Independent Lens: Season 17
Season 17 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of Independent Lens Season 16.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Episode Guide
Season 17 Progress Shield
Stray Dog
Nov 9, 2015 · 60 min
The portrait of a motorcycle-riding Vietnam veteran. There’s much more to Ron “Stray Dog” Hall than meets the eye. Behind the tattoos and leather vest is a man dedicated to helping
India's Daughter
Nov 16, 2015 · 60 min
The story of the brutal gang rape and murder in Delhi of 23-year-old medical student Jyoti Singh, which sparked outrage and protests in India, a country beset by extreme poverty an
Mimi and Dona
Nov 23, 2015 · 60 min
What happens when love runs out of time? For 92-year-old Mimi, who has spent much of her life caring for 64-year-old Dona, her daughter with an intellectual disability, it means fa
East of Salinas
Dec 28, 2015 · 60 min
Born in Mexico but living in Salinas, California, 3rd-grader Jose loves school. With little support at home, he turns to his teacher, Oscar Ramos, who like Jose was born the son of
Chuck Norris vs. Communism
Jan 4, 2016 · 60 min
1980s Romania: thousands of American movies were smuggled through the Iron Curtain, opening a window into the free world. A black market racketeer and a courageous female translato
Autism in Love
Jan 11, 2016 · 60 min
Finding love can be hard enough for anyone, but for those on the autism spectrum, the challenges may seem overwhelming. The disorder can jeopardize the core characteristics of a su
No Más Bebés (No More Babies)
Jan 25, 2016 · 60 min
The story of a little-known but landmark event in reproductive justice, when a small group of Mexican immigrant women sued county doctors, the state, and the U.S. government after
In Football We Trust
Feb 1, 2016 · 60 min
Transporting viewers deep inside the tightly-knit and complex Polynesian community in Salt Lake City, one of the chief sources of the modern influx of Pacific Islander football pla
A Ballerina's Tale
Feb 8, 2016 · 60 min
Misty Copeland is on a mission to make history by becoming the first African American principal dancer of a major ballet company.
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution
Feb 16, 2016 · 60 min
Weaving together a treasure trove of rare footage with the voices of a diverse group of people who were there, Stanley Nelson tells the vibrant story of a pivotal movement as urgen
(T)ERROR
Feb 22, 2016 · 60 min
With twists and turns fit for an espionage thriller, (T)error goes deep inside an active terror sting without FBI consent.
Wilhemina’s War
Feb 29, 2016 · 60 min
A Southern grandmother struggles to help her granddaughter survive the health risks and social stigma of living with HIV in South Carolina.
An Honest Liar
Mar 28, 2016 · 60 min
Fed up with faith healers, fortune-tellers, and psychics using his beloved magician’s tricks to swindle money out of credulous people, James “The Amazing” Randi dedicated his life
Welcome to Leith
Apr 4, 2016 · 60 min
When a notorious white supremacist and his followers hatch a scheme to gain electoral control of Leith, North Dakota, the residents of the tiny town desperately seek to expel their
Democrats
Apr 25, 2016 · 60 min
Rival political operatives attempt to make history as they navigate Zimbabwe's volatile political landscape to draft a new constitution.
My Nazi Legacy
May 2, 2016 · 60 min
My Nazi Legacy explores the relationship between two men, each of whom are the children of Nazi war criminals who were responsible for thousands of deaths. Through frank interviews
Peace Officer
May 9, 2016 · 60 min
Meet Dub Lawrence, a crusading former sheriff whose investigations highlight increasingly militarized state of American police. Dub established Utah’s first SWAT team, only to see
The Armor of Light
May 10, 2016 · 60 min
The Armor of Light follows the journey of Evangelical minister Rob Schenck, who is trying to find the courage to preach about the growing toll of gun violence in America, and Lucy
Dogtown Redemption
May 16, 2016 · 60 min
Dogtown Redemption is the story of three recyclers struggling to survive in West Oakland, a neighborhood already decimated by unemployment, addiction, and violence. Their only life
TRAPPED
Jun 20, 2016 · 60 min
Trapped goes inside the contentious issue of abortion rights through the story of health care providers in Texas, Mississippi, and Alabama who are struggling to comply with controv
T-Rex: Her Fight for Gold
Aug 2, 2016 · 60 min
Flint, Michigan’s Claressa "T-Rex" Shields won a Gold Medal in 2012, the first time women were allowed to box in the Olympics. T-Rex is a coming-of-age tale of a girl who learns th