Top 10 Movies About Political Activism

The world is always changing, but is it ever for the better? Sometimes that's hard to tell. But there are always movies about people trying to make the world a better place to inspire you and to shake you to your core.

These films not only entertain but also educate meaningful conversations about the change we wish to see in the world.

I picked ten essential movies about political activism that every aspiring changemaker and filmmaker should watch.

Let's dive in.

1. Selma (2014)

• Director: Ava DuVernay

• Writer: Paul Webb

• Cast: David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Tim Roth, Oprah Winfrey

• Plot: Chronicles Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965.

I think MLK must be the most famous political activist of all time. And this movie is a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made during the Civil Rights Movement. It illustrates the power of non-violent protest and its lasting legacy on American democracy.

2. Milk (2008)

• Director: Gus Van Sant
• Writer: Dustin Lance Black
• Cast: Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, James Franco
• Plot: The biographical story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California, and his tireless fight for LGBTQ+ rights.

This great biopic celebrates a pivotal figure in the gay rights movement. It takes on a mayoral race and shows how people are starved for change. It asks for continued activism for equality and shows the importance of representation in politics.

3. The Battle of Algiers (1966)

• Director: Gillo Pontecorvo
• Writer: Franco Solinas, Gillo Pontecorvo
• Cast: Brahim Haggiag, Jean Martin, Yacef Saadi
• Plot: A gripping, semi-documentary style account of the Algerian struggle for independence from French colonial rule in the late 1950s.

How are revolutions made? And who makes them? This is a stark and unflinching look at guerrilla warfare, terrorism, and counter-insurgency. It's a movie about an uprising and remains a relevant study for understanding modern conflicts and colonial legacies.

4. Norma Rae (1979)

• Director: Martin Ritt
• Writer: Harriet Frank Jr., Irving Ravetch
• Cast: Sally Field, Ron Leibman, Beau Bridges
• Plot: A cotton mill worker, inspired by a union organizer, takes on her employers to unionize the factory despite significant personal risk.

Are you brave enough to stand up for what's right? I love this depiction of the labor movement and the fight for workers' rights. It shows how one person can raise their voice to speak for the many.

5. Gandhi (1982)

• Director: Richard Attenborough
• Writer: John Briley
• Cast: Ben Kingsley, Candice Bergen, Edward Fox
• Plot: The epic biographical film chronicles the life of Mahatma Gandhi, tracing his journey from lawyer to the leader of India's non-violent independence movement.

The power of non-violent civil disobedience is crucial to bringing about change without war. This movie creatively demonstrates how you can take on insurmountable odds and free a country.

6. Do the Right Thing (1989)

• Director: Spike Lee
• Writer: Spike Lee
• Cast: Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Spike Lee
• Plot: Explores racial tensions in a Brooklyn neighborhood on the hottest day of the summer, culminating in a tragic incident.

You could have any Spike Lee movie on this list. This one burst onto the scene and took on racism, police brutality, and community dynamics. And it promoted vital discussions about systemic injustice and the complexities of activism.

7. Suffragette (2015)

• Director: Sarah Gavron
• Writer: Abi Morgan
• Cast: Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Meryl Streep
• Plot: Follows the foot soldiers of the early feminist movement, women who were forced underground to pursue a dangerous game of cat and mouse with an increasingly brutal state as they fought for the right to vote.

The thing is that so many sacrifices have had to be made in order for the world to be a better place. These radical actions undertaken by women to secure fundamental democratic rights resonate with ongoing struggles for gender equality.

8. The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (2015)

• Director: Stanley Nelson Jr.
• Writer: Stanley Nelson Jr.
• Cast: (Documentary, featuring historical figures and interviews)
• Plot: A comprehensive documentary exploring the rise and fall of the Black Panther Party, its revolutionary politics, and its cultural and political significance.

****This is a good PBS doc that taught me a lot of stuff. It has a fair and nuanced perspective on a controversial movement that had a lot of good intentions and actions. I love how it shows they took on oppression and civil rights in proactive ways.

9. Citizenfour (2014)

• Director: Laura Poitras
• Cast: Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald, William Binney
• Plot: A real-life international thriller, this documentary follows director Laura Poitras and journalist Glenn Greenwald as they meet Edward Snowden in Hong Kong to receive classified documents about illegal surveillance by the NSA.

I don't know about you, but I prefer not to be spied on. This doc fundamentally changed the global conversation regarding digital privacy, government overreach, and the personal cost of whistleblowing in the 21st century.

10. Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)

• Director: Shaka King
• Writer: Will Berson, Shaka King
• Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons
• Plot: Offered a plea deal by the FBI, William O'Neal infiltrates the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party to gather intelligence on Chairman Fred Hampton.

So this movie follows the FBI's COINTELPRO operations and the lengths to which the government went to dismantle revolutionary movements and assassinate young leaders. We see how they cornered Fred Hampton's movement and used his friends to betray him.

Summing It All Up

These are my picks for the best movies about political activism. There was a lot to choose from, so I had a hard time narrowing down.

Did I leave off any of your favorites?

Let me know what you think in the comments.