About Independent Lens

If I were heading for a desert island with only one complete set of DVDs, I’d be taking Independent Lens. There’s no more authentic way to stay in touch with real people and life as it is. I never feel alone in the world when I'm watching an episode, even if I’m by myself. —Bill Moyers

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’ll take stock of a drug war that has cost billions of dollars, failed to stem the drug trade, and resulted in the mass incarceration of poor people of color; we’ll meet an artist who got his start on Pee-Wee’s Playhouse and has brought a new irreverence to the fine art world; and we’ll trace the pop-culture history of Wonder Woman, America’s first comic superheroine, and discover how she and other female protagonists have lost and gained power according to the social and political climate. These and so many more will challenge, delight, and enthrall you from October to June.

“In our first 10 years, Independent Lens has brought more than 275 films to PBS,” said Lois Vossen, Independent Lens series producer. “The stories and storytellers we continue to champion make the series the most diverse on television. We feature films that look at the most important issues of our time, as well as audience favorites from film festivals across the country. Our goal is to help viewers better understand today’s complex world by taking them to places they wouldn’t otherwise see, and encounter people they wouldn’t otherwise meet.”

This season, Independent Lens moves to Monday nights on most PBS member stations. Check your local listings, and don’t miss an episode!

Visit the TV Schedule to learn more about the season lineup >>

Read about awards and accolades >>