OPTIMIST
Films and Resources for the Education Community
Dear Educators,
We believe film has the power to incite real, positive change in the world – to inspire empathy and nurture optimism.
One of the places we see this most vibrantly is in the classroom, where students are eager to experience the world in new ways and sharpen their sense of purpose.
Here you will find an overview of our organization, our films, and their educational resources to help you determine what story (or stories) will most effectively enhance your curriculum and engage your students.
Thank you for your selfless, deeply important work.
Other Opportunies
Get in Touch
OVERVIEW
About Optimist
We are an award-winning film studio based in Los Angeles, committed to positively changing minds, lives and policies through our documentaries and impact campaigns. Our films have:
- Screened at nearly 5,000 schools around the world
- Released on Netflix, HBO, PBS, Amazon, The Atlantic, and National Geographic
- Played over 35 million times in 180 countries
- Helped raise $92 million for critical social causes, such as poverty alleviation, refugee education, food waste rescue and redistribution, and immigration support
We’ve collaborated with high school and college teachers, subject matter experts, and industry leaders to create educational resources for our films -- discussion guides, mini-curriculum, short film modules, and more. So when a student wonders “How can I learn more? How can I help?” we can offer answers.
Educational Resources
FILMS & RESOURCES
Film Issue Areas
Civic Engagement
Criminal Justice
Financial Empowerment
Food Access
Gender Equity
Migration
Sustainability
FILMS + RESOURCES
This is Not Financial Advice
Financial
Empowerment
Release Year: 2023
Run Time: 86 minutes
Themes: The psychology of money, smart investing in an era powered by social media
Grade Levels: Grades 11-12, college, adults
Synopsis: Serving as an entertaining cautionary tale, THIS IS NOT FINANCIAL ADVICE explores the euphoric heights and crushing depths of being an investor in the age of social media. The film offers lessons on risk, opportunity, and the psychology of money through the stories of four Americans from diverse backgrounds as they navigate their financial futures.
Resources
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Full Film
*contact Optimist
FILMS + RESOURCES
Abundance: The Farmlink Story
Food Access,
Sustainability
Release Year: 2023
Run Time: 22 minutes
Themes: Food Waste, food insecurity, youth entrepreneurship, social movements, and sustainable development goals
Grade Levels: Grades 4-12, college, adults
Synopsis: During the largest food crisis in a century, a group of college students spark a national movement to end hunger in the United States. Within months, the project scales larger than anyone could have imagined and the students find themselves on the front lines of fighting hunger.
FILMS + RESOURCES
Free to Care
Criminal Justice,
Gender Equity
Release Year: 2022
Run Time: 13 minutes
Themes: Restorative justice, fair chance of hiring
Grade Levels: Grades 9-12, college, law school, adults
Synopsis: A single mother with a passion for nursing, Lisa Creason wanted the freedom to pursue her dreams. When an unjust law prohibited her from doing so, she took the fight into her own hands and ended up opening doorways for thousands like her.
Resources
*in progress
FILMS + RESOURCES
PaperBoy Love Prince Runs for Mayor
Civic
Engagement
Release Year: 2022
Run Time: 13 minutes
Themes: Gender equity, representation, civic engagement
Grade Levels: Grades 9-12, college, adults
Synopsis: Rapper and community activist Paperboy Love Prince takes on New York City's elite in the race for NYC Mayor. They run their campaign like a rap album release tour and gain serious momentum that challenges the standard for equitable representation in politics.
Resources
*in progress
FILMS + RESOURCES
The Undocumented Lawyer
Civic Engagement,
Gender Equity,
Migration
Release Year: 2020
Run Time: 14 minutes
Themes: Gender equity, civic engagement, migration
Grade Levels: Grades 6-12, college, adults
Synopsis: Lizbeth Mateo is an attorney who swore to uphold the Constitution. She’s also undocumented. When a client takes sanctuary in a church, Lizbeth’s own experience guides their fight for justice.
FILMS + RESOURCES
Five Years North
Migration
Release Year: 2020
Run Time: 90 minutes
Themes: Migration, mental health, immigrant youth
Grade Levels: Grades 7-12, college, adults
Synopsis: Five Years North is the coming-of-age story of Luis, an undocumented Guatemalan boy who just arrived alone in New York City. He struggles to work, study, and evade Judy — the Cuban-American ICE officer patrolling his neighborhood.
Full Film
*contact Optimist
FILMS + RESOURCES
Rosa: These Storms
Gender Equity,
Civic Engagement
Release Year: 2015
Run Time: 12 minutes
Themes: Gender equity, civic engagement, poverty alleviation, resilience and perseverence
Grade Levels: Grades 6-12, college, adults
Synopsis: Rosa, a young Mayan woman, sits alone. She stares into the camera and for the first time shares her story. She has wrestled with rejection, forgiveness, and the fight to keep her child alive. Now 27, she must overcome her past to follow the dreams she once thought impossible.
Resources
*in progress
FILMS + RESOURCES
Salam Neighbor
Migration
Release Year: 2015
Run Time: 75 minutes
Themes: Migration, the refugee crisis, refugee rights and education, cross-cultural learning and relationship building
Grade Levels: Grades 4-12, college, adults
Synopsis: Two American filmmakers travel to the edge of war, to live with 85,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan’s Za’atari camp. Experience an intimate look at the heartbreak and hope on the front lines of the world’s most dire refugee crisis. Salam Neighbor is a co-production of Optimist and 1001 Media. Made in association with the Emmy Award-Winning studio, RYOT Films.
FILMS + RESOURCES
Living on One Dollar
Civic Engagement,
Financial Empowerment,
Sustainability
Release Year: 2013
Run Time: 56 minutes
Themes: Civic engagement, financial empowerment, sustainability, poverty alleviation, cross-cultural learning and relationship building
Grade Levels: Grades 4-12, college, adults
Synopsis: Living on One Dollar is an award-winning documentary following four friends as they live on less than $1 a day for two months in rural Guatemala. They battle hunger, parasites, and the realization that there are no easy answers. But they’re inspired by the generosity and strength of people they meet in the village. Meeting Rosa, her husband Anthony, and 12-year-old Chino gives the group hope that there are still ways to make a difference.
OVERVIEW
Our co-founders,
Chris and Zach,
LOVE engaging with students.
To book them for a live or virtual session, email samantha@optimist.co.
TESTIMONIALS
Endorsements from Students
“You really inspired me to bring the best version of me out into the world and help.”
- Jordi M.
“Meeting you and getting to know your story gave me a very new perspective on what I wanted my future to look like. I realized that I wanted to go experience different ways of living, broaden my view of the world, and see what kind of impact I was capable of. Thank you for giving people like me someone to look up to. You’ve truly changed my life for the better.”
- Kyle H
“This film (Living on One Dollar) changed my life and many others to whom I’ve recommended it. I learned so much. Later it inspired me to work with a non-profit in Uganda that gives goats to women in rural villages. Thank you for your inspirational work!”
- Tobi P.
“You are the team that changed my life and the life of my family. You have inspired me with hope. We are so grateful and can't thank you enough.”
- Qasim A
TESTIMONIALS
Endorsements from Teachers and Administration
“The Center was abuzz yesterday (and I'm sure will continue to be) with students inspired by your talk, your story, the way you present and live your life, and the gnawing feeling that so many of them have to use their lives meaningfully that found a new role model in how to do just that. [We] will make sure that the energy isn't lost and that we help our students turn their fears for the world into optimism about where we can take it; actionable Optimism, something so important you left us all with.”
- Jonathan W, Ph.D., Director, Bentley University Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Center
“In my experience, Chris and Zach are unmatched in their ability to connect with and motivate students — through their energy, use of video storytelling, and interaction with the audience. Our students are now noticeably more thoughtful and passionate about the world around them."
- Pauline M, Princeton Hun School
“This is the 5th year of showing your amazing films to my students! They don't just help my students get interested in exploring the world, they also teach empathy and help them understand gratitude in a new way.”
- Kevin L., Rochester Schools, Minnesota
OTHER OPPORTUNITIES
Deepen your Involvement with Optimist
We are passionate about expanding, nurturing, and collaborating with our growing community of educators and students. If you’re excited about our work, and want to explore other opportunities for involvement, we would love to hear from you! The possibilites are endless, but here are just a few ideas for how we could team up:
- Curriculum development and support
- General advice and consultation on adapting our resources to fit state education requirements
- Translation help
- Co-authoring op-eds and conference presentations
- And for students, internship opportunities!
Reach out to samantha@optimist.co
to explore ideas!
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