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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 bring you another original documentary film, each made by one of the best independent filmmakers working today.

This season, Independent Lens returns with 22 independent films that will transport you and challenge you to experience universal human themes from unique perspectives. We will delve into issues emerging from the economic crisis in America, from job loss to wealth disparity; examine the origins of soul food, its importance in African American culture, and its serious health implications; we will examine a military culture in which female soldiers are sexually assaulted at a terrifying rate, and their attackers often left unpunished; we



Latest Articles About Independent Lens on PBS

PBS to Premiere Eugene Jarecki's THE KING, About Elvis and America Photo PBS to Premiere Eugene Jarecki's THE KING, About Elvis and America
by Kaitlin Milligan - December 19, 2018

Forty years after the death of Elvis Presley, two-time Sundance Grand Jury winner Eugene Jarecki takes the King's 1963 Rolls-Royce on a musical road trip across America. From Tupelo to Memphis to New York, Las Vegas, and countless points between, the journey explores the rise and fall of Elvis as a ...


New Documentary HILLBILLY Set For World Premiere at Nashville Film Festival May 19th Photo New Documentary HILLBILLY Set For World Premiere at Nashville Film Festival May 19th
by Macon Prickett - May 07, 2018

hillbilly, a new documentary film that explores the historical basis of cultural stereotypes about people from Appalachia, is set to make its worldwide debut during the Nashville Film Festival on May 19th, 7:00 pm CT at the Regal Hollywood Stadium 27 & RPX. To buy tickets for the film's world premie...


Wisconsin Inmate In Mass Incarceration Film Wins Release After Denied Parole 7 Times Photo Wisconsin Inmate In Mass Incarceration Film Wins Release After Denied Parole 7 Times
by A.A. Cristi - August 17, 2018

Baron Walker, featured in the award-winning documentary MILWAUKEE 53206, has received parole and was released today in Milwaukee, after serving more than 22 years in a Wisconsin prison, Odyssey Impact announced today. Walker grew up in zip code 53206, which incarcerates the highest proportion of Afr...


PBS's Independent Lens Announces Winter/Spring 2019 Season Photo PBS's Independent Lens Announces Winter/Spring 2019 Season
by Kaitlin Milligan - November 20, 2018

The award-winning PBS series Independent Lens today announced its Winter and Spring 2019 slate, a series of documentary films that take viewers on a cross-country journey through modern America. From renowned film veterans including Eugene Jarecki (The King) and David Sutherland (Marcos Doesn't Live...


Sundance Institute Names 2020 January Screenwriters Lab Fellows Photo Sundance Institute Names 2020 January Screenwriters Lab Fellows
by Sarah Jae Leiber - December 17, 2019

Fifteen screenwriters will convene to advance their independent projects at Sundance Institute's January Screenwriters Lab, taking place at the Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah, from January 17-22, 2020. At the Lab, the screenwriters will immerse themselves in a rigorous and holistic creative proces...


Sundance Institute Selects 2020 Art of Editing Fellows Photo Sundance Institute Selects 2020 Art of Editing Fellows
by Chloe Rabinowitz - June 26, 2020

8 filmmakers have been chosen to participate in the Sundance Institute's inaugural Art of Editing Lab and Fellowship....


FilmRise Announces the Video On Demand Release of the Documentary REWIND Photo FilmRise Announces the Video On Demand Release of the Documentary REWIND
by Kaitlin Milligan - April 20, 2020

FilmRise, a New York-based film and TV distribution company, has announced the VOD and digital release of their latest film “Rewind.”...


THE CLEANERS, About Silicon Valley's 'Content Moderators' on PBS's Independent Lens 1 Photo THE CLEANERS, About Silicon Valley's 'Content Moderators' on PBS's Independent Lens 11/12
by Tori Hartshorn - October 17, 2018

'Fake news.” Violent pornography. Terrorist propaganda. Everyone agrees that the initial dream of the internet as a utopian global community has evolved into something much more sinister. Silicon Valley leaders and lawmakers have taken steps to remove some of the internet's most hateful sites and co...


 BELLY OF THE BEAST Director, Erika Cohn, Talks Eugenics & The Sterilization of Women Photo BELLY OF THE BEAST Director, Erika Cohn, Talks Eugenics & The Sterilization of Women Prisoners on Tom Needham's SOUNDS OF FILM
by Kaitlin Milligan - June 16, 2020

Emmy Award-winning director/producer, Erika Cohn, joins Tom Needham for a shocking conversation about BELLY OF THE BEAST, a film about the mass sterilization of women of color in California's prison system on this Thursday's SOUNDS OF FILM....


Latino Public Broadcasting Announces Two New VOCES Documentaries on PBS Photo Latino Public Broadcasting Announces Two New VOCES Documentaries on PBS
by Kaitlin Milligan - July 28, 2020

 Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB) today announced that VOCES, the acclaimed PBS documentary series exploring Latino arts, culture and history, will premiere two new films this fall on PBS....


HALE COUNTY THIS MORNING, THIS EVENING to Premiere on Independent Lens on PBS Photo HALE COUNTY THIS MORNING, THIS EVENING to Premiere on Independent Lens on PBS
by Kaitlin Milligan - January 22, 2019

An inspired and intimate portrait of a place and its people, Hale County This Morning, This Evening looks at the lives of two young African American men from rural Alabama over the course of five years. Daniel Collins attends college in search of opportunity while Quincy Bryant becomes a father to a...


Variety And PBS Socal Announce New Season And Talent Line-Up For VARIETY STUDIO: ACTO Photo Variety And PBS Socal Announce New Season And Talent Line-Up For VARIETY STUDIO: ACTORS ON ACTORS
by Tori Hartshorn - May 20, 2019

Variety and PBS SoCal announced today the actor lineup and schedule for the tenth season of their EMMY®Award-winning Variety Studio: Actors on Actors. The new season will include exclusive one-on-one conversations between top acting talent from this year's most notable television  shows who are expe...


PBS to Honor the Legacy of Black History Month Photo PBS to Honor the Legacy of Black History Month
by Kaitlin Milligan - January 10, 2019

PBS today announced special programming to commemorate Black History Month, as part of its commitment to celebrating the diversity of America year-round....


Sundance Institute Announces 2020 Directors & Screenwriters Lab Fellows Photo Sundance Institute Announces 2020 Directors & Screenwriters Lab Fellows
by A.A. Cristi - May 28, 2020

11 independent filmmakers developing 10 projects have been selected for the 2020 Sundance Institute Directors and Screenwriters Labs, reimagined and expressed digitally this year on Sundance Co//ab. These Labs are at the heart of the nonprofit Institute's long-standing support for artists, and will ...


FREE SOLO, MINDING THE GAP Lead Critics' Choice Documentary Awards Nominations Photo FREE SOLO, MINDING THE GAP Lead Critics' Choice Documentary Awards Nominations
by Kaitlin Milligan - October 15, 2018

The Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA) have announced the nominees for the third annual Critics' Choice Documentary Awards. The winners will be presented their awards at a gala event, hosted by science educator and television persona...


Free Screening Of HILLBILLY Presented At Musco Center Photo Free Screening Of HILLBILLY Presented At Musco Center
by A.A. Cristi - February 13, 2019

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Outstanding Student Productions Showcased at the 52nd Annual California Student Media Photo Outstanding Student Productions Showcased at the 52nd Annual California Student Media Festival
by Macon Prickett - June 04, 2018

Top student producers, and their teachers and schools were celebrated at the 52nd Annual California Student Media Festival (CSMF) awards Saturday, June 2 at Harmony Gold Preview House in Los Angeles. The festival, a partnership between PBS SoCal and CUE, is the oldest student media festival in the c...


Lost Bayou Ramblers Releasing Original Score To Film Doc Premiering On PBS 1/14 Photo Lost Bayou Ramblers Releasing Original Score To Film Doc Premiering On PBS 1/14
by Tori Hartshorn - January 09, 2019

This coming Monday January 14, 10:00-11:00PM EST will see the television premier of RODENTS OF UNUSUAL SIZE - the documentary by award winning film-making team Chris Metzler and Jeff Springer (Plagues and Pleasures of the  Salton Sea and Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone) and co-director Quin...


Sundance Institute Announces 2019 Creative Producing Labs & Summit Photo Sundance Institute Announces 2019 Creative Producing Labs & Summit
by Kaitlin Milligan - July 19, 2019

Sundance Institute today announced Fellows and Advisors for the five-day 2019 Creative Producing Labs, as well as the three-day Creative Producing Summit which immediately follows; both take place at Utah's Sundance Mountain Resort. The Labs begins July 29, and the Summit August 2. These are the fla...


Missi Pyle and Sally Jo Fifer to Participate in 'State of the Union' Panel at the Hot Photo Missi Pyle and Sally Jo Fifer to Participate in 'State of the Union' Panel at the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
by Kaitlin Milligan - October 25, 2018

The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival (HSDFF), presented by Mountain Valley Spring Water, announced today that actress and HSDFF Honorary Chair Missi Pyle and Sally Jo Fifer, producer and CEO of ITVS and recipient of the 2018 “HSDFF Impact Award” will participate in a panel titled “State of the ...


PBS's INDEPENDENT LENS to Premiere THE JUDGE Photo PBS's INDEPENDENT LENS to Premiere THE JUDGE
by Kaitlin Milligan - October 30, 2018

Religious courts in the Middle East, including the Shari'a courts of Islam which adjudicate domestic and family matters, have traditionally banned women from serving as judges – until Kholoud Al-Faqih dared to challenge that history. In 2009, with the support of a progressive Sheikh, Kholoud became ...


SERVED LIKE A GIRL Debuts on PBS Memorial Day, Monday, May 28 Photo SERVED LIKE A GIRL Debuts on PBS Memorial Day, Monday, May 28
by Macon Prickett - May 01, 2018

Directed by Lysa Heslov, Served Like a Girl is a powerful and poignant look at a group of diverse female veterans as they transition from active duty to civilian life after serving tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. Struggling with PTSD, homelessness, broken families, serious illness, physical i...


WRESTLE Premieres on Independent Lens This May Photo WRESTLE Premieres on Independent Lens This May
by Tori Hartshorn - April 16, 2019

Go 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 Jailen, Jamario, Teague, and Jaquan face challenges far beyond a shot at the state championship: splintered families, d...


Netflix to Release AMERICAN FACTORY on August 21 Photo Netflix to Release AMERICAN FACTORY on August 21
by Kaitlin Milligan - June 26, 2019

American Factory will be released globally on Netflix August 21, 2019. American Factory is a Netflix Original Documentary Presented by Higher Ground Productions and Participant Media....


CHARLIE'S WAITING By Mêlisa Annis Starring Tony-Nominee Xanthe Photo CHARLIE'S WAITING By Mêlisa Annis Starring Tony-Nominee Xanthe
by A.A. Cristi - March 01, 2019

Parity Productions, the New York based theater company dedicated to producing new work and filling at least 50% of the creative positions (playwrights, directors, and designers) with women and/or trans and gender nonconforming (TCNG) artists, has announced the full cast and crew for their world prem...






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