Blog

From Paul Fierlinger's Still Life with Animated Dogs, his dog Spinnaker
Lists

August 24, 2017

Dogumentary Now: 7 Docs About Urban Dogs

Sharon Knolle in Lists

Just like the human population, dogs in the city can live a life of luxury or — sadly — roam the streets looking for food, shelter and the occasional kind…...

Jiro and son Takashi, in Jiro Dreams of Sushi
Lists

June 18, 2017

12 Father’s Day Docs:  Stepping Out of Dad’s Shadow

Craig Phillips in Lists

Relationships with our dads can be complicated, as reflected in a collection of diverse, very worthy documentary films we've selected for Father's Day viewing consideration. All of the dads depicted…...

Joe Stevens and his band Coyote Grace, on stage (courtesy the film Real Boy)
Beyond the Films

June 09, 2017

Trans Musicians Carving Their Own Identities [Updated June 2022]

Independent Lens in Beyond the Films

By Craig Phillips and Independent Lens Staff ​​Real Boy is the portrait of Bennett, who is undergoing gender reassignment surgery, and his mom's struggle to process the change. But it's…...

From The Negro Soldier, 1944. USA. Directed by Stuart Heisler
Film History

May 26, 2017

Memorial Day: Docs That Capture the Human Experience of War

Sean Axmaker in Lists

There is no shortage of documentaries on war. The subject fascinates us as history, as sociology, and as drama. Some documentaries chronicle history in great detail, some grapple with the…...

Coral Reef, in bluish tint, credit: USFWS/Jerry Reid
Interviews

April 21, 2017

Earth Day Watch List: 17 Films About Sustainability and Climate Change

Jennie Z. Rose in Lists

We count on indie filmmakers to sniff out the conspicuous absences in mainstream media. Journalist and investigative reporter Amy Goodman once said, "The role of independent media is to go…...

The Ovas bike brigade pose with bikes in front of a warehouse in East Los Angeles
Lists

March 27, 2017

Girl Power: The Original #SquadGoals (and Just #Goals in General)

826chi in Beyond the Films

In the Independent Lens documentary Ovarian Psycos, we're introduced to The Ovas — a chicanx (xicanx) feminist group who bike through the streets of East L.A. in honor of sisterhood. While…...

Maya Angelou headscarf at fence headscarf, credit: Wayne Miller/Magnum
Lists

March 22, 2017

Nine Great Documentaries About Women Activists

Sharon Knolle in Lists

As Women’s History Month continues, we’re shining the spotlight on women activists who faced down injustice, pioneered paths for other women and girls, or have fought heroically trying to save…...

Elle in full uniform in The Invisible War stands at the Vietnam War Memorial
Film History

March 09, 2017

Meet the Trailblazers of Documentary Activism

Sean Axmaker in Film History

We think of the cinema of activism in documentary filmmaking as a relatively modern phenomenon, something first awakened in the 1960s and 1970s and popularized by the likes of Michael…...

Fallen bicycle after shooting at UT Austin, as animated in the film TOWER
Lists

February 14, 2017

10 Great Animated Documentaries

Noel Murray in Lists

Keith Maitland’s animated documentary TOWER has left critics and awards-voting bodies alike flummoxed as to how best to categorize it. This is a visionary work, no doubt, that uses voice-actors and…...

Beyond the Films

February 14, 2017

History or Hate: America’s Controversial Monuments to White Supremacy

826chi in Lists

The thing about claiming territory and property is that it takes up space, and taking up space literally makes a huge statement; it becomes a platform for discussing who built…...

1966 Dodge Monaco Dashboard and Radio
Beyond the Films

February 13, 2017

TOWER Playlist: 1966 Music Soundscape

Independent Lens in Beyond the Films

Pure and simple, 1966 was considered by many critics as one of the greatest years for popular music ever [see the Guardian’s “Was 1966 pop music greatest’s year?” and the…...

Claressa
Lists

July 15, 2016

10 Reasons to Root for Olympic Boxer Claressa Shields

Independent Lens in Lists

Get in Claressa Shields' corner with 10 memorable T-Rex: Her Fight For Gold moments. 1. While her friends spent Friday nights partying, she logged long hours alone in the gym.  …...