We have added a new film guide to our library to help you teach media literacy with film! In the current dominant online ecosystem, facts are often secondary or irrelevant. Instead, clicks and social media engagement are driving factors for content creation. Algorithms often encourage bias against facts and fact-based journalism. Our Media Literacy and Journalism Lessons are designed to help students think critically about the many kinds of media and messages they are exposed to and to consider the ways media is created and shared. These are great tools for teaching digital literacy, journalism. media literacy and online safety.

Resources to Teach about Media Literacy with Film

New Resource! Teach about Media Literacy with Film: And So It Begins

“What I have witnessed and documented over the past decade is technology’s
godlike power to infect each of us with a virus of lies, pitting us against one
another, igniting, even creating, our fears, anger, and hatred, and accelerating
the rise of authoritarians and dictators around the world.”
– Maria Ressa, How To Stand Up to a Dictator: The Fight for Our Future

And So It Begins shows the impact of online disinformation on real world people and politics. The documentary closely follows key players in the 2022 Philippines presential election from two sides of an increasingly dangerous war between press and government. Representing the journalists is fearless Rappler CEO Maria Ressa, who despite arrests and harassment continues to publish articles holding a lawless regime accountable. On the other side, influencers start an incendiary social media movement.

Our And So It Begins Learning Guide features a section on Journalism, Disinformation, and Social Media. It explores how social media and disinformation can create fragmented versus shared social constructions of reality, as shown in the film. This section includes questions for discussion, writing, or personal reflection, as well as extension activities, an online quiz, and additional resources. These resources creates breathing room for students to consider and discuss the intersection of social media and politics in the context of real world events in another country with more objectivity than they might bring to examples of partisan politics closer to home.

Journalism teachers may wish to pair this section with the Journalist Profile on Nobel Prize winner Maria Ressa.

Lesson Grades: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, College, Adult Learning
Subjects: Current Events,  Journalism, Media Literacy

Get the And So It Begins Learning Guide.

More Resources to Teach About Media Literacy with Film

Teach about Media Literacy with Film: Navalny

The Navalny documentary provides an intimate portrait of Russian opposition leader, democracy champion and anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny. Our Navalny Learning Guide includes two sections that make a great combination with And So It Begins:

1. Data Tracking, State Surveillance, and the Role of Journalism asks: Is it possible for data tracking to be used for justice without compromising individual privacy?
2. Social Media, Censorship, and Propaganda explores how to consume informational critically.

Lesson Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12, College, Adult Learning
Subjects: Civics, Current Events, Journalism, Media Literacy, Political Science, Social Studies

Get the Navalny Learning Guide.

Teach about Media Literacy with Film: The Social Dilemma

Documentary-drama hybrid The Social Dilemma reveals how social media is reprogramming civilization with tech experts sounding the alarm on their own creations.

The learning tools for The Social Dilemma also work well with And So It Beginss. These tools include: Classroom Debate Resource, Gen Z Action Guide, Center for Humane Technology – Youth Toolkit, and Bonus Interview Clips.

Lesson Grades: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, College, Adult Learning
Subjects: Current Events, Media Literacy, Psychology

Get The Social Dilemma Learning Guide.

Teach about Media Literacy with Film: Media Literacy and Journalism Collection

We recommend the classroom-ready lessons in our Media Literacy and Journalism Collection to further explore issues raised in the resources outlined here. Subjects and themes in this collection include: Bias and the Politics of Production, Fake News, Investigative Journalism, Media Analysis, Media Responsibility, Propaganda, the Importance of a Free Press, the Role of Citizen Journalists, and Understanding What You Are Watching.

Lesson Grades: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, College, Adult Learning

Explore the Media Literacy and Journalism Collection.

Don’t Miss Out

To get updates notifications about our new media literacy lessons and other new resources, sign up for the Journeys in Film newsletter.

Ramona S. Diaz is an award-winning Filipino American filmmaker and the director of And So It Begins. She is best known for her compelling character-driven documentaries that combine a profound appreciation for cinematic aesthetics and potent storytelling. Diaz’s films have demonstrated her ability to gain intimate access to the people she films — be they rock stars, first ladies, dissidents, mothers, teachers, or journalists — resulting in keenly observed moments and unforgettable nuanced narratives. Her films have been screened and won awards at top-tier film festivals around the world. Diaz has been recognized by many as one of the most influential Asian American women working in film and television.

The And So It Begins Learning Guide introduces learners to Ramona S. Diaz and her filmmaking career. It features discussion questions about Diaz’s creative process and filmmaking techniques. It also includes extension activities and additional resources.

These teaching tools are great additions to classes on filmmaking, film literacy, film studies, media literacy, and women in film.

Get the And So It Begins Learning Guide now to learn more about this accomplished filmmaker and how you can teach with her powerful film.

Bonus: Teaching about Groundbreaking Women in World Cinema? We also offer an introduction in our Meshes of the Afternoon Discussion Guide to experimental filmmaker Maya Deren, and a profile in our Wadjda Curriculum Guide on pioneering Saudi director Haifaa al-Mansour.

PS Are you a social impact filmmaker who’d like too expand the lifespan of your film and its reach to a range of educational audiences? Learn more about partnering with us and get in touch!

And So It Begins

We’re pleased to introduce the And So It Begins Learning Guide, new at Journeys in Film!

And So It Begins chronicles a quirky people’s movement that rises to defend against deepening threats to truth and democracy. This inspirational documentary celebrates a collective act of joy as a form of resistance.

And So It Begins Teaching Resources FAQ

Why Teach With the And So It Begins Learning Guide

This is an important film and resource for diving into into threats to democracy from technology/AI, social media, government corruption and erosion of the free press. It presents a microcosm of a growing global problem with lessons for democracies all over the world.

What Ages Is This Film For

And So It Begins is not rated. We recommend it for ages 13 and up.

What Resources Are Available For This Film

Journeys in Film offers an And So It Begins Learning Guide, designed to work in a variety of settings. It features discussion questions and extension activities. It also includes an introduction to the filmmaker, printable worksheets, and additional resources.

We also offer a Glossary of Film Terms to support the media literacy section.

Who Should Teach with And So It Begins

These resources are best for Grades 9-12, college and adult learning communities. They are also great for community education and public screenings.

What Classes does the And So It Begins Learning Guide Work In

The And So It Begins Learning Guide is suitable for classes that cover Civics, Current Events, English Language Arts, Film Literacy, Geography, Government, History, Journalism. Media Literacy, Philippines History, Political Science, Social Studies, Speech, U.S. History, Women’s Studies, and World History.

What Themes Does the And So It Begins Learning Guide Explore

This film is great for teaching about civic engagement, democracy, journalism, and women who make history.

Tell Me More About The Film

Director Ramona Diaz chronicles the months leading up to the Philippine’s 2022 presidential election as the despotic reign of President Rodrigo Duterte is coming to an end.

Amidst a tidal wave of marginalized citizens taking to the streets in support of the change they want to see, Marcos’s eldest son, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. is the frontrunner for President. His campaign strategy consists mostly of an unrelenting and vicious social media campaign against his opponent, then-current Vice-President of the Philippines, Leni Robredo. In the operatic opening sequence, a veritable sea of people holding pink flags aloft wave in time to renditions of pop songs praising the socially conscious attorney. A joyful new people’s power movement in Robredo’s name seems to be on the rise as massive numbers of working-class

And So It Begins closely follows key players from two sides of an increasingly dangerous war between press and government. Representing the journalists is fearless Rappler CEO Maria Ressa, who despite arrests and harassment continues to publish articles holding a lawless regime accountable. On the other side, influencers start an incendiary social media movement.

As each side digs in, we become witness to an epic and ongoing fight for the integrity of human life and truth itself — a conflict that extends beyond the Philippines into our own divisive backyard.

What Other Films Does This Film Pair Well With

If you’re teaching about Political Corruption, combine And So It Begins with Navalny.

If you’re teaching about Social Media, combine And So It Begins with The Social Dilemma.

If you’re teaching about Women in Politics, combine And So It Begins with Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down.

Where Can I Get This Resource

Get your free copy of the And So It Begins Learning Guide from the Journeys in Film Resource Library and learn more about teaching with this powerful film.

Where Can I Get Related Resources

Check out our related resource collections on Civics and Civic Engagement, Media Literacy and Journalism, and Women’s History.

What if I’m New to Teaching With Film

Check out our Teacher Toolbox to make teaching with film fun, easy and effective.

How Can I Share Feedback

If you are teaching with this film, we would love to hear how it works for you and your students. Please get in touch with us by using our contact form.

Learn more about Teaching with And So It Begins

• Ramona S. Diaz: Meet the Filmmaker
• Teach about Nobel Prize Winners with Film: Maria Ressa Profile
• Teach Media Literacy with Film: Journalism, Disinformation and Social Media
• Teach with Film about Political Corruption and Civic Engagement

And So It Begins

 

August is National Immunization Awareness Month. Teach about the impact of disinformation, science skepticism & government distrust on vaccination efforts with The Invisible Shield. This four-part documentary series  highlights public health’s major successes and the heroes who make them possible every day 

From the early days of inoculation in the late 1700s through the rapid development of the COVID-19 vaccine, scientists have achieved extraordinary feats to combat, contain, and eradicate disease — but solutions only work if people trust the science. The Invisible Shield explores how disinformation, science skepticism, and government distrust impact vaccination efforts. It highlights how historical injustices and inequities lead to apprehension, forcing public health to refine its approach.

The Inoculation, Inequity, and Public Trust section of our free Discussion Guide for The Invisible Shield focuses on the connection between public trust and public health. This section explores historical factors leading to the erosion of trust in public health, particularly regarding vaccines, and looks at the importance of community outreach to improve trust. It’s a great way to get students in grade 11 through higher education and public health career candidates excited about careers in epidemiology and related fields.

Celebrate Immunization Awareness Month with this powerful teaching tool for individual learners, classrooms, and community education. Learn more about The Invisible Shield and our free Discussion Guide.

PS Looking for more healthcare-related resources? You may also enjoy:

• A Towering Task, which includes a collegiate-level resources for teaching about health disparity and health gradients as well as collegiate-level resources for Public Health education;
• Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution, which explores disability, ableism, and disability justice;
• From the Ashes, which explores coal and public health;
• Greener Pastures, about the rural mental health care crisis;
• Health Wanted: Finding Care in Rural America, in partnership with the American Heart Association;
• Matter of Mind: My Parkinson’s, in partnership with Indie Lens Pop-Up and PBS Independent Lens, about Parkinson’s Disease;
• Unzipped: An Autopsy of American Inequality, which explores homelessness, poverty and social determinants of health.

The Invisible Shield

 

August is National Inventor’s Month and we’re celebrating The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. This Netflix film is based on the true story of William Kamkwamba, whose creativity, persistence and courage as a schoolboy provided a solution to devastating drought for his family and eventually many others in his country of Malawi and beyond.

We offer a Discussion Guide and a Curriculum Guide with classroom-ready lessons for this film, to make it easy to work with in different settings. Students can learn more about wind power and the physics of generating electricity, as well as lessons in English Language Arts, Social Studies, Film Studies and more. These are powerful resource to inspire young inventors in your classroom!

Learn more about teaching with with The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

August is American Artist Appreciation Month! We’re celebrating Corita Kent, also known as Sister Mary Corita! The acclaimed artist and teacher used painting and calligraphy to convey ideas about peace, racial harmony and social justice.

Lesson 3 The Power of Corita Kent’s Calligraphic Art in our free Rebel Hearts Curriculum Guide features a hands-on Visual Arts lesson suitable for grades 9-12 based on Sister Mary Corita’s artwork. It’s a powerful tool to help students find their voice through multi-media artwork.

You and your students can learn more about Sister Mary Corita / Corita Kent, her revolutionary protest art, and her time as a nun in the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary with award-winning documentary Rebel Hearts and the Rebel Hearts Curriculum Guide.

Rebel Hearts

PS If you’re teaching about Art, Artists and Art History, you might also like the lesson about The Hudson River Painters in our Walden, A Game Curriculum Guide.

Walden, A Game

 

Journeys in Film is proud to be part of the American Heart Association (AHA) International Stroke Conference 2025, in collaboration with AHA Bernard J. Tyson Office of Health and AHA Creative Studios.

Journeys Executive Director Jennifer Fischer moderated a panel discussing rural healthcare, following a screening of the short documentary “Health Wanted: Finding Care in Rural America”. The panel was introduced by Gerald Johnson, EVP, Bernard J. Tyson Office of Health and Chief Culture Officer, and Crystal King, National Vice President, Creative & Design, AHA Creative Studios. The panel featured Gerald Johnson; Andrea Ooten, AHA Executive Director for Central and Eastern Kentucky; Jill Birnbaum, AHA National Senior Vice President of Field Advocacy; and Alice Benjamin, also known as Nurse Alice, a cardiac clinical nurse specialist and family nurse practitioner.

Journeys in Film has been a proud partner with the American Heart Association for nearly four years, collaborating on virtual events for American Heart Association staff that use film for team building and to foster dialogue and build understanding around various topics and issues.

In 2025, Journeys in Film created discussion guides for the AHA Health Wanted: Finding Care in Rural America docuseries.

The Journeys in Film partnership with the American Heart Association is one of many health-related educational projects that Journeys in Film has been involved with. Other recent projects include:

• A Towering Task, which includes a collegiate-level resources for teaching about health disparity and health gradients as well as collegiate-level resources for Public Health education;
• Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution, which explores disability, ableism, and disability justice;
• From the Ashes, which explores coal and public health;
• Greener Pastures, about the rural mental health care crisis;
• Matter of Mind: My Parkinson’s, in partnership with Indie Lens Pop-Up and PBS Independent Lens, about Parkinson’s Disease;
• The Invisible Shield, in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Radical Media, about heroes of the public health system;
• Unzipped: An Autopsy of American Inequality, which explores homelessness, poverty and social determinants of health.

If you are a filmmaker or healthcare organization who wants to explore the educational and outreach potential of film, please get in touch. We’d love to talk with you about partnering to increase the social impact of your project.

About Health Wanted: Finding Care in Rural America

“Health Wanted: Finding Care in Rural America” is an original video docuseries created by AHA Creative Studios. The six-part series leverages storytelling to focus on unique health challenges and barriers in rural communities. The series uses first-person, on-location documentary-style storytelling — focused from Alaska to Appalachia — to highlight real world obstacles to the successful prevention and treatment of heart disease, treatment of mental health concerns, and reduction of maternal health mortality rates in rural America. The series also focuses on the specific challenges faced by understaffed rural hospitals and health clinics while highlighting struggling yet innovative efforts to promote better health outcomes, primarily through local community engagement and improved local systems of care. You can watch Health Wanted: Finding Care in Rural America for free on YouTube. Community discussion guides that amplify these documentaries and support community engagement with the series can be found through American Heart Association: The Road to Rural Health.

About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. We are dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities. Through collaboration with numerous organizations, and powered by millions of volunteers, we fund innovative research, advocate for the public’s health and share lifesaving resources. The Dallas-based organization has been a leading source of health information for a century. During 2024 – their Centennial year – they are celebrating their rich 100-year history and accomplishments. As they forge ahead into their second century of bold discovery and impact, their vision is to advance health and hope for everyone, everywhere.

About Journeys in Film

Journeys in Film amplifies the storytelling power of film to promote a richer understanding of our diverse and complex world. Since 2003, Journeys in Film has pioneered the use of film for interdisciplinary lessons in the classroom. We also develop discussion guides for films for powerful films designed to work in multiple settings, such as classroom discussions, after-school clubs, community outreach, higher education and adult education, professional organizations and more. All of the Journeys in Film educational resources are cost-free. Learn more about partnering with Journeys in Film. To donate to support our work in creating and distributing free educational resources, please visit https://journeysinfilm.org/product/donation/.

 

In 2022, Pope Francis wrote a personal Letter to Educators for Journeys in Film to include in our curriculum guide for Francesco, the award-winning Pope Francis documentary by Evgeny Afineevsky. We hope that this letter provides inspiration and comfort to educators of all kinds, regardless of faith or philosophy.

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A Letter from Pope Francis

Dear teacher:

Our world, so overwhelming, needs you in such a special way. In the history of humanity, new pages are being written, many of them filled with sufferings, others full of hope. And you, from your place, every day, every morning or every afternoon, when you meet with your students, are building part of that history.

From that moment in which you discovered your passion for teaching, almost without realizing it, you assumed the mission of finding, in the person of your students, someone who hopes, a heart that wants to be loved and learn how to love, a life that doesn’t want to lose hope. So, in each encounter with a boy or girl, you are the main actor of a page of history which is written in the heart of each one of them.

Education, teaching, allowing for growth is not only a paid job, but rather something that goes further. It assumes the challenge of receiving life as it is; taking their hands with tenderness and listening to their worries without imposing oneself, but rather proposing a path to follow. It is a task that can only be done with the heart.

For this reason, I ask you to never forget that to be an educator is to look on with love and to transmit to new generations the passion for that which is good, fighting for a fairer and more harmonious world.

Being an educator also is building, through small gestures, the culture of coming together which is only possible if we remember that “no one is saved alone,” even as “save yourself ” is often the main belief nowadays.

To educate is to grow, and one only grows in the haven of a community and a family. You who know the importance of memory and memories, help your students to remember the tender glances that have been forming them. Teach them to discover the vision of Jesus Christ, who watches us with mercy and chooses us. It only grows where there is enthusiasm, where there is joy, where there is simplicity in one’s heart. It only grows where there is no selfishness, where one comes out of oneself to find another; where you think about the poorest among you, who are in the most need and include them in the community and in the family. It only grows where there is LOVE. Don’t be afraid to make teaching an act of love.

Thank you for everything that you do. I am praying for you. May Jesus bless you and may the Holy Virgin take care of you. And please, don’t stop praying for me.

In brotherly love,

Francisco

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Francesco is a ground-breaking film featuring unprecedented access to Pope Francis from Oscar-nominated director and producer Evgeny Afineevsky (Director of Winter on Fire). The film offers an intimate look at a global leader who approaches challenging and complex issues with humility, wisdom and generosity.

The Francesco Curriculum Guide includes a one-page version of this letter that is suitable for printing.

We recommend our Francesco Curriculum Guide to educators who want to teach about Pope Francis and are looking for classroom-ready Francesco lesson plans. Our lessons introduce viewers to Pope Francis and go on to explore his commitment to environmental issues, refugees, genocide prevention and more. These lessons are designed for grades 9-10 and 11-12, and may be adaptable for other grades and audiences. Many of the lessons can be used without viewing the film. Our Francesco lesson plans are also available in Spanish: Guía Curricular de Francesco.

Journeys in Film is presenting at SXSW EDU 2025 on March 3! Join our executive director Jen Fischer and panelists from ROCO Films, Common Sense Media and Sierra College as they discuss The Power of Film in Classrooms and Teacher Training. Educators can receive continuing professional learning credit hours by attending this session. We hope you can join us!

Panel: The Power of Film in Classrooms and Teacher Training

Date: Monday, March 3

Time: 1 pm – 2 pm

Location: Austin Convention Center, Room 17AB

Learn more and register now.

We’re also excited to be exhibiting in the SXSW EDU Expo March 3-5! Come say hi at Booth 408. We’ll be sharing our newest resources and answering your questions about teaching with film. Plus we have amazing free giveaways for you. We can’t wait to meet you in person!

Update: You can now listen to an audio recording of the for free!

Listen to The Power of Film in Classrooms and Teacher Training