The ITVS Indie Roundup
A curated list of indie news and recommendations from ITVS’s Rebecca Huval.
Want to know how to make money? No, I mean, really, like how money is minted? This fascinating 1920 silent documentary shows how gold is melted into coins. Enough about dusty old documentaries. This upcoming film about the Tropicalia music movement in Brazil promises to leave you with some new summer jams. Interview whizzes Lucy Walker and Steve James turn their skills on each other as they chat about their creative paths and processes. The directors of Waste Land and The Interrupters will also give you pointers about getting sources to open up.
We all love documentaries, but are they also movie critics’ darlings? IndieWire lists off some reasons why cultural mavens might give inflated grades to nonfiction films. Our friends at POV responded with four more reasons why we love docs the most.
Wedding planning is a life-sucking beast. But what happens in the aftermath to all those carefully chosen garlands? In India, documentary photographer Mahesh Shantaram captured the aftermath of elaborate Hindu weddings to examine his country’s “penchant for order and chaos.”
Instagram has created a culture of rushed photography viewing. At least one photographer is fighting that. In San Francisco, Andre J. Hermann is shooting Instagram pix, binding them into books, hiding them in the city, and giving online clues as to their whereabouts.
The National Film Board of Canada is back with yet another elaborately-designed interactive documentary project. This one explores the soundscapes of the city, suburbs, nature, and even hermitage (a monastery, for example), and invites you to share your own sounds.
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From our blog
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ITVS Responds to Rescission Vote
July 18, 2025[July 18, 2025] Carrie Lozano, President and CEO of the Independent Television Service (ITVS), issued the following statement in response to Congress' vote clawing back congressional approved funding for public media.Congress’ decision to pass the rescission package that removes the $1.1B of previously approved federal funds for the Corporation of…
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Protecting Our Future and Charting the Course Ahead
June 4, 2025We are sharing the sad and difficult news that ITVS is reducing its staff by 13 individuals across the organization. For a staff so committed to our mission and to each other, this 20% staff reduction is a painful moment. Our dedicated staff have made important contributions that are part of ITVS' legacy and success story. In the past few months, ITVS has…
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ITVS Documentary "Greener Pastures" Honored by the Television Academy
May 1, 2025The Television Academy announced that the ITVS-supported, Independent Lens documentary Greener Pastures will be celebrated at the 18th Television Academy Honors. Established in 2008, the Television Academy Honors Award recognizes “Television with a Conscience” and seeks to celebrate programs that inspire, motivate, and harness the power of…