Title: Cofounder
Company: TeachWithMovies.org
Location: Pacific Palisades, California, United States
James A. Frieden, Cofounder of TeachWithMovies.org, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Educators for dedication, achievements, and leadership in legal services.
Inspired by their son’s interest in films, Mr. Frieden and his wife, Deborah W. Elliott, created TeachWithMovies.org in 1997. Since its inception, TeachWithMovies.org has become one of the most popular educational sites on the Internet, showing teachers and parents how to use feature films to supplement curriculum, foster social-emotional learning and promote character development. The site offers learning guides for 450 feature films as well as supplemental teaching aids, providing a free resource for use by hundreds of thousands of teachers and homeschoolers worldwide each year. Because of the success of TeachWithMovies.org, Mr. Frieden and Ms. Elliott have been invited to present lectures on incorporating feature films into education at various state and national teachers’ association meetings, such as the National Council for the Social Studies and the National Council of Teachers of English. In 2018, they co-produced a 22-minute documentary titled “Cesar Chavez: Respect for All.” Seeking to enlighten viewers on Cesar Chavez’s influence and significance, the documentary revealed that he was more than just a farmworker organizer. A moral pioneer, he adopted progressive positions in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, consistently applying the ethical principle of respect to all sentient beings.
Together, Mr. Frieden and Ms. Elliott continue to advocate for thoughtful, impactful media in education. To further support educators, they have created a resource section of TeachWithMovies.org titled “Set Up the Sub,” designed to provide teachers with lesson plans and film suggestions that can be easily implemented in the classroom. For example, they have developed a guide for the film “Castaway,” which can be used by substitute teachers to engage students in relevant conversation. At the heart of TeachWithMovies.org’s mission is a desire to make education both engaging and meaningful, using the power of film to ignite emotions and provoke thought in ways that traditional textbooks often cannot. Through their work with TeachWithMovies.org, Mr. Frieden and Ms. Elliott continue to shape a new kind of learning that embraces the complexity of life while making it accessible and relatable to students.
Since 1975, Mr. Frieden has pursued an active career as a civil litigator in the trial and appellate courts of Massachusetts and later California. After earning a Bachelor of Arts from Brandeis University in 1971, he entered the Boston College Law School, graduating in 1975. As a lawyer, he advocates for animal rights protesters who encounter obstacles from law enforcement, ensuring that clients can peacefully exercise their First Amendment rights. In 1984, he co-authored the Massachusetts Standardized Civil Practice Forms, a four-volume set published by Little, Brown and Co. in Boston, Massachusetts. His career includes a particularly memorable case, beginning with his participation in the activities of a group of animal rights activists protesting Boston restaurants that served veal in a local market. Despite opposition from the owners and local law enforcement, the group stood their ground and were able to settle, allowing people to demonstrate at the market as a public forum, despite the company’s claim that it was private property. This case set a significant precedent and is an excellent example of how activism and the law can work together for positive change. Reflecting on the entirety of his career as a lawyer, Mr. Frieden attributes his success to a strong work ethic and dedication to his clients’ cases.
Over the coming years, Mr. Frieden plans to transition into retirement gradually. As he brings his existing cases to a close, he is selectively taking on new cases that focus on supporting animal rights protesters who have been obstructed by law enforcement.
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