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The Best Episodes of Independent Lens Season 27

Every episode of Independent Lens Season 27 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Independent Lens Season 27!

Binge this in 20h 0m•Peaking at 8.6/10

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 of their independent producers and featuring unforgettable stories about a

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Independent Lens Season 27 Episode 1 - Cracking the Code: Phil Sharp and the Biotech Revolution
    8.1/10(11 votes)

    #1 - Cracking the Code: Phil Sharp and the Biotech Revolution

    S27:E1

    Phil Sharp's RNA discovery reshaped science, medicine, and the global biotech industry.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. Independent Lens Season 27 Episode 2 - Ratified
    6.8/10(7 votes)

    #2 - Ratified

    S27:E2

    A bipartisan coalition continues a century-long fight to add gender equality into the Constitution.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. Independent Lens Season 27 Episode 3 - Life After
    7.4/10(6 votes)

    #3 - Life After

    S27:E3

    Disabled 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?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Independent Lens Season 27 Episode 4 - Vivien's Wild Ride
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #4 - Vivien's Wild Ride

    S27:E4

    When her eyesight begins to fade, a film editor reimagines belonging and what it truly means to see.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Independent Lens Season 27 Episode 5 - The Librarians
    8.6/10(17 votes)

    #5 - The Librarians

    S27:E5

    Librarians 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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Independent Lens Season 27 Episode 6 - The Inquisitor
    7.6/10(9 votes)

    #6 - The Inquisitor

    S27:E6

    Barbara 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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  7. Independent Lens Season 27 Episode 7 - Keep Quiet and Forgive
    7.9/10(7 votes)

    #7 - Keep Quiet and Forgive

    S27:E7

    Three 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.

    Director:Sarah McClure
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Independent Lens Season 27 Episode 8 - The Tallest Dwarf
    7.6/10(7 votes)

    #8 - The Tallest Dwarf

    S27:E8

    Follow 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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Independent Lens Season 27 Episode 9 - BACKSIDE: The Unseen Hands of Horse Racing
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #9 - BACKSIDE: The Unseen Hands of Horse Racing

    S27:E9

    Immigrant 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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. Independent Lens Season 27 Episode 10 - Natchez
    7.6/10(11 votes)

    #10 - Natchez

    S27:E10

    Antebellum 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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. Independent Lens Season 27 Episode 11 - Light of the Setting Sun
    6.3/10(8 votes)

    #11 - Light of the Setting Sun

    S27:E11

    A 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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. Independent Lens Season 27 Episode 12 - Third Act
    7.2/10(6 votes)

    #12 - Third Act

    S27:E12

    Generations 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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Independent Lens Season 27 Episode 13 - Assembly
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #13 - Assembly

    S27:E13

    Artist Rashaad Newsome prepares to showcase "Assembly," a groundbreaking exhibit at New York’s Park Avenue Armory. By blending visual art, performance, and artificial intelligence, the project centers the global evolution of vogue while honoring Black and queer resistance and calling for a more liberated future.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Independent Lens Season 27 Episode 14 - True North: Canadian Myths and Black Power
    6.4/10(15 votes)

    #14 - True North: Canadian Myths and Black Power

    S27:E14

    Through rare archival footage and firsthand accounts, True North revisits 1968 Montreal, where Black liberation movements converged at the Congress of Black Writers. As student protests ignited the Sir George Williams Affair, Black youth faced violent repression, unfolding a powerful chapter of the global Black Power era.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Independent Lens Season 27 Episode 15 - Flood
    7.2/10(6 votes)

    #15 - Flood

    S27:E15

    Returning home to California’s Inland Empire, filmmaker Katy Scoggin seeks to reconnect with her estranged father, who works as an elementary science teacher. He is the only evangelical left in the family, and as they face their differences on faith, family, and belonging, their journey becomes a portrait of empathy and resilience. Together, they find new ways to listen and bridge divides.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Season 27 Ratings Summary

"Cracking the Code: Phil Sharp and the Biotech Revolution" is the best rated episode of "Independent Lens" season 27. It scored 8.1/10 based on 11 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 10/6/2025. This episode is rated 1.3 points higher than the second-best, "Ratified".