Upstander Project

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Upstander Project Emmy® award-winning Boston-based educational and filmmaking collaborative. (DAWNLAND, BOUNTY + more)

Creators of the documentary films "Coexist" (2010, reconciliation in Rwanda) "First Light" (2015) and Emmy®-winner "Dawnland" (2018, Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission)

WHO WE SERVE

We serve mass and targeted audiences by challenging indifference to injustice and raising awareness of the need for upstanders, especially among middle- and high-school educators and their students. WHAT WE DO

With original documentaries, related learning resources, and educator workshops, the Upstander Project helps teachers and students become upstanders. OUR GOALS

Overcome indifference to social injustice;
Develop the skills of upstanders;
Contribute to action-oriented campaigns in response to vital social issues.

For folks in the Boston area, check out this event hosted by Partnership of Historic Bostons (and follow their work if y...
10/16/2026

For folks in the Boston area, check out this event hosted by Partnership of Historic Bostons (and follow their work if you don’t already!). The day-long symposium will take place on Saturday, November 7 and grapple with questions like, “Are New England’s Puritans the first Christian Nationalists, as some claim? What would John Winthrop say about the state of our politics? Why can’t we budge the myths about the Puritans as fun-hating, sex-loathing, grim-faced martinets?” Speakers will include Holly Brewer, John Coffey, David Hall, Abram Van Engen, Daniel Richter and Adrian Chastain Weimer "in the gorgeous setting of the American Ancestors building in downtown Boston.” Register for the symposium: https://www.americanancestors.org/events/puritans-21st-century-politics-myths-and-future

Our October newsletter is out with inspiring news, local events, and more. If you’re not on our list please join us http...
10/13/2026

Our October newsletter is out with inspiring news, local events, and more. If you’re not on our list please join us https://bit.ly/UPcommunity!

Check out the in person and virtual programing on Oct 12th at Massachusetts Historical Society. Celebrate Indigenous Peo...
10/07/2026

Check out the in person and virtual programing on Oct 12th at Massachusetts Historical Society. Celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day with our friend Brad Lopes for some awesome education and conversation!

Sharing this upcoming event from our friends Massachusetts Historical Society. Boston area educators should check it out...
10/02/2026

Sharing this upcoming event from our friends Massachusetts Historical Society. Boston area educators should check it out!

Repost:
Join us at the MHS on October 12 from 9 AM – 12 PM for a teacher workshop led by MHS Education and Brad Lopes, Aquinnah Wampanoag scholar and Director of the Aquinnah Wampanoag Education Department.

Together, we will explore the causes of the War for the Dawnland (also known as King Philip’s War), the strategies that Indigenous and colonial communities employed during the war, and the consequences of the war on Native nations with a focus on Wampanoag communities.

This program is open to all who work with K-12 students. Upon completion of the workshop and assignments, teachers can earn 10 PDPs.

Click the link in bio to learn more about this event and register.

The films at CineFest Latino Boston hosted by look great, check them out this weekend!Saturday, October 3 – Emerson Par...
09/29/2026

The films at CineFest Latino Boston hosted by look great, check them out this weekend!

Saturday, October 3 – Emerson Paramount Center @ 7:30 PM
SPOTLIGHT FILM – RUNA SIMI
Directed by Augusto Zegarra
Documentary, 81 mins, Peru, 2025
Spanish with English subtitles
Fernando Valencia, a 29-year-old voice artist from Cusco, Peru, is an Indigenous activist, painter, and devoted single father. Known for his uncanny ability to voice multiple characters, he launched Quechua Clips—a viral project that reimagines iconic animated scenes in Quechua, the ancestral language of the Incas, also known as Runa Simi. The response was overwhelming: millions of Quechua speakers hungry for stories in their own language.

Fueled by this groundswell of support, Fernando sets his sights on an ambitious and quixotic dream—to dub Disney’s 1994 classic The Lion King into Quechua, with the help of his spirited eight-year-old son, Dylan. Armed with a homemade studio and relentless resolve, Fernando navigates countless ups and downs, facing rejection, setbacks, and self-doubt. Yet through it all, his determination never wavers, turning his personal mission into a powerful call for language justice and cultural reclamation.

Virtual Q&A with Director and Fernando Valencia

Trailer: Runa Simi - Official Trailer
Tickets: https://artsemerson.org/events/cinefest-latino-2026/

The films at CineFest Latino Boston hosted by look great, check them out this weekend!Saturday, October 3 – Brattle The...
09/29/2026

The films at CineFest Latino Boston hosted by look great, check them out this weekend!

Saturday, October 3 – Brattle Theatre @ 12:00 PM
LIBERTAD
Directed by Brenda Ávila-Hanna
Documentary, 60 mins, USA/Mexico, 2025

After surviving a near-fatal assault, an Indigenous, transgender teen escaped Mexico 30 years ago, eventually becoming a trans healthcare provider in California. When her mother’s health starts to decline back in Mexico, she risks it all by petitioning for asylum as her only chance of seeing each other again before it's too late.

This screening was made possible by a grant from Cambridge Arts.

Q&A with Director

Trailer: https://youtu.be/pJRCM-Mefj0
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/libertad-and-lineas-imaginarias-screening-at-brattle-theatre-tickets-2000522031248

The films at CineFest Latino Boston hosted by look great, check them out this weekend!Friday, October 2 – Emerson Param...
09/29/2026

The films at CineFest Latino Boston hosted by look great, check them out this weekend!

Friday, October 2 – Emerson Paramount Theatre @ 6:30 PM
FREEING JUANITA
Directed by Sebastián Lasaosa Rogers
Documentary, 74 mins, USA/Mexico/Guatemala, 2024
Spanish with English subtitles

Juanita has been unjustly detained in Reynosa, Mexico for over seven years, accused of a crime she didn’t commit and forced to confess in a language she didn’t understand. This intimate portrait follows Ana and Pedro, Juanita’s aunt and uncle, on their thousand-mile journey from the highlands of Guatemala. With the help of their Maya C**j community and a network of Maya interpreters, they fight for Juanita’s freedom and demand justice from the Mexican authorities, a cause that became internationally recognized for its defense of migrants’ rights and language justice.

Q&A with the filmmaker's father, Paul Rogers, representing for his son (Sebastián Lasaosa Rogers has since passed away)

Festivals: Seattle International Film Festival (Nominee, Documentary Competition Award)

Trailer: https://youtu.be/ulsitXw_4yw
Tickets: https://artsemerson.org/events/cinefest-latino-2026/

The 11th annual Upstander Academy for educators concluded last month and was a great success. Participants from across M...
08/28/2026

The 11th annual Upstander Academy for educators concluded last month and was a great success. Participants from across Maine and Massachusetts gathered on Wabanaki homelands and in Boston for seven days of unlearning, learning, and community. A major highlight was an 11-mile paddle on the Penobscot River led by Wabanaki river guide and knowledge-sharer Jason Pardilla. Participants felt the inseparable bonds between people, land, and waterways. Everyone was deeply moved. We are full of gratitude to so many of you who support this work through your contributions.

Learn more about the Academy: https://upstanderproject.org/learn/upstander-academy-2026

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Jamaica Plain, MA

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