Blog

Three women members of the Black Panther Party stand with flags.
November, 24, 2015

The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution

Independent Lens

In the turbulent 1960s, change was coming to America and the fault lines could no longer be ignored — cities were burning, Vietnam was exploding, and disputes raged over equality and civil rights. A new revolutionary culture was emerging and…
Robin Poor Bear, with Kind Hearted Woman filmmaker David Sutherland
Announcements
November, 23, 2015

Sad News about Robin Poor Bear

Independent Lens in Announcements

This weekend we received sad news about the subject of the Independent Lens/FRONTLINE film Kind Hearted Woman. Robin Poor Bear, a.k.a. Charboneau, passed away this Friday at home in North Dakota. We will continue to share updates as they are released. Our…
High school football players perform a traditional Polynesian war chant.
November, 17, 2015

In Football We Trust

Independent Lens

In Football We Trust transports viewers deep inside the tightly-knit and complex Polynesian community in Salt Lake City, one of the chief sources of the modern influx of Pacific Islander football players to the NFL. Shot over a four-year period…
Stray Dog director Debra Granik with the film's subject, Ron "Stray Dog" Hall
Behind the Films
November, 6, 2015

Debra Granik Goes Back to Missouri for Stray Dog

Independent Lens in Behind the Films

Filmmaker Debra Granik helped bring actresses Vera Farmiga and Jennifer Lawrence much-deserved fame with her two acclaimed feature films Down to the Bone and Winter’s Bone, respectively. Winter’s Bone in particular, which was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Adapted Screenplay,…
A mother stands before an empty incubator.
October, 20, 2015

No Más Bebés

Independent Lens

No Más Bebés tells the story of a little-known but landmark event in reproductive justice, when a small group of Mexican immigrant women sued county doctors, the state, and the U.S. government after they were sterilized while giving birth at…
Illinois Congressman Luis Gutiérrez arrested during immigration reform protest.
Announcements
October, 19, 2015

Immigration Battle: The High-Stakes World of Immigration Reform

Independent Lens in Announcements

Premiering on PBS Tuesday October 20 at 10pm [please check local listings] as a co-presentation of Independent Lens and FRONTLINE, the new documentary Immigration Battle plunges straight into the heart of one of the most divisive issues in America. Filmmakers Michael Camerini…
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…
African American sound recorder on the streets
Lists
August, 11, 2015

Black Power Playlist: Music is the Message

Independent Lens in Lists

The soundtrack to America’s civil rights movement before the mid-1960s was predominantly made up of gospel standards and spirituals, with a smattering of popular folk. But by the late 1960s, music was changing right along with the political landscape. Just…
Limited Partnership director Tom Miller (left), and producer Kirk Marcolina
Uncategorized
June, 15, 2015

Limited Partnership Filmmakers Commit Years to Telling Marriage Equality Story

Independent Lens in Uncategorized

Tom Miller committed a long period of his life — 14 years — to his film Limited Partnership, and it became a true labor of love, appropriate for what is at its very heart a love story. The film traces…
Richard Adams and Tony Sullivan at the Mémorial des Martyrs de la Déportation in Paris during their European exile.
June, 15, 2015

Limited Partnership

Independent Lens

Limited Partnership chronicles the 40-year love story between Filipino American Richard Adams and his Australian husband, Tony Sullivan. In 1975, thanks to a courageous county clerk in Boulder, Colorado, Richard and Tony were one of the first same sex couples…
Clela Rorex, Richard Adams, and Tony Sullivan re-united decades after Clela issues the couple's groundbreaking marriage license.
Beyond the Films
June, 12, 2015

Bringing the Same-Sex Marriage Debate Full Circle

Independent Lens in Beyond the Films

Tony Sullivan is no stranger to practicing the art of patience. He navigated through decades of legal fights with the U.S. government over both his own legal status as an immigrant from Australia and the legality of his marriage to…
May, 4, 2015

Telling the Story of Kumu Hina

Independent Lens

Kumu Hina, which won the Frameline Jury Award for Achievement in Documentary, was called "a subtle but inspiring tale" by Alice Lytton in IndieWire. "This is a film which could, if given the chance, push people both within and without the LGBT…