Summer is a season of kicking back and enjoying the sun and the sand. So how should teens pass the lazy days of summer? Some youth workers may seek an alternative to mindless popcorn films. Smaller, independent movies can provide substance even amid the silliest of summers. What’s one inventive programming possibility? Recreate your own blockbusters.

When all the videotapes in their store are erased, Jack Black and Mos Def decide to recreate famous films in Be Kind Rewind. This relaxed comedy celebrates filmmaking as a communal project. What classic scenes would your youth group like to restage? What kind of laughs and misadventures would arise from knocking off Ghostbusters or The Lion King? Director Michel Gondry demonstrates how greatness can arise from low-fi technology.

How do bored teenagers pass their time? Paranoid Park is about skaters in Portland. Director Gus Van Zant illustrates how kids get in trouble. With no caring adults in sight, these teens have developed a separate subculture. Paranoid Park is also an opportunity for teens to compare themselves with onscreen counterparts. How are these teens similar or different from those in your community? It is a slow, poetic take on teen isolation.

Nominated for an Academy Award as Best Animated Film, Persepolis is a different kind of girls story. Based upon Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel, Persepolis chronicles her upbringing during the fall of the Shah and the resulting Iranian revolution. Although told in a severe, black and white style, Persepolis is endlessly stylish and creative. It may even make American teens more grateful for the freedoms and comforts we enjoy.

Under the Same Moon (La Misma Luna) is a poignant border story about crossing over. When his grandfather dies, Carlitos seeks out his mother, where she works as a maid in America. This Sundance Film Festival favorite raises timely issues of immigration and social justice. America Ferrara from television’s Ugly Betty plays a surprisingly tough coyote, smuggling people across the Mexican/U.S. border. This first feature from director Patricia Riggen is a sweet, inspiring story suitable for all ages.

Darfur Now documents the vexing genocide that continues to unravel the Sudan. It focuses on six individuals doing their best to make a difference in the embattled region. Don Cheadle demonstrates the optimum use of celebrity, shining the spotlight on a war torn region. He raises awareness of human rights abuses just as he did in Hotel Rwanda. For youth workers seeking to inspire their students to consider missions, Darfur Now serves as an important call to action. Even a carefree summer can become a key time to get serious with teens.