Blog

From animation of Pepe the Frog playing a video game with pal, from Matt Furie art
Interviews

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…...

Interviews

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…...

Interviews

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…...

Enrique and members of Toki Music School building with recyclable materials. From Eating Up Easter.
Interviews

May 20, 2020

Filmmakers Show the World the Real Easter Island, a Wakeup Call with Hope

Craig Phillips in Interviews

Sergio Mata'u Rapu has spent the last 15 years shooting and producing documentaries that have aired on History Channel, Travel Channel, National Geographic, and NOVA. Based in Minnesota, a very…...

Sasha Neulinger editing Rewind in his editing suite
Behind the Films

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…...

Podcaster Helen Hong, recording from her actual closet
Lifestyle

April 29, 2020

Podcasts Persevere During the Pandemic

Independent Lens in Interviews

By Sonia Weiser If it weren’t for podcasts, I’d never know what day it was. So I’m grateful that even during the COVID-19 pandemic, shows are sticking to their regimented…...

Archival shot of Jim Allison on a beach, wearing hat
Interviews

April 23, 2020

Making a Film About the Necessity of Science and Commitment to the Truth

Craig Phillips in Behind the Films

Bill Haney brought all the hats he's worn into play in making the documentary Jim Allison: Breakthrough. The award-winning filmmaker (he counts a Silver Hugo, an IDA Pare Lorentz Award,…...

Sandcastle building on beach in New York
Interviews

April 16, 2020

Filmmaker Asks New Yorkers, What Does the Future Look Like?

Craig Phillips in Behind the Films

Toronto-based filmmaker Brett Story, whose previous film The Prison in Twelve Landscapes aired on Independent Lens in 2017, holds a PhD in geography and her unconventional storytelling style reflects both…...

Kenneth Paul Rosenberg, MD
Interviews

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…...

Brian and Longlan Stuy at their home office for Research-China (from One Child Nation)
Beyond the Films

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…...

Nanfu wang holds her baby while interviewing her mother
Interviews

March 25, 2020

Nanfu Wang’s Riveting Personal Story Probes Impact of One-Child Policy

Craig Phillips in Behind the Films

Taking risks is nothing new for Chinese filmmaker Nanfu Wang. Her previous documentary I Am Another You, which was a SXSW Jury Award-winner and aired on Independent Lens, involved her…...

Simon from Blind Love on a date
Interviews

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…...