Blog

Riding a motorbike on Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
Where Are They Now?

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…...

Enrique and members of Toki Music School building with recyclable materials. From Eating Up Easter.
Interviews

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…...

Beach cleanup under way on Rapa Nui while the famous statues loom in background
Beyond the Films

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…...

Sasha Neulinger editing Rewind in his editing suite
Behind the Films

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…...

Sandcastle building on beach in New York
Interviews

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…...

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay
Beyond the Films

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…...

Kenneth Paul Rosenberg, MD
Interviews

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…...

Beyond the Films

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…...

Brian and Longlan Stuy at their home office for Research-China (from One Child Nation)
Beyond the Films

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…...

Simon from Blind Love on a date
Interviews

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…...

Lynching scene in Within Our Gates (by Oscar Micheaux)
Beyond the Films

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…...

Filmmaker Jacqueline Olive
Interviews

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…...