ITVS

(San Francisco, CA) September 1, 2026— A love letter to centennial farmers in the American South, Brittany Shyne’s documentary feature debut “Seeds” will premiere October 26, 2026, on PBS’s INDEPENDENT LENS. The U.S. Documentary Grand Jury Prize winner at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival is a lyrical and intimate exploration of Black farmers in the American South and the enduring power of land ownership across generations.

An intimate portrait of family, race, and the uneasy search for truth inside modern America, Nick Beaulieu’s documentary feature debut “My Omaha” will premiere October 5, 2026, on PBS’s INDEPENDENT LENS. Set in Omaha, Nebraska, where the legacies of Malcolm X, racial segregation, and political division still shape everyday life, “My Omaha” begins in 2016, as the emergence of Donald Trump intensifies political and racial divisions across the United States.

(San Francisco, CA) August 14, 2026—The provocative documentary, “Ghost in the Machine,” directed by Valerie Veatch (“Me @ The Zoo,” “Love Child”), premieres on PBS’s INDEPENDENT LENS on September 14, 2026. The documentary investigates the forces that shaped AI technology before it entered daily lives, as well as those driving the global AI boom. While uncovering the origins of the technology, the film reveals its connection to global power structures.

Independent Television Service (ITVS) today announced that President and CEO Carrie Lozano has stepped down from her role to focus on treating a complex autoimmune condition. The ITVS Board of Directors has appointed public media leader and Independent Lens founding executive producer Lois Vossen as Interim President and CEO, effective August 6, 2026, while the Board conducts a national search for the organization’s next president and CEO.

“Flood,” a deeply personal documentary by filmmaker Katy Scoggin, will premiere on INDEPENDENT LENS on July 13, 2026. The film chronicles Scoggin’s journey back to her evangelical roots, as she navigates a strained relationship with her father, Marvin, and discovers a path to mutual understanding amid their starkly different beliefs.

We’re thrilled to reveal our first group of digital storytellers selected for the Independent Lens Creator Lab, a groundbreaking production fund and accelerator that pushes the boundaries of public media. The Lab is a view of the vertical landscape and a signal of where storytelling is headed—and how Independent Lens, with ITVS, is evolving alongside it. For more than 30 years, we’ve supported some of the most acclaimed documentary films in America.

Park Avenue Armory presents Rashaad Newsome’ s ASSEMBLY with a performance during a dress rehearsal in the Wade Thompson Drill Hall at the Park Avenue Armory on February 26, 2022. Photo Credit: Stephanie Berger Following artist Rashaad Newsome as he creates a visionary exhibition exploring the evolution of Black and queer culture through contemporary voguing, “Assembly” will premiere June 22, 2026, on PBS’s INDEPENDENT LENS.

ITVS announced today that its longtime Executive Vice President of Content, Jim Sommers, will depart the organization on May 8, 2026, after more than 25 years of leadership. “It has been the honor of my career to serve this extraordinary organization and to work alongside the dedicated staff and passionate filmmakers who uplift the diverse voices of our country and world,” Sommers said.

Revealing the largely untold history of anti-Black racism in Canada, “True North: Canadian Myths and Black Power” will premiere July 6, 2026, on PBS’s INDEPENDENT LENS. Through historic archives and the voices of those who lived through 1960s Montreal, “True North” explores pivotal events that impacted the global movement for Black liberation. In 1968, the war in Vietnam was escalating, African nation-states were decolonizing, and revolutionary activity was increasing in the Caribbean.

One family. Four generations shaped by displacement and trauma. “Light of the Setting Sun,” a heartfelt exploration of the multigenerational trauma that has haunted a large Chinese family across time and borders, premieres Monday, May 18, 2026, on PBS’s INDEPENDENT LENS. Taiwanese-American filmmaker Vicky Du investigates the multigenerational trauma that has persisted in her family since the Chinese Communist Revolution drove her grandparents from their home in 1949.