First They Came for My College (2026)

Directed by

Patrick Bresnan

Genre

documentary

Country

United States of America

Runtime

1h 45m

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A documentary about the conservative political takeover of New College of Florida in 2023. It follows students, a professor, and the campus newspaper as they experience dramatic changes to their school.

observationaltenserevealingunsettlinggroundedfast-pacedpoliticalthought-provoking

What happens

First They Came for My College is a 2026 American documentary film directed and produced by Patrick Bresnan. The film follows the political takeover of New College of Florida after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis appointed six conservative trustees to the public honors college's Board of Trustees in January 2023. It centers on students, faculty, campus journalism, and the social and academic changes that followed the new board's arrival. The documentary uses verite footage, student-shot video, board-meeting recordings, and observational scenes on campus to depict New College as a local institution caught within a larger national fight over higher education, diversity programs, academic freedom, and censorship. The film's official synopsis says Bresnan embedded with the student newspaper, an outspoken professor, and students from across the political spectrum as the campus became a microcosm of American culture-war politics. First They Came for My College had its world premiere at the True/False Film Fest in Columbia, Missouri, on March 6, 2026. It screened at SXSW as its Texas premiere and later played at the Florida Film Festival, SFFILM, Independent Film Festival Boston, RiverRun International Film Festival, and DC/DOX, among other venues. Public listings identify the film as a 105-minute English-language documentary from the United States. The film won the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 2026 Florida Film Festival. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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