Thursday on Independent Lens: We Were Here

BTB spoke with filmmaker David Weissman about his documentary We Were Here, which airs Thursday, June 14 on Independent Lens.

We Were Here documents the arrival in San Francisco of what was then called the “Gay Plague” in the early 1980s. It illuminates the profound personal and community issues raised by the AIDS epidemic, as well as the broad political and social upheavals it unleashed. Be sure to watch We Were Here, Thursday on Independent Lens.

ITVS Puts the ‘Independent’ in the Independent Spirit Awards

The Interrupters, Where Soldiers Come From, We Were Here, and Hell and Back Again were among the documentaries nominated for this year’s Independent Spirit Awards.

A still from Hell and Back Again by filmmaker Danfung Dennis

With the Academy Awards right around the corner, it is important to remember that the Independent Spirit Awards are also this weekend. ITVS has four films nominated, The Interrupters and We Were Here are up for Best Doc, with Hell and Back Again and Where Soldiers Come From in the Truer Than Fiction category.

The Independent Spirit Awards take place on Saturday, February 25th. Click here for more information.

Join ITVS in congratulating all the filmmakers and check out the trailers after the jump.
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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 >>

Four ITVS Films Up for Independent Spirit Awards

Among the docs nominated are: The Interrupters, Where Soldiers Come From, We Were Here, and Hell and Back Again — the last two will air this season on Independent Lens.

A still from Hell and Back Again by filmmaker Danfung Dennis

Join ITVS in congratulating all the filmmakers and check out the trailers after the jump.
Continue reading