Once you’ve watched a beloved movie two or three times, you start to crave a little more information about the film’s conception, production, and cultural impact, among other things. So you hit the internet to read a few articles or (hey!) check out the DVD audio commentary that you’d totally forgotten about. And then there …
The Revolutionary Optimists Filmmakers on Finding Hope in Kolkata’s Slums
We recently spoke with acclaimed filmmakers Nicole Newnham and Maren Grainger-Monsen about what led them to make The Revolutionary Optimists, how the film is already making an impact, and what some of the film’s subjects are doing today.
Filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady on Capturing Detroit
Filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady filmed Detropia with the hopes that all Americans would see themselves mirrored in their portrait of the Motor City, which depicts both overwhelming hardship and new possibilities.
Director Marco Williams on the Making of The Undocumented
We recently spoke with Williams about the making of his film, The Undocumented, and the impact he hopes it will have on the national immigration debate. By going beyond politics, the film also tells a story that is deeply personal.
Director Jon Shenk on His Love for the Maldives, Public Television, and Pizza
A world of change has happened since Jon Shenk filmed The Island President. After he released the documentary in 2012, Maldivian leader Mohamed Nasheed was forced to resign and arrested twice on the campaign trail to reelection.
Filmmaker Kristy Guevara-Flanagan on the Making of Wonder Women!
We spoke with director Kristy Guevara-Flanagan about her experiences making Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines, a fun and warmly witty film that traces the fascinating evolution and legacy of Wonder Woman.
‘As I Am’ Filmmaker Alan Spearman Makes Moving Portraits in South Memphis
We spoke with Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Alan Spearman about his experiences making the short film, As I Am, which is airing with The House I Live In. Both films shed light on the realities of poverty in urban environments.
Live Chat with Kind Hearted Woman’s Robin Poor Bear and Filmmaker David Sutherland – April 3 – 11am PDT/2pm EDT
Join Kind Hearted Woman’s Robin Poor Bear and filmmaker David Sutherland for a live chat on April 3, 2013.
A Letter from Kind Hearted Woman’s Robin Poor Bear
Part One of Kind Hearted Woman, a pillar program of the Women and Girls Lead campaign, premiered last night during a special Independent Lens and FRONTLINE co-presentation. Viewers met Robin Poor Bear and her family through the lens of independent filmmaker David Sutherland. The candid portrait pays tribute to one family’s resilience, strength, and courage in the face of …
Filmmaker David Sutherland on Making Kind Hearted Woman
We sat down with acclaimed filmmaker David Sutherland to talk with him about his unforgettable portrait of Robin Charboneau, a 32-year-old divorced single mother and Oglala Sioux woman living on North Dakota’s Spirit Lake Reservation.
Amid Setbacks, The Solar Mamas Are Undeterred
The stars of Solar Mamas are still searching for sunshine. Read an interview with director Mona Eldaief about what’s happened to Rafea and her aunt since their solar engineering training at Bunker Roy’s Barefoot College concluded.
Adrian Baker on Animating Native American Oral History
Sometimes, the shameful chapters of our past deserve to be excavated through an animated short, the form du jour for oral history projects such as StoryCorps. From the PBS Online Film Festival, the short documentary Injunuity: Buried features the story of a Native American burial ground and shellmound recently built over by a Bay Area mall. Buried will be available …