Viewing Topic: African AmericanView All
July '64

by Christine Christopher and Carvin Eison

In the summer of 1964, a three-night riot erupted in two predominantly black neighborhoods in downtown Rochester, New York.

Independent Lens

Keeping Time: The Life, Music, and Photographs of Milt Hinton

by David Berger and Holly Maxon

An insider's view of jazz and life in 20th-century America, as told by legendary bassist and photographer Milt Hinton (1910-2000) and his fellow musicians.

Independent Lens

Let the Church Say Amen

by David Petersen

In an impoverished Washington, D.C. neighborhood just blocks from the White House, unemployment, homelessness, and violence are part of everyday life. But for some residents, strength and salvation can be found in a tiny storefront church — a former corner store turned spiritual sanctuary.

Independent Lens

A Lion in the House

by Julia Reichert and Steve Bognar

This inspiring, harrowing and intimate series follows five children as they fight against cancer with the help of their families, nurses, and doctors over a span of six years.

Independent Lens

A Lion's Trail

by Francois Verster, Dan Jawitz, and Mark J. Kaplan

In the 1920s, Zulu singer Solomon Linda composed "Mbube," a hit melody in his native South Africa. Decades later, it skyrocketed to the top of the international pop charts as "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." Follow this beloved song's rocky history, from South Africa to Brooklyn and back, asking why Linda died penniless, while American artists made millions off of his music.

Global Voices, Independent Lens

Upcoming broadcasts 

Man Bites Shorts

by Dan Cronin, Dave Munro, Putnam, Martha Pinson, Tom Schroeder, Paul Sullivan, Josh Blum, and Xandra Castleton

Combining humor, insight, and brevity, six short films explore love, basketball, bicycles, and what it means to be a man.

Independent Lens

Me Facing Life: Cyntoia's Story

by Daniel Birman

Follows the sad and startling story of Cyntoia Brown, who is serving a life sentence for a murder she committed at age of 16.

Independent Lens, Women and Girls Lead

Watch it online

More Than a Month

by Shukree Hassan Tilghman

Shukree Hassan Tilghman, a 29-year-old African American filmmaker, goes on a cross-country campaign to end Black History Month.

Independent Lens

Watch it online

Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property

by Frank Christopher, Charles Burnett, and Kenneth Greenberg

The historical search for the mysterious Nat Turner, leader of the legendary 1831 slave rebellion, has inspired academics, novelists, dramatists, and others in a fierce battle over who he was and what he means to America.

Independent Lens

Negroes with Guns: Rob Williams and Black Power

by Sandra Dickson, Churchill Roberts, Cara Pilson, and Cindy Hill

Negroes with Guns follows Robert Williams’s journey from North Carolina community leader to exile in Cuba and China, a journey that brought the issue of armed self-defense to the forefront of the Black Power and civil rights movements.

Independent Lens

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