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Watch trailers to our pick of maddening and motivating independent films.

“Selma”: A Beautifully Shot Film Shows How Change Really Happens
Neither a “great man” history of Martin Luther King Jr., nor a tale of forgotten underdogs, Selma is about skilled activists building a movement. Kate Aronoff Jan 16, 2015

“Selma”: A Beautifully Shot Film Shows How Change Really Happens
Neither a “great man” history of Martin Luther King Jr., nor a tale of forgotten underdogs, Selma is about skilled activists building a movement. Kate Aronoff Jan 16, 2015

“Wild” Could Have Been a Standard Hollywood Weeper. Here’s How Reese Witherspoon Saved It
To call “Wild” a redemption film is to minimize the wide range of emotions it works with—not to mention the subtlety of Reese Witherspoon’s performance. Christopher Zumski Finke Dec 19, 2014

Everything You Need to Know About the Radical Roots of Wonder Woman
Her enigmatic creator believed women were destined to rule the world. 10 facts about the iconic heroine. Christopher Zumski Finke Dec 10, 2014

“Wild” Could Have Been a Standard Hollywood Weeper. Here’s How Reese Witherspoon Saved It

To call “Wild” a redemption film is to minimize the wide range of emotions it works with—not to mention the subtlety of Reese Witherspoon’s performance.

Christopher Zumski Finke Dec 19, 2014

Everything You Need to Know About the Radical Roots of Wonder Woman

Her enigmatic creator believed women were destined to rule the world. 10 facts about the iconic heroine.

Christopher Zumski Finke Dec 10, 2014

When Christmas Dinner Gets Uncomfortably Political, These Cues From “House of Cards” and Other Shows Can Help You Out

This year’s most popular movies and TV series can be a tool to work your way out of a particularly bad conversation.

Kate Aronoff Dec 19, 2014

Video: This Philly Beauty Salon and Rehab Clinic Helps People Heal—With a Little Magical Realism

A new documentary, "Hollywood Beauty Salon," lets people who struggle with mental illness and addiction tell their own stories in unexpected ways.

YES! Editors Dec 19, 2014

Ridley Scott's Weak Defense of "Exodus" Casting Will Help You Understand Why Hollywood's So White

All the main characters are played by white people. It doesn't really have to be that way.

Christopher Zumski Finke Dec 12, 2014

Photo from Years of Living Dangerously

Matt Damon, Harrison Ford Lead All-Star Cast in Showtime Climate Change Series

Years of Living Dangerously features celebrity correspondents who thoughtfully explore how politics and religion divide people and impede action on this critical issue.

Dana Drugmand Oct 24, 2014

"Snowpiercer": If You Care About Climate Change, This Sci Fi Thriller Is For You

The film never flinches from the complex connections between economic and environmental problems.

Kate Aronoff Jul 07, 2014

An image from The Fault in Our Stars. Photo courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox.

How the Real Teens Behind "The Fault in Our Stars" Are Bringing Empathy to the Internet

They call themselves "nerdfighters"—and they're unlike any movement you've seen before.

Christopher Zumski Finke Jun 06, 2014

A Social Justice Tour of Oscar Winners Through the Decades

The upcoming Academy Awards will recognize some of 2013’s best social justice-themed films. Here are some of our favorite past winners.

Christopher Zumski Finke Feb 27, 2014

"Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth" Is as Beautiful Visually as It Is Spiritually

Filmmaker Pratibha Parmar's presentation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author’s life will inspire you.

Heidi Hutner Aug 07, 2013

Film Review: Ken Burns’ Dust Bowl

The new documentary will bring you inside one of the worst manmade disasters of all time in powerful detail.

Valerie Schloredt Feb 14, 2013

Bidder 70: The Tim DeChristopher Story

Last year, climate activist Tim DeChristopher went to jail for bidding $1.7 million (that he didn't have) to save 22,000 acres of public land from corporate extraction.

Samantha Herndon Aug 14, 2012

Inside America’s Worst Toxic Waste Cover-Up

Film Review: The Big Fix exposes BP’s efforts to minimize awareness of North America’s biggest oil spill.

Valerie Schloredt May 03, 2012

Growing Cities: An Urban Farming Road Trip

Can farming revitalize our cities and change the way we eat? Follow two friends across the United States to find out.

May 03, 2012