Las Marthas
The annual debutante ball in Laredo, Texas is unlike any other. This film follows Mexican American girls who continue this gilded tradition during a time of economic uncertainty and tension over immigration. Read More
April 04, 2014
Reuben Atlas Gets Down to Brass Tacks with Brothers Hypnotic
Craig Phillips in Uncategorized
New York-based producer, director, and "non-practicing lawyer" Reuben Atlas has filmmaking in the bloodlines and music frequently on his mind, so it's perhaps no huge surprise that he wanted to…...
Behind the Films
February 14, 2014
Filmmaker Cristina Ibarra Explores Unique Debutante Ball in Las Marthas
Craig Phillips in Interviews
Cristina Ibarra's critically-acclaimed documentary The Last Conquistador had a national broadcast on PBS’s P.O.V., and now she's returning to PBS with Las Marthas, which premieres on Independent Lens Monday, February 17…...
Beyond the Films
February 10, 2014
Uncle Sam Wants (to Spy on) You: Domestic Surveillance in the USA
Craig Phillips in Beyond the Films
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="270"] Edward Snowden in Moscow, October 2013 (picture via Wikimedia)[/caption] Spies of Mississippi, about a previously little-known chapter in the civil rights movement, comes at a time…...
Spies of Mississippi
The story of a secret spy agency formed by the state of Mississippi to preserve segregation during the 1950s and ‘60s. Granted broad powers, this commission investigated citizens and organizations in attempts to derail the civil rights movement. Read More
February 07, 2014
Spies of Mississippi: Filmmaker Dawn Porter Tells Shocking Story
Craig Phillips in Uncategorized
Dawn Porter's first feature documentary, Gideon's Army, had an eye toward the future in telling the story of young public defenders fighting for justice. The film brought her a great…...
The State of Arizona
The turbulent battle over illegal immigration in Arizona that came to a head with Senate Bill 1070 frames this riveting documentary that tracks multiple perspectives as America eyes the results. Read More
Test Your Knowledge
January 14, 2014
Immigration Quiz
826chi in Test Your Knowledge
An always hot-button topic, immigration gets at the heart of who we are as Americans. Our immigration quiz is meant to test your knowledge of immigration in the United States.…...
How to Survive a Plague
The story of two grassroots coalitions — ACT UP and Treatment Action Group — made up of innovative activists, many of them HIV-positive, who fought to turn AIDS from a death sentence into a manageable condition. Read More
December 16, 2013
Playwright: Where Are They Now?
Craig Phillips in Where Are They Now?
While they may come from different backgrounds and different parts of the country, both talented young playwrights featured in Robert Levi's film Playwright: From Page to Stage seem to be on…...
December 13, 2013
Playwright: Q&A with Filmmaker Robert Levi
Craig Phillips in Uncategorized
Robert Levi, whose previous film, the award-winning Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life, aired on Independent Lens in 2007, is back with another film about artistic integrity, but this time in the…...
November 25, 2013
Young Lakota: Q&A with Filmmakers Rose Rosenblatt and Marion Lipschutz
Craig Phillips in Uncategorized
Filmmaking duo Marion Lipschutz and Rose Rosenblatt are no strangers to reproductive rights-themed documentaries. Their award-winning work includes Live Free or Die (POV, 2000), about a New Hampshire OB-GYN on…...