Encompassing the full spectrum of film — from history to drama to animation to shorts to social-issue films — this anthology series allows audiences greater access to powerful and innovative programs united by the creative freedom, artistic achievement and unflinching visions of their independent producers. Maggie Gyllenhaal hosts the new season.

Tuesday, May 3, 11:00 p.m.
A Film Unfinished
This haunting film about a film examines a classic Nazi propaganda film used by historians for decades to provide insight into the realities of life in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1942. The recent discovery of a second reel in an East German archive has thrown the veracity and intent of the Ghetto footage into question. It becomes clear as film and war historians examine the outtakes reel that Nazi propagandists and the SA had staged elaborate scenes to mislead the general public about what was really happening in Warsaw.

Tuesday, May 10, 11:00 p.m.
Bhutto
A portrait of one of the most fascinating and complex figures of our time, Bhutto is the epic tale of the life and tragic death of Benazir Bhutto, who broke the Islamic glass ceiling as the first woman leader of a Muslim country. Beloved by the people of her native Pakistan, she was reviled by the nation’s military establishment and male-dominated ruling class. More than two years after her death from a suicide bomber, Benazir remains a divisive figure, a symbolic metaphor for the fight between terrorism and moderation. That struggle continues today in Pakistan, the world’s most strategically important country and the Muslim world’s sole nuclear power. Directed by Duane Baughman and Johnny O’Hara.

Tuesday, May 17 at 11:00 p.m.
Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo
Beginning in the modern-day and working backward, “Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo” explores the history of Japan’s love affair with bugs. Using insects like an anthropologist’s toolkit, the film uncovers Japanese philosophies that will shift viewers’ perspectives on nature, beauty and life, and counter the exigencies of day-to-day life.

Tuesday, May 24 at 11:00 p.m.
Welcome to Shelbyville
Set in the heart of America’s Bible Belt, “Welcome to Shelbyville” focuses on a small Southern town as it grapples with rapid demographic change and issues of immigrant integration. The film captures the complexity of the African American, Latino, white and Somali subjects as their lives intertwine against the backdrop of a crumbling economy and the election of a new president.

 

Visit the web site at www.pbs.org/independentlens.