Beyond the Films
September 18, 2024
America’s Electoral College: Six Surprising Facts About the Who and How
Independent Lens in Beyond the Films
By Bianca Beyrouti Every four years, the U.S. Presidential election revives a similarly lively, if increasingly tense, discussion about the Electoral College, namely its function and impact. As we find…...
An insider’s look at the rise and fall of the NFT (non-fungible token) phenomenon and how technology transformed the traditional art world, for better and worse. Featuring verité footage and candid interviews with groundbreaking artists—like Beeple, Latasha Alcindor, and Loish— at the center of this phenomenon, Minted delves into the… Read More
Free For All: Inside the Public Library tells the story of the quiet revolutionaries who made a simple idea happen. From the pioneering women behind the “Free Library Movement” to today’s librarians who service the public despite working in a contentious age of closures and book bans, meet those who… Read More
A wild hog hunt in the Ozarks leads to an unexpectedly vulnerable dialogue between Iranian American filmmaker Andy Sarjahani and his childhood friend Bubba as they navigate a polarized world. As their paths diverged in the increasingly anti-Middle Eastern years after 9/11, Andy’s journey of self-examination tries to… Read More
The Philippines’ no-holds-barred race for president in 2022 becomes the nation’s fight for its soul. Read More
At a time when many Americans question democratic institutions, One Person, One Vote? unveils the complexities of the Electoral College, the uniquely American and often misunderstood mechanism for electing a president. The documentary follows four presidential electors representing different parties in Colorado during the intense 2020 election. Read More
Beyond the Films
April 01, 2024
Temporary Farm Workers by the Numbers: How Do They Make Ends Meet?
Independent Lens in Beyond the Films
By Ivonne Spinoza From working hard jobs for extremely low wages to being separated from their families for up to 10 months at a time, the sacrifices and challenges seem…...
The three-part holding bodies: a justice anthology uses personal experiences of arrest, pretrial detention, and incarceration to reconsider the intention, design, and process of America’s justice system. Read More
Interviews
January 05, 2024
What Happens to Your Family When You Escape North Korea, and Other Harrowing Tales from Beyond Utopia
Craig Phillips in Beyond the Films
The harrowing, riveting documentary Beyond Utopia, captures what life is like for refugees after escaping North Korea. What happens to the family you left behind? How hard is it to…...
They grew up believing their land was paradise. Now, they risk everything in escaping it. In an unforgettable documentary, follow families on a treacherous journey to defect from their homeland of North Korea, as the threat of severe punishment and possible execution looms over their passage, revealing a world many… Read More
Beyond the Films
November 06, 2023
The Complex Role and Diverse Array of Chaplains in the Military
Independent Lens in Beyond the Films
By Ivonne Spinoza When you hear the term chaplain, if you're not in the military, what usually comes to mind? It could be a pop culture reference, like Father Mulcahy…...
Interviews
September 25, 2023
“Your Story Makes You Strong”: Sansón, an Incarcerated Man, Watches His Life as Documentary Reenactment
Craig Phillips in Behind the Films
By Craig Phillips with Rodrigo Reyes and Sansón & Me team The life story of a young man serving life in prison for murder, Sansón and Me is told through…...