Independent Lens

Indie Films Series / 8 Seasons

Authentic stories. Extraordinary people.

1h 25m / TV-14

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.

(T)error: Paranoia

1m 41s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary (T)ERROR, FBI informant “Shariff” complains that the FBI has been encouraging him to entrap a potential target. When his doorbell unexpectedly rings, we witness how on edge “Shariff” has become.

(T)error: "Shariff's" Map

1m 50s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary (T)ERROR, FBI counterterrorism informant "Shariff," after reluctantly agreeing to let the filmmakers document aspects of his ongoing investigation, shows off a map he uses to pinpoint suspected terrorists in Pittsburgh.

(T)ERROR - Trailer

30s

The gripping story of a 62-year-old Black Panther turned counterterrorism informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This unprecedented documentary goes deep inside the world of an active terror sting, without FBI consent, pursuing twists and turns fit for an espionage thriller.

The Black Panthers - Trailer

30s

A new revolutionary culture emerged in the turbulent 1960s, and the Black Panther Party was at the vanguard. Weaving together a treasure trove of rare footage with the voices of a diverse group of people who were there, Stanley Nelson tells the vibrant story of a pivotal movement as urgent today as it was then.

The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution: Women in the

2m

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution, we meet some of the women in the Black Panther Party, who did everything from fielding phone calls to delivering speeches. While the central image of the Panthers may be of males in jackets holding guns, the majority of its rank and file members were women who struggled to overcome chauvinism.

The Black Panthers: Free Breakfast Program

1m 41s

This excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution reveals a less heralded side of the Black Panther Party. After reading studies on how children who didn't get breakfast fared poorly in school, the Panthers started a breakfast program that served 20,000 meals a week to black schoolchildren in 19 different communities.

The Black Panthers: Black Panther Style

1m 12s

This excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution takes a look at the unique hairstyle and fashion worn by members of the Black Panther Party, many of whom were teenagers when they joined and unafraid to be black, to be themselves.

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