Wrestle goes inside the lives of four members of the high school wrestling team at Huntsville’s J.O. Johnson High School–a longstanding entry on Alabama’s list of failing schools. Teammates Jailen, Jamario, Teague, and Jaquan show that needing a win can be about much more… Read More
A special presentation of Independent Lens, FRONTLINE and VOCES. From acclaimed filmmaker David Sutherland (Kind-Hearted Woman, Country Boys, The Farmer’s Wife), Marcos Doesn’t Live Here Anymore examines the US immigration system through the eyes of… Read More
Interviews
November 14, 2018
Erika Cohn Unfolds a New Perception of Shari’a Law in Portrait of Remarkable Woman
Craig Phillips in Behind the Films
Erika Cohn, who co-directed (with Tony Vainuku) the Emmy Award-winning Independent Lens doc In Football We Trust, went from the gridiron in Utah to the Shari'a courts of Palestine for her…...
Charm City is an intimate portrait of a diverse group of neighbors, including police, citizens, community leaders, and government officials who, with grit and compassion, survive in and work to improve their vibrant neighborhoods during a violent three-year stretch in Baltimore. There… Read More
Interviews
October 29, 2018
Filmmakers Seek the Truth in Eye-Opening Story of Forced Native Child Separation
Craig Phillips in Behind the Films
Before there was Dawnland, there was First Light, a shorter version of the same story about the forced separation of Native American children that helped lead to the trust necessary to tell…...
Told directly through the eyes of the children themselves, Tre Maison Dasan is a moving portrait of three unforgettable young boys struggling to grow up with a parent in prison. They face the pressure of growing up in a society that often demonizes their… Read More
In an age where the power of technology helps us connect, are we as isolated as ever? People’s Republic of Desire exposes the baffling reality of how virtual relationships are replacing real-life human connections through China’s video-based social network YY––a hugely popular gathering place for over… Read More
RaMell Ross’s Academy Award-nominated Hale County This Morning, This Evening, one of the year’s most critically acclaimed films, is a dreamy and intimate journey through the world of Hale County, Alabama, a richly detailed glimpse into life in America’s Black Belt. Full of… Read More
Black Memorabilia explores the world of racist material, both antique and newly produced, that propagate demeaning representations of African Americans. From industrial China to the rural South to Brooklyn, the film shines a light on those who reproduce, consume and reclaim racially-charged items, from banks to Mammy kitchenware,… Read More
Is the promise of the “American Dream” alive or a concept that’s faded in the rear-view mirror? Forty years after the death of Elvis Presley, acclaimed filmmaker Eugene Jarecki takes the King’s 1963 Rolls-Royce on a musical road trip across America in search of not… Read More
Rodents of Unusual Size is a real-life horror “tail.” Louisiana residents south of New Orleans have faced many an environmental threat, from oil spills to devastating hurricanes. But a growing menace now lurks in the bayous and backwaters: hordes of monstrous 20-pound swamp rats known as… Read More
“Delete…Ignore…Delete… Ignore…” Someone is out there censoring your social media feed. Do their decisions distort your understanding of the world as much as clever hoaxes and “fake news”? They’re hired by Silicon Valley leaders like Facebook and Google to do “digital cleaning,” content moderators… Read More