Blog

Sammy, David, and Todd as the nurse preps for delivery, in Made in Boise.
Beyond the Films
October, 22, 2019

Surrogacy Facts and Myths: How Much Do You Know?

Independent Lens in Beyond the Films

By Lennlee Keep In 2018, over 100 children were born in Boise, Idaho, through surrogacy. The story behind this unique baby boom is explored in the Independent Lens documentary Made in Boise, an intimate look at how surrogates and parents…
A young Chinese woman speaks to her parents over lunch while they are all seated at the kitchen table.
October, 21, 2019

Leftover Women

Independent Lens

Leftover Women follows three successful Chinese women -- Qiu Hua Mei, a 34-year-old lawyer; Xu Min, 28, who works in public radio; and Gai Qi, 36, an assistant college professor in Beijing -- who, despite thriving careers, are still labeled…
At the Kennedy Space Center, seven women who once aspired to fly into space stand outside Launch Pad 39B neat the Space Shuttle Discovery, poised for liftoff on the first flight of 1995. They are members of the First Lady Astronaut Trainees (FLATs, also known as the "Mercury 13"). Public domain image.
Beyond the Films
June, 28, 2019

Women of the Space Agency: Once Forbidden, No Longer Hidden

Independent Lens in Beyond the Films

By Heather Archuletta In July of 1999, on Apollo 11’s 30th anniversary, at a Kennedy Space Center press conference, NASA astronaut and first moonwalker Neil Armstrong lamented, “School children used to say, 'We are reading about you in science class.'…
Cindy and family hold baby.
June, 7, 2019

Made in Boise

Independent Lens

In the idyllic city of Boise, nurses, nail technicians, and stay-at-home mothers are choosing to become paid surrogates for people from around the world. Made in Boise offers a rare glimpse into this mysterious world by intimately following the lives…
Nanfu Wang as an infant with her parents, from One Child Nation
June, 7, 2019

One Child Nation

Independent Lens

China’s one-child policy, the extreme population control measure that made it illegal for couples to have more than one child, may have ended in 2015, but the process of dealing with the trauma of its brutal enforcement is only just…
The JO Johnson High wrestling team comes in for a hug
Behind the Films
May, 15, 2019

Filmmakers Capture Young Men Wrestling to Succeed and Be Seen

Craig Phillips in Behind the Films

Wrestle may be the feature directing debut of the team of Suzannah Herbert and Lauren Belfer, but after working for industry heavyweights like Martin Scorsese and Michael Moore, they hit the ground running and their award-winning, critically acclaimed film that…
J.O. Johnson High wrestling coach Chris Scribner works on the mat with two wrestling students
Beyond the Films
May, 14, 2019

High School Coaches Wear Many Hats to Make an Impact

Independent Lens in Beyond the Films

By Katrina Schwartz Driving kids home from practice, taking them to visit colleges, running and lifting weights with them out of season, answering the phone in the middle of the night when something has gone wrong -- these are just…
Dolores Huerta and some of her kids, in a home movie seen in "Dolores"
Lists
May, 9, 2019

Motherhood: The Universal Story, in Films

Sharon Knolle in Lists


Motherhood is universal – none of us would be here without our moms. For some, that relationship is loving and supportive; for others, it's fraught with complications. Especially if Mom is famous or trying to change the world. Or both.…
Winemaker Vanessa Robledo control-burning her dry grapevines
Behind the Films
May, 7, 2019

Bernardo Ruiz Tells Story of the Central Role Latinos Play in California Wine Industry

Craig Phillips in Behind the Films

Two-time Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker Bernardo Ruiz, who was born in Guanajuato, Mexico and grew up in Brooklyn, made his directorial feature debut with the PBS film Reportero, about attacks on the press in Mexico, which New York Magazine called "a powerful reminder of how…
Announcements
April, 16, 2019

Independent Lens Wins Two 2018 Peabody Awards

Craig Phillips in Announcements

Independent Lens is proud to announce that two of the series' films —Dolores and The Judge — have won 2018 Peabody Awards in the Documentary category. The oldest and most prestigious award for electronic media, honoring the “most powerful, enlightening and invigorating stories…
Filmmaker David Sutherland (center) with Marcos and Elizabeth
Behind the Films
April, 12, 2019

Acclaimed Filmmaker David Sutherland Tells the Story of a Family Torn Apart by Deportation

Craig Phillips in Behind the Films

David Sutherland takes his time to tell a story, both in the years he spends with his subject, the amount of footage he shoots, and the ultimate running time -- which always feels earned.  His film Country Boys took seven years…
Elizabeth Perez and kids and Marcos
Where Are They Now?
April, 11, 2019

An Update from Elizabeth Perez

Independent Lens in Where Are They Now?

Note: Elizabeth Perez, star of David Sutherland's film Marcos Doesn't Live Here Anymore (a co-presentation of Independent Lens, FRONTLINE, and Voces), wrote us a heartfelt update about how she, her husband Marcos, and their family are doing. Here's Elizabeth with…