Films and Resources

ITVS Community combines partnerships, strategic planning, events and resource materials to support community and educational activities through Independent Lens films.

Get background information, discussion guides, postcards and more for this season's line-up: Resources such as discussion guides, teacher curricula, action kits, fact sheets and preview DVDs are made available to our partners at no cost. Check out this season's campaigns from the list below or view our past and ongoing projects.

You can link to outreach resources for select programs here. If you have questions regarding resources, please contact outreach@itvs.org.

CHICAGO 10 Mixing animation with archival footage, Director Brett Morgen's CHICAGO 10 explores the buildup to and unraveling of the protest at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago and the ensuing 1969 Conspiracy Trial. CHICAGO 10 portrays the struggle of young Americans speaking out and taking a stand in the face of an oppressive and armed government.

LIONESS They went to Iraq as cooks, clerks and mechanics and returned a year later as part of America's first generation of female combat veterans. In LIONESS, Directors Meg McLagan and Daria Sommers give an intimate look at war through the eyes of women and the U.S. military policy that bans them from combat.

I.O.U.S.A. As the Baby Boomer generation prepares to retire, many experts warn that if we continue down this financial road, America will be flat broke in a generation. In I.O.U.S.A., Director Patrick Creadon looks at how America must mend its spendthrift ways or face an economic disaster or epic proportions.

HELVETICA The typeface Helvetica is ubiquitous, spelling out everything from IRS tax forms to the corporate logos of Target, Crate & Barrel and Fendi. In HELVETICA, first-time Director Gary Hustwit sets out and explores urban spaces, the typefaces that inhabit them and speaks with historians and designers about the choices and aesthetics behind the use of fonts.

TULIA, TEXAS In 1999 undercover narcotics agent Thomas Coleman executed one of the biggest drug stings in Texas history. Coleman and his drug task force arrested 46 Tulia residents—of which 39 were African American—on charges of suspected drug dealing. TULIA, TEXAS is the story of a small town's search for justice and the price Americans pay for the nation's war on drugs.

ARUSI PERSIAN WEDDING Iranian American filmmaker Marjan Tehrani chronicles her brother's return to Iran during the start of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, as he travels with his American wife to have a traditional Persian wedding and explore his lost heritage. In weaving the couple's personal story with historical footage, ARUSI considers the history, impact and troubled relationship between Iran and America.

TAKING ROOT: The Vision of Wangari Maathai TAKING ROOT follows Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai in her quest to reclaim her land and her culture through the disarmingly simple act of planting trees. This direct action has fostered community solidarity, environmental literacy, and political resolve that helped to bring down Kenya's 24-year dictatorship.

CRIPS AND BLOODS: Made in America South Los Angeles is home to two of America's most infamous African-American gangs: the Bloods and the Crips. In CRIPS AND BLOODS: Made in America, Director Stacy Peralta interviews current and former gang members, family members and experts to examine the conditions that have lead to the devastating gang violence.

ASK NOT ASK NOT is a rare exploration of the U.S. military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. The film exposes the tangled political battles that led to the discriminatory law, and profiles charismatic activists determined to abolish it. As the war rages on, ASK NOT reveals personal stories of gay Americans who serve in combat under a veil of secrecy.

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