In late April and early May 2025, Teaching for Change partnered with Filmfest DC: The Washington, DC International Film Festival for a 14th year to bring filmmakers into D.C. classrooms to share some of their films.

Students learned about filmmaking and social justice issues from viewing the films and participating in discussions with the filmmakers. (Read about prior year visits.)

The Last Republican Classroom Visits

Roosevelt HS

Students in Stephanie Beer’s Principles of Government and Public Administration class welcomed film producer Chapin Wilson for a discussion of his latest documentary, The Last Republican. The film follows former Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger as he confronts the political and moral fallout of his decision to speak out against Donald Trump after the January 6th insurrection.

Wilson, known for producing the documentary Hands on a Hard Body, shared his experience in the film industry and his commitment to ethical journalism and civic storytelling. He emphasized that The Last Republican aims to “show a truthful version of what happened” by letting the people at the center of the story speak for themselves.

Prior to the visit, students watched the documentary using a guided worksheet to track key themes and reactions. During the class session, they asked questions like “What message are you trying to send?” and “What are your opinions of the news and social media?”

Wilson explained:

[The documentary] portrays Adam Kinzinger in the most difficult position of his life. The message of the movie is what happened to this individual when there was a red line he could not cross.

Wilson highlighted the growing difficulty of discerning fact from opinion and the decline of public trust due to clickbait culture.

To bring these lessons full circle, students were tasked with researching local elected officials and writing letters to them, connecting the national issues in the film to real-world action in their own communities.

Beer explained that she wanted to show more of a balanced view of politics and people’s views. Politics is personal and how we tell stories can shape civic consciousness. She shared:

It was a great conversation. The students were very engaged and asked great questions. Mr. Wilson answered all of their questions and they learned a lot about the process of making documentary films.

School Without Walls HS

Students in Kerry Sylvia’s U.S. Government class at School Without Walls had the opportunity to watch and speak with executive producer Chapin Wilson about the making of The Last Republican. The story centers on former Congressman Adam Kinzinger’s role in the aftermath of the January 6th Capitol insurrection.

Wilson shared that the film took three years to make and marks his first foray into political filmmaking. He described the experience as a chance to apply his own knowledge to a highly public and timely project.

When asked about the production timeline, Wilson explained that there’s no standard duration for documentaries. He noted that one of the producers on The Last Republican has worked on projects that took over a decade to complete. For most feature-length documentaries — defined as anything over 45 to 90 minutes — filming alone can take more than six months.

Wilson said the primary goal of the film was to be both entertaining and engaging. With director Steve Pink’s background in comedy, that part came naturally. But equally important, Wilson said, was crafting an honest account of the January 6th insurrection and creating a true portrait of Rep. Kinzinger.

The students were particularly struck by how deeply personal the film is. Over the course of two days, Kinzinger sat for more than 12 hours of interviews each day. It was during one of these long sessions that he reflected on his motivations — connecting a life-changing experience of protecting a woman from harm in Iraq to his decision to speak out after January 6. “I can give up my life to protect this woman, but I can’t stand to watch this woman die,” he said. For his stance, both he and Rep. Liz Cheney were formally removed from the Republican Party.

Gaining access to archival footage — including then-President Trump’s January 6 speech — was possible because the material had been filmed by the administration and is considered public record.

Wilson recounted how the project began with a cold call. Executive Producer Kevin felt deep respect for both Kinzinger and Cheney and wanted to hear from those who, in his words, “were willing to risk their reputation and careers.” Despite 10 to 15 other production companies interested in telling Kinzinger’s story, it was that call that launched the project.

Wilson also shared that although the team has not experienced backlash to the extent Kinzinger has, he was personally doxxed and received hate mail. Still, Wilson referred to the unfolding of Kinzinger’s story and the timing of the film’s development as a “happy accident.”

Kerry Sylvia reflected:

It fit in perfectly with many themes that we covered in class and helped connect current events to the course material — political parties, partisanship, electoral college, etc. It also allowed me to ask students to reflect on broader issues. For example, questions about integrity and how much they would be willing to sacrifice to stand up for what they believe.

The People’s Way Classroom Visit

Coolidge High School

Twenty students in the Coolidge High School Mass Media Academy’s Documentary Film Making course attended a discussion of The People’s Way. The academy, run by Dr. Zakiya Edens, is unique in D.C., and each student in the class is making either a film or a podcast. Thus, the chance to talk to the film’s co-directors, Ashley Tyner, and one of the three female protagonists, Jeanelle Austin, was particularly meaningful. In addition, Michael Tyner, the producer, was in the room.

Students had previewed the 87-minute documentary, which focuses on the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis that led to demonstrations throughout the U.S. centered on exposing and combatting police violence. George Floyd was in fact one of many black men who were killed by police, or “lynched” as Jeanelle preferred to name it. The Coolidge students were young when this occurred — 10 or 11 years old, but several were familiar with the incident.

The film shows how three community organizers in Minneapolis — Jeanelle Austin, Toshira Garraway, and Robin Wonsley — embark on interweaving journeys after Floyd’s murder to care for their communities, find inner healing, and seek a path toward Black liberation. Each used their leadership skills in different ways, including grassroots organizing, running for political office, and taking care of the memorial at George Floyd Square.

Coolidge students were asked what problems they see in society today and how that affects them. One student, Brian, shared that Trump’s anti-immigrant actions are what scares him the most. Though his family has been in this country for 20 years, he is worried about his Salvadoran parents and the fear they live with day-to-day. The film inspired Brian to write more and capture what is going on. “Our media sugarcoats the problems in our country, it hides the truth. I want to be a journalist because we deserve the truth.” Wesley, a classmate said that xenophobia is also one of her concerns.

Other students inquired about how the speakers deal with their grief and continue to do this work, given how hard it is to see police violence continue to take lives. One student asked Ashley how she could work on the film for 5 years, given they began in 2020. Both Jeanelle and Ashley shared both the challenges of this work and the rewards of being part of a social change movement. Jeanelle shared her reflections on the current time under Trump. She wants to be able to say, “I did what I knew was right 20 years from now.”

Black Printmakers of Washington, D.C. Classroom Visit

Cardozo EC

Kevin Fox's D.C. History and Casey Snipes’ Digital Creative classes welcomed Black Printmakers of Washington, D.C. filmmaker Susan Goldman and cast member Percy B. Martin to speak about the film and Martin’s experiences with printmaking and being in the art industry.

Martin, a D.C. native who attended Roosevelt High School, shared that he had never been inside Cardozo High School even though he played football against Cardozo and his uncle attended Cardozo.

In response to a question from student Michael, Martin shared a particularly difficult experience he had in Washington, D.C. He was invited to do work at The Corcoran Gallery, and had been asked to prove his "citizenship." Martin stated the experience was “confusing.”

To contrast, Michael also asked Martin what his happiest moment was. Martin noted that it was when his art teacher submitted his work to The Corcoran because he wouldn't have had an opportunity to be showcased in the collection without her believing in him.

When asked what his most famous or best artwork was, he joked that it's still coming. "If you get to the part where you stop growing, they plant you somewhere."

Martin gave a brief history lesson of his experience with The Corcoran. As an artist he knew he wanted to go to art school. He was grateful to attend a school where he could pursue what he loved.

From a young age, Martin said he knew he wanted to be an artist. During his early childhood, he remembers if his classmates fussed enough, the teachers would take them to The Mall to visit a Smithsonian museum. He and his classmates were able to vote on the museum they wanted to visit. While the other kids wanted to see the dinosaurs, Martin wanted to see the art.

Martin's inspiration for his art was “traveling with his mind.” He was inspired to talk to his ancestors through daydreaming and art.

Goldman commented, “Percy is a national treasure.” She implored the students to support Mr. Martin in his dream to expand his artwork.

When asked "Do you have a favorite artist?" Martin lit up, he has two — storytellers. One of them is a Japanese print artist, whose name he couldn't pronounce. He loves him for his prints and storytelling. His other favorite artist is Jacob Lawrence who documented Black migration from the South. Martin explained the continuous storytelling of Lawrence is beautiful. The Phillips Collection houses a majority of Lawrence’s collection.

Martin outlined his artistic goal as taking a thirteenth century technique and bringing it into the 21st century. In printmaking, there are not many new innovations. Martin’s dream is to integrate traditional etching with modern computer design. His goal is to combine printmaking and digital tools into something entirely new.

This hope opened up an invitation for students in Ms. Snipes’ graphic design class to connect with Martin and dream into potential collaboration.

Today I Will Only Come Home Tomorrow Classroom Visit

Duke Ellington School of the Arts

Diego Lacerda, director and producer of Today I Will Only Come Home Tomorrow visited Derek Horton’s visual arts classroom at Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Sophomore students had previewed the short animated film, but were joined by 9th graders for the first part of the discussion, so they began the class by watching the film again.

Lacerda explained that the film is about Carnival in his city, and that the music is specific to that city. He wanted to make a film about interaction and connection, and the inculsivity of Carnival. The characters were not based on real people, but on personalities.

Each segment of the film was directed by a different person using a different style of animation. Lacerda walked the students through each segment explaining what style was used and the advantages and challenges of each style: 2D animation; stop motion paper cut-outs; rotoscopy using actors and then drawing over them; 3D animation; guache painting 2D animation; and more.

Students had many questions for Lacerda about the filmmaking and artistic process behind the film. One student asked about techniques for making sure the viewer knows what to focus on. Lacerda explained that a lot of the same techniques students learn in drawing and painting apply: framing, values, and contrasting colors — along with movement.

Because Lacerda was working with a team spread across the globe, students asked about tips for working remotely. He advised that having clear pre-production instructions and references and consistency of schedule and meetings is very important.

After a nearly two-hour question and answer session with students, sophomores led Lacerda to the school’s art gallery to your their spring art show and give feedback on their work.

Counted Out Classroom Visit

Carlos Rosario International PCS

Students in Bradley Haiar’s Adult Education class at Carlos Rosario International PCS had a zoom visit from Counted Out director Vicki Abeles.

Students previewed the film before the visit, and had many questions prepared for Abeles. Students wanted to know what Abeles’ own relationship was with math, what feeling she wanted people to come away from the film with, how she found the people she highlighted in the film, and what people and things inspired her to make the film.

Abeles shared that while she was making a movie called Race to Nowhere, the Dean of Stanford introduced her to a math teacher who said “all of these stories started with a bad math class.” She started speaking to teachers and students about math. She filmed ESL students at an elementary school math night Gaithersburg, Maryland playing math games. People introduced her to experts, colleagues introduced her to people. Abeles collected 300 hours of footage.

Haiar shared:

Students really connected to the main character in the film and her experience with math in school. They also shared stories of their children having difficulty with math.

A student, AidaBa, shared:

A lot of us as adult students are afraid of math. Thank you so much. Now we know math is in our journey.

Counted Out Discussion at Regal Cinemas

In addition to school visits, Teaching for Change promoted the screening at Regal Cinema of Counted Out due to its relevance for educators.

Counted Out, dedicated to SNCC veteran and Algebra Project founder Bob Moses, shatters misconceptions about the role math plays in our lives, who can learn it, and how it should be taught. Working in groups, middle school students in early March of 2020 use their knowledge of exponential figures to calculate how fast COVID could spread. These young people were more accurate than the news the public received that spring from most media and politicians. This is just one of dozens of memorable scenes from Counted Out. Another is an interview with Glenn Rodriguez, denied parole after 26 years due to a biased risk assessment algorithm, run by a for-profit company that kept the formula a trade secret.

Teaching for Change's executive director Deborah Menkart moderated the post-film discussion with director Vicki Abeles and one of the people featured in the film, math educator Emmanuel Schanzer.

In the discussion, Abeles highlighted why math literacy is crucial for a functioning democracy and how far we are from that goal. She described how math instruction should be about creative problem-solving skills, not just spitting out the right answer.

The audience included a number of K-12 and higher education math instructors who were delighted to see the film.

Filmfest Classroom Visits 2025