What We’re Watching: The Warrior Films Team’s Top Picks This Month
Films That Move Us
At Warrior Films, we believe in stories that go deeper—films that not only inform, but transform. Each month, our team watches and re-watches powerful documentaries that align with our core values: truth, justice, healing, compassion, and human transformation.
Here’s what we’re watching right now—and how each connects to our own library of work and company mission.
The Rescue (2021) – Directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin
A high-stakes, real-life thriller documenting the rescue of 12 Thai boys trapped in a cave.
Why we love it: It’s a riveting story of extraordinary courage, collaboration, and the human instinct to protect and preserve life. I saw the fiction version directed by Ron Howard in 2022 and it still seizes my imagination three years later.
Connects to: Journey from Zanskar – Both films highlight heroic efforts to preserve culture and save youth under extreme conditions. Different landscapes, different dramas, different cultures, same spirit of service.
Descendant (2022) – Directed by Margaret Brown
A powerful exploration of heritage, truth-telling, and healing among descendants of the last slave ship.
Why we love it: It speaks to reclaiming history, justice through storytelling, and community empowerment.
Connects to: Rites of Passage – Both films spotlight the importance of generational knowledge and the reclamation of identity in the face of historical trauma.
Time (2020) – Directed by Garrett Bradley
A stunning portrait of love, resilience, and the fight against mass incarceration.
Why we love it: Its emotional core and elegant storytelling reflect the urgent need for criminal justice reform. A deeply personal story to combat the institutionalized violence of the prison-industrial complex.
Connects to: Hoop Dreams – Another in-depth look at the challenges facing working class African-American families struggling to survive in an inhospitable world.
Minding the Gap (2018) – Directed by Bing Liu
Three young men navigate the scars of domestic abuse, identity, and growing up.
Why we love it: It’s raw and vulnerable—offering rare emotional access to male interiority.
Connects to: Boys to Men? – Both films unravel what lies behind traditional ideas of masculinity and provide space for reflection and growth beyond the pain of adolescence.
Bonus Pick: Something from Our Own Vault
Watch: Boys to Men? by Frederick Marx
Why now: As our society continues to grapple with what healthy masculinity looks like and we lose countless teen boys down the dark hole of the “Manosphere,” this mini-series is more relevant than ever. It’s not only about the struggles teen boys face growing up today—it points to a future world where they can do so with emotional integrity and purpose. Individual episodes of Boys to Men? are now available from our Film Library.
Entire Series
Calixto’s Story | Spencer’s Story | Al Tran’s Story | Are You Listening?
In a recent feature with Rolling Stone, I discussed the parallels between our 4-part Boys to Men? mini-series and Adolescence, the record-breaking Netflix 4-part series.
What Are You Watching?
Are there films that have inspired your own journey? We’d love to hear from you. Send us an email marketing@warriorfilms.org or tag us on Bluesky. Let’s keep the conversation alive.
Warrior Films
At Warrior Films we are dedicated to creating documentaries that inspire personal and social transformation. Best known for our critically acclaimed film Hoop Dreams, we have spent decades amplifying stories that challenge societal norms and advocate for equity. Beyond filmmaking, Warrior Films creates new and supports established social change organizations, collaborates with educational institutions, and provides mentorship and resources for emerging filmmakers.
Notable Achievements:
- Hoop Dreams, voted as the greatest documentary of all time by IDA.
- Extensive outreach programs with schools and universities, e.g. 4200 videos of Higher Goals given to schools nationwide through a program sponsored by Toyota.
- Frederick Marx given Robert F. Kennedy Special Achievement Award.
The Impact of Non-Profit Film Companies
Non-profit film companies play a crucial role in shaping the cultural and social landscape. By prioritizing purpose over dollars, they create powerful narratives that challenge audiences to think critically and act compassionately. These organizations prove that cinema can be both a tool for entertainment and a catalyst for change.
At Warrior Films, we are passionate about creating meaningful stories that leave a lasting impact. If you’re inspired by documentaries like these explore the groundbreaking work of Frederick Marx, one of the acclaimed filmmakers behind “Hoop Dreams,” maker of Journey from Zanskar, Boys to Men?, Veterans Journey Home, and other powerful films.
Visit Warrior Films to:
- Buy or rent our unique, thought-provoking films.
- Purchase our books and immerse yourself in his vision of storytelling as a force for social change and personal growth.
Let’s keep the dialogue alive and keep shaping the world through film and art
In service,
