Since 1988, Ocean’s Harbor House in New Jersey has offered refuge, aid, and intervention for vulnerable youth and families. Through their transitional living program, one determined young woman found solace, leading to a transformative journey from hardship to newfound strength. Her experience ig...

This documentary will take you on an inspiring journey through the lives of Maria and Benedicto, two extraordinary individuals whose determination, resilience, and dedication have turned adversity into opportunity. Their Eco Spanish School, once a humble dream, has blossomed into a thriving succe...

Ukrainian children are confronted with their past as they explore their new home in Germany: a former Wehrmacht military barracks.

Directors and Producers: Mila Zhluktenko and Daniel Asadi Faezi

2023 | 18 min

Ukraine | Germany

Languages: Ukrainian, German

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
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Jack and Sam is poignant documentary about two Holocaust survivors miraculously reunited after 80 years. Now in their late 90s, they are spending the precious time they have left rekindling their friendship and educating others about the dangers of hatred.

Director: Jordan Matthew Horowitz
Produ...

12-year-old Tatheer embarks on a week-long Police boot camp for girls from a social housing estate in Copenhagen. Far from home, deep in the woods, she navigates grueling rituals, elusive social dynamics, and personal setbacks to find her place in this tender and revealing coming-of-age story.

D...

In an area where traditional education fails students, one Mayan woman starts her own school in order to rebuild her community from the ground up. Through her integral education, which includes meals for students and workshops for their parents, Ingrid Villaseñor strengthens her home of Panajache...

How does a veteran teacher help prepare the first batch of pandemic online-learning students to sit for the SPM exams (Malaysian Certificate of Education) in the under resourced Perimbun Secondary School? Teacher Rusmiyana and other veteran teachers find strength to learn and teach virtually, and...

Profound discoveries and new friendships take place during a conversation between Syrian children seeking refuge in Istanbul, and international students, volunteering in Turkey over their summer holidays.

Directors: Alessandro Leonardi and Elena Horn
2018 | 9 min
Turkey
Subtitles: English

Filmm...

Youth turn to Side by Side when others have given up on them. Facing a variety of challenges in their lives–whether gang violence, emotional disabilities, or aging out of the foster care system–each program tailors their approach to address every client’s specific needs. Three youth find themselv...

This video shows the experiences of local Ugandan and refugee teachers in a refugee camp in Uganda through professionally filmed footage and user-generated content where the teachers film their daily experiences themselves, allowing the viewer to share their daily experiences up close. Dedicated ...

This film highlights the social impact that the Wolf Dog Workshop educational curriculum – through its innovative use of storytelling and media, such as animation, film, music, and art – is having among at-risk elementary students across the U.S, bringing them hope while connecting them to themse...

What About Our Future? chronicles the Sustainabiliteens, a group of young environmental activists who organized the largest strike in Vancouver's history. The film takes a unique look into the movement while the youth organize protests, pressure politicians and educate younger teens about environ...

Tuning the Student Mind follows the journey of three students enrolled in Molly Beauregard’s sociology course, where they are experience the impact of her innovative, first-of-its-kind curriculum. Through the subjects’ personal stories, moments in the classroom, and nuanced interviews, the film i...

Blue Chalk worked with The Red Door Project to create a film that showcases its unique participatory process as they work to stage a series of monologues called “Evolve,” which tackles the fraught relationships between communities of color and law enforcement. In the face of seemingly insurmounta...

Adiela Jinet Mera Paz, a leader of the Siona people, has taken up the effort to remove mines from the tribe's ancestral land, following decades of armed conflict that has left them facing extinction.

Director: Tom Laffay
Producer: Emily Wright
2021 | 10 min | Colombia
Language: Spanish
Subtitle...

After a decade as a sex worker, Iman attempts to pursue her dream of becoming a social worker to help her fellow transgender community members. As she explores the option of going back to college, One Leg In, One Leg Out questions whether tenacity, ambition and a life long dream are enough to ove...

Chuna Devi - a mother of three in Nepal - once said that "being born as a girl is worthless." But at the age of 47, she found self-worth and changed her life by finally learning to read at a READ Center, starting a women's study group, and investing in her family's education. Today, her goal is t...

Mediaocracy is part of “We the Voters: 20 Films for the People” which is a nonpartisan digital slate of 20 short films designed to inform, inspire and activate voters nationwide with fresh perspectives on the subjects of democracy, elections and governance in the lead up to the 2016 elections.
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This short documentary tells the story of Marie Wilcox, the last fluent speaker of the Wukchumni language and the dictionary she created in an effort to keep her language alive.

Director: Emmanuel Vaughn-Lee
2014 | 10 min
Canada

Yoiner Machado – The founder of a dance academy in Manrique, teacher and professional in dance as well as creator of methodologies for the coexistence and peace-building through dance. For 13 years he has been dedicated to the transformation of communities and has impacted 1,500 lives. He empower...

In the midst of Trump's immigration ban, a teenage refugee Ahmed and his sister Ruba find a home at a Cleveland school for immigrants. Will they be able to reach their dreams?

Director: Apo Bazidi
2020 | 21 min | USA
Language: English

FILMMAKER Q&A:
https://simaacademy.com/filmmaker-qa/how-far-...

Pristine nature, widespread school campuses, Institute for visually challenged, a health center, an artificial limb center, a neatly built food mess, spacious dorms, open playground and more - well this is how HEAL PARADISE looks like. No one would believe this to be an orphanage when they enter ...

Hany is a 20-year-old Syrian refugee from Homs who lives with his family in a small-tented settlement in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. Back in Syria, Hany was at university studying to be a communications engineer, but he was unable to complete his studies. In Lebanon, he doesn’t have the fees to st...

What does urban growth in times of climate change mean to a city and its people in an emerging country? This film concentrates on one of India’s most rapid urban growth centers – Hyderabad – and gives mentionable insights on how the inhabitants cope with food security, agricultural problems, urba...