October 31, 2017
Filmmaker John Scheinfeld Chases Coltrane’s Legacy
Craig Phillips in Interviews
Filmmaker John Scheinfeld is no stranger to taking on challenging subjects for documentaries. The Emmy®, Grammy® and Writers Guild Award nominee and writer/director/producer's other films include The U.S. vs. John Lennon,…...
October 31, 2017
Chasing Trane Playlist: Coltrane and His Disciples
Independent Lens in Beyond the Films
By Nick Dedina, Guest Contributor Drop a needle on a John Coltrane record, hit play on one of his digital playlists, or watch Chasing Trane and it’s easy to understand…...
October 06, 2017
Independent Lens Wins Four 2017 News and Documentary Emmys
Craig Phillips in Awards
Last night, the 38th annual News and Documentary Emmy® Awards were held at the Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City, and Independent Lens…...
September 13, 2017
12 Documentaries About the Vietnam War on the American Homefront
Noel Murray in Lists
On Sunday, September 17th, PBS will debut the latest project from Ken Burns and his frequent collaborator Lynn Novick: the ten-part, 18-hour series The Vietnam War. Just like Burns and…...
August 24, 2017
Dogumentary Now: 7 Docs About Urban Dogs
Sharon Knolle in Lists
Just like the human population, dogs in the city can live a life of luxury or — sadly — roam the streets looking for food, shelter and the occasional kind…...
August 14, 2017
Sentencing Children: Cyntoia’s Story
Independent Lens in
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June 30, 2017
2016-17 Independent Lens Audience Award Poll! The Winner Is…
Craig Phillips in Announcements
It's time to vote for your own personal favorite from the just-concluded 2016-2017 season of Independent Lens. The voting period will run through 5 pm PT Friday, July 21. There were…...
June 18, 2017
12 Father’s Day Docs: Stepping Out of Dad’s Shadow
Craig Phillips in Lists
Relationships with our dads can be complicated, as reflected in a collection of diverse, very worthy documentary films we've selected for Father's Day viewing consideration. All of the dads depicted…...
June 16, 2017
Transgender People Trying to Find Love
826chi in Beyond the Films
In the Independent Lens film Real Boy, transgender nineteen-year-old Bennett is touched to find his reluctant mother by his side as he undergoes a double mastectomy as part of his…...
June 16, 2017
Real Boy Director Shaleece Haas on Filming a Family in Flux
Craig Phillips in Interviews
Documentary filmmaker Shaleece Haas has made several acclaimed shorts, worked as an editorial photographer and radio producer, and was a founding staff member of the national oral history project StoryCorps.…...
June 15, 2017
Real Boy Updates from Bennett, His Mom Suzy, Joe Stevens and Dylan
826chi in Where Are They Now?
After you see the film Real Boy [premiering on PBS June 19 at 10pm; check local listings], you may be interested to hear from the main players involved. We recently…...
June 09, 2017
Trans Musicians Carving Their Own Identities [Updated June 2022]
Independent Lens in Beyond the Films
By Craig Phillips and Independent Lens Staff Real Boy is the portrait of Bennett, who is undergoing gender reassignment surgery, and his mom's struggle to process the change. But it's…...