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A man in an ornate, shell-decorated costume stands outside under a blue sky. The text reads, “The Color Line Diaries.”.
August, 12, 2026

The Color Line Diaries

Independent Lens

Journey to Louisiana, Georgia, Mississippi, and Ghana in The Color Line Diaries, a five-part documentary series uncovering untold Black stories. With powerful imagery and intimate storytelling, the series explores the cultural and social realities that shape Black life today.
Beyond the Films
June, 22, 2026

Digital Griot: A Conversation with Interdisciplinary Artist Rashaad Newsome

Independent Lens in Beyond the Films

Our interview with interdisciplinary artist Rashaad Newsome, co-director and protagonist of Assembly and creator of Being the Digital Griot. Q: Assembly moves far beyond conventional documentary. What kind of film were you trying to make? Rashaad: We wanted to make…
March, 10, 2026

Assembly

aldomorablanco

Artist Rashaad Newsome prepares to showcase "Assembly," a groundbreaking exhibit at New York’s Park Avenue Armory. By blending visual art, performance, and artificial intelligence, the project centers the global evolution of vogue while honoring Black and queer resistance and calling…
group of six people with dwarfism in a row with paper body cutouts behind them
September, 30, 2025

The Tallest Dwarf

aldomorablanco

The Tallest Dwarf follows filmmaker Julie Forrest Wyman as she searches for her place in the little people community and unpacks rumors of dwarfism in her own family. Through intimate stories, creative collaborations, and archival history, the film delves into…
A photo of a violinist with osteogenesis imperfecta holding her instrument. She wears a red flower in her hair and has a eyebrow ring.
Beyond the Films
November, 1, 2022

“Everybody’s Voice Is Unique”: Disability in the Performing Arts

Independent Lens in Beyond the Films

By Allison Kirkland Kelsey Peterson's journey in Move Me will resonate with anyone who has undergone change and found something different but just as beautiful on the other side of that change. Using dance and choreography as a guiding framework,…
A cartoonist wears a suit in front of a wall of black and white comic strips.
September, 12, 2022

No Straight Lines

Independent Lens

When Alison Bechdel received a coveted MacArthur Award for her best-selling graphic memoir Fun Home, it heralded the acceptance of LGBTQ+ comics in American culture. From DIY underground comix scene to mainstream acceptance, meet five smart and funny queer comic…
Beyond the Films
May, 17, 2017

Teachers Beat the “Macho Culture” in Prisons through Art Programs

Independent Lens in Beyond the Films

In the early 2000s, Hollywood invested in the urban fairy tale where a teacher is called into the principal’s office of a school in a low-income, broken part of town and is requested to help “build character and morale.” (Think…
magician's gloved hands conjuring up magic and iphones
Beyond the Films
March, 24, 2016

Magic in the Modern Age: Do You (Still) Believe in Magic?

Lisa Ko in Beyond the Films

Legendary stage magician and escapologist James “The Amazing” Randi broke out of 22 jails during his career, going so far as to break Harry Houdini’s record of time spent inside a coffin submerged in water (104 minutes to Houdini’s 93).…
December, 16, 2013

Playwright: From Page to Stage

Independent Lens

Playwright: From Page to Stage is a cinema vérité documentary that takes an intimate look at the development of two new plays, showing how creative teams are assembled and collaborate, detailing everything from the intense rehearsal process to achieving one…