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Still frame from The Epic of Everest (1924), men exploring an ice cave on the mountain.
Film History
October, 20, 2015

Early Silent Documentaries: Real-Life Adventure Cinema

Sean Axmaker in Film History

This piece is part of an ongoing Independent Lens series exploring documentary film history. Stay tuned for more installments. Since the dawn of cinema, cameras have been taken around the world to capture unique and exotic sights previously available to audiences only…
A group of people are crowded around a television set captivated by a film.
October, 20, 2015

Chuck Norris vs Communism

Independent Lens

In communist Romania, thousands of Western films on bootleg VHS tapes — mostly Hollywood action movies  — were smuggled behind the Iron Curtain, opening a window into the free world. Under President Nicolae Ceaușescu, Romania was culturally isolated and ideologically…
Young Lacey Schwartz lies on her mother's lap in the woods.
Lists
March, 19, 2015

9 Movies about Family Secrets

Independent Lens in Lists

By Noel Murray  When Lacey Schwartz applied to Georgetown at age 18, she left the “racial identity” box unchecked, but did submit a photograph, and not long after she was accepted at the university, she was invited to join the…
Lists
March, 5, 2015

Celebrate Women’s History Month with These Docs

Independent Lens in Lists

March is Women's History Month, and, like a lot of people, we feel like women should be honored and celebrated every day of the year, but the idea behind an official month is to, as stated on the Library of…
Three people, all with dark skin tone, stand together on Election Day wearing voting stickers. One holds a sign that says "Vote for... marriage equality."
Film History
June, 10, 2014

LGBTQ Pride: Movies That Rocked Their World [Updated]

Independent Lens in Film History

June is always LGBTQ Pride Month, and traditionally it's been both a time for reflection on gay history and struggles (originally created to commemorate the Stonewall riots of June 1969), along with a colorful, pride-ful celebration of many important achievements and milestones. Since Independent…
Lists
April, 14, 2014

Bill Siegel’s 12 Documentaries That Had Biggest Impact on Him

Independent Lens in Lists

Documentary filmmaker Bill Siegel, whose previous film (co-directed with Sam Green) The Weather Underground was nominated for an Oscar, returned to the world of American political activism and history with The Trials of Muhammad Ali. "Bill Siegel’s audacious documentary puts new…
Film History
January, 9, 2014

A Look Back at the Films of Frederick Wiseman

Independent Lens in Film History

The television premiere of Frederick Wiseman's At Berkeley, his 42nd film, seemed an especially apt time to introduce viewers who may not be as familiar with the prolific documentarian's previous work. In a career that has spanned more than five…
Nutayunean tribe
Lists
November, 21, 2012

Celebrate Native American Heritage Month with 8 Documentaries

Independent Lens in Lists

November is Native American Heritage Month, but that wasn’t always the case. At one point, it was a single day to honor Native American history, and before that, there was no official government recognition at all. The history of the…
May, 3, 2011

A Film Unfinished

Independent Lens

At the end of WWII, 60 minutes of raw film was discovered intact in an East German archive. Shot by the Nazis in Warsaw in May 1942, and labeled simply "Das Ghetto," this footage quickly became a resource for historians…