Bike Vessel

Independent Lens

Indie Films Series / 8 Seasons

Authentic stories. Extraordinary people.

Watch Latest: S26 E13

1h 24m

Rose Mapendo Shares Her Story to Inspire Action

9m 47s

In this special educational module, Rose Mapendo, a woman whose family suffered severe hardships during violent conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, shares her story as a powerful way to inspire collective action that can bring about positive change.

Bhutto: The First Woman Leader of a Muslim Nation

7m 42s

This special educational module explores various elements of the context in which Benazir Bhutto became the first woman leader of a Muslim nation, including the status of women in Pakistan, the influences of Islam and the military on Pakistani politics, the leadership of her father, and her personal family life. In addition, we see the complexities of being a female leader in a Muslim country.

Bhutto - Preview

30s

A portrait of one of the most fascinating and complex figures of our time, Bhutto is the epic tale of the life and tragic death of Benazir Bhutto, who broke the Islamic glass ceiling as the first woman leader of a Muslim country. 3/8/2012

Women and Girls Lead: Meet Beverly

3m 24s

With more national championships than any other African American college coach, University of Texas track coach Beverly Kearney is used to breaking barriers. After an accident left her paralyzed, she learned to walk again, empowering other women to live by her motto: "Failure has never been an option." A Women and Girls Lead web exclusive.

Half the Sky: Desmond Tutu's Message About Manmade Customs

1m 18s

Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, Desmond Tutu explains how manmade customs need to be changed in order to include the talents of women and girls. He is a proud supporter of Women and Girls Lead -- a Public Media initiative designed to focus, educate, and connect audiences worldwide through film. A Women and Girls Lead web exclusive.

Women and Girls Lead: Meet Sonia

3m 9s

Sonia B. Castellanos: Sonia B. Castellanos is a real-life role model for young Latinas in central Texas. Just 1% of the Latinas in her community graduated high school when she started Con Mi MADRE. Last year, 97% of the program's seniors went on college. A Women and Girls Lead web exclusive.

Women and Girls Lead: Melanne Verveer Web Exclusive

1m 14s

Ambassador-at-large for Global Women's Issues, Melanne Verveer explains the payoff that comes from investing in women and girls. She is a proud supporter of Women and Girls Lead -- a Public Media initiative designed to focus, educate, and connect audiences worldwide through film. A Women and Girls Lead web exclusive.

End Black History Month?

1m 55s / TV-PG

Filmmaker Shukree Hassan Tilghman sets off on a cross-country campaign to end Black History Month. His insightful and humorous journey explores the complexity and contradictions of relegating an entire group's history to one month in a so-called "post-racial" America.

More than a Month: Where It's At With Marco and Shukree!

4m 29s / TV-PG

Styled as an homage to early, locally-produced public affairs programming, this companion piece to the film More Than a Month featues a amusing interview between the film's director, Shukree Tilghman, and executive producer, Marco Williams.

More than a Month: How Does Confederate History Mesh with Bl

3m 39s / TV-PG

When filmmaker Shukree Tilghman goes to a gathering of Confederate history enthusiasts in Virginia, he feels as if he has stepped behind enemy lines. While participants advocate for the establishment of a special month dedicated to their own heritage and history, it seems that some participants do not see how the issue of slavery and the African American experience intersects with their own.

More Than a Month: Black History Month...There's an App for

1m 9s

Shukree Tilghman, the director of the Independent Lens film More Than a Month, speaks with PBS Newshour's Hari Sreenivasen about the special interactive iPhone app -- More Than a Mapp -- that his team has developed to track and showcase important African American historical sites.

More Than a Month: Philadelphia's Innovative Black History R

5m 1s / TV-PG

In 2005, the Philadelphia public school district became the first in the country to establish a mandatory African American history graduation requirement. Now, students spend an entire year looking at the African American experience.

More than a Month: Pounding the Pavement for Black History

2m 29s / TV-PG

Filmmaker Shukree Hassan Tilghman hits the streets of New York to collect signatures in favor expanding Black History Month beyond February. In the process, he hears arguments both for and against observing a single Black History Month.

The Black Power Mixtape: Angela Davis on Seeing Herself

2m 30s / TV-PG

Dr. Angela Davis speaks with Hari Sreenivasen of the PBS NewsHour about her 1972 interviews with Swedish journalists that appear in the documentary film "The Black Power Mixtape 1967 - 1975.

The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975: A Point Where Caution End

2m 35s / TV-PG

A 1968 speech by Black Panther Eldridge Cleaver sets the stage for a contemporary reaction by singer Erykah Badu about how African American self-defense and community empowerment was depicted by the mainstream media and politicians as acts of radical aggression.

The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975: A Civil Rights Firebrand

2m 46s / TV-PG

Hip hop musician Talib Kweli recounts how he became a figure of interest to federal officials while he was researching the speeches of Stokely Carmichael ... 40 years after the fact.

The Black Power Mixtape 1967-9175: A Miscarriage of Justice

1m 43s / TV-PG

In 1970, activist and scholar Angela Davis was charged with involvement in a criminal incident in which a young African American man attempted to help two black defendants escape from a California courtroom. In this 1972 interview with her lawyer, Dennis Roberts, he describes how the case against Ms. Davis was based solely on circumstantial evidence and was potentially a conspiracy against her.

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