Black History Month
Dr. Angela Davis on Black Power and Occupy
Dr. Angela Davis is featured prominently in the documentary The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975, airing this week on Independent Lens. In this ITVS-produced segment, the icon and activist sat down with PBS NewsHour‘s Hari Sreenivasan to discuss the state of activism from the Black Power Movement to Occupy Wall Street.
The documentary is the product of Swedish journalists, who came to the U.S. to document the anti-war and Black Power movements of the late 1960s and early 1970s. The film combines music, original 16mm footage, and contemporary audio interviews from leading African American artists, activists, musicians, and scholars.
Filmmaker Sharon La Cruise Discusses Daisy Bates Biopic with Hari Sreenivasan
The documentary Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock will air Thursday, February 2 on Independent Lens to kick off Black History Month. Recently, PBS NEWSHOUR’s Hari Sreenivasan caught up with filmmaker Sharon La Cruise to discuss the project.
ITVS Heads into High Gear for Black History Month
By Sally Jo Fifer, President & CEO of ITVS
The organization has supported a slate of documentaries that shine a unique light on the history of African American activism. Several of the films will air this month on Independent Lens.
February is Black History Month. It’s an important time for public media, because the heritage months — as artificial as they seem to some, including ITVS-funded filmmaker Shukree Hassan Tilghman, whose film More than A Month tracks his playful yet serious quest to end Black History Month — act as public reminders of our mission to bring underrepresented voices into the mainstream and ensure that the diversity of the nation is reflected on television.
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Independent Lens Announces Winter/Spring 2012 Season
Hosted by Mary-Louise Parker, the Independent Lens Winter/Spring lineup includes the award-winning films We Were Here, Hell and Back Again, Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey, and more
Independent Lens announced its winter/spring 2012 schedule this week. “Our upcoming winter/spring season features a robust slate of some of the most engaging and award-winning documentaries ever on Independent Lens,” said senior series producer Lois Vossen. “It’s a perfect mix of unique characters, critical issues, and important stories that demonstrate the extraordinary range and power of independent documentary filmmakers. We can’t wait to share them with millions of viewers across the country.”
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Independent Lens Honors Black History at TCA
At this year’s Television Critics Association, Independent Lens announced three new films that examine the history of African American activism and produced a panel including legendary activist Angela Davis and artist Talib Kweli. Watch the video below to see some of the icons and artists who joined Independent Lens in recognizing African American history at this year’s TCA Press Tour in Los Angeles.
Lois Vossen (IL), Sharon La Cruise (Daisy Bates), Dr. Angela Davis and Talib Kweli (The Black Power Mixtape), Michael Jones (COO of PBS), and Shukree Hassan Tilghman (More Than a Month)
Independent Lens begins its celebration of Black History Month on PBS with Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock, which premiers on February 2. The film follows the seven-year journey of filmmaker Sharon La Cruise to learn about the mostly forgotten civil rights activist Daisy Bates.
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ITVS in the News
A sampling of coverage from the Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, and more …
Independent Lens launched a slate of films on black history at the Winter Press Tour in Los Angeles
Los Angeles Times: Black History Month: A celebration with mixed feelings on PBS
The celebration of Black History Month on PBS’s Independent Lens will include a film that is highly critical of the annual February observance of African American history.
Boston Globe: “Hell and Back Again,” presents war flashbacks from different perspectives
With some documentaries, you can feel the filmmakers hit a wall. They have a great subject – the war in Afghanistan, say – and they have a point to make or an angle to pursue. But, despite the proliferation of talking heads, they can’t find a style or a voice. The heads talk, but the movie doesn’t speak. Danfung Dennis doesn’t appear to have a limit.
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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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ITVS in the News
A sampling of coverage from The New York Times, Realscreen.com, and more…
The New York Times: Dot Earth Blog: If a Tree Falls, Can it when an Oscar?
…an extraordinary documentary by the brilliant young filmmakers Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman that explores the prosecution of members of the Earth Liberation Front for a series of costly arson fires.
The New York Times: Year-End Lists: Top Ten Movies of 2011
David Weissman’s documentary We Were Here was among the top films (fiction & documentary) selected by Stephen Holden.
Womens eNews: Daughters of Imprisoned Moms Regroup for a Sequel
Troop 1500, rebroadcasting tonight on PBS’s Independent Lens, is about Girl Scouts who trek together to visit mothers behind bars. Director Ellen Spiro talks here about the reunion sequel she is making with the daughters, five years later.
Realscreen.com: PBS unveils 2012 Black History Month line-up
U.S. public broadcaster PBS has unveiled the programming for Black History Month in February, including a number of specials and feature docs looking at a variety of historical events from the post-Emancipation era to the rise of the Black Power movement.
Visit our pressroom to find additional coverage of ITVS programs >>
Celebrate Diversity with America Ferrera & Independent Lens
IL host reminds us that everyday is heritage day
There is a heritage or history month for practically every ethnicity, race, and identity. Throughout February, we on BTB have been highlighting documentaries by and about filmmakers of color, in honor of Black History Month. From NBPC’s AfroPop Series to the Independent Lens doc When I Rise featuring the legendary opera singer Barbara Smith Conrad.
Now, Independent Lens host America Ferrera reminds us to celebrate diversity on a daily basis. Know your roots and history, and join with others to celebrate theirs, every Tuesday at 10 PM on PBS.
Celebrate Black History Month with When I Rise
WATCH THE FULL LENGTH DOCUMENTARY STREAMING NOW ON PBS VIDEO
If you missed the Independent Lens premiere of When I Rise last night on PBS, you can now catch the film in it’s entirety streaming on PBS video. And don’t forget to check out the exclusive video extras that you can only find on the Independent Lens website and read yesterday’s New York Times feature about the film.
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