My Country No More - Trailer
Following the rise and fall of the oil boom in North Dakota, My Country No More paints a portrait of a rural American community in crisis split by a high-stakes divide.
Man on Fire - Trailer
In 2014, 79-year-old white Methodist minister drove to an empty parking lot in his old hometown of Grand Saline, Texas, and set himself on fire. He left a note on his car’s windshield calling the act his final protest against the virulent racism of the community and his country at large. Man on Fire uncovers the truth about the town’s past and what drove Moore to his shocking final act.
The Judge - Trailer
Showing Shari’a law in a way we've never seen before--through the story of the first-ever female judge in Palestine’s religious courts--The Judge is a portrait of a remarkable woman that also provides rare insight into both Islamic law and gendered justice.
The Cleaners - Trailer
"Delete...Ignore...Delete… Ignore…" Someone is out there censoring your social media feed.
Do their decisions distort your understanding of the world as much as clever hoaxes and "fake news"? The Cleaners charts social media’s evolution from a shared vision of a global village to a dangerous web of fake news, extremism, and radicalization.
Dawnland - Trailer
Dawnland is the untold story of Indigenous child removal through the government-endorsed truth and reconciliation commission investigating the devastating impact of Maine’s child welfare practices on the Wabanaki people. Dawnland offers a painful reminder that the traumatic legacy of forced child removal goes far back, but also shows getting to the heart of the truth can offer a flicker of hope.
Getting the Fire Call | Wildland
In this excerpt from the Independent Lens film Wildland, a group of newly trained wildland firefighters working long, tiring hours in the backcountry are starved for more adventure. But they should be careful what they wish for. Suddenly, they get the call.
Wildland - Trailer
Filmed during two recent wildfire seasons, Wildland is a sweeping yet deeply personal account of a wildland firefighting crew as they struggle with fear, loyalty, dreams, and demons. This is the story of ordinary people with nothing left to lose — as they trudge through an unforgiving face a test of mind, body, and spirit.
Independent Lens 2018-19 Season - Promo
"Everything above our heads and below our feet, we're all connected to." This season, from fall to spring, Independent Lens presents a new group of award-winning films that will thrust viewers into the heart of conversations in the diverse national neighborhood that is America.
Served Like a Girl - Hope and Andrea - Clip
In this excerpt from the Independent Lens film Served Like a Girl, Hope Garcia, who struggles with PTSD after serving in the Navy, pleads with the Ms. Veteran America competition to let her stay after violating a rule posing for risque pictures for a photo shoot. Meanwhile Sgt. Andrea Waterbury leaves her kids in the care of her two ex-husbands to go prepare for a dance routine in the competition.
Served Like a Girl - Trailer
Served Like a Girl is a powerful and poignant look at a group of diverse female veterans as they transition from active duty to civilian life after serving tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. Struggling with PTSD, homelessness, and other traumas, these inspiring women find ways to adapt to the challenges they face through participation in the “Ms. Veteran America” competition.
ACORN and the Firestorm - Trailer
For 40 years, community organizing group ACORN sought to empower marginalized communities. Its critics, though, believed ACORN promoted government waste and ineffective activism. These competing perceptions exploded nationally in 2009, fueled by a YouTube video made by undercover activists. ACORN and the Firestorm goes beyond the 24-hour news cycle, cutting to the heart of the political divide.
No Man's Land - Trailer
With unfettered access, filmmaker David Byars gives a detailed, on-the-ground account of the 2016 standoff between protesters occupying Oregon’s Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and federal authorities. No Man’s Land documents the occupation from inception to demise and tells the story of those on the inside of this movement, attempting to uncover what draws Americans to the edge of revolution.
True Conviction - Trailer
After serving a combined 60 years in prison for crimes they did not commit, three recently exonerated Texans join forces to form an unlikely investigative team, on a mission to help wrongfully convicted prisoners obtain freedom like they did. In True Conviction, brotherly bonds are formed out of shared hardships — lengthy prison sentences in a state that executes more inmates than any other.
The Kansas Experiment: Part III
The "Kansas experiment" refers to how Kansas Governor Sam Brownback referred to the drastic tax cuts (the largest in the state's history) he signed into law in 2012 after his state was emerging from a recession. In the final part of a 3-part documentary series on the fallout from the tax plan five years later, we learn more about how the "experiment" affected local businesses, with mixed results.
The Kansas Experiment: Part II
The "Kansas experiment" is how Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback referred to the drastic tax cuts (the largest in the state's history) he signed into law in 2012. In Part II of a three-part short documentary series on the fallout from this tax plan five years later, we learn about how the "experiment" affected health care from the perspective of employees at Topeka's municipal zoo and Stormont Hospital.
Look & See: Wendell Berry's Kentucky - Trailer
Look & See: Wendell Berry’s Kentucky is a portrait of the changing landscapes and shifting values of rural America through the voice of writer, farmer, and activist Wendell Berry. Centered in his native Henry County, Kentucky, Look & See is an elegy to a lost way of life that was once the bedrock of America--the culture of agriculture.
What Lies Upstream - Trailer
In the unsetting exposé What Lies Upstream, investigative filmmaker Cullen Hoback travels to West Virginia to study the unprecedented loss of clean water for over 300,000 Americans in the 2014 Elk River chemical spill. He uncovers a shocking failure of regulation from both state and federal agencies and a damaged political system where chemical companies often write the laws that govern them.
The Art of the Shine - Trailer
For the "shiners" in the joyous and quirky film The Art of the Shine, shining shoes is a calling and a passion, a way to be one’s own boss and connect with other people from all walks of life. From New York to Toronto, from Paris and La Paz, travel the world for an inside look at a forgotten profession.
The Kansas Experiment: Part I
An "experiment" is how Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback referred to the drastic tax cuts (the largest in the state's history) he signed into law in 2012 after his state was emerging from a recession. In Part I of a three-part short documentary series on the fallout from the experiment, we learn about how it affected education in Kansas, including some schools that were particularly hard-hit.
The Art of the Shine - The Sober Shoeshine Gang - Clip
In this excerpt from the Independent Lens film The Art of the Shine, Kevin, Jes, and Kealani, partners in a New York-based The Shoeshine Guild, talk about why they love the business, and the art, of shining shoes. Kevin started the company to create a supportive work environment for fellow alcoholics, and Jes, who finds shining much more fun and relaxing than her time working at a bank.
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