Learn more about autism and get involved by attending a Community Cinema screening of The Horse Boy this month. To find a screening near you, visit www.pbs.org/independentlens/horse-boy/getinvolved.html.

The Horse Boy will air nationally on Independent Lens on May 11 at 10:00 PM on PBS (check local listings).

In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg, a leading Vietnam War strategist, concludes that America’s role in the war is based on decades of lies. He leaks 7,000 pages of top-secret documents to The New York Times, a daring act of conscience that leads directly to Watergate, President Nixon’s resignation, and the end of the Vietnam War. Ellsberg and a who’s-who of Vietnam-era movers and shakers give a riveting account of those world-changing events. The film is by award-winning filmmakers Judith Ehrlich (The Good War and Those Who Refused to Fight It) and Rick Goldsmith (Tell the Truth and Run: George Seldes and the American Press). The film will air later this year on P.O.V. on PBS.

Nominees for Best Documentary Feature of the year include:

• Burma VJ
• The Cove
• Food, Inc.
• The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
• Which Way Home

Also, Independent Lens series host Maggie Gyllenhaal received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her compelling role as a journalist and single mom in the film Crazy Heart. When shooting the Independent Lens host introductions in New York City last August, Maggie talked about this flim and how proud she was of the work. She praised her co-star Jeff Bridges and predicted that his performance would receive wide acclaim. We want to congratulate Maggie on her Academy Award nomination and are honored to be working with her on Independent Lens.

Nominees for Best Actress in a Supporting Role include:

• Penélope Cruz in Nine
• Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air
• Maggie Gyllenhaal in Crazy Heart
• Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air
• Mo’Nique in Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

Check out the entire list of this year’s nominees >>

The 2010 Academy Awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, March 7. Stay tuned to the ITVS blog Beyond the Box for further coverage. Congratulations and good luck to all the filmmakers!

Watch a clip of The Most Dangerous Man in America:

Kicking off the music-themed indie film line-up is Stephen Walker’s Young@Heart (January 12), featuring the New England senior citizens chorus. With a show only weeks away, they must learn a slate of new songs ranging from James Brown to Coldplay. The director leads the chorus through tough rehearsals, proving that rock and roll can be hard work — especially if you’re hard of hearing! Climaxing in a triumphant performance, their inspiring story celebrates the unbreakable bonds of friendship and the life-affirming power of music.

Independent Lens then presents three docs that examine the world of hip-hop music. Benjamin Franzen and Kembrew McLeod’s Copyright Criminals (January 19) examines the creative and commercial value of music sampling and it’s implications, featuring Public Enemy, De La Soul, and George Clinton. As hip-hop rose from the streets of New York to become a multibillion-dollar industry, artists such as Public Enemy and De La Soul began reusing parts of previously recorded music for their songs. But when record company lawyers got involved everything changed. Years before people started downloading and remixing music, hip-hop sampling sparked a debate about copyright, creativity, and technological change that still rages today.

Check out the video below with Independent Lens host Maggie Gyllenhaal to get a sneak peek of what’s ahead.

Also airing is an encore presentation of Independent Lens favorite, Byron Hurt’s seminal Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes (January 26). Featuring interviews with rappers Mos Def, Fat Joe, Chuck D, and Jadakiss, as well as mogul Russell Simmons, the doc goes beyond the bling to explore gender roles in hip-hop and rap through the lens of college quarterback-turned-activist Byron Hurt.

Rounding out the music doc collection is Gabriel Noble’s P-Star Rising (February 2), a story about the naturally talented nine-year-old rapper, Priscilla, aka P-Star, who wants to become the youngest female rap star ever. With her single father turned manager, Priscilla travels from Harlem street corners to sold out shows around the world — eventually landing a record deal and starring role on PBS’s The Electric Company. But the road to stardom means figuring out who to trust while hanging around people twice her size and four times her age. For Priscilla, otherwise known as P-Star, the ride has just begun.
Visit the Independent Lens website for the season schedule >>
Learn more and listen to music featured in or inspired by these music presentations >>

In over 50 cities nationwide, screenings are followed by lively panel discussions, activities, or performances that bring together citizens, organizations and public television stations to encourage dialogue and action around important and timely social issues.

Learn more about Community Cinema in this exclusive video below with host Maggie Gyllenhaal.

This October, Community Cinema will be screening COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS, which examines the creative and commercial value of musical sampling, including the related debates over artistic expression, copyright law, and (of course) money.

Find your Community Cinema screening in our side bar to your right. See you at the movies!

No stranger to the indie film world, Gyllenhaal has starred in a wide-range of films including Secretary (2002), for which she received a Golden Goble nomination playing opposite James Spader, Donnie Darko (2001) and Sherrybaby (2006), where she received her second Golden Globe nomination.

Most recently Gyllenhaal played Rachel Dawes in the Warner Bros. box office hit The Dark Knight (2008) directed by Chris Nolan and in 2009 she appeared in Sam Mendes’s Away We Go. Upcoming, she’ll star in the dramatic film Crazy Heart, alongside Jeff Bridges and Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang with Emma Thompson.

This season, Independent Lens will showcase a powerhouse selection of 27 independent films from a vast array of settings—including the world’s largest garbage village in the outskirts of Cairo in GARBAGE DREAMS; the hills of Mongolia where a Texas family seeks an unconventional treatment for their son’s autism in THE HORSE BOY; and BUTTE, AMERICA, where five generations intersect with key historical events.

The series kicks off with Megumi Sasaki’s acclaimed and endearing documentary HERB & DOROTHY, about a postal worker and his librarian wife whose passion led them to create one of the most priceless collections of contemporary art in the world. Be sure to tune in on October 13 at 10:00 PM (check local listings).

Learn more and get the Independent Lens fall schedule >>