November 17, 2023
“Stinky Lunch Kids Strike Back”: South Asians Redefine What American Food Can Mean
Independent Lens in Beyond the Films
By Bedatri D. Choudhury Journalist and chef Pervaiz Shallwani’s mother moved from Pakistan to Toronto, where she ate her first hot dog in 1975. “She thought it was the grossest…...
March 05, 2022
Remember These Classic PBS Educational TV Shows?
Independent Lens in Lifestyle
[Carmen Sandiego image courtesy producer Howard Blumenthal] By Ade D. Adeniji Sesame Street. Magic School Bus. Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Reading Rainbow. Millennials and Gen Xers were lucky enough to come…...
April 05, 2021
Coded Bias” Asks: Are Our Faces Being Used Against Us?
Independent Lens in Beyond the Films
By Christina Sturdivant Sani Coded Bias begins with MIT researcher Joy Boulamwini’s quest to find out why facial recognition technology inaccurately viewed her beautifully-hued brown face. After viewing the documentary with…...
![On the set of SOUL! with Ellis Haizlip interviewing Melvin Van Peebles [Credit: Chester Higgins]](https://staging.pbs.org/independentlens/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/MR_SOUL_stanlathan_ellishaizlip_Melvin-Van-Peebles-650x650-c-default.jpg)
February 09, 2021
How SOUL! Helped Pave the Way for Black Cultural Programming
Independent Lens in Beyond the Films
By Ade D. Adeniji Mr. SOUL! explores America’s first Black variety television show SOUL!, which ran from 1968 to 1973, and was steered by pioneering Black producer and host Ellis…...
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,…...
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,…...
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…...
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…...
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…...
September 24, 2020
Comfort Viewing: What Filmmakers and Writers Are Watching to Get Through It
Craig Phillips in Lifestyle
What are YOU watching to provide comfort during these trying times? Filmmakers, artists, critics and writers chimed in with their personal favorite shows and films to watch when in dire…...
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…...
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…...