Independent Lens Season 20 Episodes

Episode 1

Wildland

Mon, Oct 29, 201855 mins

Wildland tells the story of a single wildland firefighting crew as they struggle with fear, loyalty, love and defeat all over the course of a single fire season. What emerges is a story of a small group of working class men, their exterior world, their interior lives and the fire that lies between.

Episode 2

Dawnland

Mon, Nov 5, 2018

Episode 3

The Cleaners

Mon, Nov 12, 2018

Five content moderators in Manila, Philippines, monitor and delete offensive, pornographic and subversive posts on social media sites, including Facebook and YouTube.

Episode 4

The Judge

Mon, Nov 19, 2018

Kholoud al-Faqih becomes the first woman judge appointed to the Middle East's Sharia's (Islamic Law) courts.

Episode 5

Man on Fire

Mon, Dec 17, 2018

On June 23, 2014, the Rev. Charles Moore drove from his home in Allen, Texas to a shopping center parking lot in his home town of Grand Saline, Texas, where he doused himself with gasoline and set himself on fire. He died as a result of the fire. The Rev. Moore did leave a note on the windshield of his car in which he said among other things that the people of Grand Saline should repent for their racism. Man on Fire is the story of how the people of Grand Saline responded to the self-immolation of Charles Moore.

Episode 6

My Country No More

Mon, Jan 7, 2019

The rise and fall of the North Dakota oil boom, and a look at the long-term consequences of short-term approaches to land use.

Episode 7

Rodents of Unusual Size

Mon, Jan 14, 2019

Rodents of Unusual Size is a real-life horror "tail." Louisiana residents south of New Orleans have faced many an environmental threat, from oil spills to devastating hurricanes, but a growing menace now lurks in the bayous and backwaters: hordes of monstrous 20-pound swamp rats known as nutria. The voracious appetite of this invasive species from South America is accelerating erosion of the state's coastal wetlands, already one of the largest disappearing landmasses in the world, but the people who have lived there for generations are not the type of folks to give up without a fight. The film features a feisty mix of rejuvenated trappers, adventurous chefs, bold fashionistas, exotic pet enthusiasts, and more. This joyful take on an ecological menace reveals in equal parts our impact on the environment and the local's surprising solutions to save their land before it dissolves beneath their feet. It is human vs. rodent - may the best mammal win.

Episode 8

Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World

Mon, Jan 21, 2019

The Native American influence in popular music, including the Native American roots of early pioneers of the blues and jazz and how Native Americans helped define the evolution of the folk-rock era that took hold in the 1960's and 1970's.

Episode 9

The King

Mon, Jan 28, 2019

Filmed in 2016, Elvis Presley's Rolls Royce tours the US and celebrities, musicians and regular Americans go for a ride and talk about Elvis's life but there is a twist. From country boy from the poor side of town through his life as the most famous man in the world but then compared to the American dream. A dream that is unrealistic, that The Colonel who manipulated Elvis and all the other con men of the country who have monetized the dream in their favor. A perfect counterpoint to the coming Trump administration.

Episode 10

Black Memorabilia

Tue, Feb 5, 2019

Episode 11

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Sat, Feb 9, 2019

Episode 12

Hale County This Morning, This Evening

Mon, Feb 11, 2019

Episode 13

People's Republic of Desire

Mon, Feb 25, 2019

How the success of live-streaming entertainment has affected China's youth.

Episode 14

Tre Maison Dasan

Mon, Apr 1, 2019

Episode 15

The Providers

Mon, Apr 8, 2019

Episode 16

Charm City

Mon, Apr 22, 2019

Episode 17

Out of State

Mon, May 6, 2019

Two native Hawaiians discover their indigenous traditions from a fellow inmate serving a life sentence.

Episode 18

Harvest Season: The Seed Saver

Mon, May 13, 2019

Episode 19

Wrestle

Mon, May 20, 2019

The stories of four Alabama high-school wrestlers and the challenges they face on and off the mat.