The First Class

L'Ánimal Plus Étrange Du Monde

April 2023 •French

More than a Game

September 2008 •English

This documentary follows NBA superstar LeBron James and four of his talented teammates through the trials and tribulations of high school basketball in Ohio and James' journey to fame.

Frontrunners

October 2008 •English

A documentary on the competition for student body president at New York's Stuyvesant High School. As the notoriously competitive school's election draws near, the campaign becomes a microcosm for the nation at large, with race, gender and appearance vying for attention with real issues.

Pen-Hi Grad

February 1975 •English

In Penticton, BC, most students graduating from the only high school in town know that job opportunities and higher education lie elsewhere, most likely in Vancouver. So, for one memorable week, they go through a whirlwind of formal ceremonies, wild celebrations, hi-jinks and farewells that involve the whole population of this Okanagan Valley community.

Let's Visit the World of the Future

August 1973 •English

A travelogue inviting viewers of today to come visit the future. The person who found this mysterious 16mm film in his basement in 1973, Rev. Ivan Stang, later ran The SubGenius Foundation, the Slack Prophecy religion devoted to Texas cult religion salesman J.R. "Bob" Dobbs.

Therapy Dogs

March 2023 •English

A chronicle of the last year of high school as two friends set out to make the ultimate senior video.

American Teen

July 2008 •English

A documentary on seniors at a high school in a small Indiana town and their various cliques.

Haturnir

September 2020 •Hebrew

"Haturnir" is a documentary film, following Liam Ronen "The CEO" - a high school student who arranged the soccer tournament that eventually succeeded in becoming an outrageous empire. The film captures the fights, conflicts, COVID-19 influences, and competitions in this event.

Big Voice

July 2016 •English

BIG VOICE captures a tumultuous year in the life of a visionary high school choir teacher and his students as they overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles to become one big voice in this inspiring musical documentary.

Stacked

December 2021 •English

The year was 1999, and a couple of schools four hours apart were embarking on a season-long journey to become the best high school baseball team in Michigan. The Sturgis Trojans and the Pinconning Spartans were schools that were built from the ground up by communities that were unapologetically determined to do one thing - WIN. Both schools were championship caliber baseball teams that didn't know a thing about each other when they took the field at Battle Creek's Bailey Park to face-off in the 1999 MHSAA state championship. Finally, 22 years later, we have uncovered fascinating details about both teams, their run to the state finals, and the emotional thoughts and feelings behind one of the most memorable final innings in MHSAA history.

Guys 'N Divas: Battle of the High School Musicals

January 2009 •English

This fascinating documentary chronicles the intense rivalry between high schools in Southern Indiana to win a prestigious festival performance with lavish student musical productions that often cost in the tens of thousands of dollars to produce.

Mr. Football

Invalid date •English

After an urban Catholic High School football team comes together to win a state championship, tragedy strikes. A star player is killed and two of his teammates are charged with his murder. Based on the true story of the Cleveland, Ohio Benedictine football team's 2004 season.

The Future of Cities

December 2016 •English

This is a conversation starter first, a video second.

Resolved

January 2007 •English

The fascinating complexity of high school debate gives way to a portrait of the equally complex racial and class bias of American education in Greg Whiteley's riveting documentary.

Step

July 2017 •English

The senior year of a girls’ high school step team in inner-city Baltimore is documented, as they try to become the first in their families to attend college. The girls strive to make their dancing a success against the backdrop of social unrest in their troubled city.

Takumi: A 60,000 Hour Story on the Survival of Human Craft

March 2019 •English

There is a popular theory that it takes at least 10,000 hours of focused practice for a human to become expert in any field. In Japan, there are craftspeople who go far beyond this to reach a special kind of mastery. These people are called Takumi and they devote 60,000 hours to their craft. That's 8 hours a day, 240 days a year, for over 30 years. It's an almost superhuman level of dedication to a life of repetition and no shortcuts. This film asks the question: Will human craft disappear as artificial intelligence reaches beyond our limits?

Saying Goodbye to the People I've Grown Up With

May 2019 •English

Students graduating from Haynes Academy reflect on their memories together and the uncertainty of their futures.

The Next Black

October 2014 •English

An exploration of the future of clothing, profiling forward-thinking companies at the forefront of redefining how and what we wear.

I Love You, East Garrison (A Video Essay by Haley Hoult)

May 2023 •English

Haley Hoult, a student of Est Harrison High, creates a sarcastic video essay about his school.

An Intervention

January 2021 •English

Chelsea Bledsoe and her husband Graig throw a surprise intervention for her old high school boyfriend, Henry, with a mismatched group of acquaintances from back in the day to fill out the guest list.