Part of the Series
Moyers and Company
Social activism has always been a popular subject for documentarians because it presents stories of both cause and characters. The 10 powerful films below are not a complete list of films about social activists, but certainly proof enough that social change is possible, even under the most challenging conditions. Feel free to suggest your own films in the comments below.
Freedom Riders (2011)
Stanley Nelson’s film about the Freedom Riders, a group of more that 400 black and white civil rights activists who rode together on buses and trains through the Deep South in 1961, violating Jim Crow laws.
The Lord Is Not On Trial Here Today (2011)
The story of Vashti McCollum, a young housewife from central Illinois who filed a lawsuit that led to the U.S. Supreme Court decision establishing the separation of church and state in public schools. Directed by Jay Rosenstein.
The Interrupters (2011)
Steve James and Alex Kotlowitz’s film about former gang members in Chicago working to stop the kind of violence they once perpetrated.
The Most Dangerous Man in America (2011)
The story of Daniel Ellsberg, the Vietnam War strategist-turned whistleblower who leaked the documents that came to be known as the Pentagon Papers to The New York Times. By Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith.
Made in L.A. (2007)
Three Latina immigrants working in a Los Angeles sweatshop fight for basic labor protections from clothing retailer Forever 21. By Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar.
Chisholm ’72 Unbought and Unbossed (2005)
In 1968, Shirley Chisholm became the first black woman elected to Congress. Four years later, she became the first black woman to run for president. By Shola Lynch.
Brother Outsider (2003)
A profile of civil rights leader Bayard Rustin, a gay, black activist who worked behind the scenes of the civil rights movement, most notably as the organizer of the 1963 March on Washington. By Nancy Kates and Bennett Singer.
The Uprising of ’34 (1995)
In this documentary by George Stoney, Judith Helfand and Susanne Rostock, textile workers recall the story of the General Textile Strike of 1934, when half a million Southern mill laborers walked off their jobs.
The Times of Harvey Milk (1984)
This Oscar-winning film directed by Robert Epstein profiles one of the first openly gay politicians to hold elected office in America.
Harlan County, USA (1976)
Barbara Kopple’s Oscar-winning film about a Kentucky coal miners’ striker in which a battle between miners and armed strikebreakers turns fatal.
We’re not backing down in the face of Trump’s threats.
As Donald Trump is inaugurated a second time, independent media organizations are faced with urgent mandates: Tell the truth more loudly than ever before. Do that work even as our standard modes of distribution (such as social media platforms) are being manipulated and curtailed by forces of fascist repression and ruthless capitalism. Do that work even as journalism and journalists face targeted attacks, including from the government itself. And do that work in community, never forgetting that we’re not shouting into a faceless void – we’re reaching out to real people amid a life-threatening political climate.
Our task is formidable, and it requires us to ground ourselves in our principles, remind ourselves of our utility, dig in and commit.
As a dizzying number of corporate news organizations – either through need or greed – rush to implement new ways to further monetize their content, and others acquiesce to Trump’s wishes, now is a time for movement media-makers to double down on community-first models.
At Truthout, we are reaffirming our commitments on this front: We won’t run ads or have a paywall because we believe that everyone should have access to information, and that access should exist without barriers and free of distractions from craven corporate interests. We recognize the implications for democracy when information-seekers click a link only to find the article trapped behind a paywall or buried on a page with dozens of invasive ads. The laws of capitalism dictate an unending increase in monetization, and much of the media simply follows those laws. Truthout and many of our peers are dedicating ourselves to following other paths – a commitment which feels vital in a moment when corporations are evermore overtly embedded in government.
Over 80 percent of Truthout‘s funding comes from small individual donations from our community of readers, and the remaining 20 percent comes from a handful of social justice-oriented foundations. Over a third of our total budget is supported by recurring monthly donors, many of whom give because they want to help us keep Truthout barrier-free for everyone.
You can help by giving today. Whether you can make a small monthly donation or a larger gift, Truthout only works with your support.