Bike Vessel

Independent Lens

Indie Films Series / 8 Seasons

Authentic stories. Extraordinary people.

Watch Latest: S26 E14

1h 24m / TV-PG

(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."

In Football We Trust: Scholarships in Jeopardy

2m 41s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary In Football We Trust, a drug test will make or break high school football star Harvey Langi's future scholarship eligibility. While he awaits the results, his mother drills home exactly what’s at stake.

In Football We Trust: Gang Violence and Camaraderie

1m 46s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary In Football We Trust, former NFL player Troy Polamalu compares gangs with football — both prioritize violence and camaraderie. And both have affected the lives of Polynesian high school athletes in equal measure.

In Football We Trust: Purpose and Hope through Football

2m 9s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary In Football We Trust, Fihi Kaufusi, a Highland High School student in Salt Lake City, confesses that while he doesn't like going to school all that much, football gives him a purpose and hope. He leads some of his teammates through Polynesian battle chants. To him the team is an extended family.

No Más Bebés: "My Mind Broke"

2m 5s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary No Más Bebés, Maria Figueroa, one of the plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit against an L.A. County hospital for unwanted sterilization, reveals how her husband’s reaction to her trauma led to depression and suicidal thoughts.

No Más Bebés: Cut the Birth Rate

1m 52s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary No Más Bebés, the head of L.A. County-USC Medical Center, Dr. James Quilligan, denies accusations that his directive was "to cut the birth rate of Negro and Mexican population,” despite some evidence to the contrary.

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