April 20, 2021
Before Krasner: The Wild and Wooly Saga of Philadelphia District Attorneys
Independent Lens in Behind the Films
By Sharon Pruitt-Young It was a world-changing moment for the city of Philadelphia: Larry Krasner, a former criminal defense attorney and a highly polarizing figure in local politics, was elected…...
April 19, 2021
How the Team Behind “Philly D.A.” Captured History for Epic Docuseries
Craig Phillips in Behind the Films
Philadelphia-based filmmakers Ted Passon and Yoni Brook, and producer Nicole Salazar, had to work as a well-oiled machine team to make an epic docuseries like Philly D.A. happen. Each one…...
April 07, 2021
“Nobody Was Listening”: Finding Light in a Dark Stairwell
Craig Phillips in Behind the Films
Filmmaker Ursula Liang's previous documentary 9-Man was about the fascinating titular sport that originated among Chinese immigrant communities in the United States and Canada, and was set in mostly Boston,…...
April 03, 2021
“Coded Bias” Explores Blurring of Real and Imagined Artificial Intelligence
Craig Phillips in Behind the Films
Shalini Kantayya has directed visually eye-catching and memorable work for both National Geographic TV with Breakthrough, a series profiling trailblazing scientists transforming the future) and the documentary Catching the Sun,…...
February 05, 2021
Telling the Story of Gender, Politics, and Violence in America Through the Eyes of Women Police Officers
Craig Phillips in Behind the Films
In addition to her documentaries Still Doing It: The Intimate Lives of Women Over 65, and Suicide On Campus, a web documentary produced in conjunction with The New York Times…...
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…...
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…...
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,…...
October 02, 2020
How a Cartoon Frog Became a Symbol for a “Confounding Moment in Our History”
Craig Phillips in Behind the Films
Filmmakers Arthur Jones and Giorgio Angelini both bring very unique artistic backgrounds to the drawing table that led to the fruitful collaboration for Feels Good Man, which is Jones' feature…...
June 17, 2020
Young Musicians Play Ancient Instrument in the “Olympics of the Pipe Organ”
Craig Phillips in Behind the Films
The Montreal-based filmmaker Stacey Tenenbaum's joyful film The Art of the Shine, which aired on PBS, took the director all over the world, from New York to Toronto, Paris to…...
June 09, 2020
How Do You Sort Through 70,000 Videotapes?
Craig Phillips in Behind the Films
The San Jose (CA) native, New York City-based filmmaker Matt Wolf is no stranger to having to comb through archival footage for his documentaries. His film Wild Combination, about the…...
May 01, 2020
Sasha Joseph Neulinger Confronts Family Trauma Head-On
Craig Phillips in Behind the Films
It's been a pretty impressive run for what was someone's very first feature documentary. But then again, Rewind is no ordinary first film. After Sasha Joseph Neulinger finished film school…...