Independent Lens

Indie Films Series / 8 Seasons

Independent Lens is America’s home for independent documentary film.

Watch Latest: S25 E1

1h 25m / TV-14

Blind Love, Episode 5

8m 28s

A gifted choir musician, Mario finds his Congregation getting involved in playing matchmaker, and then needs his sister's help to vet a potential date. Meanwhile, Simon gets a style makeover in preparation for a speed dating event and discovers it's a lot different when it's not his mom picking out clothes for him. A Match Made in Heaven | Blind Love, Episode 5

Blind Love , Episode 4

8m 51s

Solomon gets over his former attitude about going out with someone who is also blind, meeting a cool girl he thinks "has the blind thing down." For Joni, it means trying to appreciate James as more than a dutiful friend, and getting over jaded feelings that came after a painful breakup. When Your Blind Date is Actually Blind | Blind Love , Episode 4

Blind Love, Episode 3

9m 4s

Mario goes against type with a date who slowly warms up to him, while New Yorker Simon, a sheltered 23-year-old who plays poker with other blind buddies who learn he's never been on a date before, is gonna need to get by with a little help from his more experienced friends. The Dos and Don’ts of Blind Dating | Blind Love, Episode 3

Blind Love, Episode 2

9m 41s

Getting past that first date can be hard, maybe even harder for people who are blind and have low vision. One thing that's universal: AWKWARD-ness. First Dates: From Awkward to Promising | Blind Love, Episode 2

Blind Love, Episode 1

8m 58s

Diving into the dating game, single blind millennials are on a mission to be recognized for who they are--they don't want pity, they want a serious relationship. Is Dating Different When You’re Blind? | Blind Love, Episode 1

American Nomads, Episode 6

5m 40s

Led by Bob Wells, thousands of people gather in the Arizona desert for the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous (RTR), an annual two week rally for van and RV dwellers. With stagnant wages and rising home prices, many consider alternatives to the status quo. At RTR, committed nomads share tips and stories about life on the road and create connections and friendships with like-minded freedom seekers.

American Nomads, Episode 5

6m

Living in a van is a tricky feat on its own; throw in attending college full time, in a sometimes-unforgiving city, and things get even more complicated. Young African American couple Lovell and Paris, both veterans going to school in pricey San Francisco, are doing their best to balance the two while navigating the many challenges like break-ins and restrictive parking regulations.

American Nomads, Episode 4

5m 45s

Guisepi once discovered the magic of spontaneous gatherings while cooking dinner in the back of his pickup truck on Hollywood Boulevard. He now lives aboard his mobile tea house, a converted school bus he shares with his partner Ally. But after six years on the road together, it feels more like a home to him than her. Will they consider putting up roots together for a home base?

American Nomads, Episode 3

6m 21s

Kate and Ellen spend their days traveling America turning Airstreams into chic tiny homes. After living on a "little island in a really unaccepting sea," as they call the town they lived in, they now share their life together on the road as a gay couple, working in a male dominated industry, overcoming roadblocks to live their best life.

American Nomads, Episode 2

6m 30s

Crystal left her old life behind to seek financial independence living in her van. She's developed a significant following on YouTube as one of the few African American vandwellers sharing her experiences. As she heads north to Maine to meet up and share stories with a few of her followers, we'll get a glimpse of the joys and challenges of being a single African American woman living on the road.

American Nomads, Episode 1

5m 24s

Bob Wells lives in a refurbished van. After hitting a new low in the wake of a divorce, with no money to lean on, Bob found a new lease on life when he hit the road in his van for the last ten years, reaching celebrity status from his popular YouTube channel where he shares how-to’s and inspiration for the van-dwelling set.

alter-NATIVE: Kitchen, Episode 6

8m 8s

All three Indigenous chefs featured in alter-NATIVE: Kitchen come together to prepare a multi-course meal of Native cuisine for a select group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Los Angeles, from Brian's agave-roasted rabbit tacos to Kalā's imu-cooked kalua pork to Hillel's painted like a Pawnee horse black bean salad. And just wait til you get to these talented chefs' dessert trio.

alter-NATIVE: Kitchen, Episode 5

5m 9s

Seattle-based chef Hillel Echo-Hawk focuses on traditional Pawnee foods, before Columbus and colonization, which means no dairy, no chicken, no processed sugar. Her all-Native catering company prepares for its largest gig ever, but after a late night of work, zero sleep, and everything going wrong, will Hillel and her team be able to pull the event off?

alter-NATIVE: Kitchen, Episode 4

5m 45s

Kalā Domingo, a culinary student in Hawaii, cooks with his caterer father for an Indigenous conference in Maui and a reception in Oahu, where they make dishes like Hō'i'o/Pohole salad, 'uala (Hawaiian sweet potato), kimchi, a delicious version of traditional poi, and a poke using fresh local ingredients. Will father and son butt heads in a busy, crowded kitchen, or make it happen?

alter-NATIVE: Kitchen, Episode 3

6m 6s

In traditional Hawaiian culture, it was important for food to take you closer to the Gods. Come to Oahu, Hawai'i, where young chef Kalā Domingo, a culinary student who works for his caterer father, gives Native Hawaiian kids a taste of this godly, traditional food, showing them where their food comes from and making the whole pig come together in an Imu, an underground steam cooker.

alter-NATIVE: Kitchen, Episode 2

5m 48s

Traveling chef Brian Yazzie brings Native cuisine back home to the Navajo Nation in Arizona. There he looks for truly Indigenous ingredients, as even "classic" Native comfort foods like fry bread have colonizer origins. Brian plans to cook for just friends and family but when word spreads and suddenly he's prepping for a large group of curious community elders, how will Brian impress them?

alter-NATIVE: Kitchen, Episode 1

5m 30s

Brian Yazzie, a Diné/Navajo traveling chef, does presentations demonstrating Native cooking across the country while mentoring Native youth. Brian uses modern techniques with Indigenous ingredients, prepping amazing dishes like sumac duck confit with acorn squash, mushroom and sunflower shoots, turnips and sunchoke puree, sweetgrass-infused beet puree, and his very popular wild rice bowl.

Should We Kid or Not? Episode 5

7m 59s

What's it mean to be childfree by choice, compared to ending up childless? Frequently worrying about how his life would be "over" if he had kids, Cameron had panic attacks when almost becoming a parent. Meanwhile, Sarah didn't really want children until her late '30s and then tried unsuccessfully, before finding herself at odds with the fertility industry and a support group.

Should We Kid or Not? Episode 4

8m 46s

Tasha, a single 50-year-old woman going through in vitro fertilization, debates Nikki, a 27-year old mother who got pregnant as a teen--and at the time thought she'd made a huge mistake. Nikki's not gonna lie, she thinks Tasha may be making a mistake, too, emphasizing the energy needed to raise kids. Can you be either "too old" or "too young" to have children? Listen to these ladies hash it out.

Should We Kid or Not? Episode 3

8m 45s

A same-sex couple shares their surrogacy journey and parenting story with Cristino, a 24-year-old gay man who isn't sure if he wants kids. Jeff and Tom prod Cristino by asking "would you have kids to save your relationship?" But Jeff also flashes back to his own youth, wondering whether having the full "gay experience" was necessary before settling down into fatherhood.

Supported by