Category Archives: Film

School Shooting in Newtown Recalled on Independent Lens

Posted on April 3, 2017 by Judith Trojan

“Of the 26 dead, most are children,” reported NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt to a nation stunned by the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 14, 2012. Six educators and 20 six- and seven-year-old … Continue reading →

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Dorothea Lange: Grab a Hunk of Lightning Rebroadcast on PBS

Posted on March 21, 2017 by Judith Trojan

As we nervously anticipate the Federal cuts in funding for women’s and low-income services, health care, the arts, public TV production and programming, I salute tonight’s timely PBS rebroadcast of Dorothea Lange: Grab a Hunk of Lightning.  This powerful documentary debuted on … Continue reading →

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The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble Debuts on HBO

Posted on March 6, 2017 by Judith Trojan

“We don’t speak perfect English, but we speak perfect music.” That refrain drives Morgan Neville’s powerful feature-length documentary, The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, debuting on HBO tonight, Monday, March 6, 2017, 8:00 – 9:35 p.m. ET/PT. … Continue reading →

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Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise Debuts on PBS

Posted on February 21, 2017 by Judith Trojan

I think it would be virtually impossible to make a lackluster film about writer, singer, dancer, actress, poet, director and social activist Maya Angelou. An electrifying presence in every medium she mastered, Dr. Angelou passed away in 2014. She was revered especially in … Continue reading →

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Tower Debuts on PBS and Revisits Austin Massacre

Posted on February 14, 2017 by Judith Trojan

“If I could see the top of the tower, then the sniper could see me,” says Ray Martinez, former Austin, Texas, patrolman, as he recalls the chain of events that thrust him into the line of fire during America’s first mass … Continue reading →

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John Lewis Inspires Us to Get in the Way

Posted on February 10, 2017 by Judith Trojan

“I don’t see this President-elect as a legitimate President,” said Civil Rights icon and longtime U.S. Congressman John Lewis. “I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton.” After … Continue reading →

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The Witness Takes the Stand on PBS

Posted on January 23, 2017 by Judith Trojan

“I was 16 when my sister, Kitty, was murdered in New York City, ” says William Genovese in the gripping, feature-length documentary The Witness. “In an instant she was gone. No one understood me like Kitty.” Following its well-received theatrical release in … Continue reading →

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HBO Debuts Bright Lights…Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds

Posted on January 7, 2017 by Judith Trojan

“She’s me, and I’m her,” says actress/writer Carrie Fisher in the delicious new feature-length documentary Bright Lights. Fisher’s remark caps one of her grueling gigs at a Star Wars fan convention and refers to her breakout film role as Princess Leia. But she might as … Continue reading →

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By Sidney Lumet Launches New Season of American Masters

Posted on January 3, 2017 by Judith Trojan

“I’m not directing the moral message, I’m directing that piece and those people, says esteemed film and TV director Sidney Lumet in American Masters: By Sidney Lumet. “If I do it well, the moral message will come through.” Lumet died in 2011; but, … Continue reading →

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Marathon Powerfully Revisits the Patriots Day Bombing on HBO

Posted on November 21, 2016 by Judith Trojan

What does the word “hero” mean to you? If you feel that the only “heroes” still standing in America today are the cartoon characters featured in action films, you’re not alone. Abraham Lincoln concluded his First Inaugural Address in March … Continue reading →

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