October 09, 2020
From Kilroy to Pepe: A Brief History of Memes
Independent Lens in Beyond the Films
By Lennlee Keep What do Pepe the Frog, the Spanish Inquisition, the blinking guy, the French Revolution, concern for the environment, and the Third Reich all have in common? These…...
August 27, 2020
The Science of Kindness: It’s Not Easy Being Nice
Independent Lens in Beyond the Films
Author Josh Kurz is a science communicator and filmmaker, and the co-creator of the audio program Shabam, which uses a zombie apocalypse to talk about real science. By Josh Kurz…...
June 17, 2020
Six Unusual Instruments and How They Work
Independent Lens in Beyond the Films
By Ade D. Adeniji Stacy Tenenbaum’s film Pipe Dreams features four young organ players competing in the prestigious Canadian International Organ Competition, held every few years in Montreal. What’s striking…...
June 16, 2020
Do You Live in a News Bubble?
Independent Lens in Beyond the Films
By Brooke Shelby Biggs Whether you think of her as a visionary or a kook, Marion Stokes was far ahead of her time in addressing a problem in American media…...
May 21, 2020
The Island, the Tourist, and the Pandemic
Independent Lens in Beyond the Films
By Sergio Rapu Don’t you wish you were living out the pandemic on a beautiful secluded island right about now? What I have learned is that, though enjoyable in the…...
May 12, 2020
Rapa Nui and Other Fragile Lands Rally Against Tourism Pollution
Independent Lens in Beyond the Films
By Satu Runa In a story that begins with a heartfelt message to their infant son about the unique character of his ancestral home Rapa Nui (also known as Easter…...
April 21, 2020
Meet the Mavericks of Science and Medicine
Independent Lens in Beyond the Films
by Heather Archuletta [caption id="" align="alignright" width="500"] Ignaz Semmelweis[/caption] In 1847, Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis proposed a simple tactic: wash your hands. It’s difficult to imagine this as a medical “breakthrough,”…...
April 12, 2020
Rural Perspective on Mental Health Care in a Time of Crisis
Independent Lens in Beyond the Films
by Rooney Elmi Kenneth Paul Rosenberg MD’s Bedlam profiles of one of the most pervasive and stigmatized public health crises: mental illness. Taking its titular inspiration from the infamous English…...
April 08, 2020
“My Family’s Tragedy Is an American Tragedy”: Bedlam Filmmaker’s Journey to Depict Mental Health Crisis
Craig Phillips in Beyond the Films
In his film Bedlam, Kenneth Paul Rosenberg, MD follows the lives of three patients who find themselves with a chronic lack of institutional support, while he also weaves in his…...
April 06, 2020
Peer Support and the Complexity of Mental Health
Independent Lens in Beyond the Films
By Lennlee Keep The film Bedlam explores mental illness from the perspectives of physicians, politicians, parents, and patients themselves. The power of documentary film is that it generates conversations about…...
March 26, 2020
This Couple Finds Answers for Adopted Daughters From China
Craig Phillips in Beyond the Films
Brian and Long Lan Stuy are a Utah couple who have adopted three daughters from China: Meikina from DianBai, Meigon from Guangzhou, and Meilan from Luoyang. After discovering that documentation…...
March 06, 2020
“Is Attraction Different in the Absence of Sight?”
Independent Lens in Beyond the Films
By Kemberlie Spivey Australian-born independent filmmaker Patricia Zagarella has been creating documentaries for over ten years and co-produced the Emmy-award winning documentary Baring It All. That film followed fashion photographer…...