Independent Lens

Indie Films Series / 8 Seasons

Authentic stories. Extraordinary people.

1h 16m / TV-PG

America Split at the Seams

2m 16s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary Best of Enemies, on the eve of the first of a series of TV debates between conservative William F. Buckley and liberal Gore Vidal, we learn that for all their bitter differences, one thing both agree on is America of 1968 was severely divided. We also hear the men's personal thoughts as read by Kelsey Grammer and John Lithgow.

"Crypto-Nazi" and Other Insults

1m 16s

This excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary Best of Enemies shows the ninth in a series of 1968 debates between famed intellectuals William F. Buckley and Gore Vidal. In this edgy encounter yet, they squared off over the issue of police use of force during the Democratic Convention. Seething with contempt for each other, they almost come to physical blows after devolving into name calling.

Best of Enemies - Trailer

30s

Best of Enemies captures the legendary 1968 debates between two famed intellectuals and ideological opposites: leftist Gore Vidal and neoconservative William F. Buckley. Their televised sparring shaped a new era of public discourse in the media, marking the moment TV’s political ambition shifted from narrative to spectacle.

(T)ERROR: The Conflicted Ideologies of a Black Panther

5m 53s

In this short excerpt we follow “Shariff,” a 62-year-old-former Black Panther who has worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation as an informant for decades, helping foil several suspected terrorist plots and becoming involved in one particularly murky case.

India's Daughter - The Brutal Rape that Galvanized India

4m 31s

This is the story of the brutal gang rape and murder in Delhi of a 23-year-old medical student, Jyoti Singh. The clip examines the outrage the case caused in India, a country beset by extreme poverty and archaic cultural attitudes towards gender equality.

In Football We Trust - Harvey Langi

7m 7s

Harvey Langi is among a growing number of Pacific Islanders recruited to play football in Utah. Many Polynesian families, Langi’s included, have come to view football as their ticket out of economic hardship and gang life.

Little White Lie Lacie Schwartz

8m 34s

Lacey Schwartz from Little White Lie, a documentary about her racial identity, spent her childhood believing she was white. As a college student, she discovered her father was black. This follow-up video shows Schwartz, now a mother, discussing her new-found sense of herself with two close friends.

T-Rex: Boxing and Dating

2m 21s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens film T-Rex: Her Fight for Gold, Claressa "T-Rex" Shields talks about dating her boyfriend Rell, and how she hasn't told her coach Jason Crutchfield about it because it's a violation of his "law." We see Claressa all dressed up for her big date at a school dance before a cynical Jason confronts her about this relationship.

T-Rex: Coaching Claressa

2m 17s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens film T-Rex: Her Fight for Gold, Claressa "T-Rex" Shields and her coach Jason Crutchfield reminisce about how she first began as a boxer. Crutchfield first saw Shields box when she was all of 11 years old. Despite his reservations about girls boxing, Crutchfield took Claressa under his wing when he saw how quickly she excelled in the sport.

T-Rex: Her Own Harshest Critic

1m 29s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens film T-Rex: Her Fight for Gold, Claressa "T-Rex" Shields is upset with herself for not achieving a higher score in a bout even though she won the fight. As reporters stand by, her coach tries to get her to move past it ("We won...it's a business"), but Claressa's not having any of it.

T-Rex: Her Fight for Gold - Trailer

30s

17-year-old boxer Claressa "T-Rex" Shields rose from the streets of Flint, Michigan to the gold medal podium at London 2012, the first time women were allowed to box in the Olympics. But as we see in the coming-of-age story T-Rex: Her Fight for Gold, life outside the ring may be an even tougher fight.

Trapped: Teen Rape Victim Turned Away

1m 32s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens film Trapped, a 13 year-old victim of rape who is on the cusp of her 5-month legal abortion window is turned away from a Texas clinic because the clinic cannot find an available anesthetist to put the girl to sleep — required by state law — in time to perform the procedure.

Trapped: Unnecessary Equipment

1m 57s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens film Trapped, Marva, director of clinical services at Whole Woman’s Health, gives a tour of the unnecessary major surgery equipment her facility is required to maintain, including a seldom used pharmacy and an operating room outfitted with the same equipment required for open heart surgery.

Trapped: Informed Consent

45s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens film Trapped, Dr. Willie Parker, longtime physician and abortion provider who refocused his career to offer reproductive health services for women in the South, provides information required by the state of Mississippi about potential risks to a young woman seeking an abortion.

Trapped: Puzzling Women's Health Regulations

1m 26s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens film Trapped, an Alabama women's reproductive health clinic owner — who has lived in that state her whole life — talks about the challenges of working with the state's rigorous codes and regulations in order to stay afloat.

TRAPPED - Trailer

30s

Trapped goes inside the contentious issue of abortion rights through the story of health care providers in Texas, Mississippi, and Alabama who are struggling to comply with controversial new TRAP laws (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers). The current case before the U.S. Supreme Court, Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, will decide whether these laws are constitutional.

Dogtown Redemption: Recyclers vs. NIMBYs

2m 46s

This excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary Dogtown Redemption shows the battle of the Oakland City Council and NIMBYs against Alliance Metals, a recycling center that many homeless people in West Oakland depend upon for income. In a city council meeting, street resident Jason argues passionately in favor of keeping it open, only to have the police try to shut it down the next day.

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