythologized American Dream. His latest, the short documentary…
A person with light skin tone and short dark hair types on a laptop. They are wearing a vest and tie and look to be in deep concentration.
Test Your Knowledge
February, 22, 2024

QUIZ! What Kind of Journalist Would You Be?

Independent Lens in Test Your Knowledge

Would you like to consider a career in journalism? It's one of the most important fields in any functioning democracy. It's also a pretty challenging time to make a living as a journalist, given newspaper layoffs and closures, and other…
The 19th* Editor at Large Errin Haines interviewing Kamala Harris
Beyond the Films
February, 16, 2024

Often Underrepresented, Always Underestimated: Eight Groundbreaking Women in Journalism

Independent Lens in Beyond the Films

By Lennlee Keep The power of the press has been apparent since the first newspapers began circulating in the early 17th century. A story can create or destroy fortunes, change social norms, or change the people in power. As media…
A photograph of a woman with medium-dark skin tone and short braids is superimposed over a government building at night.
January, 31, 2024

holding bodies: a justice anthology

Independent Lens

The three-part holding bodies: a justice anthology uses personal experiences of arrest, pretrial detention, and incarceration to reconsider the intention, design, and process of America’s justice system.
A flooded Miami street after a hurricane, a man walks through the waters. Photo Credit (photographer): Hector David Rosales
Beyond the Films
January, 26, 2024

“A Rising Tide Lifts Many Boats”: Climate Gentrification and You

Jennie Z. Rose in Beyond the Films

By Jen Rose For the longest time, wealthy retirees migrated to the beaches—of, say, sunny Florida. Now with the reality of rising sea levels, higher ground is a more desirable destination. But what happens to those who have lived for…