We love when a filmmaker and her subject drop in at our offices, especially when they are as funny and charming as these two! Julie Wyman, whose film Strong! premieres on Independent Lens tomorrow, July 26, at 10 PM (check your local listings) and the film’s subject, Olympic weightlifting medalist Cheryl Haworth, visited our San … READ MORE

We arrived in the office this morning to fantastic news! Four Independent Lens films have been nominated for a total of five Emmy Awards! We are thrilled that these remarkable filmmakers are receiving such a well-deserved honor. Congratulations to all of you! And the nominees are … OUTSTANDING CONTINUING COVERAGE OF A NEWS STORY – … READ MORE

Attention educators! One of our most important projects here at Independent Lens HQ is Community Classroom, an innovative and free resource for teachers, offering short-form film modules adapted from our award-winning documentaries along with standards-based lesson plans for high schools and community colleges, NGOs, and youth organizations. This is one of the ways we turn the many … READ MORE

by Lois Vossen, Independent Lens Senior Series Producer & Vice President, ITVS We are pleased to report that PBS, ITVS, and POV have emerged from months of conversation to confirm a new Monday nights at 10 PM broadcast slot for Independent Lens and POV.  The new timeslot reaffirms that independent filmmakers and public broadcasting together … READ MORE

The filmmaking juggernaut of Lynn True, Nelson Walker, and Tsering Perlo dropped by the Independent Lens offices in between trips to Tibet to visit with Locho and Yama, the couple at the heart of their documentary Summer Pasture, which premieres on  May 10 at 10pm (check local listings). We asked them about making such an … READ MORE

Earlier this season we aired the documentary Lives Worth Living about one of the most significant and least recognized civil rights movements in American history: the struggle for access and equality for the disabled. Tomorrow that film will be screened at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, followed by a live webcast panel discussion. … READ MORE

We caught up with filmmaker Whitney Dow and some members of Septentrional while they were in New York this week. The band is on a mini-tour in New York, playing at the Maranatha Auditorium in Queens on Friday, at the Aroma Lounge in Elizabeth, N.J., on Saturday, and at the Vault Cafe, in Elmont, N.Y., … READ MORE

This week’s premiere of Scott Kirschenbaum’s You’re Looking at Me Like I Live Here and I Don’t has prompted an outpouring of stories from our viewers about the devastating disease. We caught up with the composer of the film’s score, Nadia Shihab, to find out how she approached putting the story to music. Her violin-based … READ MORE

The premiere of  You’re Looking at Me Like I Live Here and I Don’t is this Thursday, March 29 (check local listings). This week, we’re presenting stories about Alzheimer’s from our staff, friends, and viewers. Today we bring you a story from our managing editor. Hello, Goodbye by Brooke Shelby Biggs I started saying goodbye to … READ MORE

We’re gearing up for next week’s premiere of You’re Looking at Me Like I Live Here and I Don’t, Scott Kirschenbaum’s gentle and funny portrait of Lee Gorewitz, a resident at a care facility for people with Alzheimer’s. For those of us who have family members coping with Alzheimer’s, it can also be refreshing to … READ MORE

We’re gearing up for the premiere of Being Elmo on April 5 and April 9 at 10pm, and in that spirit, we’ve found some pretty hilarious videos you may NOT have seen of Elmo (and puppeteer Kevin Clash). Here are a few of our favorites. Elmo Visits with Jimmy Fallon (part 1) Did you know … READ MORE

Happy Pi Day (it’s March 14, rendered 3.14 for those prone to math humor), and we circulated some videos around the office that played on that theme, as well as some that veered off into other directions. In case you wondered what we watch around here besides the documentaries we bring you every week, these … READ MORE