Guest Post: Journeys in Film and Jennifer Fischer, Co-Founder, Think Ten Media Group

Film offers an engaging way to bring the stories of notable women to your classroom, particularly during March, which is Women’s History Month. Documentaries take that one step further by focusing on real-life figures. The women in these films are young and old, nuns and mothers, leaders and refugees. But most of all, they are people of faith who serve as role models to students of all genders and religious backgrounds.

Taken together, these films, and the women they feature, offer glimpses into history, culture, and several different religious traditions. A few also include links to free curricular materials for classroom use. The films are appropriate for various age groups — from middle school through higher ed. — and they address numerous topics, including character education, socio-emotional learning, religious studies, religious literacy, history, social studies, women’s studies, cross-cultural competence, and global education. We hope you enjoy!

An Act of Worship

An Act of Worship follows the lives of three young Muslim women: Aber Kawas, Khadega Mohammed, and Ameena Qazi. Told from the perspective of the Muslim-American community, it offers both a compelling counter-narrative and a healing response to Islamophobia in the U.S.

Aber Kawas’s father, after being incarcerated for three years, was deported to Jordan when Aber was 16. In the film, we watch her turn that pain into activism as she becomes a community organizer in New York. Khadega Mohammed is an 18-year-old, black, immigrant, hijab-wearing young woman in Michigan. She feels that every aspect of her identity is politicized as she struggles to balance her desire for activism with society’s expectations of her. Ameena Qazi is a lawyer who devoted her life to advocating for the Muslim community in California. But, as a mother, she’s conflicted about caring for her children at a time when they feel vulnerable while also leading the resistance.

Shake off dated stereotypes about Muslim women in your classroom by teaching these contemporary stories. This film is a particularly great teaching tool for classes in Arab- American and Islamic Studies, Ethnic Studies, Immigration and Border Studies, South Asian Studies, and Women’s Studies.

Directed by Nausheen Dadabhoy in 2022, An Act of Worship has a running time of 85 minutes and is most appropriate for high school or college/university students. For additional resources related to teaching about Islam, check out Jennifer Fischer’s article for Religion Matters about Countering Islamophobia through Film.

Acting on Faith: Women’s New Religious Activism in America

Acting on Faith: Women’s New Religious Activism in America offers an intimate look at the lives and work of three American women – one Buddhist, one Hindu, and one Muslim – for whom faith, activism, and identity are deeply intertwined. Shamita Das Dasgupta uses strong female figures in Hindu myth to provide encouragement to battered women to leave abusive husbands. Laila Al-Marayati illustrates how the Muslim principle of ‘zakat’ served as the inspiration for the first free clinic in South Central Los Angeles. Mushim Ikeda-Nash integrates the uniquely relational experiences of women into the American Buddhist practice.

This film offers insight into and encourages dialogue on the powerful streams of thought and action that are being created by women activists of different religious and cultural traditions in the United States. It is a face-to-face encounter with the women who are pioneering this new religious activism.

Produced by Rachel Antell in 2005, Acting on Faith: Women’s New Religious Activism in America has a running time of 42 minutes. A free online study guide is available for the film from the Harvard University Pluralism Project. This documentary works best for high school, college and graduate classes.

Bhikkhunī: Buddhism, Sri Lanka, Revolution

Bhikkhunīs, ordained female Buddhist monastics, have long been a part of the Buddhist tradition. In fact, the Buddha himself established the bhikkhunī order. The tradition of bhikkhunī in Theravāda Buddhism died out in Sri Lanka in the 11th century and in Burma in the 13th century. This meant that when women wanted to become Buddhist nuns in these countries, there were no nuns left to hold ordination ceremonies. The male Theravāda Buddhist leadership in Sri Lanka, Burma, and Thailand ruled that altering the bhikkhunī ordination procedures was not permitted, which made ordaining women as new Buddhist nuns impossible for centuries.

Bhikkhunī – Buddhism, Sri Lanka, Revolution tells the stories of Bhikkhunī Kusuma, Bhikkhunī Dhammananda, and Bhikkhunī Gautami. All three challenged the male Theravāda Buddhist hierarchy to become the first women in their countries’ modern history to be fully ordained as Buddhist nuns. 

Directed by Malgorzata Dobrowolska in 2018, Bhikkhunī – Buddhism, Sri Lanka, Revolution has a running time of 70 minutes and works well with high school and college/university students. It also pairs well with Rebel Hearts and The Philadelphia Twelve (both detailed below). 

Big Sonia

Sonia Warshawski was a Jewish teenager living in Poland when the German army invaded in the 1930s. Her father and brother were shot, and her sister disappeared. She and her mother became slave laborers and were finally deported to a death camp.

Big Sonia follows her life and tells a story, not only of survival, but of the vibrant woman Sonia would become. She’s a woman who speaks to students and prison inmates about her story of unimaginable suffering, but she is also a beacon of hope and resilience as she refuses to hate. Lesson 2 of the free Journeys in Film Big Sonia Curriculum Guide helps students get to know Sonia as a person. 

Directed by Todd Soliday and Leah Warshawski in 2016, Big Sonia has a running time of 93 minutes and is geared to students in grades 7 to 12.

Dorothy Day: Don’t Call Me a Saint

Dorothy Day: Don’t Call Me a Saint is a powerful documentary about the legacy of this 20th century journalist who converted to Catholicism and became a social activist. Through the words of many people who knew her, and through new readings of her own journalistic and biographical writings, we learn how she unwittingly created a worldwide peace and social justice movement. The film takes us through Dorothy’s tumultuous early life at the height of the Depression, her protests about the 1950’s air-raid drills, her last arrest in 1973 with the United Farm Workers, and her death on November 29, 1980 at the home she founded for homeless women on New York’s Bowery. 

Directed by Claudia Larson in 2006, Dorothy Day: Don’t Call Me a Saint has a running time of 57 minutes and works well with high school and college/university students.

He Named Me Malala

Malala Yousafzai’s moving story is one of great courage in the face of Taliban opposition, as she campaigned for the right of women to be educated in Pakistan. She was only 11 years old when she began detailing her experiences in Pakistan for the BBC. Terrorists shot, and almost, killed her when she was 15. However, she survived, won the Nobel Peace Prize at age 17, and continues to advocate for gender equity around the world. He Named Me Malala documents her inspiring story. Journeys in Film offers a free Curriculum Guide and a free Discussion Guide to help educators use this powerful film in the classroom.  

Directed by Davis Guggenheim in 2015, He Named Me Malala has a running time of 88 minutes and is geared to kids in grades 7-12. 

The Neighborhood Storyteller

The Neighborhood Storyteller presents the inspiring and heroic story of Asmaa Rashed, a determined young Syrian mother of four living as a refugee in Jordan. For the last seven years, she has used the art of reading aloud to children as a way to tackle issues within her community. This multi-award-winning documentary feature film explores human resilience, the transition from childhood to adulthood, and one’s capacity to turn hardships into an opportunity for self-growth. Journeys in Film is currently creating free educational resources for teaching with The Neighborhood Storyteller. 

Directed by Alejandra Alcala in 2023, The Neighborhood Storyteller has a running time of 49 minutes and can be used with both middle-schoolers and high-schoolers.

The Philadelphia 11

The Philadelphia Eleven is a compelling new documentary about the first women to become Episcopal priests. The film shows how a brave group of women shattered the stained-glass ceiling on July 29, 1974, by challenging patriarchal culture and seeking ordination as priests in the Episcopal Church.

It’s a powerful story of faith and conviction, but it’s also a story for all of us, regardless of religious tradition. Their story prompts questions such as: What does a just and inclusive community look like in practice? How do we break down barriers with grace and remain true to ourselves in the process? How do we, as either the protagonist or as an ally, stand up to institutions that do not allow people to be who they are called to be? How do we practice radical inclusivity?

Directed by Margo Guernsey and Nikki Bramley in 2023, The Philadelphia Eleven has a running time of 91 minutes. It works well with high school and college/university students. It also pairs well with both Bhikkhunī – Buddhism, Sri Lanka, Revolution and Rebel Hearts.

Rebel Hearts

Sister Mary Corita (born Corita Kent) was an activist, artist, and an educational innovator. She was also a sister of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Along with some of her fellow women religious, these rebel nuns bravely stood up to the patriarchy of the Catholic Church in the 1960s. They fought for equality, their livelihoods, and their own freedom against a powerful Cardinal who sought to keep them in their place. From marching in Selma in 1965 to the Women’s March in 2018, they challenged the notion of what a nun and a woman were supposed to be. And, they continue to take a stand today. Sister Mary Corita’s protest art also reflected her concerns about poverty, racism and war.

You can bring her art and activism to your classrooms with the documentary Rebel Hearts and the Journeys in Film curriculum guide. Much of Sister Corita’s art can be seen online at the Corita Art Center, and the Journeys in Film guide, with a section dedicated to Sister Mary Corita, includes a hands-on art lesson. This film can help students explore U.S. History, protest-centered change in religious institutions, activist art, and more.

Directed by Pedro Kos in 2021, Rebel Hearts has a running time of 99 minutes and works well for high school and college/university students.

Vita Activa: The Spirit of Hannah Arendt

The German-Jewish philosopher Hannah Arendt caused an uproar in the 1960s. While covering the trial of high-ranking Nazi, Adolph Eichmann, for the New Yorker magazine, she coined the subversive concept of the “Banality of Evil.” Vita Activa: The Spirit of Hannah Arendt offers an intimate portrait of her life by exploring the places where she lived and worked. Arendt’s insights into the nature of evil, totalitarianism, and the perils faced by refugees are more relevant than ever and resonate deeply with students.

Directed by Ada Ushpiz in 2015, Vita Activa: The Spirit of Hannah Arendt has a running time of 132 minutes and works best at the high school and college/university levels.

Conclusion

These documentaries can help your students see themselves and their religious backgrounds as something to celebrate. At the same time, they offer a window into other religious traditions present in your classroom, your community, and around the globe.

Perhaps most importantly, these films highlight the stories of women of faith and their impressive accomplishments in both religious and secular contexts. Such positive representations can broaden your students’ ideas about what leaders and leadership look like and promote hope for themselves as they ponder ambition, service, and excellence. We sincerely hope you and your students find these films as compelling as we do.

About the Authors

Journeys in Film believes in the storytelling power of film to educate the most visually literate generation in history. Since 2003, Journeys in Film has been pioneering the use of film for interdisciplinary lessons in the classroom, as well as after-school clubs, community screenings, college classes, adult education and more. All of the Journeys in Film educational resources are cost-free.

Jennifer Fischer is a writer, film producer, and teaching artist whose work focuses on highlighting shared human experiences to cultivate empathy and understanding. Her films have screened across the United States and abroad and have been featured by outlets such as NBCLatino, ABC, Univision, Fusion, NBCBLK, and Vice News. Her film “THE wHOLE” premiered at Amnesty International’s 50th Anniversary Human Rights Conference.

She currently serves as the Executive Director of Journeys in Film, and you can read her work in places like Video Librarian, Edutopia, Ms. Magazine, and Parents Magazine. She has also developed curriculum for LA’s BEST, for the Metta Center for Nonviolence, and in conjunction with the Outreach Center for the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University, where she received her M.A. Her B.A. was from Sarah Lawrence College, and you can find her on Twitter as @IndieJenFischer.