Scene from “Bike Vessel” by Eric D. Seals
(TEANECK, NJ) -- INDEPENDENT LENS announced the launch of the new season of Indie Lens Pop-Up, the long-running screening series that brings people together for community-driven conversations around its thought-provoking documentaries. The event series will feature both in-person and virtual screenings in more than 100 cities across the U.S.
Through its roster of five documentary projects this season, Indie Lens Pop-Up will ignite conversations on a range of topics, including a Cambodian American basketball prodigy, the American institution of public libraries, and the history of funk music. This season’s topics also aim to expand perspectives through deeply personal stories, like what it means to live with Alzheimer’s disease and the bond between father and son. Each film will make its television debut on INDEPENDENT LENS, PBS’s award-winning documentary anthology series, and will be available to stream on the PBS app.
“We’re so excited to continue these Indie Lens Pop-Up screenings that not only advance independent stories, but continue to bring together local communities across the U.S.,” said Beatriz Castillo, senior director of engagement operations at ITVS.
Indie Lens Pop-Up events provide a space to watch and discuss timely issues explored in its award-winning documentaries. Hundreds of these screenings are hosted in-person and virtually by partners across the nation. Since its inception in 2005, more than 7,200 Indie Lens Pop-Up events have brought an estimated 430,000 participants together to discuss issues that impact local communities.
Locally, The Teaneck International Film Festival will be partnering with the Teaneck Public Library and The Puffin Cultural Forum on presenting this five-month series which kicks off with “Bike Vessel” on Wednesday, January 29 at 7:30pm EST and continues monthly through May 21st. The film screenings will all include a moderated talkback featuring the filmmakers, subjects of the documentaries, producers, community leaders and more to be announced. Viewers will have the choice of attending the film screenings virtually from the comfort of their own home anywhere in the United States or participating in two in-person screenings to be held at Teaneck’s Puffin Cultural Forum. The two live in-person screenings will feature “We Want the Funk” held on Sunday, March 23 at 4:00pm and “Free for All: The Public Library” held on Sunday, April 27 at 4:00pm.
Jeremy Lentz, Executive Director of the Teaneck International Film Festival “is proud to launch our fifth season of Indie Lens Pop-Up. These films continue to empower our community to come together and talk about topics that might be otherwise difficult to discuss with one another. With this continued partnership, we’re not only able to share films from the award-winning INDEPENDENT LENS series, but we also create open, safe forums to talk about important issues affecting our neighborhoods today, hopefully providing useful resources for those who need them.”
The 2024-2025 Indie Lens Pop-Up lineup includes the following documentaries:
“Bike Vessel” by Eric D. Seals - In this portrait of familial love, Donnie Seals Sr. undergoes a transformation after several medical crises and, at age 70, embarks on a long-distance cycling trip with his son. Virtual screening date: Wednesday, January 29, 2025 at 7:30pm (EST)
“Home Court” by Erica Tanamachi - “Home Court” traces the ascent of Ashley Chea, a Cambodian American basketball prodigy whose life intensifies amid recruitment, injury, and triumph throughout her high school career. Virtual screening date: Wednesday, February 26, 2025 at 7:30pm (EST)
“We Want the Funk” by Stanley Nelson - “We Want the Funk” is a syncopated voyage through the history of funk music, spanning its African and early jazz roots. In-person screening held at Puffin Cultural Forum (20 Puffin Way, Teaneck, NJ): Sunday, March 23, 2024 at 4:00pm (EDT). Virtual screening date: Wednesday, April 2, 2024 at 7:30pm (EDT)
“Free for All: The Public Library” by Dawn Logsdon and Lucie Faulknor - “Free for All: The Public Library” tells the story of the U.S. public library system—a simple idea that shaped a nation and the quiet revolutionaries who made it happen. In-person screening held at Puffin Cultural Forum (20 Puffin Way, Teaneck, NJ): Sunday, April 27, 2024 at 4:00pm (EDT). Virtual screening date: Wednesday, May 7, 2024 at 7:30pm (EDT)
“Matter of Mind: My Alzheimer's” by Anna Moot-Levin and Laura Green - “Matter of Mind: My Alzheimer’s” explores how three families confront the challenges of Alzheimer’s, focusing on how the disease transforms identities and relationships. Virtual screening date: Wednesday, May 21, 2024 at 7:30pm (EDT)
TO RSVP TO ANY OF THE LISTED EVENTS CLICK HERE.
Indie Lens Pop-Up is a community series that brings people together for film screenings and conversations. Featuring documentaries seen on PBS's INDEPENDENT LENS, Indie Lens Pop-Up draws local residents, leaders, and organizations to discuss what matters most.
INDEPENDENT LENS is an Emmy® Award-winning PBS documentary series. With founding executive producer Lois Vossen, the series has been honored with 10 Academy Award nominations and features documentaries united by the creative freedom, artistic achievement, and unflinching visions of independent filmmakers. Presented by ITVS, INDEPENDENT LENS is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Acton Family Giving, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, Park Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, and National Endowment for the Arts. Stream anytime on the PBS app.
Teaneck International Film Festival draws over 4,000 filmgoers each year. Films and talkbacks illustrate what TIFF is about – making untouchable topics part of everyday conversation by addressing racism, oppression, the environment, the LGBTQ+ community, women’s issues, threats to democracy, immigration, and more -- stories of ordinary citizens whose voices are not often heard. With the theme, Activism: Making Change, the festival is an excellent starting point for fostering appreciation of differences, understanding all that we share, and encouraging efforts to help make the world a better place.
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