Independent Lens
Airing weekly on PBS, the five-time Emmy Award-winning series Independent Lens is an independent film festival in your living room. Each week we introduce a new documentary film from among the best independent filmmakers working today.
PREVIEWS (285)
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S21 E19: Trailer | Pipe DreamsPipe Dreams challenges preconceived notions about an age-old instrument—the ...Pipe Dreams challenges preconceived notions about an age-old instrument—the pipe organ—while introducing viewers to a new generation of passionate, talented young organists in the intense lead up ... -
S21 E19: Trailer | Recorder: The Marion Stokes ProjectA fiercely intelligent activist who became a wealthy recluse in her later years, ...A fiercely intelligent activist who became a wealthy recluse in her later years, Marion Stokes was dedicated to furthering and protecting the truth — so much so that she recorded American television ... -
S21 E17: Trailer | Eating Up EasterMore than just a picture-perfect postcard of iconic stone statues, Rapa Nui, or ...More than just a picture-perfect postcard of iconic stone statues, Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, is a microcosm of a planet in flux. Directed by native Rapa Nui filmmaker Sergio Mata’u Rapu, Eating Up ... -
S21 E8: Trailer | RewindMade up of home video footage that reveals a long-kept secret, Sasha Joseph ...Made up of home video footage that reveals a long-kept secret, Sasha Joseph Neulinger’s Rewind is a brave and wrenching look at his childhood and his journey to reconcile his past. By probing the ... -
S21 E16: Trailer | Jim Allison: BreakthroughThe story of one warmhearted, stubborn man’s visionary quest to find a cure ...The story of one warmhearted, stubborn man’s visionary quest to find a cure for cancer, Jim Allison: Breakthrough is an homage to an unconventional superhero — a pioneering, harmonica-playing ... -
S21 E15: Trailer | The Hottest AugustBrett Story’s critically acclaimed documentary The Hottest August raises the ...Brett Story’s critically acclaimed documentary The Hottest August raises the specter of climate change without ever mentioning it, spotlighting ordinary New Yorkers as they share their anxieties ... -
S21 E14: Trailer | BedlamShot over the course of five years, Bedlam examines the mental health crisis ...Shot over the course of five years, Bedlam examines the mental health crisis through intimate stories of those people who are in-and-out of overwhelmed and under-resourced psych emergency rooms, jails ... -
S21 E13: One Child Nation - TrailerAfter the birth of her first child, filmmaker Nanfu Wang returns to China to ...After the birth of her first child, filmmaker Nanfu Wang returns to China to speak with her family and explore the ripple effect of that country's devastating social experiment, the one-child policy. ... -
S21 E12: Trailer | Always in SeasonAlways in Season follows the tragedy of African American teenager Lennon Lacy, ...Always in Season follows the tragedy of African American teenager Lennon Lacy, who in August 2014, was found hanging from a swing set in North Carolina. His death was ruled a suicide, but Lennon’s ... -
S21 E11: Trailer | We Believe In DinosaursIn We Believe in Dinosaurs the Bible and science collide amid the battleground ...In We Believe in Dinosaurs the Bible and science collide amid the battleground of a Creation Museum and a $120 million Noah’s Ark-inspired theme park in rural Kentucky. -
S21 E10: Trailer | Leftover WomenLeftover Women follows three successful Chinese women who, despite thriving ...Leftover Women follows three successful Chinese women who, despite thriving careers, are still labeled sheng nu, a derogatory term in China to describe educated, professional women in their mid-20s ... -
S21 E9: Trailer | Cooked: Survival by Zip CodeCooked: Survival by Zip Code tells the story of the tragic 1995 Chicago ...Cooked: Survival by Zip Code tells the story of the tragic 1995 Chicago heatwave, the most traumatic in U.S. history, in which 739 citizens died over the course of just a single week, most of them ... -
S21 E6: Trailer | The First Rainbow CoalitionIn 1969, the Chicago Black Panther Party formed alliances across ethnic and ...In 1969, the Chicago Black Panther Party formed alliances across ethnic and racial lines with other community-based movements in the city, including Latino group the Young Lords and southern whites ... -
S21 E7: Trailer | Accept the Call25 years after Yusuf Abdurahman left Somalia as a refugee to begin his life anew ...25 years after Yusuf Abdurahman left Somalia as a refugee to begin his life anew in Minnesota — which has the largest population of Somalis in America — his worst fear is realized when his ... -
S21 E5: ATTLA | TrailerATTLA tells the gripping story of George Attla, a charismatic Alaska Native ...ATTLA tells the gripping story of George Attla, a charismatic Alaska Native dogsled racer who, with one good leg and fierce determination, became a legendary sports hero in Northern communities around ... -
S21 E4: Trailer | Conscience PointConscience Point tracks the fractured history of the Shinnecock tribe on Long ...Conscience Point tracks the fractured history of the Shinnecock tribe on Long Island alongside the spirited path of one Native woman determined to make a stand: activist Rebecca Hill-Genia who, ... -
S21 E3: Trailer | The InterpretersThe Interpreters is a poignant but tense portrayal of a very human and ...The Interpreters is a poignant but tense portrayal of a very human and high-stakes side of war's aftermath, the story of how Afghan and Iraqi interpreters risked their lives aiding American ... -
S21 E2: Trailer | Decade of FireDecade of Fire covers a shocking but untold piece of American urban history, ...Decade of Fire covers a shocking but untold piece of American urban history, when the South Bronx was on fire in the 1970s. Left unprotected by the city government, nearly a quarter-million people ... -
S21 E1: Trailer | Made in BoiseIn Boise, nurses, nail technicians, and stay-at-home mothers are choosing to ...In Boise, nurses, nail technicians, and stay-at-home mothers are choosing to become paid reproductive surrogates for people from around the world. Made in Boise offers a rare glimpse into this world ... -
Independent Lens 2019-2020 Season Promo"Want me to tell you a story?" Coming to PBS, America’s home for ..."Want me to tell you a story?" Coming to PBS, America’s home for documentaries, Independent Lens presents a new group of powerful, award-winning films that will thrust viewers into the heart of ... -
S20 E19: Trailer | WrestleWrestle goes inside the lives of four members of the high school wrestling team ...Wrestle goes inside the lives of four members of the high school wrestling team at Huntsville’s J.O. Johnson High School--a longstanding entry on Alabama’s list of failing schools. Teammates ...
