Airing weekly on PBS, the five-time Emmy Award-winning series Independent Lens is an independent film festival in your living room. Each week we bring you another original documentary film, each made by one of the best independent filmmakers working today.
This season, Independent Lens returns with 22 independent films that will transport you and challenge you to experience universal human themes from unique perspectives. We will delve into issues emerging from the economic crisis in America, from job loss to wealth disparity; examine the origins of soul food, its importance in African American culture, and its serious health implications; we will examine a military culture in which female soldiers are sexually assaulted at a terrifying rate, and their attackers often left unpunished; we
This season, Independent Lens returns with 22 independent films that will transport you and challenge you to experience universal human themes from unique perspectives. We will delve into issues emerging from the economic crisis in America, from job loss to wealth disparity; examine the origins of soul food, its importance in African American culture, and its serious health implications; we will examine a military culture in which female soldiers are sexually assaulted at a terrifying rate, and their attackers often left unpunished; we
Latest Articles About Independent Lens on PBS
BELLY OF THE BEAST Documentary Out Oct. 16
by Sarah Jae Leiber - September 11, 2020
When an unlikely duo discovers a pattern of illegal sterilizations in women’s prisons, they wage a near impossible battle against the Department of Corrections....
Richard Skipper Celebrates Anastasia Barzee Tonight
by Chloe Rabinowitz - August 31, 2020
Tonight's episode of Richard Skipper Celebrates... will feature Anastasia Barzee! Hosted by Richard Skipper, the virtual event will stream live through Richard Skipper Celebrates on Facebook and YouTube. Tune in on August 31, 5 PM ET/2PM PT....
Richard Skipper Celebrates Anastasia Barzee Monday, August 31
by A.A. Cristi - August 25, 2020
This Monday, Richard Skipper Celebrates Anastasia Barzee! Streaming LIVE through Richard Skipper Celebrates on Facebook and Youtube. ...
Nominations Announced For The 35th Annual Imagen Awards
by A.A. Cristi - August 05, 2020
The Imagen Foundation President Helen Hernandez today announced 114 nominees in 20 categories for this year's 35th Annual Imagen Awards....
PBS and THIRTEEN Announce New Documentary AMERICAN MASTERS: HOW IT FEELS TO BE FREE
by Kaitlin Milligan - July 28, 2020
Today at the Virtual PBS Press Tour, PBS and THIRTEEN announced American Masters: How It Feels To Be Free...
Latino Public Broadcasting Announces Two New VOCES Documentaries on PBS
by Kaitlin Milligan - July 28, 2020
Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB) today announced that VOCES, the acclaimed PBS documentary series exploring Latino arts, culture and history, will premiere two new films this fall on PBS....
THE HISTORY OF WHITE PEOPLE IN AMERICA Premieres July 6 On WORLD's YouTube Channel
by A.A. Cristi - July 01, 2020
As Americans prepare to celebrate the nation's birth this Independence Day in the midst of historic uproar about racial disparities and injustices, WORLD Channel a?" the public media channel that helps us understand conflicts, movements and cultures that may be distinct from our own a?" presents a n...
Sundance Institute Selects 2020 Art of Editing Fellows
by Chloe Rabinowitz - June 26, 2020
8 filmmakers have been chosen to participate in the Sundance Institute's inaugural Art of Editing Lab and Fellowship....
BELLY OF THE BEAST Director, Erika Cohn, Talks Eugenics & The Sterilization of Women Prisoners on Tom Needham's SOUNDS OF FILM
by Kaitlin Milligan - June 16, 2020
Emmy Award-winning director/producer, Erika Cohn, joins Tom Needham for a shocking conversation about BELLY OF THE BEAST, a film about the mass sterilization of women of color in California's prison system on this Thursday's SOUNDS OF FILM....
Erika Cohn Talks Eugenics & The Sterilization Of Women Prisoners On Tom Needham's SOUNDS OF FILM
by A.A. Cristi - June 15, 2020
Emmy Award-winning director/producer, Erika Cohn, joins Tom Needham for a shocking conversation about BELLY OF THE BEAST, a film about the mass sterilization of women of color in California's prison system on Thursday's SOUNDS OF FILM....
PBS NewsHour Weekend to Air AMERICA IN BLACK AND BLUE 2020
by Kaitlin Milligan - June 15, 2020
America in Black and Blue 2020, a new PBS NewsHour Weekend special, offers context for and insight into the widespread protests currently engulfing the nation after the latest display of police brutality against Black citizens....
Sundance Institute Announces 2020 Directors & Screenwriters Lab Fellows
by A.A. Cristi - May 28, 2020
11 independent filmmakers developing 10 projects have been selected for the 2020 Sundance Institute Directors and Screenwriters Labs, reimagined and expressed digitally this year on Sundance Co//ab. These Labs are at the heart of the nonprofit Institute's long-standing support for artists, and will ...
Sundance Institute Announces 2020 Directors & Screenwriters Lab Fellows
by Kaitlin Milligan - May 28, 2020
11 independent filmmakers developing 10 projects have been selected for the 2020 Sundance Institute Directors and Screenwriters Labs, reimagined and expressed digitally this year on Sundance Co//ab....
PBS Announces American Masters Documentary on Marian Anderson
by Kaitlin Milligan - May 13, 2020
Today, THIRTEEN's American Masters series and Philip Gittelman Productions, in association with Black Public Media, announced a new documentary on contralto Marian Anderson (1897-1993) in production for PBS....
JIM ALLISON: BREAKTHROUGH Premieres Tonight on PBS
by Kaitlin Milligan - April 27, 2020
Director Bill Haney's new documentary, Jim Allison: Breakthrough, praised as “the most cheering film of the year” and listed in The Washington Post's Top 10 Films of the Year, premieres tonight on PBS' Independent Lens at 10:00-11:30 PM ET (check local listings), PBS.org and the PBS Video Ap...
FilmRise Announces the Video On Demand Release of the Documentary REWIND
by Kaitlin Milligan - April 20, 2020
FilmRise, a New York-based film and TV distribution company, has announced the VOD and digital release of their latest film “Rewind.”...
2020 Sundance Film Festival Announces Juries
by Sarah Jae Leiber - January 14, 2020
Sundance Institute will gather 25 celebrated and revered expert voices across film, art, culture and science to award feature-length and short films shown at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival with 31 prizes, announced at a ceremony February 1. Short Film Awards will be announced at a separate ceremony...
PBS' Independent Lens to Premiere COOKED: SURVIVAL BY ZIP CODE
by Kaitlin Milligan - January 13, 2020
The new feature documentary COOKED: Survival by Zip Code, a searing exploration into the politics of “disaster,” blends investigative reporting about the deadly 1995 Chicago heat wave with a potent argument that the best preparation for a disaster may start with investing in racial and economic...
Sundance Institute Names 2020 January Screenwriters Lab Fellows
by Sarah Jae Leiber - December 17, 2019
Fifteen screenwriters will convene to advance their independent projects at Sundance Institute's January Screenwriters Lab, taking place at the Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah, from January 17-22, 2020. At the Lab, the screenwriters will immerse themselves in a rigorous and holistic creative proces...
All New York's A Stage: Spotlight on Local Theater Coming Up in the Bronx and Staten Island!
by Nicole Rosky - October 15, 2019
The Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, in partnership with SHOW- SCORE.COM, recently launched ALL NEW YORK'S A STAGE, the first-ever campaign dedicated to raising the visibility of our vibrant local theater industry, which is made up of small venues, companies and related organizations throu...
PBS to Air Documentary About the Bronx, DECADE OF FIRE
by Kaitlin Milligan - October 07, 2019
In the 1970s, the Bronx was on fire. Left unprotected by the city government, nearly a quarter-million people were displaced as their close-knit, multiethnic neighborhood burned to the ground, reducing the community to rubble. While insidious government policies caused the devastation, it was the Af...
INDEPENDENT LENS Returns with New Season Oct. 28
by Abigail Charpentier - August 30, 2019
The acclaimed PBS documentary series Independent Lens, recently honored with two Peabody Awards, a Primetime Emmy nomination and 12 News & Documentary Emmy nominations, returns for a new season on Monday, October 28 with Made in Boise. The film is an engrossing look at the complex and controversial ...
Olmeca Announces New Album DEFINE Out Later This Month
by Tori Hartshorn - August 06, 2019
Olmeca is proud to announce his new album “DEFINE,” dropping August 23rd with OneRPM. The new album is a whirlwind of sounds and an introspective record that delves into the lines and borders that make up individuals and communities. Olmeca goes beyond race and politics, and creates an album th...
Sundance Institute Announces 2019 Creative Producing Labs & Summit
by Kaitlin Milligan - July 19, 2019
Sundance Institute today announced Fellows and Advisors for the five-day 2019 Creative Producing Labs, as well as the three-day Creative Producing Summit which immediately follows; both take place at Utah's Sundance Mountain Resort. The Labs begins July 29, and the Summit August 2. These are the ...
GREAT PERFORMANCES to Feature THE KING AND I, KINKY BOOTS, and More; Full PBS Fall Lineup
by Julie Musbach - July 19, 2019
PBS today unveiled its fall slate including new performance specials from Great Performances....
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