Debbie Lum: Last News

Sasha Urban editorEmmy Award-winning PBS series “Independent Lens” has announced its spring slate of documentary films, including Sundance favorite “Try Harder!,” from director Debbie Lum. The spring lineup kicks off on April 25 at 10 p.m., with additional titles available on PBS.org and the PBS Video app.“This spring we’re focusing on stories that shine light on a spectrum of youth perspectives, from ambitious high school students in San Francisco striving to navigate the college admissions system that feels stacked against them to Indigenous students in Utah’s Navajo Nation balancing universal teenage trials with issues in their community,” said Lois Vossen, executive producer of “Independent Lens.” “We hope viewers are inspired to think about new systems and practices in education, criminal justice reform, and representation that are needed within their own communities.” In addition to “Try Harder!,” which offers an up-close look at the competitive college admissions process for a group of San Francisco high schoolers, “Independent Lens” announced that it will kick off the season with the documentary “Aware: Glimpses of Consciousness,” about the different sides of human consciousness, from directors Frauke Sandig and Eric Black.”Aware” premieres on May 2, and will be followed on May 9 by “When Claude Got Shot,” from executive producer Snoop Dogg and director Brad Lichtenstein.

Film Independent has set Alex Camilleri (Luzzu), Lizzie Shapiro (Shiva Baby) and Jessica Beshir (Faya Dayi) as the winners of its Emerging Filmmaker Awards, with each now earning an unrestricted $25,000 Spirit Awards cash grant.

Selome Hailu Film Independent has named the winners of three unrestricted $25,000 Spirit Awards cash grants for emerging filmmakers: Alex Camilleri, Lizzie Shapiro and Jessica Beshir. The announcements were made by Ekwa Msangi (“Farewell Amor”), Gerry Kim (“I’m No Longer Here”) and Elegance Bratton (“Pier Kids”), who received the grants last year.Camilleri, director of “Luzzu,” received the Someone to Watch Award. The award is in its 28th year and recognizes talented filmmakers of singular vision who have not yet received appropriate recognition.