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Independent Lens

Indie Films Series / 8 Seasons

Authentic stories. Extraordinary people.

Watch Latest: S26 E14

1h 24m / TV-PG

Peace Officer: Mistaken ID Leads Police to the Wrong House

2m 55s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary Peace Officer, the Hill family of Ogden, Utah recalls their harrowing encounter with officers after a case of mistaken identity led law enforcement to bang on their door in the middle of the night to serve a warrant.

Peace Officer: Friendly Fire

2m 5s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary Peace Officer, "Dub" Lawrence, a former Sheriff in Utah and now a private investigator, uncovers evidence indicating that a police officer wounded in a 2012 shootout was hit by friendly fire. Police maintain the officer was shot by a suspect who opened fired while being served a drug search warrant.

Peace Officer: The Militarization of Police

2m 51s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary Peace Officer, the militarization of police is revealed to accelerate alongside the escalation of the War on Drugs, especially after the implementation of the "1033 program" following the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act in 1990 that authorized the U.S. military to donate equipment to police departments.

Peace Officer - Trailer

30s

In Peace Officer, the increasingly tense relationship between law enforcement and the public is seen through the eyes of someone who's been on both sides: “Dub” Lawrence, a former sheriff who established Utah's first SWAT team, only to see the same unit kill his son-in-law in a controversial standoff 30 years later.

My Nazi Legacy: Baron Otto Gustav von Watcher's Son

1m 26s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary My Nazi Legacy, Horst von Wächter reflects on his fleeting memory of his father Otto von Wächter, who had been a high-ranking Nazi official and fled into hiding after WWII. Von Wächter remains conflicted about his father's guilt.

My Nazi Legacy: The Last Picture of Hans Frank

1m 27s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary My Nazi Legacy, Niklas Frank, whose father was convicted of war crimes at Nuremberg and executed in 1945, talks about why he still carries with him the haunting last photograph of his father Hans Frank — taken after he had been hanged. It serves as a powerful reminder that goes beyond family.

My Nazi Legacy - Trailer

30s

My Nazi Legacy explores the relationship between two men, each of whom are the children of Nazi war criminals who were responsible for thousands of deaths. Through frank interviews with internationally renowned British human rights lawyer Philippe Sands, whose family perished in the Holocaust, the men reflect on the crimes of their fathers and the price of forgiveness.

Democrats: Beaten to Death

1m 46s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary Democrats, Douglas Mwonzora, a leader of the opposition party in Zimbabwe and on that country's new constitutional committee, visits the family of a boy killed in a politically charged melee, to offer condolences. When Mwonzora asks them what happened, he learns more about why they are afraid to speak up.

Democrats: "We Don't Like Sellouts!"

2m 43s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary Democrats, Paul Mangwana, who was appointed by Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party to oversee the drafting of a new national constitution, tries to calm an angry crowd gathered at a constitutional meeting. Pro-Mugabe citizens think he's trying to sell them out, and the scene becomes tense in a hurry.

Democrats - Trailer

30s

Democrats follows two top political operatives in Zimbabwe who have been appointed to lead the creation of a new constitution after years of increasingly corrupt leadership from President Robert Mugabe. The two men are political opponents with wholly different styles but united in their ambition to deliver a new foundation for a reformed Zimbabwe.

Welcome to Leith: Press Tour Preview

1m 30s

Welcome to Leith chronicles the attempted takeover of a small North Dakota town by notorious white supremacist Craig Cobb. As Cobb and his cohorts become more threatening, tensions soar and residents desperately look for ways to expel the unwanted neighbors.

Welcome to Leith: Armed White Supremacists

2m 58s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary Welcome to Leith, avowed white supremacists Craig Cobb and Kynan Dutton patrol the roads of rural Leith while brandishing rifles, angrily confronting longtime residents. Deborah Henderson, Dutton’s partner, trails them, proudly recording their threatening behavior on her cellphone camera.

Welcome to Leith: Doxxed by a Neo-Nazi

1m 24s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary Welcome to Leith, Lee and Heather Cook reveal how white supremacist Craig Cobb “doxxed” them — posted their private information online — on the White Nations website.

Welcome to Leith: White Supremacy Flags

2m

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary Welcome to Leith, Kynan Dutton, an Iraq War veteran and self-proclaimed "proud Aryan" skinhead who moved his family to Leith, North Dakota, plants white supremacy flags in front of neo-Nazi Craig Cobb’s house, while explaining the National Socialist Movement’s anti-multicultural motivations.

Welcome to Leith - Trailer

30s

Welcome to Leith chronicles the attempted takeover of a small North Dakota town by notorious white supremacist Craig Cobb. As Cobb and his cohorts become more threatening, tensions soar and residents desperately look for ways to expel the unwanted neighbors.

An Honest Liar: Exposing Peter Popoff

2m 36s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary An Honest Liar, we find out how magician-turned-debunker of psychics James "The Amazing" Randi worked with an undercover surveillance expert to expose how popular televangelist and "faith healer" Peter Popoff was deceiving his audience into believing he was conversing with the Lord.

An Honest Liar: Exposing Peter Popoff

1m 33s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary An Honest Liar, magician-turned-debunker James "The Amazing" Randi acknowledges the power of performing illusions on a gullible audience. As magician Penn Jillette tells it here, it's to Randi's credit that he backed away from that power and turned it into a passion for exposing con artists.

An Honest Liar - Trailer

30s

When famed magician James “The Amazing” Randi saw faith healers, fortune-tellers, and psychics using his beloved magician’s tricks to swindle money out of credulous people and destroy lives, Randi dedicated his life to exposing frauds with the wit and style he brought to his stage show. An Honest Liar is part detective story, part biography, and a bit of a magic act itself.

Wilhemina's War - Trailer

30s

Wilhemina’s War is the story of Wilhemina Dixon, an uneducated daughter of sharecroppers who becomes a force in helping her granddaughter survive the health risks and social stigma of living with HIV in the South, where HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death among black women. The film bears witness to the resilience and determination of the human spirit in the face of tremendous adversity.

In Football We Trust - Trailer

30s

In Football We Trust is the story behind the Polynesian pipeline to the NFL as witnessed through the lives of talented high school football players in Utah. Before these prospects enter the high stakes world of college recruiting and the promise of NFL fame, fortune, and glory, they must contend with gang violence, drug abuse, and poverty.

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