Resource Type: Films

Below is a collection of our recommended films for middle and high school. We offer additional lists and articles about films. See the links here: Films with a Conscience is an annotated list of films that we recommend for middle and high school. It includes many of the titles listed further below. Teaching People’s History with Film offers some strategies for viewing films with students in the classroom that invite insight and critical reflection. Film Clips is our collection of short clips, many of which are from the Voices of a People’s History “People Speak” productions.

The War You Don’t See

Film. By John Pilger. 2010. 97 minutes.
Documentary on how the media has reported war, from the WWI to the present day.

We Shall Remain (Film) | Zinn Education Project: Teaching People's History

We Shall Remain: America Through Native Eyes

Film. PBS. 2009. 450 minutes.
Three hundred years of Native American history.

When We Were Kings

Film. Directed by Leon Gast. 1996. 89 minutes.
Documentary about the famous heavyweight championship match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.

Unconstitutional: The War on Our Civil Liberties

Film. By Nonny de la Peña. 2004. 69 minutes.
A documentary that investigates the ways in which the civil liberties of U.S. citizens and immigrants have been rolled back since 9/11/2001 and the passage of the Patriot Act.

Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun

Film. By Kristy Andersen. 2008. 84 minutes.
Documentary about the life, literature, and research of Zora Neale Hurston.

Four young boys standing on the sidewalk of an empty street.

Barry Farm: Community, Land and Justice in Washington, D.C.

Film. By Sabiyha Prince and Samuel George. 2023. 50 minutes.
This documentary examines the history and impact of redevelopment on African American communities, looking at Barry Farm in Washington D.C. in particular.

Promises

Film. Written and directed by Justine Shapiro, B. Z. Goldberg, and Carlos Bolado. 2001. 106 minutes.
This documentary explores the Palestinian-Israeli conflict from the eyes and experiences of Israeli and Palestinian children living in the West Bank.

Behind the Shield: The Power & Politics of the NFL

Film. By Dave Zirin and the Media Education Foundation. 2022. 94 minutes.
This documentary film explores the hidden politics of militarism, nationalism, gender, and race in the NFL.

Cured

Film. Directed by Patrick Sammon and Bennett Singer. 2020. 82 minutes (or 37 minute classroom version).
This documentary focuses on the successful campaign to remove the diagnosis of homosexuality from the APA manual of mental illnesses, an important yet mainly overlooked part of the struggle for LGBTQ rights.

Into the Weeds

Film. Directed by Jennifer Baichwal. 2022. 96 minutes.
Focusing on one man’s lawsuit against Monsanto, this documentary exposes how Roundup weed killers are toxic not just for weeds — but also people.

The Occupation of the American Mind: Israel’s Public Relations War in the United States

Film. Directed by Loretta Alper and Jeremy Earp. Media Education Foundation. 2016. Three versions: 21 min./45 min./84 min.
This film helps students recognize how the media and politicians consistently frame “Palestinian resistance as terrorism and Israeli aggression as self-defense.”

Israelism

Film. Directed by Erin Axelman and Sam Eilertsen. Tikkun Olam Productions. 2023. 84 minutes.
Examines young Jews who are fundamentally changing not just their attitudes about Israel, Palestine, and Palestinians, but about their own role in the world, and coming to see themselves as solidarity activists.

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