One With the Whale
Hunting whales is a matter of life or death for the residents of St. Lawrence. When a shy Alaska Native teen becomes the youngest person ever to harpoon a whale for his village, his family is blindsided by thousands of keyboard activists brutally attacking him online—without full perspective on the importance of the hunt to his community's well-being.
Episodes
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Mama Bears
S24 E16 - 1h 25m
They call one another “mama bears” because of the ferocity with which they fight for their children’s rights. Although they grew up as fundamentalist, evangelical Christians praying for the souls of LGBTQ+ people, these mothers are now willing to risk losing friends, family, and faith communities to champion their kids—even if it challenges their belief systems and rips apart their worlds.
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Silent Beauty
S24 E15 - 1h 25m
In this autobiographical exploration of survivorship, New Orleans journalist and filmmaker Jasmin Mara López unabashedly shares her process of healing from childhood sexual abuse. After Jasmin discloses to her family she'd been abused by her grandfather, she liberates others to come forward in a story of confronting a culture of silence over generational trauma.
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Sam Now
S24 E14 - 1h 24m
In this coming-of-age documentary about generational trauma, follow Sam Harkness from age 11 to 36 as his middle-class Seattle family is heartbroken and unsure of what to do after his mother suddenly leaves them. Woven together with home movies lovingly crafted by Sam’s half brother, director Reed Harkness, witness a boy grow up grappling with the ripple effects of a singular traumatic event.
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Moving soon to WETA Passport
Matter of Mind: My ALS
S24 E13 - 54m 42s
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neuromuscular disease with an average survival time of 2-5 years from diagnosis. In this intimate exploration, three people with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, bravely face different paths as they live with this progressively debilitating illness.
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Hidden Letters
S24 E11 - 1h 25m
The bonds of sisterhood, and the parallels of struggles among generations of women in China, are drawn together by the once-secret written language of Nüshu, the only script designed and used exclusively by women.
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Storming Caesars Palace
S24 E10 - 1h 24m
After losing her job as a hotel worker in Las Vegas, Ruby Duncan joined a welfare rights group of mothers who defied notions of the “welfare queen.” In a fight for guaranteed income, Ruby and other equality activists took on the Nevada mob in organizing a massive protest that shut down Caesars Palace.
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Love in the Time of Fentanyl
S24 E9 - 1h 25m
As fentanyl overdose deaths in Vancouver, Canada reach an all-time high, the Overdose Prevention Society opens its doors—a renegade safe injection site that employs current or former drug users. Its staff and volunteers save lives and give hope to a marginalized community, doing whatever it takes to remain open in this intimate documentary that looks beyond the stigma of injection drug users.
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Outta the Muck
S24 E8 - 1h 25m
Wade into the rich soil of Pahokee, Florida, a town on the banks of Lake Okeechobee. Beyond its football legacy, including sending over a dozen players to the NFL (like Anquan Boldin, Fred Taylor, and Rickey Jackson), the fiercely self-determined community tells their stories of Black achievement and resilience in the face of tragic storms and personal trauma.
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The Picture Taker
S24 E7 - 1h 25m
The vibrant life of Ernest Withers—civil rights photographer, and FBI informant—was anything but black and white. From his Memphis studio, Withers' nearly 2 million images were a treasured record of Black history but his legacy was complicated by decades of secret FBI service revealed only after his death. Was he a friend of the civil rights community, or enemy—or both?
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No Straight Lines
S24 E6 - 1h 25m
When Alison Bechdel received a coveted MacArthur Award for her best-selling graphic memoir Fun Home, it heralded the acceptance of LGBTQ+ comics in American culture. From DIY underground comix scene to mainstream acceptance, meet five smart and funny queer comics artists whose uncensored commentary left no topic untouched and explored art as a tool for social change.
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Moving soon to WETA Passport
The Big Payback
S24 E5 - 1h 25m
An Evanston, Illinois rookie alderwoman led the passage of the first tax-funded reparations bill for Black Americans. While she and her community struggle with the burden to make restitution for its citizens, a national racial crisis engulfs the country. Will the debt ever be addressed, or is it too late for a reparations movement to finally get the big payback?
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Move Me
S24 E3 - 1h 22m
At 27, Kelsey Peterson dove into Lake Superior as a dancer and emerged paralyzed. But within the Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) community, she found allies in her quest to discover who she is now and to dance with disability. When a cutting-edge trial surfaces, it tests her expectations of a possible cure. She finds herself both scared it might not work—and scared that it might.
Extras + Features
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Trailer | This Fall on Independent Lens
S24 - 1m
Independent Lens, America’s home for documentaries, returns Monday, September 12, with Hazing, followed by TikTok, Boom., and Move Me. Watch these powerful, acclaimed new films live or stream anytime on the PBS Video app.
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Trailer | Tiktok, Boom.
S24 E2 - 30s
What does it mean to be a digital native? TikTok, Boom. dissects the platform along myriad cross-sections—algorithmic, socio-political, economic, and cultural—to explore the impact of the history-making app. Balancing a genuine interest with healthy skepticism, delve into the security issues, global political challenges, and racial biases behind the platform.
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Trailer | Hazing
S24 E1 - 30s
Hazing is a widespread, far-reaching practice fueled by tradition, secrecy, groupthink, power, and the desire to belong in fraternities and sororities on college campuses across the U.S. Filmmaker Byron Hurt embarks on a deeply personal journey to understand the underground rituals of hazing, revealing the abuse and the lengths college students will go to fit in.
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Trailer | Move Me
S24 E3 - 30s
At 27, Kelsey Peterson dove into Lake Superior as a dancer and emerged paralyzed. But within the Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) community, she found allies in her quest to discover who she is now and to dance with disability. When a cutting-edge trial surfaces, it tests her expectations of a possible cure. She finds herself both scared it might not work—and scared that it might.
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Trailer | The Truth Is Scarier Than Fiction
S24 - 48s
Explore the spooky side of technology.
Coded Bias
Feels Good Man
People’s Republic of Desire
TikTok, Boom. -
Trailer | Hit the Road with Independent Lens!
S24 - 30s
Gas is expensive. These docs are not. Hit the road from the PBS Video app
Schedule
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Image
Independent Lens
Space: The Longest Goodbye
Monday
May 6
1 Hour 30 Minutes
NASA psychologists prepare astronauts for the extreme isolation required by a Mars mission. -
Image
Independent Lens
Space: The Longest Goodbye
Tuesday
May 7
1 Hour 30 Minutes
NASA psychologists prepare astronauts for the extreme isolation required by a Mars mission. -
Image
Independent Lens
Space: The Longest Goodbye
Wednesday
May 8
1 Hour 30 Minutes
NASA psychologists prepare astronauts for the extreme isolation required by a Mars mission. -
Image
Independent Lens
Space: The Longest Goodbye
Thursday
May 9
1 Hour 30 Minutes
NASA psychologists prepare astronauts for the extreme isolation required by a Mars mission. -
Image
Independent Lens
Space: The Longest Goodbye
Thursday
May 9
1 Hour 30 Minutes
NASA psychologists prepare astronauts for the extreme isolation required by a Mars mission. -
Image
Independent Lens
Hidden Letters
Friday
May 10
1 Hour 30 Minutes
Modern women in China are drawn together by the once-secret written language of Nushu, the only script designed and used exclusively by women. -
Image
Independent Lens
Hidden Letters
Saturday
May 11
1 Hour 30 Minutes
Modern women in China are drawn together by the once-secret written language of Nushu, the only script designed and used exclusively by women. -
Image
Independent Lens
Hidden Letters
Saturday
May 11
1 Hour 30 Minutes
Modern women in China are drawn together by the once-secret written language of Nushu, the only script designed and used exclusively by women. -
Image
Independent Lens
Hidden Letters
Saturday
May 11
1 Hour 30 Minutes
Modern women in China are drawn together by the once-secret written language of Nushu, the only script designed and used exclusively by women. -
Image
Independent Lens
Hidden Letters
Saturday
May 11
1 Hour 30 Minutes
Modern women in China are drawn together by the once-secret written language of Nushu, the only script designed and used exclusively by women. -
Image
Independent Lens
Space: The Longest Goodbye
Saturday
May 11
1 Hour 30 Minutes
NASA psychologists prepare astronauts for the extreme isolation required by a Mars mission. -
Image
Independent Lens
AWARE: Glimpses of Consciousness
Saturday
May 11
1 Hour 30 Minutes
Researchers approach consciousness from different perspectives, investigating the mysteries of consciousness and connecting the dots between spirit and body. -
Image
Independent Lens
Space: The Longest Goodbye
Sunday
May 12
1 Hour 30 Minutes
NASA psychologists prepare astronauts for the extreme isolation required by a Mars mission. -
Image
Independent Lens
Space: The Longest Goodbye
Sunday
May 12
1 Hour 30 Minutes
NASA psychologists prepare astronauts for the extreme isolation required by a Mars mission. -
Image
Independent Lens
AWARE: Glimpses of Consciousness
Sunday
May 12
1 Hour 30 Minutes
Researchers approach consciousness from different perspectives, investigating the mysteries of consciousness and connecting the dots between spirit and body. -
Image
Independent Lens
Space: The Longest Goodbye
Sunday
May 12
1 Hour 30 Minutes
NASA psychologists prepare astronauts for the extreme isolation required by a Mars mission. -
Image
Independent Lens
Space: The Longest Goodbye
Monday
May 13
1 Hour 30 Minutes
NASA psychologists prepare astronauts for the extreme isolation required by a Mars mission. -
Image
Independent Lens
Space: The Longest Goodbye
Monday
May 13
1 Hour 30 Minutes
NASA psychologists prepare astronauts for the extreme isolation required by a Mars mission. -
Image
Independent Lens
The Donut King
Monday
May 13
1 Hour 30 Minutes
The life story of Christy's Donuts founder Ted Ngoy, who built a multimillion-dollar company in the U.S. after fleeing Cambodia. -
Image
Independent Lens
The Donut King
Tuesday
May 14
1 Hour 30 Minutes
The life story of Christy's Donuts founder Ted Ngoy, who built a multimillion-dollar company in the U.S. after fleeing Cambodia.
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