Independent Lens

Indie Films Series / 8 Seasons

Authentic stories. Extraordinary people.

Watch Latest: S26 E1

1h 16m / TV-PG

From Selma to Soweto - A Preview

2m 41s / TV-PG

Long one of South Africa's most important and powerful allies, the United States becomes a key battleground in the anti-apartheid movement as African Americans lead the charge to change the U.S. government's policy toward the apartheid regime.

Have You Heard From Johannesburg: Making the Case for Divest

4m 50s / TV-PG

Two African American employees of Polaroid initiated a public awareness campaign to force their company to cease doing business there. Don't miss "The Bottom Line," the fourth episode of the landmark series, "Have You Heard from Johannesburg," airing January 19, 2012 (check local listings).

The New Generation - A Preview

1m 42s / TV-PG

It is youth, both inside and outside, who next join the growing movement against apartheid. Oliver Tambo returns to the United Nations to try to convince them to sanction South Africa. His efforts gain new public support as the brutal suppression of a youth uprising in the South African township of Soweto and the murder of freedom fighter Steve Biko turn South Africa from a country into a cause.

A Landmark Series on the Anti-Apartheid Movement

34s / TV-PG

This 5-part series, airing over three weeks, chronicles the unprecedented international movement of citizen activists who fought for three decades to bring down the brutal, racist system of apartheid in South Africa when their governments would not.

The African National Congress Turns 100

38s

Host Mary-Louise Parker recognizes the 100th Anniversary of the African National Congress and promotes the Independent Lens film Have You Heard from Johannesburg. The five-part series by Connie Field chronicles the history of the global anti-apartheid movement and premieres on Independent Lens on Thursday, January 12 on PBS.

Road to Resistance - A Preview

1m 46s / TV-PG

In 1948, South Africa implements a rigid, racist system of laws called apartheid to segregate its people in every aspect of life. The black majority in South Africa, led by the African National Congress (ANC), mounts a nonviolent campaign of defiance, attracting the attention of activists in Britain, Sweden, and the United States -- sowing the seeds of an international movement.

Have You Heard from Johannesburg: The World Witnesses the So

4m 58s / TV-PG

On June 16, 1976, what began as a non-violent demonstration by students in Soweto quickly escalated into a violent uprising once the authorities fired on the unarmed protestors, killing 12-year-old Hector Pieterson. Don't miss "The New Generation," the second episode of the landmark series, "Have You Heard from Johannesburg," airing January 12, 2012 (check local listings).

Have You Heard from Johannesburg: The Sharpeville Massacre C

1m 49s / TV-PG

In March of 1960, the brutal massacre of protestors in the town of Sharpesville became an early catalyst for the worldwide anti-apartheid movement. Don't miss "The Road to Resistance," the first episode of the landmark series, "Have You Heard from Johannesburg," airing January 12, 2012 (check local listings).

These Amazing Shadows: To Colorize or Not to Colorize

2m 10s / TV-PG

When Ted Turner began colorizing classic black-and-white films in the MGM film library, he unwittingly catalyzed the movement that would lead to the formation of the National Film Registry. Many famous hollywood actors and directors spoke out against the practice and pleaded for the preservation of these celluloid treasures.

These Amazing Shadows: Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch

1m 27s / TV-PG

Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch in the film adaptation of "To Kill a Mockingbird" is seen by many as the ideal father figure. In this excerpt from "These Amazing Shadows," we hear from actor Tim Roth and Peck's own son, Stephen Peck, about how this character shaped their ideas about both America and fatherhood.

Saving the Nation's Family Pictures

1m 1s / TV-PG

The National Film Registry is an eclectic collection of films that typify cinema's contributions to American culture. It is a growing roll call of national cultural and artistic treasures that reflect a nation's self-perception, fears, and ambitions.

These Amazing Shadows: Somewhere Over the Rainbow

2m 12s / TV-PG

The film adaptation of "The Wizard of Oz" has become a mythical and cultural touchstone for generations of filmgoers. In this excerpt from "These Amazing Shadows" we hear from both filmmakers and actors who describe the personal impact this film had on their own lives.

The Woodmans: A Family Reflects Through a Glass Darkly

2m 39s / TV-14

Soon after starting a family of their own, Betty and George moved to Boulder, Colorado. First Charles, and then also Francesca grew up immersed in art. They learned to think of art as a serious business, something that required constant, committed work.

The Woodmans: Art Was a Way of Life

4m 4s / TV-14

The family spent summers in Florence, Italy, where young Francesca wandered museums. Precocious and uncommonly determined, she left home and taught herself photography, a form she would come to revolutionize.

The Agony and the Ecstasy of Francesca Woodman

1m 29s / TV-14

The Woodmans were a family of well-known artists bonded in their belief that making art was the highest form of expression. For their daughter Francesca - one of the late 20th century's most recognized and influential photographers - fame came only after her suicide at 22. Her family was broken apart by - and in a sense healed by - art.

The Woodmans: Self-portrait of the Artist as a Young Student

3m 11s / TV-14

After college, she moved to New York, working odd jobs and serving as a photography assistant, and gaining recognition for her work in fashion photography. But she struggled to survive, was unhappy in love, and stricken with serious depression. The psychic costs of being an artist proved to be too great, and she was gone before her 23rd birthday.

Girl Scout Troop Unites Daughters With Imprisoned Mothers

35s / TV-PG

At the Gatesville Prison in Texas, a unique Girl Scout troop unites daughters with mothers who have been convicted of serious crimes. Facing steep sentences from the courts and tough questions from their children, the mothers struggle to rebuild relationships with the daughters who endure a childhood without them.

We Still Live Here: Making Peace With a Future Mentor

4m 15s / TV-PG

After making a bad first impression with MIT linguist Ken Hale during an early meeting about bringing the Wampanoag language back to life, Jessie Little Doe and Professor Hale became close collaborators and lifelong friends.

Are You an Indian?

5m 25s / TV-PG

In this companion piece to the documentary film We Still Live Here - As Nutayunean, Wampanoag tribal members discuss how their multicultural heritage both complicates and enriches their identities as Native American people.

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