Independent Lens

Indie Films Series / 8 Seasons

Authentic stories. Extraordinary people.

Watch Latest: S26 E1

1h 16m / TV-PG

Spotlight on Civil Rights Leader Whitney Young, Jr.

1m 51s / TV-PG

Whitney M. Young, Jr. was one of the most celebrated - and controversial - leaders of the civil rights era. Unique among black leaders, he took the fight directly to the powerful white elite, gaining allies in business and government, including three presidents.

The Powerbroker: Young Took the Struggle from the Streets to

2m 14s / TV-PG

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary, The Powerbroker, we see how Whitney Young, Jr. established himself in the business world before moving on to become a leader in the civil rights movement.

The Powerbroker: Alfre Woodard on Whitney Young's Fight for

53s

Actress Alfre Woodard narrated the upcoming Independent Lens film, The Powerbroker: Whitney Young’s Fight for Civil Rights. In this short interview, she discusses the pivotal role played by the civil rights movement’s inside man as he navigated a society divided by war, race, and poverty.

Fallen City: Sundance Premiere

2m 4s

Filmmaker Qi Zhao reflects on the premiere of his film "Fallen City" at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. The documentary zooms in on the family lives of three survivors, who are marked by painful memories and deep sadness from China's 2008 Sichuan Earthquake.

Copyright Criminals: Can You Own a Sound?

5m 23s / TV-PG

This Community Classroom educational module teaches the basic foundations of copyright law and how the music industry began to respond legally to sampling as hip-hop grew in popularity in the 1990s.

Copyright Criminals: Theft or Tribute

5m 50s / TV-PG

This Community Classroom educational module introduces students to the musical legacies of Clyde Stubblefield and George Clinton, two of the most heavily sampled musicians in hip-hop music.

The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975: Angela Davis

13m 5s / TV-PG

From 1967 to 1975, Swedish interest in the U.S. civil rights movement peaked. Swedish filmmakers documented the Black Power movement, which was either ignored or portrayed as terrorism by U.S. media. This Community Classroom module analyzes Angela Davis and her profound impact on global liberation movements. Part of the Women and Girls Lead, Volume 2: African-American Women Lead curriculum.

Hip-Hop: Homophobia

5m 29s / TV-PG

This Community Classroom educational module from Hip Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes asks the taboo questions and challenges the listener to consider the role homophobia in hip-hop plays in maintaining the one-dimensional definition of masculinity that boxes in both men and hip-hop.

Hip-Hop: Gender Violence

4m 53s / TV-PG

This Community Classroom educational module from Hip Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes analyzes rap music lyrics and their impact on the listener, paying particular attention to misogynistic and homophobic content.

Copyright Criminals: Hip Hop Sampling

5m 33s / TV-PG

This Community Classroom educational module teaches students about sampling and how it came to be widely used in the early days of hip-hop music. It also explores the socio-economic conditions that gave rise to hip-hop as a form of cultural expression, and introduces the seminal work of the rap group Public Enemy.

Hip-Hop: Media Literacy

5m 28s / TV-PG

This Community Classroom educational module from Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes provides students with an opportunity to do their own media research on and analysis of how media images are manufactured and marketed.

Hip-Hop: Overview & Images of Masculinity

7m 35s / TV-PG

This educational module examines the many different voices in the film Hip Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes and allows students to reach their own conclusions about and evince their own responses to these points of view. Students develop a deeper understanding about how gender roles, especially around manhood, are produced and projected in society as a whole and within hip-hop.

Copyright Criminals: Sampling in Other Media

4m 47s / TV-PG

This Community Classroom educational module explores how other art forms such as the blues and Walt Disney movies have “borrowed” from the work of other artists, and introduces some of the artists at the front of the remix culture that has emerged in the 21st century.

Daisy Bates: Media Tactics

15m 57s / TV-PG

This educational module allows students to consider the media’s role during the desegregation of Central High School and the consequences of media coverage on those involved. They will identify Daisy Bates’s media strategies and analyze the ways in which race and gender shaped the media’s portrayal of her. Part of the Women and Girls Lead, Volume 2: African-American Women Lead curriculum.

When I Walk: Sundance Premiere

2m 42s

Filmmaker Jason DaSilva reflects on the premiere of his film When I Walk at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. The documentary chronicles the slow, physical decline of the filmmaker as he struggles with multiple sclerosis.

Sundance 2013: Film Fest Schmoozing in 5 Steps

1m 48s / TV-PG

5 simple steps to the art of schmoozing at film festivals as demonstrated by Steve Goldbloom at Sundance 2013 (extra credit for those who can spot Chris Noth). Produced by Steve Goldbloom (@steveeegeee) and Noah Pink (@noahpink).

Witness a Texas Showdown Over Teaching Standards

2m 5s / TV-PG

Once every decade, the highly politicized Texas State Board of Education rewrites the teaching and textbook standards for its nearly five million schoolchildren. When an unabashed creationist seeks re-election as chairman, the theory of evolution and U.S. history are caught in the crosshairs, which could impact the classroom curricula not only of Texas, but also of the nation as a whole.

The Revisionaries: The Texas Dentist Who Moonlights as a Cul

1m 32s / TV-PG

Don McLeroy, a dentist, Sunday school teacher, and avowed young-earth creationist, leads the Religious Right charge. McLeroy was elected to the Texas State Board of Education and later appointed chairman. During his time on the board, McLeroy has overseen the adoption of new curriculum standards, drawing national attention and placing Texas on the front line of the so-called “culture wars.”

Bhutto: Democracy in Pakistan

6m 59s / TV-PG

This educational film module adapted from the Independent Lens documentary Bhutto shows how relations between the United States and Pakistan, and tensions between Pakistan and India, have shaped the politics of all three countries; discuss factors in the life of Benazir Bhutto that shaped her political philosophy and career; and her commitment to democracy in Pakistan.

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