Scenes From the Glittering World
Three… Read More
When I’m Her
Michael Cusumano was a luminary figure at American Ballet Theatre in New York, and had a stellar career ahead of him. But trauma from his past prevented him from fully realizing his artistic and professional potential. Over time, he finds refuge and liberation by assuming an alter ego:… Read More
Interviews
June 07, 2021
Muslim Casket Maker’s Story Becomes Cinematic Portrait of Resilience and Redemption
Craig Phillips in Behind the Films
The filmmaker brothers Zeshawn and Aman Ali are now based in New York City but originally hail from Columbus, Ohio. "Growing up right outside of Columbus, we were just two…...
Just Over The Line
Just Over the Line tells the story of Daniel Noell, a 59-year-old man who was arrested and charged with drug trafficking after using forged prescriptions at drugstores across Western North Carolina. Prosecuted for the same crime in both Buncombe and Yancey counties, Noell received two very… Read More
Senior Prom
For so many high-schoolers, prom is a rite of passage in all of its love-filled, well-coiffed, abundantly photographed glory. But for generations of LGBTQ+ youth – especially those that grew up in the decades before Stonewall – prom has been emblematic of the exclusion from a world they… Read More
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…...
Out of State
Out of State is an inside look at the lives of two native Hawaiians sent thousands of miles away from the tropical islands to a private prison in the Arizona desert. In this unlikely setting, David and Hale find a community of other native Hawaiians and discover their… Read More
Behind the Films
April 19, 2021
How the Team Behind “Philly D.A.” Captured History for Epic Docuseries
Craig Phillips in Behind the Films
Philadelphia-based filmmakers Ted Passon and Yoni Brook, and producer Nicole Salazar, had to work as a well-oiled machine team to make an epic docuseries like Philly D.A. happen. Each one…...
Beyond the Films
April 09, 2021
Philadelphia Has a Long History of Fights Over Criminal Justice Reform
Independent Lens in Beyond the Films
By Kristal Sotomayor In order to understand the rich history of criminal reform work, up through the vivid stories of crime and punishment presented in the docuseries Philly D.A., it…...
Interviews
April 07, 2021
“Nobody Was Listening”: Finding Light in a Dark Stairwell
Craig Phillips in Behind the Films
Filmmaker Ursula Liang's previous documentary 9-Man was about the fascinating titular sport that originated among Chinese immigrant communities in the United States and Canada, and was set in mostly Boston,…...
The Dancing Man of L.A.
69-year-old Howard Mordoh is a retired clinical laboratory scientist, a southern California native, and possibly the world’s biggest concert enthusiast. Self-described as a “professional audience,” Howard has been a notorious fixture of the Los Angeles music scene for decades, attending five to eight concerts per week since the 70s… Read More
Beyond the Films
April 05, 2021
Coded Bias” Asks: Are Our Faces Being Used Against Us?
Independent Lens in Beyond the Films
By Christina Sturdivant Sani Coded Bias begins with MIT researcher Joy Boulamwini’s quest to find out why facial recognition technology inaccurately viewed her beautifully-hued brown face. After viewing the documentary with…...