Blog

Contests

February 03, 2021

Enter to Win “A Day in the Life of America” T-Shirt

Independent Lens in Contests

Join us for a good old-fashioned giveaway. Enter by February 9 at 8:59pm PT for a chance to win a limited edition A Day in the Life of America T-shirt!…...

Dolly Parton, 1977 (public domain image, RCA Records)
Beyond the Films

January 27, 2021

Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” Still Packs a Punch

Independent Lens in Beyond the Films

By Lennlee Keep There isn't much the whole world seems to agree on, but I have yet to meet a person who doesn't love Dolly Parton. She's funny, glamorous, famous,…...

Beyond the Films

January 21, 2021

Working Women’s Wardrobe: How the 1970s Opened Feminist Fashion

Independent Lens in Beyond the Films

By Marlen Komar In the early 1970s, a group of Boston secretaries came together to improve the working conditions in their offices. Tired of low pay, lack of advancement opportunities,…...

Interviews

January 13, 2021

The Story of 9to5: A Movement that Changed the American Workplace

Craig Phillips in Interviews

Julia Reichert and her filmmaking partner and life partner Steve Bognar, have been making documentaries for a long while. Most recently, in 2020, the team won the Academy Award for…...

Jared Leto working on his film carrying a blow torch
Interviews

January 06, 2021

How Jared Leto and 92 Film Crews Captured 24 Hours in America

Craig Phillips in Behind the Films

In some ways, you'd think Jared Leto, Oscar-winning actor, movie star, and frontman for Platinum-selling band (with his brother Shannon) 30 Seconds to Mars, would not need much of an…...

two women cheerleaders from a Woman's Work pose together as cheerleaders in front of courthouse
Interviews

December 28, 2020

Battling a Male-Dominated World for Recognition and a Raise

Craig Phillips in

Filmmaker Yu Gu was born in Chongqing, China, raised in Vancouver, Canada, and found her way to the University of Southern California film program. Her films, like the feature documentary…...

family plays video game while a game is superimposed over them; Original photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels.com
Lifestyle

December 22, 2020

Leveling Up Representation: Depictions of People of Color in Video Games

Independent Lens in Lifestyle

By Nadine Dornieden The $100+ billion video game industry is big. So big, in fact, that it dwarfs both the film and music industry combined. Gaming as a hobby has become…...

Ellis Haizlip and guests, on his show SOUL! in Mr. SOUL!
Announcements

December 22, 2020

New Acclaimed Films Coming to Independent Lens in January

Independent Lens in Announcements

The upcoming slate of films airing on Independent Lens on PBS starts in January with seven highly-acclaimed documentaries that reflect the ever-changing nature of the United States, highlighting women who…...

woman Handcuffed to gurney in a prison, Belly of the Beast
Interviews

November 18, 2020

Filmmaker Exposes Shocking Pattern of Illegal Sterilizations in Women’s Prisons

Craig Phillips in Behind the Films

Erika Cohn has made powerful documentaries for Independent Lens before and is no stranger to telling intimate, surprising stories in tense environments: her Peabody Award-winning film The Judge showed Shari’a…...

Larry Krasner in Philly D.A.
Lifestyle

November 17, 2020

Watch Independent Lens on the Free PBS Video App

Independent Lens in Lifestyle

The free PBS Video App is now available to download for iOS and AppleTV, Android and Android TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, and Chromecast. Stream the latest…...

Jonathan Scott at a solar company in Nevada, with solar panel
Interviews

November 06, 2020

Jonathan Scott Investigates Who Controls Our Power

Craig Phillips in Behind the Films

In some ways Jonathan Scott should need no introduction—or so you'd think as co-host with his brother Drew of the hugely popular HGTV shows Property Brothers and Brother vs. Brother,…...

Fenell Doremus with kid on laptop and husband and dog in background
Lifestyle

October 29, 2020

Parenting and Making Docs During a Pandemic? It’s a Juggling Act

Independent Lens in Interviews

By Ivonne Spinoza "Producing films often translates to putting out fires before they start, so I suppose this gets you ready for parenting in a pandemic, generally speaking, but did…...