Bike Vessel

Independent Lens

Indie Films Series / 8 Seasons

Authentic stories. Extraordinary people.

Watch Latest: S26 E15

1h 22m / TV-14

Coming to Independent Lens - Playwright: From Page to Stage

30s / TV-PG

The lives of two outstanding young playwrights — one, an African American from Miami’s inner city; the other, an Indian American from Cleveland — are brought together inextricably in the process of creating a new language for the stage.

Playwright: From Page to Stage: "On Being a Playwright"

2m 5s / TV-PG

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary Playwright: From Page to Stage, writers Rajiv Joseph and Tarell McCraney talk about what it means to be a playwright — both the joy and the pain of working in the theater — in this clip that also features scenes from Joseph’s play Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, starring Robin Williams.

Young Lakota: A Bittersweet Farewell to the Pine Ridge Reser

5m 15s / TV-PG

In this video companion piece to the Independent Lens documentary, Young Lakota, Sunny Clifford says goodbye to her employer at the grocery store and to her twin sister, Serena, as she prepares to go away to college in England.

Young Lakota: The Difficult Decision

2m 1s / TV-PG

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary, Young Lakota, Sunny Clifford describes the difficult decision she faces: whether to remain on the Pine Ridge Reservation to help improve tribal conditions or to leave to pursue opportunities elsewhere.

Young Lakota: South Dakota Law Impact Oglala Lakota Tribal P

1m 48s / TV-PG

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary, Young Lakota, Sunny Clifford sits with Cecelia Fire Thunder, the first female president of her tribe, during a newspaper interview about the controversy surrounding her decision to open an abortion clinic on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

Coming to Independent Lens: Young Lakota

30s / TV-PG

Three young people living in the Pine Ridge Reservation try to forge a better future. When the first female President of Oglala Lakota defies a South Dakota law criminalizing abortion by vowing to build a women’s clinic in their sovereign territory, the three young tribe members are faced with difficult choices.

Indian Relay: Fierce Competition and Strong Bonds

3m 57s / TV-PG

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary, Indian Relay, the competition intensifies as "the big races" begin. However, competitors still maintain respect for one another, especially as, in some cases, they may actually be family members.

Coming Soon to Independent Lens: Indian Relay

30s / TV-PG

Indian Relay documents an unheralded aspect of modern-day Native American life and what it takes to win one of the more exciting forms of horse racing. From the bitter cold of winter to the heat of summer, the film follows teams from three different tribes as they compete across a grueling season.

Indian Relay: Moments of Reflection Before the Races

3m 6s / TV-PG

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary, Indian Relay, we witness some of the quieter moments between races, when racers and managers have time to reflect on the challenges ahead.

The Graduates: Gang Prevention

18m 53s / TV-PG

Eduardo Corona followed his siblings down the path of joining gangs. His life changed when he joined Reality Changers, an organization helping students from disadvantaged backgrounds become first generation college students. Eduardo brought up his grade point average and went on to college. Now a Reality Changers counselor, he’s a role model helping others like himself turn their lives around.

The Graduates: Undocumented Students

16m 36s / TV-PG

Gustavo Madrigal started school in the U.S. in 5th grade after coming from Mexico with undocumented parents. They set high standards, but his undocumented status presented barriers to attending college. After graduation he worked for a time, then became an activist for the DREAM Act and began attending classes at Freedom University, which offers courses to help students prepare for college.

The Graduates: Bullying

17m 10s / TV-PG

Juan Bernabe came to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic with his mother at age 11. When he was 14, he came out as gay and was subject to bullying by peers. Feeling isolated and afraid to confide in his mother, Juan was on the verge of dropping out. The performing arts program at Lawrence (Mass.) High School kept him in school and helped him gain confidence about his identity.

The Graduates: Peer Juries

18m / TV-PG

Although a solid student, Stephanie Alvarado was discouraged by her school’s tough reputation. She became involved in Voices of Youth in Chicago Education, which aims to decrease the city’s dropout rate through projects like peer jury, where students help peers who committed a minor infraction. After getting involved, Stephanie’s grades improved and she became more active in her community.

Los Graduados - Adelantado en Español

29s / TV-PG

This two-part, bilingual documentary explores pressing issues in education today through the eyes of six Latino and Latina adolescents from across the United States, offering first-hand perspectives on the barriers they have to overcome in order to make their dreams come true.

The Graduates/Los Graduados: Latino Student Stories

30s / TV-PG

Two-part, bilingual documentary explores pressing issues in education today through the eyes of six Latino and Latina adolescents from across the United States, offering first-hand perspectives on the barriers they have to overcome in order to make their dreams come true.

Coming Soon to Independent Lens: The Graduates

3m 11s

Two-part, bilingual documentary explores pressing issues in education today through the eyes of six Latino and Latina adolescents from across the United States, offering first-hand perspectives on the barriers they have to overcome in order to make their dreams come true.

The Graduates: Teen Parenting

/ TV-PG

Just before her sophomore year of high school, Darlene Bustos became pregnant. She considered dropping out because she felt her priority was being a full-time mother. As her son Alex began attending Head Start, Darlene thought more about his future, and her own. She enrolled in the Union Alternate School program for at-risk students, where she began the work of finishing high school.

The Graduates/Los Graduados: A Latina Struggles with Homeles

1m 51s / TV-PG

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary, The Graduates/Los Graduados, we meet Chastity, a young, Latina student who lives in the Bronx, NY. While in high school, Chastity was actually living with her family in a homeless shelter, which made it difficult for her to focus on succeeding academically.

The Graduates/Los Graduados: Latino Student Chooses Between

2m 31s / TV-PG

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary, The Graduates/Los Graduados, we meet Eduardo, a young, Latino student in San Diego who describes how the lure of gangs and drug use have prevented most of his relatives from graduating.

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