Educators often work hard to bring history to life for students and create lessons with the aim of helping young people understand the value and importance of learning about and following current events. Integrating carefully curated films into the classroom can do both of these things. In short, teaching historical and current events through film can engage students by allowing them to see a historical event, literally, come to life on the screen through archival footage or through well-done narrative representations of an event. This can increase student engagement. Furthermore, viewing films can connect those dots surrounding the importance of current events and their influence on our world can encourage students to be more understanding and interested in the events that shape our world.
This select list includes films focused on key historical events commonly taught in the classroom and timely current events many teachers seek to bring into their lesson plans.
Just Mercy (2019)
Starring Michael B. Jordan as Bryan Stevenson, this film tells the true story of Stevenson’s work with the Equal Justice Initiative and is a film that not only offers insight into the history of Civil Rights in the United States, specifically in relation to Criminal Justice but also offers opportunities to explore current events in the United States today regarding key topics like mass incarceration and continued racial equality.
Journeys In Film’s 4-part lesson and student packet explore the “Long Path to Justice” and includes opportunities for students to learn using primary sources. The lessons engage students around the topic of disparities in U.S. criminal justice, which connects deeply with issues facing many in the world today.
Read our review of Just Mercy.
Get your copy of the Just Mercy Blu-ray by clicking here.
The Post (2017)
The Post is another film that offers opportunities for historical learning and for connections to current events, specifically regarding the rise of Fake News and ethics in Journalism. In this film, starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, students learn about The Pentagon Papers and the Espionage Act while also exploring various topics related to journalism and media literacy, so relevant to our world today.
The comprehensive 8-lesson curriculum from Journeys In Film brings together history, current events, media literacy, drama, and much more. Some educators like to pair The Post with All the President’s Men.
Read our review of The Post.
Get your copy of The Post 4K Blu-ray by clicking here.
Hidden Figures (2016)
This film tells the true story of three pioneering women in science: Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe), and Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer). These women played integral roles in the growth and success of the U.S. space program at NASA, despite the many obstacles they faced.
For educators and homeschooling parents focused on U.S. History, this film is a rich resource as it can be utilized to explore not only the Civil Rights Movement in the United States and desegregation of workplaces and schools but also offers an entry point for learning about The Cold War and The Space Race between the U.S and the U.S.S.R.
Journeys In Film’s comprehensive curriculum features lessons focused on each of these historical events as well as a lesson on the history of women in science.
Read our review of Hidden Figures.
Get your copy of the Hidden Figures 4K Blu-ray by clicking here.
He Named Me Malala (2015)
In late August of 2021, the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan began and the Taliban quickly moved in and began to fill the leadership vacuum the U.S./NATO exodus is leaving behind.
Many students struggle to grasp international politics, and exposure to credible sources reflecting the realities of the Middle East and Southeast Asia are often all too rare. The documentary film He Named Me Malala engages students through the inspiring story of Malala who took a stand against the Taliban in Pakistan by insisting on her right to an education.
Journeys In Film has a free comprehensive curriculum that can be used with the film. The curriculum features a lesson specifically on the Taliban.
Read our review of He Named Me Malala.
Get your copy of the He Named Me Malala DVD by clicking here.
Suffragette (2015)
This historical drama is set in Britain and focuses on the women’s rights movement of the early 20th century as women like Emmeline Pankhurst (played by Meryl Streep) sought equal rights and, specifically, the right to vote. The film brings to life for students an important historical moment in time and offers opportunities for them to explore modern-day equal rights movements.
Into Film’s corresponding lesson plans for the film focus on the topic of Social Changers and the issues of Human Rights, Democracy, Citizenship, and more.
Read our review of Suffragette.
Get your copy of the Suggragette Blu-ray by clicking here.
Book Thief (2013)
Set in Europe during World War II, The Book Thief takes students inside this conflict through the eyes of a child who learns to read and, as such, becomes a lover of books, even pulling a book from a Nazi bonfire. When the child’s family also decides to hide a Jewish child in their home, the stakes for them get even higher and the realities of World War II and its impact on families in Europe become more clear to students.
Into Film provides a Film Guide and Teach With Movies’ resources for the film include educator support for teaching the book and film together for a more comprehensive learning experience as well as tips for using the film alone. Their resources highlight the historical events and context for the film as well as the power of propaganda during the rise of the Nazi Party and the Holocaust.
Read our review of The Book Thief.
Get your copy of The Book Thief Blu-ray DVD by clicking here.
Beat the Drum (2003)
Directed by David Hickson, this South African film won numerous awards and led to the establishment of Beat the Drum Village in Kenya. The village provides sanctuary for children affected by the HIV/AIDS virus, a huge problem on the African continent, where medical care is often not readily available.
Musa, an orphan, lives in a village where people are becoming seriously ill with a disease they do not understand. He travels to Johannesburg, one of the world’s largest cities, to search for his uncle. HIV/AIDS education and consequences are key in the film. Middle school students will easily identify with Musa, but educators should view it first and know that some scenes may be beyond their typical maturity level, although none are graphic. (The film is unrated; please consult the Internet Movie Data Base parent guide.)
This film also offers opportunities to explore and discuss myths, rumors, and conspiracy theories around pandemics and epidemics. Journeys In Film’s free resources for this title include a lesson specifically on pandemics/epidemics which may feel particularly relevant for students right now.
Read our review of Beat the Drum.
This title is also included in our article on using film to teach about Africa.
Get your copy of the Beat the Drum DVD by clicking here.
Schindler’s List (1993)
Perhaps one of the most well-known Holocaust films of all time, Schindler’s List, starring Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, and Ralph Fiennes tells the powerful true story of Oskar Schindler and his efforts to save lives. While this powerful film truly brings the brutal realities of the Holocaust to life for viewers, it also provides an opportunity for educators to discuss current events related to continued anti-semitism, the dangers of white supremacy, and the continued prevalence of hate and scapegoating as effective political tactics.
Journeys In Film’s 8-part curriculum provides context and lessons around the building of the Nazi state and a lesson on Anti-Semitism Today. Facing History & Ourselves’ educational unit for Schindler’s List provides important context to the historical eras and events of the film, using the film to discuss modern genocides.
For educators seeking additional materials for teaching about the Holocaust, Journeys In Film also offers free resources for Defiant Requiem, a documentary film that tells a powerful story of resistance when concentration camp prisoners used music and the arts to sustain their spirit and fight Nazi oppression, and for Big Sonia, a documentary about Sonia Warshawski, who was a teenager living in Poland when the German army invaded. Her father and brother were shot; her sister disappeared. Sonia and her mother became slave laborers and were eventually sent to a death camp, but Sonia survived and her story continues to inspire new generations of viewers.
Read our review of Schindler's List.
Get your copy of the Schindler's List 4K Blu-ray by clicking here.
Far and Away (1992)
Given the romantic elements of this film, it may not seem like an obvious choice for integration into the Social Studies classroom or homeschooling experience, but many educators find this film, directed by Ron Howard, to be an entry point for teaching various historical events.
This film, starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, is valuable for exploring Post-Civil War Westward Expansion, Industrialization, Immigration, and many more elements. A Hollywood v. History guide for the film is available. The site Teaching United States History also features a valuable writing assignment from a teacher on their use of this film in the classroom.
Get your copy of the Far and Away Blu-ray DVD by clicking here.
Au Revoir Les Infantes (1984)
Another film exploring World War II, Au Revoir Les Infantes, is a French film that centers around the lives of three teenagers at a French boarding school during World War II. One of the key students at the school is Jewish but is hiding this fact. Unfortunately, when the Gestapo raids the school, the boy’s true identity is discovered and he and two other Jewish students are taken away.
Teach With Movies offers a discussion guide for the film, and Share My Lesson’s lesson plans for the film focus on the German occupation of France during World War II.
Read our review of Au Revoir Les Infantes.
Get your copy of the Au Revoir Les Infantes Blu-ray DVD by clicking here.
These ten powerful films underscore the power and potential for teaching about historical and current events using film. We know there are many others. Share your favorites with us in the comments.