The Plight of the Jewish people, Nazi Germany 1) Schindler’s List (1993) – Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes Oskar Schindler is a vain, glorious and greedy German businessman who becomes an unlikely humanitarian amid the barbaric Nazi reign when he feels compelled to turn his factory into a refuge for Jews. Based on the true story of Oskar Schindler who managed to save about 1100 Jews from being gassed at the Auschwitz concentration camp 2) Sophie Scholl (2005) (foreign) A dramatization of the final days of Sophie Scholl, one of the most famous members of the German World War II antiNazi resistance movement, The White Rose. 3) Edelweiss Pirates (2004) (foreign) In the last days of World War II, Edelweiss Piraten, a loosely organized gang of German antiHitler youth harassed the Nazis and hid Jews and others who were in trouble. 4) Downfall (2004) (foreign) Traudl Junge (Lara), the final secretary for Adolf Hitler (Ganz), tells of the Nazi dictator's final days in his Berlin bunker at the end of WWII. 5) Life is Beautiful (1997) (foreign) A Jewish man has a wonderful romance with the help of his humour, but must use that same quality to protect his son in a Nazi death camp. 6) Before the Fall (2004) (foreign) In 1942, Friedrich Weimer's boxing skills get him an appointment to a National Political Academy (NaPolA) high schools that produce Nazi elite. Over his father's objections, Friedrich enrolls, seeing this as his ticket out of factory life to university and a good salary. During his year in seventh column (fifth form), this innocence is altered as Friedrich encounters hazing, cruelty, death, and the Nazi code. The power of humanity
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7) The Children of Huang Shi (2008) About young British journalist, George Hogg, who with the assistance of a courageous Australian nurse, saves a group of orphaned children during the Japanese occupation of China in 1937.
8) Joyeux Noel (2005) – Diane Kruger, Daniel Bruhl (French) On the Christmas Eve of 1914, in the Western Front in France in World War I, the Scottish, the German and the French troops have a moment of truce and share moments of peace and friendship. 9) Monsieur Ibrahim (2003) – Omar Sharif (foreign) In a street called Blue in a very poor neighborhood in Paris, Monsieur Ibrahim (Omar Shariff) is an old Muslim Turkish owner of a small market. He becomes friend of the teenager Jewish Moises. Monsieur Ibrahim gives paternal love and teaches the knowledge of the Koran to the boy, receiving in return love and respect. 10) The Band’s Visit (2007) (foreign) A band comprised of members of the Egyptian police force head to Israel to play at the inaugural ceremony of an Arab arts center, only to find themselves lost in the wrong town. 11) Walk on water (2004) (foreign) Following the suicide of his wife, an Israeli intelligence agent is assigned to befriend the grandchildren of a Nazi war criminal. Social Outcasts 12) Born Into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids (2004) Two documentary filmmakers chronicle their time in Sonagchi, Calcutta and the relationships they developed with children of prostitutes who work the city's notorious red light district. 2
13) Water (2005) – Deepa Mehta (director) The film examines the plight of a group of widows forced into poverty at a temple in the holy city of Varanasi. Fundamentalism 14) Osama (2003) – Siddiq Barmak (director) (foreign) A 12yearold Afghan girl and her mother lose their jobs when the Taliban closes the hospital where they work. Feeling that she has no other choice, she disguises her daughter as a boy. Now called 'Osama,' the girl embarks on a terrifying and confusing journey as she tries to keep the Taliban from finding out her true identity. Inspired by a true story, Osama is the first entirely Afghan film shot since the fall of the Taliban. 15) Khamosh Pani: Silent Waters (2003) – Kiron Kher 1979. A village in Pakistan. A widow sees her 17 years old son being attracted to Islamist militants. 16) Persepolis (2007) In 1970s Iran, Marjane 'Marji' Statrapi watches events through her young eyes and her idealistic family of a long dream being fulfilled of the hated Shah's defeat in the Iranian Revolution of 1979. However as Marji grows up, she witnesses first hand how the new Iran, now ruled by Islamic fundamentalists, has become a repressive tyranny on its own. Religion and Abuse 17) Song for a Raggy Boy (2003) – Aidan Quinn "Song for a Raggy Boy" is based on the true story of a single teacher's courage to stand up against an untouchable prefect's sadistic disciplinary regime and other abuse in a Catholic Reformatory and Industrial School in 1939 Ireland. 18) The Magdalene Sisters (2002)
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Three young Irish women struggle to maintain their spirits while they endure dehumanizing abuse as inmates of a Magdalene Sisters Asylum. Euthanasia, Abortion and Health Care 19) The Sea Within (2004) – Javier Bardem (Spanish) The reallife story of Spaniard Ramon Sampedro, who fought a 30 year campaign in favor of euthanasia and his own right to die 20) Vera Drake (2004) – Imelda Staunton Vera Drake is a selfless woman who is completely devoted to, and loved by, her working class family. She spends her days doting on them and caring for her sick neighbor and elderly mother. However, she also secretly visits women and helps them induce miscarriages for unwanted pregnancies. The practice itself was illegal in 1950s England, when the authorities finally find her out; Vera's world and family life rapidly unravel. 21) Sicko (2007) – Michael Moore (director) A documentary comparing the highly profitable American health care industry to other nations, and HMO horror stories Civil Rights 22) The Rosa Parks Story (2002) – Angela Bassett The story of the civil rights heroine whose refusal to obey racial bus segregation was just one of her acts in her fight for justice. 23) Bobby (2006) The story of the assassination of U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy who was shot in the early morning hours of June 5, 1968 in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, and 22 people in the hotel.
Women
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24) Sabah (2005) Sabah is 40, single, an immigrant from Syria living in Toronto with her family, responsible for her mother's wellbeing. Since her father's death, her brother Majid has been the family authority. One day, when Sabah least expects it, she falls in love with the wrong man. She's Muslim, he's not. Unbeknownst to her family, she goes on a whirlwind affair before both culture and love collide. 25) Inch'Allah dimanche (2001) (foreign) French/Algerian director Yamina Benguigi brings us a passionate immigrant story of a woman struggling against old world traditions. Zouina leaves her homeland with her three children to join her husband in France, where he's been living for the past ten years. In a land and culture foreign to her, Zouina struggles against her motherinlaw's tyrannical hand and her husband's distrustful bitterness. 26) Veronica Guerin (2003) – Cate Blanchett Based on a true story, this is about the Irish journalist Veronica Guerin, a reporter for The Sunday Independent, who exposed some of Dublin's most powerful crime barons and drug lords in 1996. But later that year she was gunned down by assassins hired by the same criminal drug lords she exposed. 27) Monster (2003) – Charlize Theron A dark tale based on the true story of Aileen Wuornos, one of America's first female serial killers. Wuornos had a difficult and cruel childhood plagued by abuse and drug use in Michigan. She became a prostitute by the age of thirteen, the same year she became pregnant.
28) The Color Purple (1985) – Whoopi Goldberg This film follows the life of Celie, a young black girl growing up in the early 1900's. The first time we see Celie, she is 14 and pregnant by her father. We stay with her for the next 30 years of her tough life
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Racism 29) Crash (2004) – Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Brendan Fraser Race is paramount in this film, and all our preconceptions of who people are get twisted and turned through the intricate plot. With each new additional character we find another assumption, another stereotype, and then watch as that preconception is obliterated as the character develops. 30) Live and Become (2005) (foreign) In 1980 the black Falashas in Ethiopia are recognized as genuine Jews. In turn they are secretly carried to Israel. The movie tells a universal story of alienation, wanting to belong, and the pain of feeling alone, feelings shared by people of all religions throughout the world. 31) Indigènes (2006) (foreign) In World War II, the Muslims from French colonies enlist to fight for their motherland France. Along the campaign in Italy, France and Alsace, they realize that French soldiers are promoted, have better food and have leaves to visit their families, while the Arab soldiers are shamefully discriminated and treated like 2nd ranking soldiers. Queer Issues 32) Boys Don't Cry (1999) – Hilary Swank The story of the life of Brandon Teena, a transgendered teen who preferred life in a male identity until it was discovered he was born biologically female. 33) Trembling Before Gd (2001) A cinematic portrait of various gay Orthodox Jews who struggle to reconcile their faith and their sexual orientation
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34) The Laramie Project (2002) The true story of an American town in the wake of the murder of Matthew Shepard, a young gay man brutally killed by two young men trying to make a point about their hatred of homosexuals War on Terror 35) Control Room (2004) A documentary on perception of the United States's war with Iraq, with an emphasis on Al Jazeera's coverage 36) Redacted (2007) This film is about the reallife rape and killing of a 14yearold Iraqi girl by U.S. soldiers with shocking images that will leave some viewers in tears. 37) The Road to Guantanamo (2006) Part drama, part documentary, The Road to Guantánamo focuses on the Tipton Three, a trio of British Muslims who were held in Guantanamo Bay for two years until they were released without charge. 38) Gunner Palace (2004) American soldiers of the 2/3 Field Artillery, a group known as the "Gunners," tell of their experiences in Baghdad during the Iraq War. 39) Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) Michael Moore's view on what happened to the United States after September 11; and how the Bush Administration allegedly used the tragic event to push forward its agenda for unjust wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. 40) No End in Sight (2007)
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Chronological look at the fiasco in Iraq, especially decisions made in the spring of 2003 and the backgrounds of those making decisions immediately following the overthrow of Saddam: no occupation plan, an inadequate team to run the country, insufficient troops to keep order, and three edicts from the White House announced by Bremmer when he took over: no provisional Iraqi government, deBa'athification, and disbanding the Iraqi armed services.
41) Taxi to the Dark Side (2007) An indepth look at the torture practices of the United States in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, focusing on an innocent taxi driver in Afghanistan who was tortured and killed in 2002. 42) Extraordinary Rendition (2007) 'Extraordinary Rendition' is a story about the kidnap and torture of foreign citizens by agents of the United States, in the context of suspected involvement of Islamic terrorism. The movie at the end indicates 1100 cases of abductions by the CIA, and 59 cases against CIA officials. Jihad 43) Lion of the Desert (1981) This movie is about Omar Mukhtar, a Muslim and Arabian rebellion who fought against the Italian conquering of Libya in WWI. 44) Paradise Now (2005) (foreign) Two childhood friends are recruited for a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv. "Under the occupation, we're already dead," is Khaled's analysis. Fate and God's will seem to drive Said. We must be moral, argues Suha. Can minds change? Environment 45) An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
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A documentary on Al Gore's campaign to make the issue of global warming a recognized problem worldwide 43) The 11th Hour (2007) A look at the state of the global environment including visionary and practical solutions for restoring the planet's ecosystems 44) Who Killed the Electric Car (2006) A documentary that investigates the birth and death of the electric car, as well as the role of renewable energy and sustainable living in the future
45) Erin Brockovich (2000) An unemployed single mother becomes a legal assistant and almost singlehandedly brings down a California Power Company accused of polluting a city's water supply.
Miscellaneous 46) Yacoubian Building (2006) (foreign) Meditations on corruption, fundamentalism, prostitution, homosexuality, and drugs in central Cairo
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