Independent Lens

Indie Films Series / 8 Seasons

Authentic stories. Extraordinary people.

1h 16m / TV-PG

Men Who Swim - Trailer

1m 53s / TV-PG

In the midst of a mid-life crisis, filmmaker Dylan Williams tries to cheer himself up by joining an all-male synchronized swim team. He discovers a dozen other men struggling with the indignities of age and the uncertainty of a life half-lived in this look at an unlikely brotherhood of beer bellies, wet suits, and occasional underwater grace.

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill: Bohemian St. Francis

2m 34s / TV-PG

THE WILD PARROTS OF TELEGRAPH HILL tells the true story of a bohemian St. Francis and his remarkable relationship with a flock of wild red and green parrots. Former street musician and San Francisco dharma bum Mark Bittner falls in with the flock as he searches for meaning in his life, unaware that the parrots will bring him everything he seeks.

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill: Bohemian St. Francis

2m 8s / TV-PG

THE WILD PARROTS OF TELEGRAPH HILL tells the true story of a bohemian St. Francis and his remarkable relationship with a flock of wild red and green parrots. Former street musician and San Francisco dharma bum Mark Bittner falls in with the flock as he searches for meaning in his life, unaware that the parrots will bring him everything he seeks.

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill - Trailer

2m / TV-PG

THE WILD PARROTS OF TELEGRAPH HILL tells the true story of a bohemian St. Francis and his remarkable relationship with a flock of wild red and green parrots. Former street musician and San Francisco dharma bum Mark Bittner falls in with the flock as he searches for meaning in his life, unaware that the parrots will bring him everything he seeks.

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill: Birds of San Francisco's

45s / TV-PG

THE WILD PARROTS OF TELEGRAPH HILL tells the true story of a bohemian St. Francis and his remarkable relationship with a flock of wild red and green parrots. Former street musician and San Francisco dharma bum Mark Bittner falls in with the flock as he searches for meaning in his life, unaware that the parrots will bring him everything he seeks.

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill: Falling in With the Floc

45s / TV-PG

THE WILD PARROTS OF TELEGRAPH HILL tells the true story of a bohemian St. Francis and his remarkable relationship with a flock of wild red and green parrots. Former street musician and San Francisco dharma bum Mark Bittner falls in with the flock as he searches for meaning in his life, unaware that the parrots will bring him everything he seeks.

The Calling: Jeneen Robinson

10m 25s / TV-PG

Jeneen Robinson is an African American single mother, as well as a newly ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. During her final year of study at Fuller Theological Seminary, she balances the responsibilities of parenting, schoolwork, and creating an original preaching style.

The Calling: Tahera Ahmad

10m 48s / TV-PG

Tahera Ahmad is an outspoken young woman from a traditional Pakistani-American family. She is a coach and mentor for Muslims in high school while studying to be an Islamic chaplain. A trip to Egypt takes her out into the world for the first time, where she reflects on being a leader.

The Calling - Video Extra

2m 34s / TV-PG

A behind-the-scenes look at young Americans -- Christian, Jewish, Catholic, and Muslim -- preparing to become the nation's next generation of religious leaders, The Calling follows their transformation from idealistic students into ordained religious professionals.

The Calling: Bilal Ansari

10m 38s / TV-PG

Bilal Ansari is an African American father of three and a student in the Islamic Chaplaincy Program at Hartford Seminary. He works tirelessly in the Connecticut prison system, where inmates often convert to Islam, but where he is also the victim of a hate crime perpetrated by some of his co-workers.

The Calling: Rabbinical Student Explains Devotion to Faith a

1m 52s / TV-PG

A behind-the-scenes look at young Americans -- Christian, Jewish, Catholic, and Muslim -- preparing to become the nation's next generation of religious leaders, The Calling follows their transformation from idealistic students into ordained religious professionals.

The Calling - Trailer

3m 9s / TV-PG

A behind-the-scenes look at young Americans -- Christian, Jewish, Catholic, and Muslim -- preparing to become the nation's next generation of religious leaders, The Calling follows their transformation from idealistic students into ordained religious professionals.

The Calling: The Wedding Singer

2m 53s / TV-PG

A behind-the-scenes look at young Americans -- Christian, Jewish, Catholic, and Muslim -- preparing to become the nation's next generation of religious leaders, The Calling follows their transformation from idealistic students into ordained religious professionals.

The Calling: Bilal the Prison Chaplain

2m 50s / TV-PG

A behind-the-scenes look at young Americans -- Christian, Jewish, Catholic, and Muslim -- preparing to become the nation's next generation of religious leaders, The Calling follows their transformation from idealistic students into ordained religious professionals.

The Calling: Jeneen Robinson and being an AME Minister

3m 28s / TV-PG

A behind-the-scenes look at young Americans -- Christian, Jewish, Catholic, and Muslim -- preparing to become the nation's next generation of religious leaders, The Calling follows their transformation from idealistic students into ordained religious professionals.

The Calling: Hospital Chaplain Consoles Family After Devasta

1m 57s / TV-PG

A behind-the-scenes look at young Americans -- Christian, Jewish, Catholic, and Muslim -- preparing to become the nation's next generation of religious leaders, The Calling follows their transformation from idealistic students into ordained religious professionals.

The Calling: Rob Pene

9m 21s / TV-PG

Rob Pene was born in American Samoa and came to the United States on a baseball scholarship. Unsuccessful in his major-league tryouts, he pursues his passion through an urban ministry. He also writes and performs Christian rap. The sudden death of his father challenges Pene’s commitment to his chosen path.

The Calling: Steven Gamez

10m 30s / TV-PG

Steven Gamez is a good-humored Tejano (Texan-Mexican). Born and raised on San Antonio’s rough West Side, Gamez dreams of returning to his neighborhood and serving the poor. He attends Assumption Seminary in San Antonio, where he studies to become a Catholic priest.

The Calling: Shmuly Yanklowitz

8m 15s / TV-PG

Shmuly Yanklowitz is an intellectual rabbinical student at New York City’s Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School — and a passionate activist. A Modern Orthodox Jew, he feels compelled to break boundaries — to resist becoming an old-style rabbi stuck within the walls of the synagogue.

45365: The DUI Arrest

43s / TV-PG

From the patrol car to the courtroom, the playground to the nursing home, this film explores relationships and interactions with and between people in one small town. The stories of a father and son, a young relationship, cops and criminals, officials and their electorate coalesce into a mosaic of faces, places, and events.

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