When the current year ends, not only do the thoughts of Chlotrudis members turn to nominations for our annual awards, the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film will also sporadically create a list of our favorite films in a specific subject area. These lists of “Our Favorite Films” can serve as great recommendations for people look for something to watch, often something that may never have heard of before.
This year’s theme evolved somewhat naturally, when we realized that three eligible films (ABOUT DRY GRASSES, CLUB ZERO, THE TEACHERS’ LOUNGE) from around the world focused on teaching, or the education system (sl. That seemed like a large percentage of films focused on such a specific subject, so perhaps there’s something in the zeitgeist right now. At any rate, when we realized that, we started thinking about all the many films from the past decades that centered on the educational experience. We tried to select films that focused on teachers and the educational experience, rather than just films that were set in high schools, but as always, members had the leeway to choose the films they wanted, so everyone’s interpretation was valid.
Alexander Payne’s 2023 film, THE HOLDOVERS was the Chlotrudis members’ choice for the best film about teaching/the educational system. Despite opening wide in theaters, thus disqualifying it for Chlotrudis eligibility in last year’s awards THE HOLDOVERS did score 5 Academy Awards nominations, and took home the Oscar for Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s Best Supporting Actress performance.
The films on the list includes 18 different countries. Only 1 filmmaker was featured twice, Thomas Vinterberg from Denmark, with 6 female filmmakers earning spots. The top 10 films alone comprised 7 different countries and 5 different languages. Films were pulled from the last 8 decades, with the earliest being fro 1951, and the most recent being released this year. The decade most represented was 2000 – 2009, with 11 films from that time period represented. Nearly 80 films were represented on various members’ lists, with the Top 40 being shared here.
To create this list, members were asked to come up with ranked lists of their favorite films about teaching or the educational system. After receiving all of the lists, numerical values were assigned to each of the rankings, and each movie was given a point total. Scores were weighted according to the number of viewers who had see the film, and ties were resolved by consideration of the number of lists a movie appeared on, followed by the highest ranking that movie reached.
We hope you enjoy our list of the Top 40 Favorites Films about Teaching. From indies to Hollywood fare, you’ll find something to educate you on this list. What were your favorite films about education? Are there any that we missed? Let us know in the comments.
Please note: This list was created in 2024, so it is a moment in time.
THE BEST FILMS ABOUT TEACHING
| 1 | The Holdovers | 2023 | Alexander Payne | USA |
| 2 | To Sir, With Love | 1967 | James Clavell | UK |
| 3 | Half Nelson | 2006 | Ryan Fleck | USA |
| 4 | Short Term 12 | 2013 | Destin Daniel Cretton | USA |
| 5 | Dead Poets Society | 1989 | Peter Weir | USA |
| 6 | Blue Jean | 2022 | Georgia Oakle | UK |
| 7 | The Teachers’ Lounge | 2023 | Ilker Çatak | Germany/USA |
| 8 | Donnie Darko | 2001 | Richard Kelly | USA |
| 9 | The History Boys | 2006 | Nicholas Hyntner | UK |
| 10 | Not One Less | 1999 | Zhang Yimou | China |
| 11 | Happy-Go-Lucky | 2008 | Mike Leigh | UK |
| 12 | Monsieur Lazhar | 2011 | Philippe Falardeau | Canada |
| 13 | If… | 1968 | Lindsay Anderson | UK |
| 14 | Another Round | 2020 | Thomas Vinterberg | Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands, Belgium, France |
| 15 | School of Rock | 2003 | Richard Linklater | USA/Germany |
| 16 | Stand and Deliver | 1988 | Ramón Menéndez | USA |
| 17 | Notes from a Scandal | 2006 | Richard Eyre | UK/USA |
| 18 | The White Ribbon | 2009 | Michael Haneke | Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Canada |
| 19 | The Perks of Being a Wallflower | 2012 | Stephen Chbosky | USA |
| 20 | The Hunt | 2012 | Thomas Vinterberg | Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, France |
| 21 | The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie | 1969 | Ronald Neame | UK |
| 22 | Good Will Hunting | 1997 | Gus Van Sant | USA |
| 23 | The Class | 2008 | Laurent Cantet | France |
| 24 | About Dry Grasses | 2023 | Nuri Bilge Ceylan | Turkey, France, Germany, Sweden, Qatar |
| 25 | Girl Talk | 2022 | Lucia Small | USA |
| 26 | Club Zero | 2023 | Jessica Hausner | Austria, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Denmark, Turkey, United States, Qatar, Bosnia & Herzegovina |
| 27 | Brick | 2005 | Rian Johnson | USA |
| 28 | The 400 Blows | 1959 | The 400 Blows | France |
| 29 | Luce | 2019 | Julius Onah | USA |
| 30 | The Substitute | 2007 | Ole Bornedal | Denmark |
| 31 | Armand | 2024 | Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel | Norway, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, United Kingdom |
| 32 | An Education | 2009 | Lone Scherfig | UK/USA |
| 33 | Whiplash | 2014 | Damien Chazelle | USA |
| 34 | Monster | 2023 | Hirokazu Koreeda | Japan |
| 35 | Pariah | 2011 | Dee Rees | USA |
| 36 | Mr. Holland’s Opus | 1995 | Stephen Herek | USA |
| 37 | Fast Times at Ridgemont High | 1982 | Amy Heckerling | USA |
| 38 | The Browning Version | 1951 | Anthony Asquith | UK |
| 39 | Rock ‘n Roll High School | 1979 | Allan Arkush | USA |
| 40 | Lean On Me | 1989 | John G. Avildsen | USA |