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Free Films for Teachers

Utah Film Center believes good films have the power to change the world. These curated shorts and documentaries unlock new worlds, increase empathy, and broaden student social-emotional learning skills. Our library of films and short films are available to stream in the classroom for FREE along with study guides to enhance student learning, exploration, communication, and creativity.

How to View a Film & Receive Lesson Plans for Your Classroom

Review the library of films, documentaries, and short films in our collection.

Select the film you want to screen in your classroom. The film is either available for streaming on this website or via Tubi.

Fill out the Film Spark form to receive a study guide for the movie.

Short Films

A Beach of Our Own

Recommended for grades: 6+

A Beachfront Haven for African American Families In the 1930s, bought plots for themselves in Sag Harbor, establishing a close-knit …

A Conversation About Growing Up Black

Recommended for grades: 4+

In this short documentary, young black men explain the particular challenges they face growing up in America.

A Whale’s Tale

Recommended for grades: K+

Under the sea a whale tries to help the smaller creatures who are struggling with plastic waste. On land a …

Amazing Things Happen

Recommended for grades: 3+

This is an introduction to autism that aims to raise awareness among young non-autistic audiences, to stimulate understanding and acceptance …

Beloved Community Project

Recommended for grades: 2+

Utah Film Center, in conjunction with Brolly Arts, is pleased to host the Beloved Community Film, study guide, and supporting …

Forglemmegei

Recommended for grades: 1+

Deep in the Norwegian forest, there is an old man, living an orderly and quiet life. Closed off from the …

Gold Token

Recommended for grades: 6+

“Gold Token” is an experimental musical poem that explores Black ancestry, culture, and cyclical growing pains.

Good Morning Peyton

Recommended for grades: 5+

This short documentary is the story of Peyton, an 11-year-old boy with an extremely rare and life-threatening disease called Xeroderma …

Hair Love

Recommended for grades: K+

An animation that tells the heartfelt story of an African American father learning to do his daughter’s hair for the …

Ian

Recommended for grades: K+

Ian was born with cerebral palsy. All he wants is to make friends, although it seems impossible to achieve when …

In a Heartbeat

Recommended for grades: 3+

Shewin’s heart pops out of his body and runs after the boy he likes. Sherwin has to chase after his …

In the Invisible

Recommended for grades: 7+

In The Visible, a short film by Director Natasha Lee and Producer Lucia Tran, dismantles Asian American stereotypes and the …

INGRID SILVA//THE JOURNEY

Recommended for grades: 6+

This film follows the life journey of Ingrid Silva from the slums of Rio to the professional Ballet stage of …

Iron Hands

Recommended for grades: 3+

Iron Hands (Tie Shou) tells the story of a determined 12-year-old girl who finds an unexpected ally in her bid …

JessZilla

Recommended for grades: 4+

JessZilla is about a ten-year-old with a fire in her heart for boxing and a dedicated father caught between supporting …

Kapaemahu

Recommended for grades: 3+

Long ago, four extraordinary beings of dual male and female spirit brought the healing arts from Tahiti to Hawaii and …

Let’s Eat

Recommended for grades: 1+

Let’s Eat follows the story of an immigrant mother and her daughter as they navigate through the beauty and challenges …

Lost & Found

Recommended for grades: 1+

A knitted toy dinosaur must completely unravel itself to save the love of its life.

My Moon

Recommended for grades: 6+

A relationship between three celestial bodies; a romance between the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun.

One Small Step

Recommended for grades: K+

TAIKO Studios presents the story of Luna is a vibrant young Chinese American girl who dreams of becoming an astronaut. …

Rebooted

Recommended for grades: 6+

A stop motion animated skeleton is having trouble finding work in modern Hollywood and competing with all of the new …

The Fox and the Bird

Recommended for grades: K+

A solitary fox finds itself improvising fatherhood for a freshly hatched baby bird.

The Present

Recommended for grades: 1+

The story of a boy who would rather spend his time indoors playing video games instead of discovering what’s waiting …

The Silent Child

Recommended for grades: 6+

A deaf 6-year-old girl named Libby lives in a world of silence until a caring social worker teaches her to …

Two Strangers Who Meet Five Times

Recommended for grades: 6+

Alistair and Samir meet five different times, but it is only when they meet as old men that they can …

Unbreathable: The Fight for Healthy Air

Recommended for grades: 9+

Nearly half of all Americans still live in areas with unhealthy levels of air pollution, particularly those in poorer communities. …

Documentaries

A BRAVE HEART: THE LIZZIE VELASQUEZ STORY

Recommended for grades: 7+

The story of a young woman who used her experience with being cyberbullied to start a worldwide anti-bullying crusade.

A PLACE AT THE TABLE

Recommended for grades: 6+

An analysis of the growing problem of food insecurity in America.

ALIVE INSIDE

Recommended for grades: 6+

A social worker works to share their important discovery – that listening to music can unlock the memories of people …

BLOOD BROTHER

Recommended for grades: 6+

A young man from Pennsylvania decides to change his life after he visits an HIV orphanage in India.

FED UP

Recommended for grades: 6+

Making the case that the obesity epidemic in America’s children isn’t due to lack of exercise, but to excessive sugar …

MATT SHEPARD IS A FRIEND OF MINE

Recommended for grades: 8+

Explores the life and tragic death of Matthew Shepard, the gay student murdered in Laramie, WY.

THE ANTHROPOLOGIST

Recommended for grades: 9+

The Anthropologist tells the parallel stories of famed cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead and Susie Crate, an environmental anthropologist currently studying …

UNBRANDED

Recommended for grades: 7+

Follow four young men as they attempt to prove the value of mustang horses by riding them from Mexico to …

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Utah Film Center Media Education programs are supported by POPS

About POPS
POPS (Professional Outreach Programs in the Schools) is an educational outreach program in the fine arts that provides a mechanism for Utah’s professional art organizations to assist in teaching the Utah’s fine art core curriculum in the public schools. Professional organizations match state revenues to support and enhance the delivery of art education through demonstrations, performances, presentations, and educational activities in the schools. The program ensures that each of the 41 school districts have the opportunity to receive services in a balanced and comprehensive manner over three years.

Utah Film Center POPS 2019-20 Final Annual Report

For more information contact Utah Film Center’s Media Education team at edu@utahfilmcenter.org

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