"Participant Media" films: entertainment that inspires and compels social change
Great films that move hearts and minds. Well told stories with opportunities for real-world impact and awareness around the most pressing global issues of our time. (Films financed and co-produced by film production company "Participant Media", founded 2004 by Jeffrey Skill).
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- DirectorDanniel DannielJuliano Mer-KhamisStarsArna Mer KhamisJuliano Mer-KhamisJuliano Mer Khamis' documentary on his mother, Arna, an activist against the Israeli occupation who founded an alternative education system for Palestinian children.
- DirectorHenry Alex RubinDana Adam ShapiroStarsJoe SoaresKeith CavillMark ZupanQuadriplegics, who play full-contact rugby in wheelchairs, overcome unimaginable obstacles to compete in the Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece.
- DirectorGeorge ClooneyStarsDavid StrathairnGeorge ClooneyPatricia ClarksonBroadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow looks to bring down Senator Joseph McCarthy.
- DirectorNiki CaroStarsCharlize TheronJeremy RennerFrances McDormandA fictionalized account of the first major successful sexual harassment case in the United States, Jenson vs. Eveleth Mines, where a woman who endured a range of abuse while working as a miner filed and won the landmark 1984 lawsuit.
- DirectorStephen GaghanStarsGeorge ClooneyMatt DamonAmanda PeetA politically charged epic about the state of the oil industry in the hands of those personally involved in and affected by it.
- DirectorAric AvelinoStarsMarcia Gay HardenForest WhitakerDonald SutherlandSeemingly disparate portraits of people -- among them a single mother, a high school principal, and an ace student -- Distinctly American -- all affected by the proliferation of guns in American society.
- DirectorLinda Goldstein KnowltonLinda HawkinsStarsEdward G. ChristieA documentary which examines the creation and co-production of the popular children's television program in three developing countries: Bangladesh, Kosovo and South Africa.
- DirectorDavis GuggenheimStarsAl GoreBilly WestGeorge BushFilmmaker Davis Guggenheim follows Al Gore on the lecture circuit, as the former presidential candidate campaigns to raise public awareness of the dangers of global warming and calls for immediate action to curb its destructive effects on the environment.
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsGreg KinnearBruce WillisCatalina Sandino MorenoAn examination of the health risks involved in the fast food industry as well as its environmental and social consequences.
- DirectorLouise HogarthStarsCon CloeteMarion CloeteMarion Cloete, a university-trained therapist, along with her husband and two daughters, fearlessly walked away from a privileged life in a wealthy Johannesburg suburb to establish Boikarabelo (formerly Botshabelo), an extraordinary village and school that provide shelter, food, and education to more than 550 South African children.
- DirectorJonathan DemmeStarsJimmy CarterRosalynn CarterLillian CarterA chronicle of the former president's tour recent for his book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid."
- DirectorTed BraunStarsDon CheadleAhmed Mahammed AbakaSheikh Ahmed Mohamad AbakarAn examination of the genocide in Sudan's western region of Darfur.
- DirectorMarc ForsterStarsKhalid AbdallaAhmad Khan MahmoodzadaAtossa LeoniAfter spending years in California, Amir returns to his homeland in Afghanistan to help his old friend Hassan, whose son is in trouble.
- DirectorMike NicholsStarsTom HanksJulia RobertsPhilip Seymour HoffmanA drama based on a Texas congressman Charlie Wilson's covert dealings in Afghanistan, where his efforts to assist rebels in their war with the Soviets have some unforeseen and long-reaching effects.
- DirectorBrett MorgenStarsJeffrey WrightNick NolteRoy ScheiderArchival footage, animation, and music are used to look back at the eight anti-war protesters who were put on trial following the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
- DirectorTom McCarthyStarsRichard JenkinsHaaz SleimanDanai GuriraA college professor travels to New York City to attend a conference and finds a young couple living in his apartment.
- DirectorErrol MorrisStarsMegan Ambuhl GranerJaval DavisKen DavisErrol Morris examines the incidents of abuse and torture of suspected terrorists at the hands of U.S. forces at the Abu Ghraib prison.
- DirectorJoe WrightStarsJamie FoxxRobert Downey Jr.Catherine KeenerA newspaper journalist discovers a homeless musical genius and tries to improve his situation.
- DirectorRobert KennerStarsMichael PollanEric SchlosserRichard LobbAn unflattering look inside America's corporate controlled food industry.
- DirectorLouie PsihoyosStarsRichard O'BarryLouie PsihoyosHardy JonesUsing state-of-the-art equipment, a group of activists, led by renowned dolphin trainer Ric O'Barry, infiltrate a cove near Taijii, Japan to expose both a shocking instance of animal abuse and a serious threat to human health.
- DirectorMark BeckerJennifer GrausmanInfamously blunt, Wilma Stephenson runs a "boot camp" teaching Culinary Arts at Frankford High, disciplining her students into capable chefs and responsible students. But behind her tough exterior is a teacher who cares passionately about getting the best out of her kids.
- DirectorSteven SoderberghStarsMatt DamonTony HalePatton OswaltThe U.S. government decides to go after an agro-business giant with a price-fixing accusation, based on the evidence submitted by their star witness, vice president-turned-informant Mark Whitacre.
- DirectorJacques PerrinJacques CluzaudStarsPierce BrosnanPedro Armendáriz Jr.Jacques PerrinAn ecological drama/documentary, filmed throughout the globe. Part thriller, part meditation on the vanishing wonders of the sub-aquatic world.
- DirectorBreck EisnerStarsRadha MitchellTimothy OlyphantDanielle PanabakerAfter a strange and insecure plane crash, an unusual toxic virus enters a quaint farming town. A young couple are quarantined, but they fight for survival along with help from a couple of people.
- DirectorRoger KumbleStarsBrendan FraserBrooke ShieldsRicky GarciaIn the Oregon wilderness, a real-estate developer's new housing subdivision faces a unique group of protestors: local woodland creatures who don't want their homes disturbed.
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsJack AbramoffTom DeLayWilliam BrannerA probing investigation into the lies, greed and corruption surrounding D.C. super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his cronies.
- DirectorBrian HillStarsTilda SwintonA documentary focused on the efforts of everyday people all over the world who are making a difference in the fight against global warming.
- DirectorLucy WalkerStarsGraham AllisonJames Baker IIIBruce BlairA documentary about how the likelihood of nuclear weapons (or fissile materials) usage has increased due to the rise of terrorism and lack of safeguards and verification.
- DirectorDavis GuggenheimStarsCharles AdamsJonathan AlterRobert BalfanzAn examination of the current state of education in America today.
- DirectorDoug LimanStarsNaomi WattsSean PennSonya DavisonCIA operative Valerie Plame discovers her identity is allegedly leaked by the government as payback for an op-ed article her husband wrote criticizing the Bush administration.
- DirectorMaryam KeshavarzStarsSarah KazemyNikohl BoosheriReza Sixo SafaiA wealthy Iranian family struggles to contain a teenager's growing sexual rebellion and her brother's dangerous obsession.
- DirectorMark LewisStarsHenry RichardsNeil YoungA documentary horror film about the environmental devastation left in the wake of the giant toads' unstoppable march across Australia.
- DirectorJodie FosterStarsMel GibsonJodie FosterAnton YelchinA troubled husband and executive adopts a beaver hand-puppet as his sole means of communication.
- DirectorAndrew RossiStarsDavid CarrSarah EllisonLarry IngrassiaUnprecedented access to the New York Times newsroom yields a complex view of the transformation of a media landscape fraught with both peril and opportunity.
- DirectorTate TaylorStarsViola DavisEmma StoneOctavia SpencerAn aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960s decides to write a book detailing the African American maids' point of view on the white families for which they work, and the hardships they go through on a daily basis.
- DirectorSteven SoderberghStarsMatt DamonKate WinsletJude LawHealthcare professionals, government officials and everyday people find themselves in the midst of a pandemic as the CDC works to find a cure.
- DirectorJohn MaddenStarsJudi DenchBill NighyMaggie SmithBritish retirees travel to India to take up residence in what they believe is a newly restored hotel. Less luxurious than advertised, the Marigold Hotel nevertheless slowly begins to charm in unexpected ways.
- DirectorJessica YuStarsErin Brockovich-EllisJay FamigliettiPeter H. GleickA documentary on the world's water crisis.
- DirectorAva DuVernayStarsEmayatzy CorinealdiDavid OyelowoLorraine ToussaintRuby goes on a journey of self-discovery when she drops out of medical school in order to focus on her incarcerated husband's well-being.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsDaniel Day-LewisSally FieldDavid StrathairnAs the Civil War rages on, U.S President Abraham Lincoln struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on his decision to emancipate the slaves.
- DirectorGus Van SantStarsMatt DamonFrances McDormandJohn KrasinskiA salesman for a natural gas company experiences life-changing events after arriving in a small town, where his corporation wants to tap into the available resources.
- DirectorAaron AitesAudrey EwellNina KrsticStarsMatt TaibbiNaomi WolfBoots RileyA compelling portrait of the Occupy Wall Street movement. From personal stories to analysis of the big picture issues, supporters, participants and critics shed light on why and how this movement took off with such explosive force, and what it means. Made in a unique and unprecedented collaboration of 99 filmmakers across the country, the production process of this feature film offers a uniquely diverse way of bringing meaning and context to the movement that has swept up America, and much of the world, with its story.
- DirectorRic Roman WaughStarsDwayne JohnsonSusan SarandonJon BernthalA father goes undercover for the DEA in order to free his son, who was imprisoned after being set up in a drug deal.
- DirectorKristi JacobsonLori SilverbushStarsJeff BridgesTom ColicchioKen CookA documentary that investigates incidents of hunger experienced by millions of Americans, and proposed solutions to the problem.
- DirectorDan SettonStarsSalam FayyadMahmoud AbbasTzipi LivniA look deep inside Israel and Palestine at the men and women trying to seize a historic opportunity to end the conflict and make implementing the two-state solution a reality.
- DirectorDavis GuggenheimStarsLindsay ChinnAce Antonio HallShelby HarrisExplores America's education system through the eyes, minds and hearts of its most essential resource, teachers.
- DirectorBill CondonStarsBenedict CumberbatchDaniel BrühlCarice van HoutenA dramatic thriller based on real events that reveals the quest to expose the deceptions and corruptions of power that turned an Internet upstart into the 21st century's most fiercely debated organization.
- DirectorRon HowardStarsJanelle MonáeRita OraYeHip-hop artist Jay-Z organizes the "Budweiser Made In America" music festival.
- DirectorErrol MorrisStarsDonald RumsfeldErrol MorrisFormer United States Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, discusses his career in Washington D.C. from his days as a congressman in the early 1960s to planning the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
- DirectorMargaret BrownStarsMeccah Boynton-BrownDoug BrownBob CavnarA documentary on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion as seen through the eyes of oil executives, survivors and Gulf Coast residents who experienced it first-hand and then were left to pick up the pieces while the world moved on.
- DirectorDiego LunaStarsMichael PeñaAmerica FerreraRosario DawsonA biography of the civil-rights activist and labor organizer Cesar Chavez.
- DirectorAndrew RossiStarsElizabeth ArmstrongRichard ArumJamshed BharuchaA documentary that questions the cost -- and value -- of higher education in the United States.
- DirectorBrian KnappenbergerStarsAaron SwartzTim Berners-LeeCindy CohnThe story of programming prodigy and information activist Aaron Swartz, who took his own life at the age of 26.
- DirectorLasse HallströmStarsHelen MirrenOm PuriManish DayalThe Kadam family leaves India for France where they open a restaurant directly across the road from Madame Mallory's Michelin-starred eatery.
- DirectorPablo FendrikStarsGael García BernalAlice BragaClaudio TolcachirA mysterious man emerges from the Argentinean rainforest to help a poor farmer and his daughter, who are threatened by a band of mercenaries hired to force them to sell their land.
- DirectorLluís QuílezStarsJulia StilesScott SpeedmanStephen ReaA couple and their daughter move to Colombia to take over a family manufacturing plant, only to realize their new home is haunted.
- DirectorRobert KennerStarsFrederick SingerNaomi OreskesJamy Ian SwissA documentary that looks at pundits-for-hire who present themselves as scientific authorities as they speak about topics like toxic chemicals, pharmaceuticals and climate change.
- DirectorLaura PoitrasStarsEdward SnowdenGlenn GreenwaldWilliam BinneyA documentarian and a reporter travel to Hong Kong for the first of many meetings with Edward Snowden.
- DirectorJ.C. ChandorStarsOscar IsaacJessica ChastainDavid OyelowoIn New York City 1981, an ambitious immigrant fights to protect his business and family during the most dangerous year in the city's history.
- DirectorRic Roman WaughStarsPatricia DriscollJayson FloydTyler GreyA documentary on military PTSD, focusing on the experiences of two friends who are veterans of the war in Iraq.
- DirectorJohn MaddenStarsJudi DenchMaggie SmithBill NighyAs the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel has only a single remaining vacancy, posing a rooming predicament for two fresh arrivals, Sonny Kapoor (Dev Patel) pursues his expansionist dream of opening a second hotel.
- DirectorJessica YuThe complex subject of population growth is observed via three individuals who are tackling the topic on a personal level.
- DirectorRobert GordonMorgan NevilleStarsGore VidalWilliam F. BuckleyDick CavettA documentary on the series of televised debates in 1968 between liberal Gore Vidal and conservative William F. Buckley.
- DirectorRoger AllersGaëtan BrizziPaul BrizziStarsLiam NeesonSalma HayekQuvenzhané WallisExiled artist and poet Mustafa embarks on a journey home with his housekeeper and her daughter; together the trio must evade the authorities who fear that the truth in Mustafa's words will incite rebellion.
- DirectorJoshua OppenheimerStarsAdi RukunM.Y. BasrunVolker HanischA family that survived the genocide in Indonesia confronts the men who killed one of their brothers.
- DirectorDavis GuggenheimStarsMalala YousafzaiZiauddin YousafzaiToor Pekai YousafzaiA look at the events leading up to the Taliban's attack on Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai for speaking out on girls' education, followed by the aftermath, including her speech to the United Nations.
- DirectorMarc SilverStarsLucia McBathRon DavisMichael David DunnIn 3 1/2 Minutes, Ten Bullets, two lives intersected and were forever altered.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsTom HanksMark RylanceAlan AldaDuring the Cold War, an American lawyer is recruited to defend an arrested Soviet spy in court, and then help the CIA facilitate an exchange of the spy for the Soviet captured American U2 spy plane pilot, Francis Gary Powers.
- DirectorCary Joji FukunagaStarsAbraham AttahEmmanuel AffadziRicky AdelayitorA drama based on the experiences of Agu, a child soldier fighting in the civil war of an unnamed African country.
- DirectorDavid Gordon GreenStarsSandra BullockBilly Bob ThorntonAnthony MackieA battle-hardened American political consultant is sent to help re-elect a controversial president in Bolivia, where she must compete with a long-term rival working for another candidate.
- DirectorTom McCarthyStarsMark RuffaloMichael KeatonRachel McAdamsThe true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core.
- DirectorBernardo RuizStarsDon Henry Ford Jr.Oscar HagelsiebConsuelo MoralesBernardo Ruiz takes an unflinching look at the human cost of the U.S.-Mexico drug war through the perspectives of three unlikely individuals.
- DirectorDerek CianfranceStarsMichael FassbenderAlicia VikanderRachel WeiszA lighthouse keeper and his wife living off the coast of Western Australia raise a baby they rescue from a drifting rowing boat.
- DirectorMick JacksonStarsRachel WeiszTom WilkinsonTimothy SpallAcclaimed writer and historian Deborah E. Lipstadt must battle for historical truth to prove the Holocaust actually occurred when David Irving, a renowned denier, sues her for libel.
- DirectorPeter BergStarsMark WahlbergKurt RussellDouglas M. GriffinA dramatization of the disaster in April 2010, when the offshore drilling rig called the Deepwater Horizon exploded, resulting in the worst oil spill in American history.
- DirectorSteve CarrStarsGriffin GluckLauren GrahamAlexa NisensonAfter his new principal Dwight destroys his sketchbook, Rafe Khatchadorian and his best friend Leo decide to metaphorically destroy Dwight's book by breaking every rule in the school's Code of Conduct.
- DirectorJ.A. BayonaStarsLewis MacDougallSigourney WeaverFelicity JonesConor, a twelve-year-old boy, encounters an ancient tree monster who proceeds to help him cope with his mother's terminal illness and being bullied in school.
- DirectorPablo LarraínStarsGael García BernalLuis GneccoMercedes MoránAn inspector hunts down Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, who becomes a fugitive in his home country in the late 1940s for joining the Communist Party.
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsDavid SangerEmad KiyaeiEric ChienA documentary focused on Stuxnet, a piece of self-replicating computer malware that the U.S. and Israel unleashed to destroy a key part of an Iranian nuclear facility, and which ultimately spread beyond its intended target.
- DirectorBonni CohenJon ShenkStarsAl GoreCory BookerGeorge W. BushA decade after An Inconvenient Truth (2006) brought climate change to the heart of popular culture, the follow-up shows just how close we are to a real energy revolution.
- DirectorStephen ChboskyStarsJacob TremblayOwen WilsonIzabela VidovicBased on the New York Times bestseller, this movie tells the incredibly inspiring and heartwarming story of August Pullman, a boy with facial differences who enters the fifth grade, attending a mainstream elementary school for the first time.
- DirectorAndy SerkisStarsAndrew GarfieldClaire FoyHugh BonnevilleThe inspiring true love story of Robin and Diana Cavendish, an adventurous couple who refuse to give up in the face of a devastating disease.
- DirectorRic Roman WaughStarsNikolaj Coster-WaldauOmari HardwickLake BellA newly released prisoner is forced by the leaders of his gang to orchestrate a major crime with a brutal rival gang on the streets of Southern California.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsMeryl StreepTom HanksSarah PaulsonA cover-up spanning four U.S. Presidents pushes the country's first female newspaper publisher and her editor to join an unprecedented battle between press and government.
- DirectorJosé PadilhaStarsBatsheva Dance CompanyZina ZinchenkoBen SchnetzerInspired by the true events of the 1976 hijacking of an Air France flight en route from Tel Aviv to Paris, and the most daring rescue mission ever attempted.
- DirectorJulie CohenBetsy WestStarsRuth Bader GinsburgAnn KittnerHarryette HelselThe exceptional life and career of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who has developed a breathtaking legal legacy while becoming an unexpected pop culture icon.
- DirectorRupert WyattStarsJohn GoodmanAshton SandersJonathan MajorsSet in a Chicago neighborhood nearly a decade after an occupation by an extraterrestrial force, 'Captive State' explores the lives on both sides of the conflict - the collaborators and dissidents.
- DirectorPeter FarrellyStarsViggo MortensenMahershala AliLinda CardelliniA working-class Italian-American bouncer becomes the driver for an African-American classical pianist on a tour of venues through the 1960s American South.
- DirectorLloyd KramerMidsummer in Newtown is a testament to the transformative force of artistic expression to pierce through the shadow cast by trauma. In the wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy, one grieving couple honors their daughter through music, while community children find their voice through a rock-pop version of "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
- DirectorMorgan NevilleStarsYo-Yo MaKinan AzmehKayhan KalhorCellist Yo-Yo Ma and other international artists of The Silk Road Project discuss their philosophies on music and culture.
- DirectorDerek DoneenStarsAsmitaSwati JhaSumedha KailashThe story of how Kailash Satyarthi built a global movement to rescue children from slavery.
- DirectorAlfonso CuarónStarsYalitza AparicioMarina de TaviraDiego Cortina AutreyA year in the life of a middle-class family's maid in Mexico City in the early 1970s.
- DirectorMark Jonathan HarrisStarsEarcylene BeaversJessica ChandlerJacqueline ChunOscar®-winning filmmakers Deborah Oppenheimer and Mark Jonathan Harris (Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport) reunite for a revealing first-hand look at the foster care system as seen through the eyes of those who know it best. With extraordinary access to the inner workings of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), Oppenheimer and Harris go beyond the sensational headlines and stereotypes to take an unprecedented look at an often misunderstood world and upend some of the most enduring myths about foster care and those involved in the system.
- DirectorVictor KossakovskyWater and ice are shown around the world, in all of their many powerful forms.
- DirectorSteven BognarJulia ReichertStarsJunming 'Jimmy' WangRobert AllenSherrod BrownIn post-industrial Ohio, a Chinese billionaire opens a factory in an abandoned General Motors plant, hiring two thousand Americans. Early days of hope and optimism give way to setbacks as high-tech China clashes with working-class America.
- DirectorAlejandro LandesStarsSofia BuenaventuraJulián GiraldoKaren QuinteroOn a remote mountaintop, eight kids with guns watch over a hostage and a conscripted milk cow.
- DirectorChiwetel EjioforStarsChiwetel EjioforMaxwell SimbaFelix LemburoAgainst all the odds, a thirteen-year-old boy in Malawi invents an unconventional way to save his family and village from famine.
- DirectorChris DurranceBarak GoodmanStarsStephen WolfRick PlutaCharles Williams IIIt influences elections and sways outcomes-gerrymandering has become a hot-button political topic and symbol for everything broken about the American electoral process. But there are those on the front lines fighting to change the system.
- DirectorMark Jonathan HarrisStarsEarcylene BeaversJessica ChandlerJacqueline ChunOscar®-winning filmmakers Deborah Oppenheimer and Mark Jonathan Harris (Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport) reunite for a revealing first-hand look at the foster care system as seen through the eyes of those who know it best. With extraordinary access to the inner workings of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), Oppenheimer and Harris go beyond the sensational headlines and stereotypes to take an unprecedented look at an often misunderstood world and upend some of the most enduring myths about foster care and those involved in the system.
- DirectorRupert WyattStarsJohn GoodmanAshton SandersJonathan MajorsSet in a Chicago neighborhood nearly a decade after an occupation by an extraterrestrial force, 'Captive State' explores the lives on both sides of the conflict - the collaborators and dissidents.