The PBS documentary series “Independent Lens” returns for a new season on Sept. 16. The fall slate spans from September to November and includes two feature length docs and three nonfiction shorts.
The films cover a host of hot-button topics including race, veterans suffering from PTSD and the Electoral College.
With major streamers shying away from political fare in favor of celebrity or true-crime nonfiction offerings, ITVS is one of the few platforms left for political docus that tackle current events.
“ITVS has a mandate, which is to look for bold, creative, underrepresented storytelling that’s going to serve the American public,” says Carrie Lozano, ITVS president and CEO. “We think of our work as serving the filmmaking community, the public media system and serving audiences and in particular underserved audiences. We have the luxury of not being driven by revenue, but instead being driven by a mission and a mandate and that is an enormous luxury, but it’s also a huge responsibility.”
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The first docu in the fall 2024 lineup is Andy Sarjahani’s short “Wild Hogs and Saffron.” The film focuses on a wild hog hunt in the Ozarks that leads to an unexpectedly vulnerable dialogue between Sarjahani, an Iranian American filmmaker, and his childhood friend Bubba, whose paths diverged in the increasingly anti-Middle Eastern years after 9/11.
On Sept. 30, Maximina Juson’s “One Person, One Vote?” will debut. A nonpartisan look at the inner workings of the Electoral College, the doc examines the often misunderstood mechanism for electing a president.
Additional films in the slate include Manny Marquez’s “Make Peace or Die: Honor the Fallen” about U.S. Marine Corps veteran Anthony Marquez. He returns from Afghanistan deeply wounded and riddled with survivor’s guilt, making it his mission to help the Gold Star families find healing. In doing so, he attempts to heal himself. Also, “The History of White People in America” is a series of musical animated shorts that examines how skin color has come to define race in the United States. Directors are Ed Bell, Clementine Briand, Pierce Freelon, Jonathan Halperin, Aaron Keane, Drew Takahashi.
Closing out the lineup is Habib Yazdi’s short doc “United States of Comedy,” which will premiere on Nov. 12. The film gives context to emerging voices in comedy from culturally diverse communities throughout the United States, showcasing artists’ stand-up sets along with visuals from their hometowns and their families.
In an attempt to reach as wide an audience as possible, ITVS’ fall slate will be available via linear TV as well as various streaming sites, including PBS YouTube, the PBS app, and PBS Passport.
“Independent Lens is committed to reaching young and diverse audiences and we’re doubling down on streaming, with a renewed focus on producing and presenting digital series and shorts,” says Lois Vossen, Independent Lens executive producer.
All ITVS fall docus will be available for streaming on their respective premiere date.
