HIGH IMPACT FILMS

Lesson Overview:

Documentary films have long served as powerful catalysts for social awareness and change, capable of influencing public opinion, sparking global movements, and even reshaping laws. In this lesson, we’ll explore how documentary storytelling can extend far beyond the screen to affect real-world outcomes. Our primary focus will be A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness, a short film that helped prompt legal reform in Pakistan regarding honor killings. You will also be asked to examine several other landmark documentaries—such as Super Size Me, The Cove, Blackfish, The Thin Blue Line, and Hoop Dreams —to understand how these films shifted cultural conversations, corporate practices, and policy decisions. Through critical viewing and discussion, we’ll analyze how filmmakers harness the emotional and narrative power of nonfiction storytelling to ignite change.