May 21, 2020
The Island, the Tourist, and the Pandemic
Independent Lens in Beyond the Films
By Sergio Rapu Don’t you wish you were living out the pandemic on a beautiful secluded island right about now? What I have learned is that, though enjoyable in the…...
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…...
May 12, 2020
Rapa Nui and Other Fragile Lands Rally Against Tourism Pollution
Independent Lens in Beyond the Films
By Satu Runa In a story that begins with a heartfelt message to their infant son about the unique character of his ancestral home Rapa Nui (also known as Easter…...
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…...
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…...
April 12, 2020
Rural Perspective on Mental Health Care in a Time of Crisis
Independent Lens in Beyond the Films
by Rooney Elmi Kenneth Paul Rosenberg MD’s Bedlam profiles of one of the most pervasive and stigmatized public health crises: mental illness. Taking its titular inspiration from the infamous English…...
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…...
April 06, 2020
Peer Support and the Complexity of Mental Health
Independent Lens in Beyond the Films
By Lennlee Keep The film Bedlam explores mental illness from the perspectives of physicians, politicians, parents, and patients themselves. The power of documentary film is that it generates conversations about…...
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…...
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…...
February 20, 2020
As American as the Blues: Lynching in Film and TV
Independent Lens in Beyond the Films
By Ade Adeniji Always in Season explores the history of lynching through the mysterious 2014 death of Lennon Lacy while also looking at historical reenactments of lynching, prompting some to…...
February 20, 2020
Filmmaker Explores First Steps Toward Justice and Reconciliation
Craig Phillips in Behind the Films
Independent filmmaker Jacqueline Olive, who has worked in non-fiction filmmaking for years and co-directed and co-produced the award-winning hour-long documentary, Black to Our Roots (PBS WORLD), makes her feature documentary…...