Economic justice films

The documentaries below focus on issues of poverty, income inequality, hunger and education. Do you have a film you would like to recommend? If so, we encourage you to submit your suggestion using the form at the bottom of the page so that we may consider adding it to our resource list.

Food Stamped – Follow Yoav and Shira Potash as they attempt to eat healthy while sticking to a food stamp budget. While on the Challenge, Yoav and Shira talk with politicians, food pantry staff, and food stamp recipients, to learn more about the problem of hunger in America. 

The Line – Tells the stories of 3 people in different parts of the country, each of whom lives at or below the poverty line. They are people like you & I, but various circumstances have conspired to bring them to or keep them them in poverty. 

Park Avenue – Explore income inequality through the stark contrast between the top of Park Avenue in Manhattan, where 1 luxurious apartment building houses the greatest concentration of billionaires than anywhere else, vs. 10 minutes away in the Bronx, where ½ the residents of that end of Park Avenue Are on food stamps, unemployment is at 19% & their children are 20x more likely to be killed than their neighbors to the south. 

Paycheck to Paycheck – Maria Shriver’s new documentary follows single mom Katrina Gilbert as she struggles to support herself & 3 kids on $9.49/hr. After paying rent, daycare, phone, gas and other bills she has nothing left. Food stamps run out & she can’t afford needed medications.

Why Poverty? Poor Us – Before we can talk about eradicating poverty, we first have to understand the causes. This provocative animated film takes us on a journey through time and space, examining poverty across history & cultures. Stream the film here.

American Winter – more information available here.

A Place at the Table – more information available here.

Inequality for All – more information available here.

The Raising of America – To be released by PBS in 2015. Research shows that providing early childhood education and healthcare to children can pay big dividends in the overall well-being of an individual throughout his or her lifetime. Why then, in a country that has so many resources, do we allow families to constantly struggle for basic resources, money and time during these critical formative years? 

Watch a preview of The Raising of America here.