Independent Lens

Indie Films Series / 8 Seasons

Authentic stories. Extraordinary people.

1h 25m / TV-14

Twin Sisters: Sibling Love

2m 3s / TV-PG

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary Twin Sisters, the special bond that twin girls Mia and Alexandra have developed even while living thousands of miles apart becomes even stronger after they spend time together at Alexandra’s Norway home.

Twin Sisters: American Girl Meets Her Norwegian Twin

1m 56s / TV-PG

In this emotional scene from the Independent Lens documentary Twin Sisters, an American girl travels with her adoptive family to Norway to meet her twin sister for the first time after they’d been separated at birth. The village of Fresvik is a long way from Sacramento, but even with a challenging language barrier these two girls share a magical bond.

Coming to Independent Lens: Twin Sisters

30s / TV-PG

In the Independent Lens documentary Twin Sisters, twin girls are adopted in China as infants by two different sets of parents — one from California, the other from a remote fishing village in Norway. The girls grow up knowing they have a twin living on the other side of the world, and although language is a barrier, the bond between them grows deeper.

Coming Fall 2014 to Independent Lens

1m / TV-PG

This fall Independent Lens takes viewers around the globe to explore fascinating human stories, from a tale of twins growing up a world apart, to the role that Japanese cultural attitudes may have played in a devastating train crash, to what will happen in a remote Bhutanese village when television comes to town. The Emmy-winning Independent Lens airs Monday nights at 10/9c (check local listings).

Bully: Stand Up for the Silent

48s / TV-PG

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary Bully, the father of a boy who had been bullied leads kids in anti-bullying rally, imploring them to “be the difference,” to seek out that new kid who is standing by himself and be his friend. “It starts right here, right now.”

Coming to Independent Lens: Bully

30s / TV-PG

The Independent Lens documentary Bully is an intimate, unflinching look at how bullying affects five kids and their families. Opening a window onto the pained lives of bullied kids, it documents the responses of adults to aggressive behaviors beyond “kids will be kids” clichés, capturing a growing movement to change how bullying is handled in schools, communities, and society.

Bully: Shake Hands

2m 8s / TV-PG

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary Bully, an assistant principal tries to help mediate a running feud between two boys, forcing them to shake hands to let the disagreement drop. One boy has been verbally abused and threatened by the other boy and doesn’t buy that the problem will disappear.

Coming to Community Cinema 2014

30s / TV-PG

Community Cinema brings you a filmgoing experience like no other. Join us in one of more than 75 locations nationwide for free previews of upcoming Independent Lens films, and be part of a conversation with neighbors, community groups, and local leaders about issues affecting us all. Community Cinema opens your eyes to new ideas and opportunities to impact your own world — and the world at large!

The New Black: Canvassing for Marriage Equality

1m 22s / TV-PG

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary The New Black, two women canvassing for marriage equality in Maryland try to convince a group of young African American men to vote for Question 6. “Whether you’re gay or not, these are your brothers and sisters out here, and they need you to represent.”

See the Preview for The New Black

30s / TV-PG

The New Black explores how the African American community debates the marriage equality movement and the fight over LGBT rights. The film documents activists, families, and clergy on both sides of campaign to legalize gay marriage and examines homophobia in the black community’s institutional pillar — the church — while reflecting on how this may have been exploited by political conservatives.

See the Preview for God Loves Uganda

30s / TV-PG

A journey into the heart of East Africa, where Ugandan pastors and their American counterparts spread God’s word and evangelical values to millions desperate for a better life. Inspired by his own African American Baptist roots, director Roger Ross Williams explores a place where religion and African culture intersect.

Coming Soon to Independent Lens: Let the Fire Burn

30s / TV-PG

Using archival news coverage and interviews, Let the Fire Burn brings to life one of the most tumultuous but largely forgotten clashes between government and citizens in modern U.S. history, as a longtime feud between Philadelphia police and the controversial urban group MOVE came to a tragic climax in 1985.

Let the Fire Burn: The Philosophy of MOVE

57s / TV-PG

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary Let the Fire Burn, former MOVE members Laverne Sims and Louise James tell the Philadelphia Special Investigation Commission about the philosophy of MOVE and its leader John Africa, including “absolute truth” and “exposing the lie in the system.”

Let the Fire Burn: Philadelphia Special Investigation Commis

1m 1s / TV-PG

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary Let the Fire Burn, the Philadelphia Special Commission to investigate the tragic events of 1985 introduces the members of the multi-racial commission and how they, in Chairman William Brown’s words, “hope to accomplish healing the wounds.”

A Fragile Trust: Jayson Blair

2m 7s / TV-PG

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary A Fragile Trust, Jayson Blair provides further insight into how he plagiarized so readily, using technological tools to deceive his editors and fellow reporters at The New York Times.

A Fragile Trust: Jayson Blair Scandal Fallout

2m 7s / TV-PG

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary A Fragile Trust, Macarena Hernandez, the young journalist and former colleague whose work was lifted by Blair, and others discuss the fallout and subsequent impact the Jayson Blair scandal had on journalism and the news business.

Coming Soon to Independent Lens: A Fragile Trust

2m 13s / TV-PG

The stunning story of Jayson Blair, a promising young African American reporter who became entangled in a plagiarism scandal, with the ensuing media frenzy leaving The New York Times with a major blemish and leading to heated debates about racism, drug abuse, mental illness, and journalistic power struggles.

A Fragile Trust: Preview

30s / TV-PG

The stunning story of Jayson Blair, a promising young African American reporter who became entangled in a plagiarism scandal, with the ensuing media frenzy leaving The New York Times with a major blemish and leading to heated debates about racism, drug abuse, mental illness, and journalistic power struggles.

A Fragile Trust: Jayson Blair on Where It All Began to Fall

1m 12s / TV-PG

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary A Fragile Trust, former journalist Jayson Blair himself recounts his thought process when it came to plagiarizing other articles in order to avoid firsthand research, specifically for the story of then-missing Army Specialist Edward Anguiano.

A Fragile Trust: Howell Raines, Change Agent

2m 19s / TV-PG

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens documentary A Fragile Trust, former New York Times executive editor Howell Raines explains how he saw himself as a change agent who had to “respond aggressively to the technological revolution that was overtaking newspapers.” The clip also features author Seth Mnookin (Hard News) and Jayson Blair on how Raines’ edict may have lead to subsequent issues.

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