Storm Lake
Interviews
April 27, 2022
How Today’s High School Students Face High Pressure in a Grind Culture
Independent Lens in Beyond the Films
By Gail Cornwall Christina Zhang, 16, averages a couple hours of free time a day, but it’s hard to watch Netflix. “The whole time you’re thinking about, ‘Oh, what if…...
Interviews
April 18, 2022
Investigating the Mysteries of Consciousness
Craig Phillips in Behind the Films
AWARE: Glimpses of Consciousness is the fourth film collaboration between Eric Black and Frauke Sandig, who are based in San Francisco and Berlin respectively, but managed to collaborate on a…...
Interviews
February 08, 2022
What Americans Will Do to Feel Safe in Schools
Craig Phillips in Beyond the Films
What is the cost of feeling "safe" in American classrooms in an era when mass shootings have become more commonplace? The documentary Bulletproof takes a unique vérité approach in exploring…...
Beyond the Films
October 08, 2021
The Damage from Gay Conversion Therapy Still Lingers for Many LGBTQ+ People
Independent Lens in Beyond the Films
By Caitlin Cruz In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from the list of diagnosable mental illnesses, a monumental victory for early queer activists. Despite this successful effort, queer…...
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…...
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,…...
Interviews
September 16, 2021
Telling the Story of When LGBTQ+ Activists Fought the Establishment and Won
Craig Phillips in Behind the Films
The Los Angeles-based Bennett Singer and the D.C.-based Patrick Sammon have been making widely acclaimed historical documentaries for many years. Sammon was creator and Executive Producer of Codebreaker, a “superb”…...
Scenes From the Glittering World
Three… Read More
Interviews
June 11, 2021
Filmmakers Show How Agent Orange Catastrophe Did Not End with the Vietnam War
Craig Phillips in Behind the Films
The well-oiled, three-person machine behind The People vs. Agent Orange each brought their manifold backgrounds to the table in order to put together a film that involved equal parts investigative…...
Interviews
May 21, 2021
From Cambodia to Southern California: Telling the Story of a King of Donut Shops
Craig Phillips in Behind the Films
A Los Angeles native, Alice Gu began her career as a Director of Photography, working with renowned directors Werner Herzog (on his fascinating Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected…...
Test Your Knowledge
May 19, 2021
How Much of a Donut Nut Are You?
Craig Phillips in Test Your Knowledge
Do or donut, there is no try! Do you know your donut from a spudnut? While you watch The Donut King on PBS, test yourself on all things donut-related with…...