Radical/Internationalist Cinema
A list of Political/radical films & documentaries that every internationalist/leftist should watch. These films/documentaries help to better explain such topics as the French Resistance in WW2, Colonialism & Imperialism, the Peterloo Massacre, the Tolpuddle Martyrs, the Black Panthers, the Syrian Civil War, The Angolan Civil War, the Banana Republic, the Spanish Civil War and radicals such as Che Guevara, Angela Davis, Stuart Hall, James Baldwin, Huey P. Newton and Fred Hampton.
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- DirectorJean-Pierre MelvilleStarsLino VenturaPaul MeurisseJean-Pierre CasselAn account of underground resistance fighters in Nazi-occupied France.An excellent film by director Jean-Pierre Melville
who was himself a member of the French Resistance. Army of Shadows is in many ways an incredibly bleak film, focusing around the self sacrifices of its main cast of characters. A must watch for anyone interested in the French Resistance - DirectorRoberto RosselliniStarsCarmela SazioGar MooreWilliam TubbsAmerican military personnel interact warily with a variety of Italian locals over a year and a half in the push north during the Italian Campaign of WWII as German forces make their retreat.
- DirectorRoberto RosselliniStarsAnna MagnaniAldo FabriziMarcello PaglieroDuring the Nazi occupation of Rome in 1944, the Resistance leader, Giorgio Manfredi, is chased by the Nazis as he seeks refuge and a way to escape.
- DirectorRoberto RosselliniStarsEdmund MoeschkeErnst PittschauIngetraud HinzeA young German boy faces the problems of the tough life in the immediate post-WWII Berlin.
- DirectorGillo PontecorvoStarsBrahim HadjadjJean MartinYacef SaadiIn the 1950s, fear and violence escalate as the people of Algiers fight for independence from the French government.
- DirectorOctavio GetinoFernando E. SolanasStarsMaría de la PazFernando E. SolanasEdgardo SuárezDivided into three segments, namely 1 Neocolonialism, 2 Act for liberation, 3 Violence and liberation, the documentary lasts more than 4 hours this deals with the defense of the revolution and the revolution of the third world such as the revolt of the students in the United States and Western Europe, Czech citizens protest against the Soviet Union's State bureaucracy and also the revolution that (probably) is unprecedented in Argentina.
- DirectorMyron DeweyJosh FoxJames SpioneStarsAutumn DePoe-HughesThe Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North Dakota captures world attention through their peaceful resistance against the U.S. government's plan to construct an oil pipeline through their land.
- DirectorWalter SallesStarsGael García BernalRodrigo de la SernaMía MaestroErnesto Guevara de la Serna, popularly known as Che, along with his friend Alberto Granado, decides to take a road trip across South America. His experiences on the journey transform him.
- DirectorElem KlimovStarsAleksey KravchenkoOlga MironovaLiubomiras LauceviciusAfter finding an old rifle, a young boy joins the Soviet resistance movement against ruthless German forces and experiences the horrors of World War II.Most probably the most bleakest film ever made, Come and See follows the journey of young Flyora as he joins the Soviets in their fight against the Nazis in Belarus. An essential film for understanding the Nazi atrocities in Eastern Europe and why the Soviets fought so valiantly against the Wehrmacht
- DirectorFernando E. SolanasStarsMick JaggerKeith RichardsFernando E. SolanasAfter the fall of the military dictatorship in 1983, successive democratic governments launched a series of reforms purporting to turn Argentina into the world's most liberal and prosperous economy. Less than twenty years later, the Argentinians have lost literally everything: major national companies have been sold well below value to foreign corporations; the proceeds of privatizations have been diverted into the pockets of corrupt officials; revised labour laws have taken away all rights from employees; in a country that is traditionally an important exporter of foodstuffs, malnutrition is widespread; millions of people are unemployed and sinking into poverty; and their savings have disappeared in a final banking collapse. The film highlights numerous political, financial, social and judicial aspects that mark out Argentina's road to ruin.
- DirectorFernando E. SolanasThe history of the Argentine railways, from 1857 until the crisis of the current transport system. The closing of branches of the railway lines turned towns whose main source of work was the train into ghost towns. The privatization of the lines caused the dismissal of tens of thousands of workers as well as the deterioration of public service, causing in turn the increase of motor transport and the multiplication of automobile accidents.
- DirectorMorley MarksonStarsDon CoxAllen GinsbergFred Hampton Jr.Documentary on 1960s radicals in the U.S.A.
- DirectorSpike LeeStarsRoger Guenveur SmithRahum BrownBrenda LeeThe story of how the radical Huey P. Newton developed the Black Panther Party based on his 10-point program for social reform.
- DirectorStanley NelsonStarsBlair AndersonOmar BarbourJulian BondThis documentary tells the rise and fall of the Black Panther Party, one of the 20th century's most alluring and controversial organizations that captivated the world's attention for nearly 50 years.
- DirectorJulio MedemStarsEmma SuárezCarmelo GómezAna TorrentSet in the Basque region, a story of the rivalry of two families, period 1870-1935
- DirectorAurelStarsSergi LópezEmmanuel VotteroXavier SerranoA dying gendarme remembers his encounter with Catalan artist Josep Bartolí in a French concentration camp after the Spanish Civil War.A beautifully animated film about the life of Josep Bartolí during and shortly after his spell in a French concentration camp after the Spanish Civil War. This film is a must for animation lovers as well as people interested in the Spanish Civil War. The film does a brilliant job at presenting the life of Bartoli and the diversity of experience he lived in his life.
- DirectorSalvador SimóStarsJorge UsónFernando RamosLuis Enrique de TomásThe true story of how Luis Buñuel made his third movie.Another beautifully animated film about Luis Buñuel Portolés, a Spanish, later naturalized Mexican, filmmaker. The film focuses on Buñuel making his 1933 film Land Without Bread alongside his anarchist friend, Ramón Acín, whose lottery winnings funded the production costs. Another must watch for animation lovers or those interested in the Spanish Civil War
- DirectorKen LoachStarsIan HartRosana PastorIcíar BollaínDavid is an unemployed communist that comes to Spain in 1937 during the civil war to enroll the republicans and defend the democracy against the fascists. He makes friends between the soldiers.Most possibly Ken Loach's best film (in my opinion). Land and Freedom follows Liverpudlian Communist David Carr as he travels to Spain to fight with the POUM militia commanded by Lawrence, on the Aragon front. A deeply sympathetic film, Land and Freedom examines the complexities and contradictions of the Spanish Civil War and refuses to convey to the trope of "good guys" and "bad guys". Not to be watched when you'll looking for a feel good movie, my only problem with this film is the character of Blanca, David's Spanish lover whom he meets whilst in the POUM militia. Blanca's only real purpose in the film is to be the lover of David and she disappointingly has little agency outside of this role. Sparing this minor fault, this is another must watch for those interested in the Spanish Civil War.
- DirectorJosé Luis CuerdaStarsManuel LozanoFernando Fernán GómezUxía BlancoBased in 1936 Spain, Moncho is an outcast at school but is able to form a strong bond with his outspoken teacher. When fascism arrives to Spain, his teacher is considered an enemy of the regime & arrested.
- DirectorKen LoachStarsDavid BradleyBrian GloverFreddie FletcherA working-class English boy spends his free time caring for and training his pet kestrel.An early film of Ken Loach's, Kes follows Billy, a young man from a working-class community in Yorkshire and the relationship he forms with a kestrel. This film examines many of the failures and limitations of the British educational system in the 60s and the consequences it has, primarily for working class boys.
- DirectorLynne RamsayStarsTommy FlanaganMandy MatthewsWilliam EadieA naïve young lad navigates the dirty squalid streets of 1973 Glasgow and the poor youth around him.
- DirectorKen LoachStarsDave JohnsHayley SquiresSharon PercyAfter surviving a heart-attack, a 59-year-old carpenter must fight bureaucratic forces to receive Employment and Support Allowance.
- DirectorKen LoachStarsKris HitchenDebbie HoneywoodRhys McgowanHoping that self-employment through gig economy can solve their financial woes, a hard-up UK delivery driver and his wife struggling to raise a family end up trapped in the vicious circle of this modern-day form of labour exploitation.
- DirectorMike LeighStarsRory KinnearMaxine PeakeNeil BellThe story of the 1819 Peterloo Massacre in which British forces attacked a peaceful pro-democracy rally in Manchester.