Pair these 10 Powerful Films for Community Events with our free Film Discussion Guides to For Successful Screenings and Rousing Conversations
We recommend these ten powerful films to screen at community events, after school settings, and library groups. These award-winning documentaries and feature films speak to contemporary issues while they educate and uplift. We offer free discussion guides designed for community viewings for these films to facilitate rousing conversations that leave your participants inspired.
Thinking of starting a film club of your own? Check out this community learning article by our National Advisory Council member Piper Hendricks: Why Book Club When You Can Doc Club?
Crip Camp
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution shares with insight, humor, and joy the experiences of a group of disabled teenagers and their journey to adulthood and activism, and delves into the rich and powerful history of disability activism and culture. The Discussion Guide deepens the knowledge and understanding of disability and of disabled people offered in the film. Get the free Crip Camp Discussion Guide.
Gabby Gifford Won’t Back Down
Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down tells the extraordinary story of former Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords: her relentless fight to recover following an assassination attempt, and her new life as one of the most effective activists in the battle against gun violence. We offer a Discussion Guide and a flexible Learning Guide for this film, which can both be useful for community film screenings. The guides explore brain injury, resilience and recovery as well as gun violence causes and solutions. Both guides are available in English and Spanish. Get free Gabby Gifford Won’t Back Down Guides.
He Named Me Malala
He Named Me Malala chronicles the events leading up to the Taliban’s attack on Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai for speaking out on girls’ education, followed by the aftermath, including her speech to the United Nations. Her survival and recovery have been little short of miraculous. Our discussion guide emphasizes the importance of education for all and explores opportunities for action. Get the free He Named Me Malala Discussion Guide.
Hidden Figures
Disney’s hit film Hidden Figures highlights the determination of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, the three Black women known as “human computers” in the NASA space program of the 1960s. Our Hidden Figures Discussion Guide explores the Jim Crow south and the Civil Rights Movement, the Cold War and the Space Race, and the role of women in historical and contemporary STEM leadership. Get the free Hidden Figures Discussion Guide.
Jane
Jane explores the life and work of the renowned primatology scientist Dr. Jane Goodall, especially her research about chimpanzees. By patiently integrating herself into the chimpanzee community she was studying, Jane pioneered a methodology of observation and allowed a new understanding of what it means to be human and proved that women could be successful as scientists in a world previously dominated by men. Get the free Jane Discussion Guide.
Navalny
Enthralling and intimate, Navalny unfolds with the pace of a thriller as it follows Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in his quest to identify the men who poisoned him in August 2020. Shot in Germany as the story unfolded and offering extraordinary access to the investigation, Navalny is a fly-on-the-wall documentary that is also a study of Navalny the man. The Oscar-winning documentary speaks to a world transformed by Russia, its war in Ukraine, and the growing and treacherous threat of authoritarianism around the world. Get the free Navalny Discussion Guide.
Queen of Katwe
Queen of Katwe is based on the inspiring true story of Phiona Mutesi, a young girl selling corn on the streets of rural Uganda whose world rapidly changes when she is introduced to the game of chess. As a result of the support she receives from her family and community, she is instilled with the confidence and determination she needs to pursue her dream of becoming an international chess champion. Get the free Queen of Katwe Discussion Guide.
The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind
The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind is based on the incredible true story of a thirteen-year-old boy in Malawi who finds an unconventional way to save his family and village from famine. Our free Discussion Guide explores desertification and points at opportunities for action. Get the free The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind Discussion Guide.
Unzipped: An Autopsy of American Inequality
Unzipped: An Autopsy of American Inequality explores gentrification, homelessness, poverty, and the affordable housing crisis. This intimate feature documentary explodes stereotypes and humanizes the lived experiences of people caught in the cross-fire of America’s growing housing divide. Our Unzipped Learning Guide includes pre-viewing questions and points at housing crisis solutions and avenues for action. Get the free Unzipped Learning Guide.
Youth v Gov
Youth v Gove tells the story of America’s youth taking on the world’s most powerful government. Armed with a wealth of evidence, twenty-one courageous leaders file a ground-breaking lawsuit against the U.S. government, asserting it has willfully acted over six decades to create the climate crisis, thus endangering their constitutional rights to life, liberty, and property. If these young people are successful, they will not only make history, they will change the future. Get the free Youth v Gov Discussion Guide.
BONUS: Discussion Facilitation Guidelines
This short guide gives suggestions for leading productive group conversations that broaden perspectives and encourage empathy. Get free Facilitation Guidelines.
Additional Resources
We added award-winning documentary Greener Pastures to our library in 2024. Following four Midwest family farms over several years, Greener Pastures is a story of perseverance within the farming industry in the heartland. Start with family farming, then add in climate change, a worldwide pandemic, and the increasing economic uncertainty brought on by megafarms: being an independent farmer in America is a profession of survival. This is also a superb film choice for public screenings. Get the free Greener Pastures Discussion Guide.
Simplify your film screenings with film Discussion Guides from Journeys in Film! Our free Discussion Guides for award-winning films provide questions to encourage critical thinking, powerful discussion, and expanded understanding. Our Discussion Guides make hosting rousing discussions around film screenings to boost impact and engagement simple and easy.
Discussion Guide Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the Journeys in Film Discussion Guides for?
The Journeys in Film Discussion Guides are flexible by design to work in a wide range of situations: K12 classrooms and homeschooling, higher education, parenting / family film viewing, after school activities, library programs, community group and service club events, film clubs and doc clubs, and more.
How do educators use the Journeys in Film Discussion Guides?
Our film Discussion Guides are easy to use and require little to no advance preparation. They are great for sub days and end of term. They can also be incorporated into regular classroom use. They’re a flexible resource to keep tucked up your sleeve.
Can I use the Journeys in Film Discussion Guides on my own?
Yes! The questions in our Discussion Guides can serve as prompts for personal reflection, a viewer response journal, or for freewriting or creative writing.
Who makes the Journeys in Film Discussion Guides?
We work with teams of instructional designers, area experts and cultural consultants to create film-specific Discussion Guides with knowledge, care and attention. We do not use A.I. in the creation of our guides.
What kind of films does Journeys in Film create guides for?
We work with premier filmmakers to create Discussion Guides for award-winning social impact films. We develop Discussion Guides for films that don’t necessarily lend themselves to academic standards, but cover topics and themes that are valuable for classroom discussions and in other settings, such as after school clubs, community screenings, and university classes. Our film partners range from indie filmmakers to major studios like Disney.
Journeys in Film creates different kinds of guides to serve the needs of different kinds of learning environments.
We also create Curriculum Guides, featuring teaching-ready lesson plans for classrooms, homeschooling and individual learners.
For select films, we also create Learning Guides or Extended Discussion Guides, a type of film guide that digs even deeper into the material of a film and includes additional resources and extension activities.
Make sure you scroll all the way down each film page to see the full range of guides available.
Does Journeys in Film offer Discussion Guides in other languages?
Yes! We offer the following Discussion Guides in Spanish:
Navalny and Alexei Navalny’s posthumous memoir Patriot;
Queen of Katwe and The Queen of Katwe: One Girl’s Triumphant Path to Becoming a Chess Champion by Tim Crothers;
The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind and The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer, also available in Young Reader and Picture Book editions;
Does Journeys in Film offer Discussion Guides for films under one hour?
Yes. We offer Discussion Guides for several films under one hour, including Finding Pride, Meshes of the Afternoon, The Neighborhood Storyteller, and Unzipped. Check out the Discussion Guide Index by Running Time at the bottom of this article to find discussion guides for films based on length.
Does Journeys in Film offer Discussion Guides for elementary school use?
Yes, We offer Discussion Guides for films and series suitable for ages 8-12. See the Discussion Guide Index by Age Group below.
Does Journeys in Film offer Discussion Guides for middle school use?
Yes, We offer Discussion Guides for films and series suitable for ages 12-15. See the Discussion Guide Index by Age Group below.
Does Journeys in Film offer Discussion Guides for high school and higher education use?
Yes. Almost all of our films are appropriate for ages 14+. See the full Journeys in Film Discussion Guide Index below or individual film listings in the Journeys in Film Library.
Journeys in Film Discussion Guide Index by Age Group
Journeys in Film After-School Film Club Launches in Florida
Journeys in Film’s amplification of the power of storytelling through film and media content expands as our first After-School Film Club launches in Florida this September. Programming for the film club centers around youth action and social justice. As such, we curated a diverse slate of short films. These films highlight the work of young people all over the world. Furthermore, we are offering support for the student-led group with guiding questions for thoughtful discussions. The club’s goal is to empower, inspire and engage students in their journey toward youth leadership.
The club reflects Journeys in Film’s mission to educate the next generation to be globally competent and socially active. Additionally, it underscores the power of film to broaden perspectives and encourage empathy and action.
We hope this pilot program will be the first of many, empowering students to develop media literacy and create meaningful discussions around issues important to participants. So, if you want us to consult with you or develop a program for your community group or after-school club, reach out, we are here for you! Email: je******@************lm.org directly to learn more.
In sum, this initiative reflects our understanding that education happens everywhere. Learning communities, film clubs, book clubs, library discussion groups and homeschooling cooperatives provide powerful and important opportunities for discovery and growth. This is why we create discussion guides, in addition to our standards-based curriculum guides, which you can find our resource library. These discussion materials are designed with a wide array of communities in mind.
Discussion Guides for Learning Communities
Discussion guides are available for the following films. Click on the title of the film to be directed to the film’s resource page and add the discussion guide to your cart. All guides are free and simply require a Journeys in Film account. We’ve also noted where the film is available to stream or rent for your convenience (streaming links take you to the services landing page).
