Has your Netflix queue gone stale? Curl up with a cozy blanket and hold your own social justice watch party. Here are eight movies or TV shows to stream today that spotlight incredible human rights stories and issues.
The Life and Death of Marsha P. Johnson (2017)
This documentary works backward to spotlight the unsolved death of trans rights icon Marsha P. Johnson and community calls for justice. It also takes an up close and personal look at her AIDS activism, advocacy with fellow LGBTQ leader Sylvia Rivera, and her role in the Stonewall uprising.
Where to Watch: Netflix
There’s Something in the Water (2019)
In Novia Scotia, rising rates of cancer in marginalized communities correlate to upticks in land and water pollution. Co-directed by Elliot Page, this documentary follows Black and Indigenous communities as they organize to demand answers and their right to a healthy environment.
Where to Watch: Netflix
Our Boys (2019)
Through 10 episodes, this miniseries takes an in-depth look at how the murder of four teenage boys—three Jewish and one Palestinian—during the summer of 2014 sent shockwaves through Israel and played a role in heightening the Gaza conflict. It explores how, for many families, the pursuit of justice is often marred by politics and oppression.
Where to Watch: HBO Max (US), Amazon Prime (UK)
Burma Spring Benefit Film Festival
The pandemic and a military coup in 2021 mean that Myanmar’s premier film festival is online this year. Films and forums are available live and on-demand now through February 13. Among the streaming offerings are looks at the role of citizen journalists, the effect of climate change on communities, and the lives of Rohingya refugees.
Where to Watch: BSBFF’s website (a donation is requested for a full pass)
The Dissident (2020)
The murder of Saudi author and Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi shocked the world. This documentary is an in-depth investigation of his assassination and how governments can use technology to track or squash those who speak truth to power.
Where to Watch: For rent on AppleTV or Amazon Prime
Pride (2014)
British stars Imelda Staunton and Bill Nighy team up to tell a true story about LGBTQ activists in London who rally behind striking miners and their families. The comedy-drama demonstrates the importance of activist solidarity and collaboration.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime
The Art of Political Murder (2020)
This documentary, which includes George Clooney among its executive producers, chronicles the assassination of Juan José Gerardi Conedera in 1998 and the subsequent investigation. The Guatemalan Catholic bishop and human rights activist was killed days after producing evidence linking the Guatemalan military to war crimes.
The Good Place (2016–2020)
When Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell) is killed in a shopping cart accident (yes, you read that right), she ends up in heaven where she’s mistaken for a human rights lawyer with the same name. Don’t worry, we won’t spoil the big twist ending of the first season. This absurdist comic series is chock full of one-liners, but it also asks difficult questions about justice, ethics, and what it means to be a good person.
Where to Watch: Netflix
Only have a few minutes to tune in? Check out the Fund’s Activist Stories playlist on YouTube, featuring powerful, first-hand accounts from the grassroots activists we support.
Photo credit: Photo by Jonas Leupe on Unsplash
