Independent Lens Leads PBS’s Black History Month

The lineup will include three new critically acclaimed documentaries in February: Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock, More Than a Month, and The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 — featuring the legendary activist and scholar Dr. Angela Davis.

In February 2012, Independent Lens will lead the celebration of Black History Month on public television with premieres of three new documentaries that shine a unique light on the history of African American activism, with one provocatively re-examining of the whole idea of Black History Month.
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Tags: activism, angela davis, Black History Month, black power mixtape, civil rights, Daisy Bates, More Than a Month, tca

World Mourns Passing of Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai

Wangari Maathai, the first environmentalist and African woman to win the Nobel Prize, passed away while having treatment for ovarian cancer on Monday.

Wangari Maathai, the first environmentalist and African woman to win the Nobel Prize, passed away on Monday while having treatment for ovarian cancer. Maathai was the founder of Kenya’s Green Belt Movement, a grassroots organization encouraging women and families to plant trees.

She was recently the focus of the Independent Lens documentary Taking Root: The Story of Wangari Maathai and was featured in DIRT! The Movie. Maathai will be remembered for her work in women’s rights, democracy, and the environment.

Watch the trailer for Taking Root: The Story of Wangari Maathai >>
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Tags: activism, Africa, environment, international, Kenya, women's empowerment, women's rights

This Week on POV: If a Tree Falls

The documentary lifts the veil on a radical environmental group that the FBI calls America’s “number one domestic terrorism threat.” 

ITVS-funded filmmakers Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman’s documentary If a Tree Falls will air Tuesday, September 13 on POV.  The film offers a behind-the-curtain look at the Earth Liberation Front, the radical environmental organization that the FBI calls the “number one domestic terrorism threat” in America. Check out the trailer after the jump…
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Tags: activism, environmentalism, If a Tree Falls, ITVS, marshall curry, P.O.V.

Tonight on P.O.V. – William Kunstler, Radical Lawyer

The most hated and loved lawyer in America captured through the lens and mouths of his two daughters. Tonight, P.O.V. airs William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe, a documentary directed by sisters Emily and Sarah Kunstler, that chronicles the rise of their father as an activist lawyer (check local listings here).

A self-described radical, Kunstler was one of the best-known civil rights attorneys in American history. He came from a privileged background and settled as a lawyer in Westchester County in the 1950s, setting up a small practice with his family. But Kunstler cut his teeth in the 1960s, representing freedom riders in Mississippi on behalf of the ACLU.

His daughters refer to him as a “silver tongued, pied piper,” who could charm a jury and bring national attention to underserved members of society. Kunstler passionately battled for the demands of the American Indian Movement in Wounded Knee, South Dakota, and later, the inmates of Attica prison.

It was his handling of the Chicago Seven case in 1969, however, that made him famous. Kunstler represented seven individuals charged with inciting race riots during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. He sparred openly with the judge and prosecutor and was cited for contempt, nearly facing an unprecedented four years in prison.

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Tags: activism, civil rights, documentary, lawyer, P.O.V., PBS, william kunstler

BODY AND SOUL: Diana and Kathy, Airing This Month on Public Television

“It’s unlikely that any movie released this year will feature characters more remarkable than Kathy Conour and Diana Braun. The subjects of a moving new documentary from director Alice Elliott, the unlikely cinematic heroes are waging a war for their lives––and the lives of many others.”
- Journal News (Lower Hudson Valley, NY)

When they met 37 years ago, Diana and Kathy faced early death or a restricted life in a nursing home. Instead, they slipped out of the “system,” became advocates for all people with disabilities and began a grand experiment in living meaningful, independent lives. BODY AND SOUL: Diana and Kathy is an exploration of the remarkable bond that has made that possible.

BODY AND SOUL: Diana and Kathy airs this month on public television (check local listings).

Editor’s note: Kathy Conour, one of the main characters of the film, recently passed away. Born with Cerebral Palsy, Kathy had some mobility but lost that when she had an operation on a spinal cyst in 1990. Kathy was a leader and an activist for disability rights. She served on the board of United Cerebral Palsy of Illinois and was active in the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities, the Illinois Center for Independent Living, and People First.

Kathy and Diana met Academy Award nominated documentary filmmaker Alice Elliott in 2003 and convinced her to make a film about them. BODY AND SOUL: Diana and Kathy will air this month on Public Television during National Disabilities Awareness Month. Having her story told was a life-long dream of Kathy’s. She loved being the star of the documentary and helped move it forward, encouraging the filmmaker to push through to the finish. This film has won many honors both in the film community and the area of disabilities. Kathy’s dream is still playing out as the film screens in North Carolina, Munich, Germany and Salt Lake City within the next few months.

Her humor, intelligence, gracious thoughtfulness and candor will be missed.

Tags: activism, cerebral palsy, disability, down syndrome