Blog

Stray Dog director Debra Granik with the film's subject, Ron "Stray Dog" Hall
Behind the Films
November, 6, 2015

Debra Granik Goes Back to Missouri for Stray Dog

Craig Phillips in Behind the Films

Filmmaker Debra Granik helped bring actresses Vera Farmiga and Jennifer Lawrence much-deserved fame with her two acclaimed feature films Down to the Bone and Winter’s Bone, respectively. Winter’s Bone in particular, which was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Adapted Screenplay,…
October, 1, 2015

Autism in Love

Independent Lens

Finding love can be hard enough for anyone, but for those with an autism spectrum disorder, the challenges may seem overwhelming. The disorder can jeopardize the core characteristics of a successful relationship — communication and social interaction. Filmed in a…
May, 4, 2015

Kumu Hina

Independent Lens

Kumu Hina is the story of Hina Wong- Kalu, a transgender native Hawaiian teacher and cultural icon who brings to life Hawaii’s long-held embrace of mahu — those who embody both male and female spirit, and were traditionally respected as…
April, 13, 2015

The Homestretch

Independent Lens

The Homestretch follows three homeless teens as they fight to stay in school, graduate, and create a new life. Each of these smart, ambitious youths — Roque, Kasey, and Anthony — will surprise, inspire, and challenge audiences to rethink stereotypes…
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

Craig Phillips in Beyond the Films

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…
Young Lacey Schwartz lies on her mother's lap in the woods.
Lists
March, 19, 2015

9 Movies about Family Secrets

Independent Lens in Lists

By Noel Murray  When Lacey Schwartz applied to Georgetown at age 18, she left the “racial identity” box unchecked, but did submit a photograph, and not long after she was accepted at the university, she was invited to join the…
Archival family photo from the Digital Diaspora Family Roadshow
Uncategorized
February, 16, 2015

Black Family History Through a Lens

Craig Phillips in Uncategorized

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…
January, 12, 2015

Evolution of a Criminal

Independent Lens

In examining a bank robbery committed by Texas high school students, Darius Clark Monroe’s film interweaves suspenseful reenactment footage with candid interviews from people involved in every angle of the crime. The twist? The filmmaker himself was one of the…
January, 5, 2015

Rich Hill

Independent Lens

Rich Hill, winner of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary, goes inside the homes and lives of small town America, where kids confront heartbreaking choices, marginalized parents struggle to survive, and families cling to the…
November, 17, 2014

Happiness

Independent Lens

Nestled at the eastern end of the Himalayas, the tiny nation of Bhutan is famous for being the one place committed to “Gross National Happiness,” with an economy serving a culture based on Buddhist spiritual values. Over a decade after…
October, 20, 2014

Twin Sisters

Independent Lens

Twin Sisters tells the moving true story of Mia and Alexandra, twin Chinese infants found in a cardboard box and taken to an orphanage in 2003. Two sets of hopeful parents — from Norway, and Sacramento, California — arrived in…
Alex Libby walks along street in Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
Where Are They Now?
October, 15, 2014

An Update on Alex Libby

Craig Phillips in Where Are They Now?

A common theme in the numerous comments we've received to-date on the film Bully, centers on one of the film's most moving characters, Alex Libby, a sweet-natured Iowa teen who had been bullied for years. Since many viewers were worried about…