Simon Spier is a 16-year-old high school junior with an affinity for musical theatre. Lately, he’s been flirting online with a boy he only knows as “Blue”. He isn’t out of the closet; and plans on keeping it that way for the foreseeable future. This choice is taken from him when a classmate starts blackmailing […]
“I had been brought up not to think about the Others in terms of where they came from or who they were, to ignore all that—they were just Others.” This dystopian novel tells the story of a world broken by climate change, divided by man. James always knew he would have to become a Defender. […]
This novel on the devastating impact of a tropical storm follows the life of a working-class family in southern Mississippi. As a family of five, 15-year-old Esch along with her three brothers and her father live in poverty, often not knowing when their next meal will be. Despite this, her brother Skeetah finds joy in […]
This award-winning young adult novel about isolation, identity construction, being different and coming out as transgender, follows 17-year-old J, who lives with his parents in New York and does not identify as a female. To cover his body, J wears long baggy pants, large T-shirts and also keeps his hair short. Experiencing peer pressure at […]
This is a film navigating ideologies, manipulation and the big question of free will. In a world full of crime, the project PreCrime by a specialized police department in Washington DC seems to offer a convenient solution. “Criminals” are arrested and convicted before commiting the crime they are accused of, based on predictions of psychics […]
Two American boys, two very different circumstances. Rashad, a black 16-year-old student, is mistakenly accused of shoplifting in a convenience store. The arrest leads to Rashad being beaten by police officer Paul Galluzo. And although the assault is witnessed by Quinn, who sees Paul as a father-figure, the football player struggles with accepting the brutality […]
This alarming play about homophobia, discrimination and hate crime is based on the brutal murder of the gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard on October 6, 1998. Told from many perspectives, which are taken from actual interviews with relatives, friends and neighbours of Matthew Shepard, Thee Laramie Project investigates the case and its aftermath capturing the […]
This Oscar-winning short film examines prejudice, stereotyping, racial profiling and police violence. Trapped in a time loop, the black graphic designer Carter James has to go through his worst nightmare over and over again. Every morning, when James wakes up and puts a step in the streets of New York City, he is confronted by […]
David is yet another American trying to find an escape from life in Paris in the 1950s. His girlfriend, Hella, is spending time alone in Spain trying to make up her mind regarding his proposal. Lonely and broke, David meets with an acquaintance at a bar in hopes of getting a financial boost. There, he […]
Named after happiness itself, Felix hasn’t found his happily ever after yet… let alone been in love. How come everyone else makes it look so effortless? He worries that being a black transgender young man could keep him from finding love and make him a target. This fear is confirmed when he receives transphobic messages […]
This documentary addresses a myriad of issues connected to the fishing industry. From overfishing to plastic marine debris and inhumane working conditions, the film brings to light many factors that could play a role in the destruction of the marine ecosystem. It raises questions surrounding industry practices, but also the consumer’s behavior: How important is […]
Making its debut in 1997, Zits comics narrate the everyday life of 15-year-old Jeremy; a teenager living in Ohio. But suburban life and high school come with their own set of problems, including but not limited to parents, school and girls. Whether it be about the embarrassment that parents are to teens or the other […]
Calvin may seem like a normal 6-year-old living in suburban America with his family and stuffed tiger “Hobbes”. To Calvin though, Hobbes is very much alive and his best friend and companion. Named after two philosophers, the pair is regularly immersed in deep conversations, often humorously lacking in the childlike expressions you would expect. But, […]
This short fiction from the period of Restauration and Enlightenment tells the story of the life of the African prince Oroonoko. His grandfather, the king, marries his grandson’s love and a fiancée who is sold into slavery for participating in an uprising against the king. When Oroonoko is aboard a ship towards Europe, he is […]
This modern novel describes a dystopian version of the year 1984. The world is ruled by three totalitarian superpowers with the book focusing on Oceania. The people are under constant surveillance and anyone opposing or even criticising the regime is eliminated together with all records of existence. Only thinking about another life or reality is […]
This novel narrates an unlikely friendship between two outsiders and what a difference standing up for one another can make. David longs to be a girl, but is labelled by others as gay or a freak. Leo just wants to be invisible at school, but defends David against bullies in a fight. They stick together, […]
A Shakespearean Renaissance sonnet that satirises the idealistic descriptions of beauty in the Elizabethan era. The lyric persona uses stereotypical Renaissance nature imagery to contrast his mistress with. In the end, he indicates that his love is truer as it is not based on “false compare”. This sonnet, which is in the public domain, provides […]
This Shakespearean sonnet from Renaissance belongs to the Fair Youth sequence focussing on love, passion, beauty and seperation. The persona misses the beloved one and describes the beauty of spring that is not enjoyable because they were apart. This is an easily accessible example of a Shakespearean sonnet that can be used well for comparison […]