Independent Lens

Indie Films Series / 7 Seasons

Authentic stories. Extraordinary people.

1h 16m / TV-PG

An Honest Liar: Exposing Peter Popoff

2m 36s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary An Honest Liar, we find out how magician-turned-debunker of psychics James "The Amazing" Randi worked with an undercover surveillance expert to expose how popular televangelist and "faith healer" Peter Popoff was deceiving his audience into believing he was conversing with the Lord.

An Honest Liar: Exposing Peter Popoff

1m 33s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary An Honest Liar, magician-turned-debunker James "The Amazing" Randi acknowledges the power of performing illusions on a gullible audience. As magician Penn Jillette tells it here, it's to Randi's credit that he backed away from that power and turned it into a passion for exposing con artists.

An Honest Liar - Trailer

30s

When famed magician James “The Amazing” Randi saw faith healers, fortune-tellers, and psychics using his beloved magician’s tricks to swindle money out of credulous people and destroy lives, Randi dedicated his life to exposing frauds with the wit and style he brought to his stage show. An Honest Liar is part detective story, part biography, and a bit of a magic act itself.

Wilhemina's War - Trailer

30s

Wilhemina’s War is the story of Wilhemina Dixon, an uneducated daughter of sharecroppers who becomes a force in helping her granddaughter survive the health risks and social stigma of living with HIV in the South, where HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death among black women. The film bears witness to the resilience and determination of the human spirit in the face of tremendous adversity.

In Football We Trust - Trailer

30s

In Football We Trust is the story behind the Polynesian pipeline to the NFL as witnessed through the lives of talented high school football players in Utah. Before these prospects enter the high stakes world of college recruiting and the promise of NFL fame, fortune, and glory, they must contend with gang violence, drug abuse, and poverty.

(T)error: Paranoia

1m 41s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary (T)ERROR, FBI informant “Shariff” complains that the FBI has been encouraging him to entrap a potential target. When his doorbell unexpectedly rings, we witness how on edge “Shariff” has become.

(T)error: "Shariff's" Map

1m 50s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary (T)ERROR, FBI counterterrorism informant "Shariff," after reluctantly agreeing to let the filmmakers document aspects of his ongoing investigation, shows off a map he uses to pinpoint suspected terrorists in Pittsburgh.

(T)ERROR - Trailer

30s

The gripping story of a 62-year-old Black Panther turned counterterrorism informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This unprecedented documentary goes deep inside the world of an active terror sting, without FBI consent, pursuing twists and turns fit for an espionage thriller.

The Black Panthers - Trailer

30s

A new revolutionary culture emerged in the turbulent 1960s, and the Black Panther Party was at the vanguard. Weaving together a treasure trove of rare footage with the voices of a diverse group of people who were there, Stanley Nelson tells the vibrant story of a pivotal movement as urgent today as it was then.

The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution: Women in the

2m

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution, we meet some of the women in the Black Panther Party, who did everything from fielding phone calls to delivering speeches. While the central image of the Panthers may be of males in jackets holding guns, the majority of its rank and file members were women who struggled to overcome chauvinism.

The Black Panthers: Free Breakfast Program

1m 41s

This excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution reveals a less heralded side of the Black Panther Party. After reading studies on how children who didn't get breakfast fared poorly in school, the Panthers started a breakfast program that served 20,000 meals a week to black schoolchildren in 19 different communities.

The Black Panthers: Black Panther Style

1m 12s

This excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution takes a look at the unique hairstyle and fashion worn by members of the Black Panther Party, many of whom were teenagers when they joined and unafraid to be black, to be themselves.

Wilhemina's War: Practicing (and Not Practicing) Safe Sex

2m 43s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary Wilhemina's War, the conversation turns to African American men in the south, and what safe sex measures they take, or don't take, to keep from contracting HIV. We meet a friend of Wilhemina who found out he was HIV positive when he went to prison, and is now homeless and receiving poor medical care.

Welhemina's War: Teen Girl Struggles with HIV Status

2m 7s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary Wilhemina's War, we meet Wilhemina's teenage granddaughter Dayshal, who has had HIV since birth. When Dayshal was born, she was too small and her lungs didn't work, and as Wilhemina tells it here, was basically handed to her grandmother to die. But through constant care, Dayshal made it.

A Ballerina's Tale: Misty's Career in Jeopardy

2m 28s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary A Ballerina's Tale, Misty Copeland learns she has a lower leg stress fracture, a common injury for people who jump frequently. The road to recovery is long and potentially devastating to Misty's career. Many have doubts she'll dance with her signature power and grace again.

A Ballerina's Tale: A Young, Naive Ballerina Pays Her Dues

2m 14s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary A Ballerina's Tale, Misty Copeland reflects back on her move to New York City as a wide-eyed teenager to join the Studio Company of American Ballet Theatre. “Young and naive,” she entered the ranks of more senior dancers, who delighted in teasing young starlets like Misty.

A Ballerina's Tale - Trailer

30s

Misty Copeland made history by becoming the first African American principal dancer with the prestigious American Ballet Theatre, considered the pinnacle of ballet in the US. A Ballerina’s Tale is an intimate look at this groundbreaking artist as she shatters barriers and transcends her art.

No Más Bebés - Trailer

30s

No Más Bebés tells the story of a little-known but landmark event in reproductive justice, when a small group of Mexican immigrant women sued county doctors, the state, and the U.S. government after they were sterilized while giving birth at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

No Más Bebés: Sign Here to Take Away the Pain

1m 12s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary No Más Bebés, Maria Hurtado reveals how she underwent a tubal ligation at L.A. County-USC Medical Center in the 1960s while she was in great pain without the faculties to fully understand the consequences of the procedure. A medical student who witnessed this adds that women were told "this will take away the pain."

In Football We Trust: The Kava Tradition

1m 13s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary In Football We Trust, high school football players, both Polynesian and non, gather together to make and drink Kava root juice — which has a calming effect but isn't illegal — and play the ukulele. Fihi explains, "Kava is our way of holding onto our tradition but at the same time inviting the new."

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