Hollywood movies, documentaries based on social justice movements
As a mirror reflecting society's challenges, struggles, and reforms, Hollywood has through the years made several brilliant films that shed light on several social justice movements across the world. From powerful narratives of human rights struggles to documentaries chronicling grassroots activism, take a look at these influential and thought-provoking Hollywood productions that have tackled issues central to social justice movements.
'Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution' (2020)
Directed and written by Nicole Newnham and James LeBrecht, the 2020 documentary film Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution is executive produced by Barack and Michelle Obama. The Oscar-nominated film follows a groundbreaking summer camp in New York that motivated a group of teenagers with disabilities to help build a landmark movement, forging a new path toward greater equality.
'The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson' (2017)
As the name suggests, David France directed The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson is an investigation into the death of the titular character by activist Victoria Cruz. Through the investigation, the documentary follows Marsha P Johnson, a well-known American gay liberation activist and notable personality of New York City's transgender rights movement from the 1960s to the 1990s.
'Dolores' (2017)
Set in the 1950s, Peter Bratt's documentary film Dolores follows Chicana labor union activist Dolores Huerta, a working-class woman and mother of 11 children who fought for the rights of farm workers and women. In alliance with the Chicano Movement, Civil Rights Movement, gay liberation and US-based LGBTQ+ social movements, and the late 20th century women's rights movement, she co-founded the United Farm Workers.
'Suffragette' (2015)
Starring Meryl Streep, Carey Mulligan, Anne-Marie Duff, and Helena Bonham Carter, the 2015 historical drama film Suffragette directed by Sarah Gavron chronicles the courageous struggle for female suffrage in 20th-century Britain. It's a battle led by Emmeline Pankhurst (Streep) and joined by several working-class women including activist Maud Watts (Mulligan) who fought for women's right to vote in the UK's public elections.
'Selma' (2014)
Ava DuVernay's 2014 historical drama film Selma vividly portrays the pivotal Civil Rights Movement events of 1965 led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The Oscar-winning film focuses on his leadership in the fight for voting rights as he marched from Selma in Alabama to Montgomery in protest against the struggles faced by African Americans in the pursuit of justice and equality.
