Independent Lens

Season 27

TV-PG
Independent Lens is an award-winning PBS documentary series that streams on the PBS App and airs on public television. Independent Lens documentaries focus on stories of underrepresented communities and universal challenges found across America. The series has been awarded numerous Emmys and Peabodys, and has been nominated for 10 Academy Awards.

Where to Watch Independent Lens • Season 27

15 Episodes

  • Cracking the Code: Phil Sharp and the Biotech Revolution
    E1
    Cracking the Code: Phil Sharp and the Biotech RevolutionPhil Sharp's RNA discovery reshaped science, medicine, and the global biotech industry.
  • Ratified
    E2
    RatifiedA bipartisan coalition continues a century-long fight to add gender equality into the Constitution.
  • Life After
    E3
    Life AfterDisabled filmmaker Reid Davenport investigates assisted dying and uncovers how ableism, policy, and systemic failures can make death seem like the only option. Who gets real choice -- and who doesn't -- in life and death?
  • Vivien's Wild Ride
    E4
    Vivien's Wild RideWhen her eyesight begins to fade, a film editor reimagines belonging and what it truly means to see.
  • The Librarians
    E5
    The LibrariansLibrarians across the U.S. examine how restrictions on library content are shaping communities. Drawing on historical context, the film explores the broader implications for education and public life.
  • The Inquisitor
    E6
    The InquisitorBarbara Jordan was a groundbreaking Texas congresswoman whose sharp intellect and moral clarity transformed U.S. politics. From Nixon's impeachment to civil rights battles, her voice demanded accountability, while she privately faced struggles few ever knew of.
  • Keep Quiet and Forgive
    E7
    Keep Quiet and ForgiveThree decades after her assault, Lizzie confronts her Amish community’s silence around sexual abuse. She leads a movement to support fellow Amish and Mennonite survivors as they navigate trauma, faith, and family ties. With rare access, Keep Quiet and Forgive follows Lizzie and other survivors as they fight to replace “forgive and forget” with healing and justice.
  • The Tallest Dwarf
    E8
    The Tallest DwarfThe Tallest Dwarf follows filmmaker Julie Forrest Wyman as she searches for her place in the little people community and unpacks rumors of dwarfism in her own family. Through intimate stories, creative collaborations, and archival history, the film delves into identity and medicine, asking whether society should change people or the structures that limit them.
  • BACKSIDE: The Unseen Hands of Horse Racing
    E9
    BACKSIDE: The Unseen Hands of Horse RacingImmigrant grooms work year-round on the hidden “backside” of Churchill Downs. Rising before dawn, they care for some of the world’s most prized Kentucky Derby racehorses, revealing how race, labor, and class shape an elite American industry. BACKSIDE: The Unseen Hands of Horse Racing honors the resilience that’s behind the spectacle.
  • Natchez
    E10
    NatchezAntebellum homes draw visitors to Natchez, Mississippi, but not everyone agrees on the stories being told. As tour guides, homeowners, and activists navigate competing histories, the town confronts the tension between preservation and truth, offering a glimpse into a Southern community wrestling with race, memory, and identity.
  • Light of the Setting Sun
    E11
    Light of the Setting SunA Chinese family’s multigenerational trauma unfolds across time, place, and identity. Turning the camera inward, filmmaker Vicky Du traces her family’s mental illness back to the Chinese Communist Revolution of 1949. Spanning Taipei, Taiwan, and New Jersey, Light of the Setting Sun explores identity, gender roles, and whether or not healing can break the cycle for future generations.
  • Third Act
    E12
    Third ActGenerations call Robert A. Nakamura the godfather of Asian American film. Tadashi Nakamura calls him Dad. Tadashi turns the camera on his father as they confront art, activism, and aging. From WWII incarceration to cultural awakening and a Parkinson’s diagnosis, Third Act is a tender portrait of legacy, inherited trauma, and the final chapter of a shared creative life.
  • Assembly
    E13
    AssemblyVogue, AI, and identity collide as an artist creates an exhibition honoring Black and queer culture.
  • Jul 6
    E14
    True North: Canadian Myths and Black PowerHow 1960s Montreal helped shape the global movement for Black liberation.
  • Jul 13
    E15
    FloodA filmmaker revisits her evangelical roots to find connection with her estranged father.

Cast of Season 27

  • Stanley Tucci

 

  •   
  •   
  •   
  •   
  •   
  •   
  •   

Take Plex everywhere

Watch free anytime, anywhere, on almost any device.
See the full list of supported devices