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February 23, 2023

6 Documentaries About the Black Experience

Independent Lens in Independent Film

Add these Independent Lens docs to your must-watch list. The Big Payback Directed by Erika Alexander and Whitney Dow Outta The Muck Directed by Ira McKinley and Bhawin Suchak The Picture…...

Actors Vincent d'Onofrio, Matthew Modine and R.Lee Ermey on the set of
Lists

October 10, 2022

Wild & Disturbing: 10 Hazing Scenes in Movies and TV

Independent Lens in Beyond the Films

By Ade D. Adeniji The documentary Hazing begs the question: How far will people go just to fit in?  Our need to haze and be hazed has been explored in…...

Storm Lake Times newspaper for sale in a local restaurant
Beyond the Films

November 03, 2021

Feisty Community Newspapers That Are Surviving or Thriving Against the Odds

Independent Lens in Beyond the Films

By Julie Reynolds Martinez The Storm Lake Times, as featured in the documentary Storm Lake, isn’t the only small, independent newspaper to hang on in the age of news deserts.…...

From the Tacos of Texas docuseries, musicians from Brownsville Texas are seen in rear view mirror
Lists

September 17, 2021

Road Trippin’, Part II: These Documentaries Will Show You All 50 States

Craig Phillips in Lists

[related-link link="https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/blog/road-trippin-part-1-documentaries-for-every-state/" link_title="Read Part I: Road Trippin' here >>"] [pictured at left, in the side mirror: a scene from Tacos of Texas (Brownsville)] We continue our epic journey across America…...

Side mirror with image from Real Dirt on Farmer John in the mirror
Lists

September 17, 2021

Road Trippin’ Part I: These Documentaries Will Show You All 50 States

Craig Phillips in Lists

Rev up your virtual station wagon and pack your bags for a road trip across America through documentary film. No documentary or double feature will capture an entire state's essence,…...

Claressa Shields deep in thought while listening to music with headphones
Lists

August 03, 2021

Claressa Shields’ Workout Playlist

Craig Phillips in Lists

Check it out. Claressa "T-Rex" Shields, Olympic champ and star of the documentary T-Rex: Her Fight for Gold, sent us the tunes she pops into her iPod whenever she has to…...

Composite image of a vintage TV on a creek with a episode of Colombo playing on it
Lifestyle

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…...

Marchers at a Black and Brown Unity rally in Chicago, June 2020. Photo by Mateo Zapata/Courtesy of Quiet Pictures.
Lists

September 09, 2020

Honor Hispanic Heritage Month with Eight Unique Documentaries

Independent Lens in Lists

By Lola Méndez Hispanic Heritage Month has been honored annually in the United States since 1968 when President Lyndon Johnson first launched it as Hispanic Heritage Week. In 1988, President…...

Signature image for sharing: John Lewis and many other civil rights protestors at the Edmund Pettis bridge at Selma, 1965. Black and White news photo in pub domain.
Lists

July 10, 2020

“Your Vote Is Your Voice”: Best Films About Voting Rights

Sharon Knolle in Film History

The right to vote is one of the most fundamental rights in a Democracy, and yet who has been allowed to vote in America has been a battle that’s been…...

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…...

Lifestyle

December 20, 2019

New Year’s Resolutions and Goals from the Independent Lens Film Family

Independent Lens in Lifestyle

What are your own resolutions for the New Year? Or your personal hopes, dreams, and goals? We reached out to some members of the Independent Lens family -- the directors…...

menorah
Lifestyle

December 10, 2019

9 Lights for Hanukkah: Finding Light in Dark Times

Sharon Knolle in Lifestyle

This Hanukkah, as millions light their menorahs and rededicate themselves to their family, their faith and their communities, we look for ways to find and share joy, light, healing, and…...