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Black and white photograph of a man with dark skin tone helping a young boy use a drill while making a coffin.
Behind the Films
June, 7, 2021

Muslim Casket Maker’s Story Becomes Cinematic Portrait of Resilience and Redemption

Independent Lens in Behind the Films

The filmmaker brothers Zeshawn and Aman Ali are now based in New York City but originally hail from Columbus, Ohio. "Growing up right outside of Columbus, we were just two kids who didn’t really see people who looked like us…
Man in suit looking directly into the camera
June, 1, 2021

Just Over The Line

Independent Lens

Just Over the Line tells the story of Daniel Noell, a 59-year-old man who was arrested and charged with drug trafficking after using forged prescriptions at drugstores across Western North Carolina. Prosecuted for the same crime in both Buncombe and…
Woman (LaTonya Myers) in a San Antonio Spurs hat, celebrates a job offer
Beyond the Films
May, 24, 2021

UPDATE: LaTonya Myers Inspires Others to Reform the Justice System

Independent Lens in Beyond the Films

By Renée Gasch LaTonya Myers spent nine months in jail because she couldn’t afford bail. Assessed as a “high-risk” to society by a computer algorithm, she faced the toughest of odds on her path to freedom.  But with the support…
May, 3, 2021

Out of State

Independent Lens

Out of State is an inside look at the lives of two native Hawaiians sent thousands of miles away from the tropical islands to a private prison in the Arizona desert. In this unlikely setting, David and Hale find a…
4 members of Philly D.A's office in designed group shot
Beyond the Films
April, 27, 2021

Who’s Who in Philly D.A.

Independent Lens in Beyond the Films

As you watch the epic eight-part docuseries Philly D.A. unfold, you may want help keeping track of key figures in this sprawling story of the battle over criminal justice reform in America’s sixth-largest metropolitan area. Here are some of the characters, both…
Larry Krasner looks over a ton of file boxes from way back, in Philly D.A.
Behind the Films
April, 20, 2021

Before Krasner: The Wild and Wooly Saga of Philadelphia District Attorneys

Independent Lens in Behind the Films

By Sharon Pruitt-Young It was a world-changing moment for the city of Philadelphia: Larry Krasner, a former criminal defense attorney and a highly polarizing figure in local politics, was elected as the city’s 26th district attorney in November 2017, defeating…
Philly D.A. team, Ted Passon, Nicole Salazar, Yoni Brook (l-r)
Behind the Films
April, 19, 2021

How the Team Behind “Philly D.A.” Captured History for Epic Docuseries

Independent Lens in Behind the Films

Philadelphia-based filmmakers Ted Passon and Yoni Brook, and producer Nicole Salazar, had to work as a well-oiled machine team to make an epic docuseries like Philly D.A. happen. Each one is an award-winning producer in their own right: Brook has…
Larry Krasner and his team celebrates their victory on election night in Philadelphia
Beyond the Films
April, 9, 2021

Philadelphia Has a Long History of Fights Over Criminal Justice Reform

Independent Lens in Beyond the Films

By Kristal Sotomayor In order to understand the rich history of criminal reform work, up through the vivid stories of crime and punishment presented in the docuseries Philly D.A., it is important to recognize Philadelphia's origin story, as it were.…
Filmmaker Ursula Liang with camera on location in New York
Behind the Films
April, 7, 2021

“Nobody Was Listening”: Finding Light in a Dark Stairwell

Independent Lens in Behind the Films

Filmmaker Ursula Liang's previous documentary 9-Man was about the fascinating titular sport that originated among Chinese immigrant communities in the United States and Canada, and was set in mostly Boston, Washington and Toronto. Her new film Down a Dark Stairwell…
A person scanning their face on smartphone on city street, in a Still from Coded Bias, directed by Shalini Kantayya
Beyond the Films
April, 5, 2021

Coded Bias” Asks: Are Our Faces Being Used Against Us?

Independent Lens in Beyond the Films

By Christina Sturdivant Sani Coded Bias begins with MIT researcher Joy Boulamwini’s quest to find out why facial recognition technology inaccurately viewed her beautifully-hued brown face. After viewing the documentary with my friend India, a UX designer, and my husband Hamzat,…
MIT researcher Joy Buolamwini in Coded Bias
Behind the Films
April, 3, 2021

“Coded Bias” Explores Blurring of Real and Imagined Artificial Intelligence

Independent Lens in Behind the Films

Shalini Kantayya has directed visually eye-catching and memorable work for both National Geographic TV with Breakthrough, a series profiling trailblazing scientists transforming the future) and the documentary Catching the Sun, about the race for a clean energy future, a New…
Black and white photograph of Dolly Parton from the '70s looking off camera to the right.
Beyond the Films
January, 27, 2021

Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” Still Packs a Punch

Independent Lens in Beyond the Films

By Lennlee Keep There isn't much the whole world seems to agree on, but I have yet to meet a person who doesn't love Dolly Parton. She's funny, glamorous, famous, and fabulous. Oh, and she sings too. For over 50…