Our students always ask to watch movies. I can’t even tell you how many times my students have asked to watch Coco! But I never had a Spanish Class Movie List to reference. I just knew of a few movies that I watched in college Spanish classes. So, over time, I began to create a Spanish class movie list for high school Spanish by theme. Since teachers usually don’t like to break from the curriculum to just throw a movie into the mix. We want the movie to relate to our lessons, to visually show students what we have been learning, and to even open their eyes to the world. That’s where this list can help you!
Not all of these movies are in Spanish, but you can play those in English with Spanish subtitles. Many of these films (even if they are in English) show Hispanic culture and inspiring stories.
Disclaimer: Some of these movies are rated R, so you may need to send home a parent permission slip or show parts of the movie to your class.
Movies About Famous Hispanics
Selena is a true story of Selena Quintanilla, a Tejano singer. The movie chronicles her life and rise to fame as a Latina musical artist and her tragic death at the young age of 23. This is a great film to showcase latino music, family life, and a cultural pop icon.
If you’re interested in more media about Selena, check out the Netflix series Selena: The Series. Plus, you can teach about Selena during Women’s History Month and pair the movie with research posters, books, and more!
I first saw Stand and Deliver when I was a junior in high school. I took AP Calculus and after we took the AP exam, our teacher showed us this movie, and it always stuck with me. This movie is based on a true story of a Bolivian math teacher at a heavily Latino school with gang activity. The teacher, Jaime Escalante, connects with low level students and helps them to pass the AP Calculus test. Despite being accused of cheating, the teacher and students overcome this obstacle and rise to success when others gave up on them.
Immigration Theme Movies
Bajo la misma luna (Under the Same Moon) tells the story of a single mother who leaves her young son behind with his grandmother to illegally immigrate to the USA. A few years later, when the son’s grandmother passes away, he makes the difficult journey to join his mother in the USA. This movie helps students connect to immigration by putting a “face” to the issue.
Viva Cuba is the tale of two children and how their friendship is threatened by their parents’ differences. Coming from different social classes, their families do not want their children playing with each other. On top of this, one child’s family is planning to emigrate, which puts the children in danger of being separated forever.
Buen día, Ramón is the story of a young Mexican man who has tried unsuccessfully to migrate to the USA five times to escape the danger of his Mexican village. FInally, he migrates to Germany, where a family member lives, but succumbs to homelessness and challenges. But Ramón has many encounters with kind, warm strangers.
La ciudad is a documentary that tells four stories about Hispanic immigrants living in NYC. Many of the characters are in the USA illegally to make money and send back to their families in Latin America. This is a critically acclaimed film that will open your eyes to the lives of immigrants.
Entre nos is inspired by a true story of a Colombian immigrant who traveled to New York with her young children. The movie shows the day-to-day struggles of this family trying to survive and earn a living.
Documentaries and Movies About Travel
Diarios de motocicleta (The Motorcycle Diaries) tells the story of Ernesto Guevera (later known as Che Guevara)’s journey across South America. The film recounts his 1952 expedition by motorcycle, and is a film of adventure and eye-opening experiences, as Che and his friend encounter injustices throughout Latin America.
Magical Andes is a travel documentary on Netflix. Each episode features a different region of the Andes and highlights real people living in communities in the mountain range. It shows the beauty of the mountains and incorporates culture. This is a great film to show your students in Spanish with subtitles because they should have a lot of travel vocabulary and the narrator speaks at a nice pace. Plus, the imagery helps students to visualize what the narrator is saying.
Another Netflix documentary is Guatemala: Heart of the Mayan World. It focuses on Guatemala’s landscape and culture, connecting the past and present. This documentary will inspire you and your students to explore more of Latin America history.
Movies for Spanish Class About Holidays and Celebrations
Coco is a Disney Pixar film about Day of the Dead. It is a movie that most of your students will probably ask you to show at least once. It is a beautiful, heartwarming, and visually-appealing film. Miguel dreams of becoming a musician like his idol Ernesto de la Cruz. He takes a journey through the Land of the Dead, during which he unlocks the real story behind his family history. You can find Spanish and English versions of this film.
This movie pairs well with any of these Day of the Dead activities. And you can read Day of the Dead Books including a Coco Search and Find book!
Ferdinand tells the story of a young bull who escapes from a training camp in Spain after his father never returns from a fight with a matador. Ferdinand is adopted and lives peacefully on a farm, until he is captured to face off against a famous bullfighter. With the help of his animal friends, Ferdinand must escape and break free. Although this is English, it is a cute film with lots of cultural aspects about bullfighting.
Our Quinceañera is a documentary that high school students can relate to. A high school principal in a small Texas town hosts an annual quinceañera for students that can’t afford it. This event teaches girls that with the power of community, any dream can come true. Students, administration, community members, and parents are all interviewed. I love that you can see the preparation of a quinceañera and the joy it brings to these girls and their families. Plus, it shows how a school and community work together to benefit the youth. You can find this documentary for free on Tubi.
Spanish Movies About Sports
McFarland USA is based on a true story of a 1987 cross country team from a mainly Latino high school in McFarland, California. Kevin Costner stars as the team’s coach, leading the team to a state championship. This movie has many moments where you get a glimpse into Hispanic culture, including family life and holidays.
Rudo y Cursi is a tale of two brothers working on a banana ranch who have dreams of fame. After being scouted during their local soccer matches, they have the opportunity to go to Mexico City and try out for one of the country’s soccer teams! But he only has room for one of the brothers on the team. This is one of Mexico’s top grossing films of all time.
Pelotero is a documentary of two young baseball players from the Dominican Republic who dream of playing professional baseball in the USA. This film follows the boys as they try to make it to the MLB through a corrupt system, enduring heartbreak while keeping their dreams alive.
Global Issues & History Movies
También la lluvia is an internationally acclaimed drama film. It tells the story of a movie director and producer who travel to Bolivia to shoot a film depicting the Spanish conquest of the new world. However, the film crew finds themselves in a moral crisis. They arrive in Cochabamba, Bolivia during demonstrations and protests for their right to water. It is a very powerful and moving film that shows a stark contrast between lifestyles and the right to basic necessities such as water.
Walkout is based on a true story of the 1968 East L.A. walkouts. A group of student activists from Los Angeles protest the way Hispanic students are treated. They are punished for speaking Spanish in schools, their bathrooms are locked during lunch, they have harsh punishments, etc. The students plan a “walk out,” in protest of the inequality. An interesting note – one of the real-life students involved in the walkouts was the film’s executive producers!
Landfill Harmonic follows the Recycled Orchestra. It is a unique orchestra made completely out of recycled trash. This group of children, music teacher, and garbage picker from the slums of Paraguay transform lives with the power of music. A great movie for a lesson about poverty and the environment.
El viaje de Carol takes place during the Spanish Civil War. A 12 year old girl, Carol, travels with her mother to Spain in 1938. It is a historical film of the Franco regime, and a tale of good and evil and family ties. Carol’s eyes are opened to a new world of excitement, intrigue, and danger as she settles into her mother’s home village.
Living on One Dollar is a project conducted by four young friends. They set out to live on just $1 a day in rural Guatemala. Watch as they battle hunger, disease, and financial stress. A true eye-opening experience for the friends and hopefully your students as well!
Family Life
Encanto centers on the Madrigal family, who lives in the mountains in Colombia. It is a great story about a teenage girl who is the only member of her family without magical powers.
Canela is a perfect movie to showcase the importance of family traditions and of course… food! When the owner of a Mexican restaurant loses her passion for cooking after a death in the family, a new French chef is hired. But María, the granddaughter who loves her family and traditional cuisine tries to save the family restaurant.
Valentín is a movie about an 8 year old boy who dreams of becoming an astronaut. With many family problems, Valentín struggles to find a good role model.
What other movies are on your Spanish movie list for your high school students? Comment below and we can continue to add to this list!
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