Op-Docs Trailer
Op-Docs is a forum for short, opinionated documentaries, produced by independent filmmakers with wide creative latitude, covering current affairs, contemporary life and historical subjects.
By Jason Spingarn-Koff and Kathleen Lingo on Publish Date September 30, 2013.You probably already know that The New York Times is increasingly publishing video to accompany its articles, but you may not know that The Times is also home to hundreds of short films that go well beyond just reporting the news.
Via award-winning series like Op-Docs, The Times offers short documentaries (most under 15 minutes) that touch on issues like race and gender identity; technology and society; civil rights; criminal justice; ethics; and artistic and scientific exploration — issues that both matter to teenagers and complement classroom content.
At least two Fridays a month this school year, we’ll be posting films we think will inspire powerful conversations — and then inviting teenagers and teachers from around the world to have those conversations here, on the blog.
Plan now to join us for the first one, on Friday, Sept. 11, when we will host a discussion around the seven-minute film “Rent-a-Foreigner in China.” Though light in tone, it opens up interesting questions about image, identity and status. (And even if you can’t bring your class on Sept. 11 itself, the discussion will continue online indefinitely, so you can bring your class whenever it’s convenient.)
For each film, we’ll suggest optional pre-watching activities, discussion questions and “going further” ideas for teachers who would like to use the resource offline, but we’re hoping the heart of the feature will be the online conversation.
As students and teachers post, we’ll be listening in, moderating and highlighting our favorite comments, as well as encouraging students to take advantage of our new commenting system by replying to one another and recommending posts.
Each edition will also provide the date and video for the next Film Club discussion so you can plan ahead.
Help us out if you like: Visit the Op-Docs page, from which we will choose most, though not all, of our content, and let us know which films you’d like to use in your classroom.