8.0/1013 votes#1 - Wildland
Season 20 Episode 1 - Aired 10/29/2018
Filmed during two recent wildfire seasons, Wildland is a sweeping yet deeply personal account of a wildland firefighting crew as they struggle with fear, loyalty, dreams, and demons. This is the story of ordinary people with nothing left to lose — as they trudge through an unforgiving face a test of mind, body, and spirit.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
NaN/100 votes#2 - Dawnland
Season 20 Episode 2 - Aired 11/5/2018
Dawnland reveals the untold story of Indigenous child removal in the United States through the first government-endorsed truth and reconciliation commission in the nation, tasked with investigating the devastating impact of Maine’s child welfare practices on Native American communities.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
NaN/100 votes#3 - The Cleaners
Season 20 Episode 3 - Aired 11/12/2018
"Delete...Ignore...Delete… Ignore…" Someone is out there censoring your social media feed. Do their decisions distort your understanding of the world as much as clever hoaxes and "fake news"? The Cleaners charts social media’s evolution from a shared vision of a global village to a dangerous web of fake news, extremism, and radicalization.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
NaN/100 votes#4 - The Judge
Season 20 Episode 4 - Aired 11/19/2018
Showing Shari’a law in a way we've never seen before--through the story of the first-ever female judge in Palestine’s religious courts--The Judge is a portrait of a remarkable woman that also provides rare insight into both Islamic law and gendered justice.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.4/1011 votes#5 - Man on Fire
Season 20 Episode 5 - Aired 12/17/2018
In 2014, 79-year-old white Methodist minister drove to an empty parking lot in his old hometown of Grand Saline, Texas, and set himself on fire. He left a note on his car’s windshield calling the act his final protest against the virulent racism of the community and his country at large. Man on Fire uncovers the truth about the town’s past and what drove Moore to his shocking final act.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
6.8/106 votes#6 - My Country No More
Season 20 Episode 6 - Aired 1/7/2019
Following the rise and fall of the oil boom in North Dakota, My Country No More paints a portrait of a rural American community in crisis split by a high-stakes divide.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.0/1013 votes#7 - Rodents of Unusual Size
Season 20 Episode 7 - Aired 1/14/2019
Rodents of Unusual Size is a real-life horror "tail" about the various and eccentric methods Louisiana residents have employed to tackle a growing menace that lurks in the bayous and backwaters: hordes of monstrous 20-pound swamp rats known as nutria.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.1/1015 votes#8 - RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked The World
Season 20 Episode 8 - Aired 1/21/2019
RUMBLE is the electric story of how Native American influence shaped rock and roll, a missing chapter in music history.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.1/1020 votes#9 - The King
Season 20 Episode 9 - Aired 1/28/2019
Forty years after the death of Elvis Presley, filmmaker Eugene Jarecki takes the King’s 1963 Rolls-Royce on a musical road trip across America. From Memphis to New York, Las Vegas, and beyond, the journey traces the rise and fall of Elvis as a metaphor for the country he left behind.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
6.0/107 votes#10 - Black Memorabilia
Season 20 Episode 10 - Aired 2/4/2019
What does it mean when Americans rebuke racism yet hold on to nostalgic objects that embrace it? Black Memorabilia explores the world of racist material, both antique and new, that pushes demeaning representations of African Americans. From industrial China to the rural South to Brooklyn, the film shines a light on those who reproduce, consume--and reclaim--racially-charged items.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.4/109 votes#11 - Hale County This Morning, This Evening
Season 20 Episode 11 - Aired 2/11/2019
RaMell Ross's Hale County This Morning, This Evening, one of the year's most critically acclaimed films, is a dreamy and intimate journey through the world of Hale County, Alabama, a richly detailed glimpse into life in America’s Black Belt.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
6.1/1012 votes#12 - People's Republic of Desire
Season 20 Episode 12 - Aired 2/25/2019
In an age where the power of technology helps us connect, are we as isolated as ever? People’s Republic of Desire exposes the baffling reality of how virtual relationships are replacing real-life human connections through China’s video-based social network YY––a hugely popular gathering place for over 300 million people in China.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
5.6/107 votes#13 - Tre Maison Dasan
Season 20 Episode 13 - Aired 4/1/2019
Told directly through the eyes of the children themselves, Tre Maison Dasan is an up-close and unfiltered look at the lives of three Rhode Island boys, each navigating childhood and adolescence with a parent in prison. Society writes these parents off as criminals, but in their hearts their children still see them as mom and dad.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
NaN/100 votes#14 - The Providers
Season 20 Episode 14 - Aired 4/8/2019
Three rural healthcare providers try to make a difference in the lives of their patients against overwhelming odds.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
NaN/100 votes#15 - Marcos Doesn't Live Here Anymore
Season 20 Episode 15 - Aired 4/15/2019
Elizabeth Perez, a decorated U.S. Marine veteran living in Cleveland, fights to reunite her family after her undocumented husband, Marcos, is deported. Acclaimed filmmaker David Sutherland examines the U.S. immigration system through the lives of two unforgettable protagonists whose lives reveal the human cost of deportation.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.2/1011 votes#16 - Charm City
Season 20 Episode 16 - Aired 4/22/2019
In Baltimore, the murder rate is high and trust in law enforcement is low—meet the engaged citizens reversing those trends in Charm City.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
NaN/100 votes#17 - Out of State
Season 20 Episode 17 - Aired 5/6/2019
In Out of State, two native Hawaiians sent thousands of miles away to a private prison in the desert find a community of other native Hawaiians and discover indigenous traditions from a fellow inmate serving a life sentence. After finishing their terms and returning to Hawai'i, the men both find life on the outside a struggle and wonder if it’s possible to ever go home again.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
NaN/100 votes#18 - Harvest Season; The Seed Saver
Season 20 Episode 18 - Aired 5/13/2019
California’s Napa Valley is one of the premier wine growing regions in the world, celebrated as an idyllic and luxurious destination. Yet, many of the vineyard workers and the small producers with roots in the fields are rarely credited for the valley's famed bounty. Filmed over the course of one agricultural year, Harvest Season takes an “other side of the valley” approach, giving a unique view of the dramatic process that goes into making some of the world’s most celebrated wines. Kristyn Leach's seeds come from ancient heritage breeds from Asia, and she is one of only a handful of farmers still growing these crops as they face extinction. But the day-to-day challenges of disease and wildlife take their toll as she feels a deep responsibility to the seeds she is trying to save. The Seed Saver is a short film airing with Harvest Season on Independent Lens.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
NaN/100 votes#19 - Wrestle
Season 20 Episode 19 - Aired 5/20/2019
Wrestle goes inside the lives of four members of the high school wrestling team at Huntsville’s J.O. Johnson High School--a longstanding entry on Alabama’s list of failing schools. Teammates Jailen, Jamario, Teague, and Jaquan show that needing a win can be about much more than just beating your opponent on the mat.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
The Best Episodes of Independent Lens Season 20
Every episode of Independent Lens Season 20 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Independent Lens Season 20!
This acclaimed Emmy Award-winning anthology series features documentaries and a limited number of fiction films united by the creative freedom, artistic achievement and unflinching visions...
Genre:Documentary
Network:PBS
Season 20 Ratings Summary
"Wildland" is the best rated episode of "Independent Lens" season 20. It scored 8/10 based on 13 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 10/29/2018. This episode is rated NaN points higher than the second-best, "Dawnland".