PBS Series Independent Lens Announces Second Half of 2007/2008 Season
Highlights Include the theatrical successes KING CORN and DEEP WATER
(San Francisco, CA)—Independent Lens, the Emmy Award®–winning PBS series hosted by Oscar®-nominated Terrence Howard, today announced its February–June 2008 lineup. The current season debuted in October 2007 with the box office hit WORDPLAY and has featured several standout programs, including AN UNREASONABLE MAN, PLEASE VOTE FOR ME and TODAY’S MAN.
Airing Tuesday nights at 10:00 PM on PBS, Independent Lens features an eclectic mix of U.S. and international documentaries and takes viewers both next door and around the world, introducing them to unforgettable stories from independent voices. Highlights of the season include: BANISHED, a film about how three American towns made their African American citizens disappear overnight; IRON LADIES OF LIBERIA, an intimate documentary that goes behind the scenes with Africa’s first freely elected female head of state, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, president of Liberia; KING CORN, about two recent college graduates who embark on a mission to see where America’s food comes from—by growing it; A DREAM IN DOUBT, set in Mesa, Ariz., reveals a story of national tragedy, murder and the American dream in a post-9/11 world; and finally, NEW YEAR BABY, which follows filmmaker Socheata Poeuv on her journey to Cambodia to uncover her family’s hidden secrets and discover how they survived the Khmer Rouge genocide.
This year’s Independent Lens season will conclude with the back-to-back broadcasts of two fascinating, harrowing documentaries that demonstrate the power of the genre to tell jaw-dropping stories filled with more twists and turns than any fiction film. DEEP WATER is the amazing and compelling true story of the fateful voyage of Donald Crowhurst, an amateur yachtsman who enters the most daring nautical challenge ever—the very first solo, nonstop, around-the-world boat race. ABDUCTION: The Megumi Yokota Story is the true story of a 13-year-old Japanese girl kidnapped by North Korean spies in 1977 and her parents’ 30-year battle to bring her home. Told through the eyes of Megumi’s parents, ABDUCTION follows their incredible journey, a journey full of bizarre twists through a life they never imagined.
For the complete lineup of the fall 2007/2008 season, visit: pbs.org/independentlens.
About Independent Lens
Independent Lens is an Emmy® Award–winning weekly series airing Tuesday nights at 10:00 PM on PBS. The acclaimed anthology series features documentaries and a limited number of fiction films united by the creative freedom, artistic achievement and unflinching visions of their independent producers. Independent Lens features unforgettable stories about a unique individual, community or moment in history. Presented by ITVS, the series is supported by interactive companion websites and national publicity and community engagement campaigns. Further information about the series is available at pbs.org/independentlens. Independent Lens is jointly curated by ITVS and PBS and is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, with additional funding provided by PBS and the National Endowment for the Arts. The series producer is Lois Vossen.
CONTACT: Voleine Amilcar, 415-356-8383 x 244, voleine_amilcar@itvs.org Mary Lugo, 770-623-8190, lugo@negia.net Cara White, 843-881-1480, cara.white@mac.com