Film Discussions
FALL FILM DISCUSSION: HIGH SCHOOL YEARBOOK
The HCC Film Program invites you to join the Fall 2025 Friday Film Discussions, which will all be focused on movies about high school. Offered virtually, the discussion series takes advantage of as many popular streaming formats as possible to make access easy for participants. The discussion series is like a book club, but with films. Choose the films that interest you from the list below, watch them at your convenience before the scheduled discussion, and join the discussions on Friday evenings at 7 p.m. via Zoom.
What did it mean to be a teenager then—and what does it mean now?
From leather jackets to locker confessions, from rebellion to redemption, the American high school has been a mirror for every generation’s hopes, fears, and rites of passage. This series revisits iconic films from the 1950s to today that capture the evolving (and enduring) drama of adolescence.
Join us as we flip through the cinematic yearbook—page by page, decade by decade—and ask: What’s changed? What hasn’t? And what do these stories still teach us about growing up in America?
Need Help Registering Online? Watch this tutorial to walk through the online registration process.
The Zoom link will be emailed to registered individuals by noon on each discussion day. If you have any questions or problems during registration, contact the Horowitz Center Box Office.
Film
Presented by: HCC Film Department
A new English teacher at a violent, unruly inner-city school is determined to do his job, despite resistance from both students and faculty.
Date/Time: Friday, September 5, 2025 7:00 PM
Film
Presented by: HCC Film Department
Idealistic engineer-trainee and his experiences in teaching a group of rambunctious white high school students from the slums of London's East End.
Date/Time: Friday, September 12, 2025 7:00 PM
Film
Presented by: HCC Film Department
A group of teenagers in California's central valley spend one final night after their 1962 high school graduation cruising the strip with their buddies before they pursue their varying goals.
Date/Time: Friday, September 19, 2025 7:00 PM
Film
Presented by: HCC Film Department
Good girl Sandy Olsson and greaser Danny Zuko fell in love over the summer. When they unexpectedly discover they're now in the same high school, will they be able to rekindle their romance?
Date/Time: Friday, October 3, 2025 7:00 PM
Film
Presented by: HCC Film Department
Four teenagers must prove their mettle as they begin their journey at the New York High School of Performing Arts. They must navigate through heartbreak, school work, adolescence and challenges.
Date/Time: Friday, October 10, 2025 7:00 PM
Film
Presented by: HCC Film Department
A group of SoCal high school students would rather ignore their studies and instead indulge in their teenage distractions.
Date/Time: Friday, October 24, 2025 7:00 PM
Film
Presented by: HCC Film Department
Maverick teacher John Keating returns in 1959 to the prestigious New England boys' boarding school where he was once a star student, using poetry to embolden his pupils to new heights of self-expression.
Date/Time: Friday, October 31, 2025 7:00 PM
Film
Presented by: HCC Film Department
Shallow, rich and socially successful Cher is at the top of her Beverly Hills high school's pecking scale. Seeing herself as a matchmaker, Cher first coaxes two teachers into dating each other.
Date/Time: Friday, November 14, 2025 7:00 PM
Film
Presented by: HCC Film Department
When Olive lies to her best friend about losing her virginity to one of the college boys, a girl overhears their conversation. Soon, her story spreads across the entire school like wildfire.
Date/Time: Friday, November 21, 2025 7:00 PM
Film
Presented by: HCC Film Department
In 1970, a curmudgeonly history teacher at a New England boarding school remains on campus during Christmas break to supervise held over students, and ends up forming an unlikely bond with a brainy but damaged troublemaker.
Date/Time: Friday, December 12, 2025 7:00 PM