HI, I'M NANCY RUBIN
STREAMING ON MAX and the Magnolia Network
"Nancy Rubin, a charismatic high school teacher who challenged norms through many radical generations, taught "Social Living" at Berkeley High School in Berkeley, California from the 1980s-90s. Every semester, Ms. Rubin’s students were required to write a letter to their future selves. They were instructed to address the envelope to an address that was (hopefully) permanent and add enough postage to account for inflation in the future. Ms. Rubin promised that she would do everything in her power to deliver the letter at any time in the future that the students desired -- 2, 5, 15 years later… or even longer. For the last 42 years, she has been mailing these letters out to now-adults from their teenage selves. Now in 2022, after some 15,000 letters mailed, Ms. Rubin is down to the last three letters.
Hi, I'm Nancy Rubin follows the last three letters as they are mailed and delivered, opened and read for the first time. The film is an intimate journey of memory and transformation, as we hear former students discuss candidly what it was like to be a teen growing up in the 1980s and 90s, and how for many of them the experience of Ms. Rubin’s class was completely life changing. Ultimately, the film is a compelling first hand exploration of the lasting effects of social emotional education and a deep look into what is possible when teachers allow young people to have safe, open forums to express themselves."
Jennifer Steinman Sternin, Director
Awards:
(2023) "Hi, I'm " nominated for Rockie Award by BANFF World Media Festival
Articles:
"Berkeley teacher who sent 15,000 letters to students gets a ‘love letter’ of her own"