Fulfilling the Promise — Teachers, Students, and the Declaration of Independence

English

Fulfilling the Promise — Teachers, Students, and the Declaration of Independence asks an important question at the heart of the American experiment: are we living up to our founding principles? This documentary film follows students and teachers from four schools in Brooklyn, New York, Boston, Massachusetts, Durango, Colorado, and Carlisle, Pennsylvania, as they trace the history of the Declaration of Independence and its principles at the present moment. Fulfilling the Promise asks the viewer: how do we understand these values and how can we translate them for the future generations?

Runtime: 62 minutes. Recommended for grades 7-12.

Sub-themes: Declaration of Independence, civil rights, Civics, U.S. legal system

Trailer

The Inquisitor

English

As a young girl in Houston’s Fifth Ward, Barbara Jordan was taught to defy expectations. This documentary film follows her story as Texas's first Black state senator and the first Southern Black woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. The Inquisitor provides an insight not only into the systems of the United States Government, but also the complexities of navigating them as a young Black woman. The Inquisitor engages the viewer into the world of political activism, struggle for recognition, and the perseverance of Barbara Jordan's turbulent political journey.

Runtime: 98 minutes. Recommended for grades 7-12.

Sub-themes: civil rights, inequality, persistence, Black stories

Trailer

ESL More Than a Language

ENGLISH, Arabic, Spanish

A need to communicate, a way of building community, friendships, and to find a place to belong - language is a fundamental way for us to communicate both literally and metaphorically. The documentary film ESL More Than a Language follows a group of immigrant families through their journey to learn the English language and establish their identities in a new country. The documentary demonstrates, however, that the process of education can bring a deeper meaning to one's life through lifelong friendships and a newfound sense of belonging.

Runtime: 55 minutes. Recommended for grades 7-12.

Sub-themes: Cultural Awareness, Immigration, Belonging, Community 

TRAILER

A Short Film Program—Communities Across Borders

ENGLISH

This program focuses on refugee and immigrant experiences, highlighting one’s relationship with the community in both past and present moments. These films tell stories of inclusion, resilience, belonging, and building connections across borders, both literal and metaphorical. Communities Across Borders demonstrates various ways in which one can understand a community not just as a group of people inhabiting the same space together, but cultural and emotional bonds that can form in different circumstances.

Runtime: 90 minutes. Recommended for grades 7-12.

Sub-themes: Cultural Awareness, Immigration, Belonging, Community 

A Beast to Touch the Mountain

English

A Beast to Touch the Mountain follows a group of determined women in Appalachia who wage a decade-long fight to protect their homes and land against a natural gas pipeline corporation. Located in Bent Mountain, Virginia the group is set out to defend the environment and the lives of tens of thousands through Virginia and West Virginia. 

Runtime: 83 minutes. Recommended for grade 7-12.  

Sub-themes: Appalachia, cultural identity, activism, ecology

TRAILER

Wədzįh Nəne’ | Caribou Country 

ENGLISH

Wədzįh Nəne’ | Caribou Country takes its viewer on a journey through the picturesque landscapes of British Columbia, Canada introducing one to those who live and work on the land, including Indigenous populations, government biologists, and guide outfitters. The rugged and remote landscape is confronted with the stark reality of declining caribou population, and the documentary film explores the profound connection between the individuals and their environment, bringing attention to the ecological concerns it is facing. 

Runtime: 54 minutes. Recommended for grades 7-12.

Sub-themes: Ecology, Canada, Indigenous stories

TRAILER

Seeing The Unseen: Aquatic Invaders & What's at Stake 

English

Lake Eerie, Presque Isle State Park, French Creek and Lake Pleasant are perhaps the most picturesque landscapes and important ecosystems in Western Pennsylvania, however, they have been under a threat of aquatic invasive species. Seeing The Unseen: Aquatic Invaders & What’s at Stake explores not only the environmental impacts, but the various groups of activists, scientists, and nature organizations that are fighting for the survival of the ecosystem. Switching between the larger issues and individual stories, Seeing the Unseen brings awareness to how one may approach and treat the environment around them. 

Runtime: 44 minutes Recommended for grades 7-12.

Sub-themes: Pennsylvania history, ecology, activism, habitat

Focus on the Environment: Making a Difference

ENGLISH, Native Languages

This short film program has been curated to share stories demonstrating how one can think of people’s relationship with nature and highlight the environmental concerns in California. How can individuals change and affect the community around them? Conversely, what impact does coming together as a community have on the environment around us? Focus on the Environment: Making a Difference demonstrates various ways in which one can understand their relationship with nature and the ecological crises that occur at the fault of technological progress, as well as how different communities, individuals, and organizations can make a difference. .

Runtime: 88 minutes. Recommended for grades 7-12.

Sub-themes: Ecological collapse, environment and consumption, responsilibity and land stewardship

TRAILER