Independent Lens

Indie Films Series / 8 Seasons

Authentic stories. Extraordinary people.

Watch Latest: S26 E1

1h 16m / TV-PG

Trailer | Decade of Fire

30s / TV-PG

Decade of Fire covers a shocking but untold piece of American urban history, when the South Bronx was on fire in the 1970s. Left unprotected by the city government, nearly a quarter-million people were displaced as their close-knit, multiethnic neighborhood burned to the ground. Decade of Fire also shows what can happen when a community chooses to fight back and reclaim their neighborhood.

Nicole, a Host of Possibilities | Made in Boise

54s / TV-14

Meet Nicole, the CEO of the largest surrogacy agency in Boise, called A Host of Possibilities, who co-owns the agency with her husband Don. She became interested in surrogacy because she loved being pregnant but didn't want any other kids (she has two children of her own and is now carrying for the fourth time for someone else). She works with over 180 surrogates at her agency.

Surrogacy Support Group | Made in Boise

1m 1s / TV-14

Sammie and other women in a Boise-based surrogacy support group meet to share stories of surrogacy, including the mixed feelings family members have about their choice to carry babies for intended parents. The group made a big difference in Sammie's life, who may not have become a surrogate if she didn't have someone to answer all the questions she had about it.

Trailer | Made in Boise

30s / TV-14

In Boise, nurses, nail technicians, and stay-at-home mothers are choosing to become paid reproductive surrogates for people from around the world. Made in Boise offers a rare glimpse into this world by intimately following the lives of four surrogates, as they build relationships with the intended parents, prepare for the rigors of pregnancy, and navigate the mixed feelings of their own families.

Independent Lens 2019-2020 Season Promo

32s

"Want me to tell you a story?" Coming to PBS, America’s home for documentaries, Independent Lens presents a new group of powerful, award-winning films that will thrust viewers into the heart of conversations across America's neighborhoods, from Boise to the Bronx, from Alaska to Long Island to North Carolina. Premieres October 28, 2019.

Sweating the Weigh-In | Wrestle

2m 2s

In this excerpt from the film Wrestle, on the night before a big meet, high school wrestling Coach Scribner and a supportive group of teammates and family stay up with an exhausted Jaquan who needs to drop 5 pounds overnight to make his weight class or he'll have to forfeit. "You got this Jaquan," the coach tells him. Does he?

Trailer | Wrestle

30s

Wrestle goes inside the lives of four members of the high school wrestling team at Huntsville’s J.O. Johnson High School--a longstanding entry on Alabama’s list of failing schools. Teammates Jailen, Jamario, Teague, and Jaquan show that needing a win can be about much more than just beating your opponent on the mat.

My Grapes Are Ready to Harvest | Harvest Season

2m 23s

In this excerpt from the film Harvest Season, Napa Valley winemaker Vanessa Robledo and her mother Maria walk through their vineyard inspecting grapes, including checking the grapes' sugar levels. They're on the verge of being ripe and then it will be time to harvest--the most intense work of the year.

Trailer | Harvest Season

30s

A story usually hidden behind a more glamorous front, Harvest Season probes the lives of the multigenerational Latinos, temporary laborers, and permanent residents intimately connected to the production of premium wines in the Napa and Sonoma regions of Northern California — in the midst of one of the most dramatic grape harvests in recent memory.

Out of State

30s

In Out of State, two native Hawaiians sent thousands of miles away to a private prison in the desert find a community of other native Hawaiians and discover indigenous traditions from a fellow inmate serving a life sentence. After finishing their terms and returning to Hawai'i, the men both find life on the outside a struggle and wonder if it’s possible to ever go home again.

Mr. C's Community Is His Family | Charm City

2m 14s

In this excerpt from the film Charm City, community leader Clayton “Mr. C” Guyton, the beating heart of Rose Street in Baltimore, holds a passionate meeting with his neighbors on people who are afraid to "snitch" when they witness a murder. Alex Long, who's found a home in the Rose Street Community Center, talks about how critical Mr. C is to keeping the neighborhood safe and vibrant.

Trailer | Charm City

30s

Filmed over a violent three-year period in Baltimore, Charm City profiles a group of police, citizens, community leaders and government officials who, with grit and compassion, survive in and work to improve the vibrant neighborhoods they call home.

Trailer | Marcos Doesn't Live Here Anymore

28s

A special presentation of Independent Lens, FRONTLINE and VOCES. From acclaimed filmmaker David Sutherland (Kind-Hearted Woman, Country Boys, The Farmer’s Wife), Marcos Doesn't Live Here Anymore examines the US immigration system through the eyes of two unforgettable protagonists whose lives reveal the human cost of deportation.

Pregnant Moms Want to Be Drug-Free | The Providers

2m 4s

In this excerpt from the film The Providers, Dr. Leslie Hayes, a health care provider in rural New Mexico, sees a patient far along in her pregnancy and struggling with opioid use disorder. Like a lot of women in her situation, she's desperate and motivated to be drug-free but overwhelmed. A parent herself, Dr. Hayes sees as role models women patients who have overcome the odds with few resources.

Trying to Fill the Health Care Gap | The Providers

1m 53s

In this excerpt from the film The Providers, rural New Mexico health care provider Matt Probst updates his colleagues on the dire staffing situation their clinic is in. Then, with an eye to the future, Matt works with local teens interested in the health care field who could someday fill the gap.

Trailer | The Providers

30s

Does your zip code determine your life? Those in rural America sometimes lack access to the most basic health care. The Providers gives a very human face to the physician shortage and opioid epidemic in rural areas, following three healthcare professionals in northern New Mexico who offer care to anyone walking through their doors, regardless of ability to pay.

"Naughty School" | Tre Maison Dasan

2m 2s

In this excerpt from the film Tre Maison Dasan, bright 11-year-old Maison, who has been diagnosed with Asperger's, spends visitation day with his father in prison--a place he used to call "naughty school" before he realized it was a prison. His dad tries to get Maison to accept his beloved father isn't innocent, but their love for each other remains strong.

"We Need New Memories" | Tre Maison Dasan

1m 8s

In this excerpt from the film Tre Maison Dasan, troubled but wise-beyond-his-years teen Tre visits his incarcerated dad in prison where they bond over mutual experiences with probation and failed ankle monitors--and then realize they need new shared memories that don't revolve around criminality. "We need some fishing," Tre's dad says, laughing. "Because this is not normal."

Trailer | Tre Maison Dasan

30s

Told directly through the eyes of the children themselves, Tre Maison Dasan is an up-close and unfiltered look at the lives of three Rhode Island boys, each navigating childhood and adolescence with a parent in prison. Society writes these parents off as criminals, but in their hearts their children still see them as mom and dad.

Vote$ for Livestreamers | People's Republic of Desire

2m 24s

In this excerpt from the Independent Lens film People's Republic of Desire, despite often destitute circumstances, fans of the most famous livestreaming performers in China--like Big Li and Shen Man--spend loads of their own money to see them become number one. Dabao, a talent manager and wife of Big Li, tearfully wonders what he's done to deserve such fervent followers.

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