Mary Romney, Independent scholar, Connecticut, USA

The role of the arts in social justice is clearer nowhere than in the medium of film. With its ability to engage practically all the senses, film is an attractive teaching tool for any language skill. In this article, I share a list of films that address a variety of social issues in different countries and cultural contexts. It is a list of some of the most memorable films I have seen and used over the years. Though the list is short, all of these films are recommended as excellent teaching tools because they provide stimulating contexts for discussions of social issues. Films are listed in reverse chronological order by year of release and alphabetical within the same year.

Hidden Figures (USA, 2016). The true story of the African American women mathematicians and physicists whose pioneering work at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) led to some of the most important advances made in U.S. outer space exploration. Some themes conveyed in this film include racism, sexism, and racial stereotypes.

Loving (USA, 2016). The true story of Mildred and Richard Loving, the couple whose interracial marriage in 1960s Virginia resulted in the Supreme Court's historic 1967 decision legalizing interracial marriage. Two prevalent topics shared in this film are racism and interracial relationships.

Belle (UK, 2014). The true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle, the mixed-race daughter of a British navy captain and an African slave who lived in 18th-century England. Although privileged by her lineage, her race prevents her from full participation in the society into which she was born. Two prominent areas showcased in this film include racism and classism.

Breakaway (Canada, 2011). The family, ethnic, and racial conflicts that arise when a hockey team of South Asian descent competes with a traditional Canadian hockey team. Among many issues addressed in this film, racism, immigration, racial stereotyping, and ethnic conflict, as well as intergenerational conflict are the most prominent.

The Help (USA, 2011). The indignities suffered by African American domestic workers in the pre-Civil Rights South, as told to a young local White journalist. Racism and classism are the focus of this film.

Small Island (UK, 2009). The experiences of Jamaican immigrants in post-World War II England. This film addresses racism, immigration, and classism.

The Great Debaters (USA, 2007). The true story of the 1935 debating team at Wiley College in Texas, which made history by challenging, and winning, the national championship against Harvard. This film contains questions of how racismand classism have influenced academia.

Amandla! A Revolution in Four Part Harmony (South Africa, USA, 2002). The pivotal role that music played in the antiapartheid struggle in South Africa is chronicled. Fascinating performances and interviews with world-renowned artists illustrate the story. Racism and politics are at the center of this film.

Bend It Like Beckham (UK, 2002). Cultural and generational differences in an Indian family living in England emerge when the youngest daughter idolizes English soccer superstar David Beckham and wants to play soccer professionally. This multifaceted film addresses questions of feminism, gender, sexism, immigration, tradition vs. modernity, interracial dating, ethnicity, and intergenerational conflict.

Rabbit-Proof Fence (Australia, 2002). The true story of how the government policy of separating mixed-race (aborigine and White) children from their mothers in early 20th-century Australia affected three young girls who struggle for survival, freedom, and dignity in the Australian outback. This film showcases questions of racism, ethnicity, colonialism.

O (USA, 2001). Shakespeare’s Othello set in a contemporary Southern prep school. Racism, interracial dating, intergenerational conflict, and classism are themes in this film.

Catfish in Black Bean Sauce (USA, 2000). An African American couple in California adopts two Vietnamese refugee children who come into conflict with each other and their adopted parents when their birth mother enters their lives after more than 20 years. This films shows how racism, immigration, interracial dating, and intergenerational conflict can affect family relationships.

The Color of Friendship (USA, 2000). The true story of the experiences of a White apartheid-era South African teenager and an African American family in the racially diverse California of the 1970s. This film foregrounds racism, racial perceptions, and ethnic conflicts.

East is East (UK, 2000). Cultural conflict is the basis of this story of a Pakistani immigrant, his English wife, and their six children in England in 1971. The children resist their father’s efforts to impose his religious and cultural traditions on them, including arranged marriages. This film displays the effects of ethnicity, tradition vs. modernity, and intergenerational conflict on an immigrant community.

Snow Falling on Cedars (USA, 1999). The internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II is the context for this story of attraction, love, and disillusionment. Racism, interracial dating, intergenerational conflict are the dominant issues of this film.

A Family Thing (USA, 1996). A middle-aged White man makes a shocking discovery about the identity of his birth mother and a sibling he never knew about. Racism and family relationships emerge as dominant themes.

Secrets and Lies (UK, 1995). The shocking result of a Black woman’s search for her birth mother uncovers issues of race, identity, classism, ethnic conflict, and family in this story, which takes place in contemporary England.

Bhaji on the Beach (UK, 1994). Cultural and generational differences among Indian women living England and their daughters, as well as conflicts between the Indian and White communities in England emerge when a group of women spend a day at a seaside resort. Feminism, racism, immigration, ethnic conflict, and intergenerational conflict are at the forefront of this film.

Mississippi Masala (USA, 1992). Interethnic conflict erupts when the daughter of Indian immigrants falls in love with an African American man in the Deep South. This film raises questions of immigration, racism, interracial dating, intergenerational conflict, and ethnic conflict.

Days of Waiting (USA, 1991). Winner of the 1991 Academy Award for best short documentary, this film is about the Japanese-American internment during World War II from the perspective of one of the few Caucasians who were interned. Immigration, racism, interracial marriage, civil rights, and constitutional rights are prevalent in this film.

One False Move (USA, 1991). The story of past and present, illicit and open interracial relationships within the context of a crime thriller. Racism, interracial dating, and regionalism are foregrounded in this film.

Las Cartas de Alou [Letters from Alou](Spain, 1990). The difficult life of West African immigrants in contemporary Spain, who are victims of crime, discrimination, poverty, and ignorance. Immigration, racism, and interracial dating are the prominent themes in this film.

Milk and Honey (Canada, 1989). The story of a Jamaican immigrant in Canada and her efforts to create a better life for herself and her son. This film showcases matters related to immigration, race, interracial dating, and classism.

The Kitchen Toto (UK, 1987). A young boy trapped between interethnic conflict, and the imminent struggle for independence in Kenya in 1950. Issues shown in this antiwar film include colonialism, racism, and ethnic conflict.