Blog

FBI informant Saeed "Shariff" Torres peers out a motel room window at night
December, 1, 2015

(T)ERROR

Independent Lens

(T)ERROR is the story of a 62-year-old Black Panther-turned-counterterrorism informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is the first film to document a covert terrorism sting as it unfolds. With unprecedented access to both the informant and the target,…
Retired Utah sheriff Dub Lawrence points a finger to his temple like a pistol.
December, 1, 2015

Peace Officer

Independent Lens

William “Dub” Lawrence was a former sheriff who established and trained one of Utah's first SWAT teams, only to watch in horror as that same unit killed his son-in-law in a controversial standoff years later. In Peace Officer, Dub, driven…
White supremacist Craig Cobb and his followers march through Leith, North Dakota with their rifles.
November, 30, 2015

Welcome to Leith

Independent Lens

Welcome to Leith chronicles the attempted takeover of a small town in North Dakota by notorious white supremacist Craig Cobb. As his behavior becomes more threatening, tensions soar and residents desperately look for ways to expel their unwanted neighbor. An…
Reverend Rob Schenck prays.
October, 13, 2015

The Armor of Light

Independent Lens

The Armor of Light follows the journey of Evangelical minister Rob Schenck, who is trying to find the courage to preach about the growing toll of gun violence in America, and Lucy McBath, the mother of an unarmed teenager who…
A woman marches down a Delhi street shouting in protest as water cannons shower the scene.
September, 14, 2015

India’s Daughter

Independent Lens

India's Daughter is the story of the brutal gang rape and murder in Delhi of 23-year-old medical student Jyoti Singh, which sparked protests and serious debate about gender inequality across India. From the earliest age, Jyoti wanted to become a…
Test Your Knowledge
January, 9, 2015

Evolution of a Criminal: Juvenile Justice Quiz

Independent Lens in Test Your Knowledge

  Alongside the PBS documentary Evolution of a Criminal, we thought it'd be interesting to dig a little deeper into the topic of juvenile criminality in America. To step back for a moment, the Indie Spirit Award-nominated film itself is by…
Sheriffs in New Mexico at Sunset, in House I Live In, photo by Derek Hallquist
Interviews
April, 5, 2013

Eugene Jarecki on Fighting the Good Fight and Taking a Closer Look at the War on Drugs

Independent Lens in Interviews

We sat down with acclaimed filmmaker Eugene Jarecki to talk with him about his penetrating look at the profound human rights implications of America’s longest war: the War on Drugs. His film, The House I Live In, premiered on Independent…
Cyntoia Brown calls her adoptive mother, Ellenette Brown, to tell her she "Got Life."
February, 25, 2011

Me Facing Life: Seeking Redemption in Cyntoia’s Story

Independent Lens

Dan Birman spent six years capturing the evolution and nuances of a case that is both depressingly common and refreshingly multifaceted. He met 16-year-old Cyntoia Brown after she murdered a man. Instead of a lost cause, he found a very…
Former Enron chairman and CEO Kenneth Lay.
April, 24, 2007

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

Independent Lens

Who would think a documentary about the collapse of a mammoth corporation could play out like a drama with the emotional power of Greek tragedy? But that is the impact of Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, the inside…
Vermeer's The Concert
March, 20, 2007

Stolen

Independent Lens

It was the most expensive art heist in American history. In March 1990, two thieves disguised as Boston police officers gained entrance to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and successfully plundered $500 million worth of art. Among the 13 priceless…