February 19, 2020
Billie Holiday’s Searing “Strange Fruit” Still Has the Power to Startle
Independent Lens in Beyond the Films
By Nick Dedina There are often false narratives we tell ourselves so that we can simplify, and beautify, the past and erase aspects of the present that we are uncomfortable…...
February 14, 2020
A Flood of Myths and Stories
Independent Lens in Beyond the Films
By Lennlee Keep We Believe in Dinosaurs is an exploration of the scientific and historical veracity of the Bible and the construction of an authentic likeness of Noah's Ark in…...
February 12, 2020
Religion, Science and Belief: Unearthing the Thorny Intersection
Craig Phillips in Beyond the Films
Filmmakers Monica Long Ross and Clayton Brown have long been fascinated by how science and culture mix--or don't mix--in America. In short, that relationship is complicated. They directed and produced…...
February 05, 2020
The One-Child Policy Legacy on Women and Relationships in China
Independent Lens in Beyond the Films
By Kristal Sotamayor The one-child policy was introduced to China in 1979, written into the national constitution in 1982, and subsequently ended in 2015. Over the 36 years of the…...
February 05, 2020
Filmmakers Follow Women in China Trying to Overcome Stigma of Being Single
Craig Phillips in Behind the Films
Israeli filmmakers Shosh Shlam and Hilla Medalia have had films air on international television as well as here in the U.S. on HBO, MTV, Sundance, and PBS (Medalia has received…...
February 03, 2020
How “Cooked” Evolved into an Investigation of the Disaster Underlying a Disaster
Craig Phillips in Interviews
Documentary filmmaker Judith Helfand is best known for her ability to take the dark worlds of chemical exposure, heedless corporate behavior and environmental injustice and make them personal, highly-charged and…...
January 28, 2020
From Race Riots to Rainbow Coalitions and Heatwaves: Chicago Activism on Racial and Economic Justice
Craig Phillips in Beyond the Films
It would be foolhardy to try to succinctly sum up the political history of one of America's most historically politically complicated cities--Chicago--in one sweeping post. Rather, consider this a basic…...
January 22, 2020
Finding Common Ground: The Story of an Unlikely Chicago Alliance
Craig Phillips in Interviews
It takes an incredible amount of tenacity and belief in a project to stick with it for 14 years, but that's just how long it took for Ray Santisteban to…...
January 14, 2020
Filmmaker Accepts the Call to Tell Story of a Father and Son Divided
Craig Phillips in Behind the Films
Filmmaker Eunice Lau, who is originally from Singapore (and boy does she have a story to tell you here about the experience of showing her film back home), was once…...
January 02, 2020
Coming to Independent Lens: Our Winter ’20 Slate Will Grab You
Independent Lens in Announcements
Beginning in January 2020, unforgettable and acclaimed new stories are coming to Independent Lens on PBS, America's home for documentaries. From the story of a Somali family in Minnesota torn apart…...
December 20, 2019
New Year’s Resolutions and Goals from the Independent Lens Film Family
Independent Lens in Lifestyle
What are your own resolutions for the New Year? Or your personal hopes, dreams, and goals? We reached out to some members of the Independent Lens family -- the directors…...
December 11, 2019
Still Mushing: An Update from Joe, George Attla’s Grandnephew
Craig Phillips in Behind the Films
We are pleased that we could get Joe Bifelt, the grandnephew of legendary dogsled racer George Attla, to send us an update on his life since the film about George's…...