Independent Lens

Come see never-before-aired documentary films that address controversial cultural, political, and social issues, enlightening while entertaining. These Tuesday evening screenings may feature panel discussions, guest speakers, take-home resources, and other programming designed to help participants learn about and get involved in some of today’s key social issues. Free for everyone to enjoy and learn.

“Watching Independent Lens is like going into an independent bookstore—you don't always find what you were looking for, but you often find something you didn't even know you wanted.” —The New Yorker

Independent Lens tickets are FREE for everyone to enjoy and learn.

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PLEASE VOTE FOR ME
September 18, 7:00 p.m.
Follow eight-year-old Chinese elementary school students as they campaign to be elected school monitor and change their cultural outlook through their experience of the democratic process.

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MISS NAVAJO
October 23, 7:00 p.m.
Following contestants in their quest for the Miss Navajo Nation crown and featuring personal stories of recent winners, Miss Navajo is a celebration of womanhood.



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AN UNREASONABLE MAN
November 20, 7:00 p.m.
An unsparing look at Ralph Nader, one of the most important and controversial political figures of our time.

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MAPPING STEM CELL RESEARCH: TERRA INCOGNITA
December 4, 7:00 p.m.
A close-up look inside the life and laboratory of Dr. Jack Kessler—a renowned stem cell expert—Terra Incognita movingly depicts the high stakes involved in the quest to harness the full potential of stem cell medicine.

Link: Breaking Stem Cell Research



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BANISHED
January 29, 7:00 p.m.
A story of three counties that forcefully banished African-American families from their towns one hundred years ago—and the descendants who return to learn a shocking history.

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IRON LADIES OF LIBERIA
February 26, 7:00 p.m.
An intimate documentary that goes behind the scenes with Africa’s first freely elected female head of state, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, president of Liberia.



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KING CORN
March 18, 7:00 p.m.
Recent college grads Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis plant a single acre of the nation’s most powerful crop—corn—and set out to follow it on its journey to America’s tables.

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A DREAM IN DOUBT
April 29, 7:00 p.m.
America’s first post 9/11 hate crime murder punctuated a growing wave of violence in retaliation for the terror attacks. Told through the eyes of the victim’s brother, A Dream in Doubt travels to Phoenix to tell a personal story of national tragedy, murder, community, and the American Dream.

The John Michael Kohler Arts Center is partnering with ITVS Community to present ITVS Community Cinema, a monthly screening series showcasing the Emmy award-winning PBS Series, Independent Lens.