First They Came for My College
Directed by Patrick Bresnan
When the Governor of Florida transforms a beloved public honors college in a political coup, students and professors confront a new reality: their campus is ground zero in a growing nation-wide assault on academic freedom. From TMDB
64 reactions from 3 sources (Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Oct 30, 2026 · last updated Oct 31, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
Sentiment labels for these sources are still being hand-checked; no score yet.
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluesky * | 14 | 2 | 46 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Mastodon * | 1 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
What people are saying
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Critics, per Wikipedia
Ainsley Bryson of The Maneater, reviewing the world premiere, wrote that the film "feels like a war movie" and contrasted Bresnan's wide-angle campus photography with the raw iPhone video the students shot. The Guardian called it gripping and made a similar point about the immediacy of that footage. Vox Magazine wrote that the film's answer to the campaign it documents is the friendship among the students. A reviewer for The Michigan Daily noted that a documentary shot mostly on phones ends up with vertical framing and shaky handheld shots, which gave the lighter scenes a quality the reviewer found endearing. Christopher Llewellyn Reed of Hammer to Nail read the film as a warning about…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 64 · most liked first"Only Nazis burn books." The gripping new documentary, "First They Came For My College," documents how this tiny FL school of just 700 students became a battleground in the Trump administration’s assault on higher education. www.theguardian.com/film/2026/ma...
neutral · AI labelView post →The fight for free thought in SXSW documentary First They Came for My College. How Austin Film Society's Holly Herrick brought an unexpected filmmaker to the battle for her alma mater.
neutral · AI labelView post →Fright Night (1985) Bill's Big Pumpkins (2007) M (1931) M First They Came for My College (2026) #LastFourWatched #LetterboxdFriday #films #movies #filmsky
neutral · AI labelView post →"'First They Came for My College' is, at times, almost unbearable to watch: a slow, procedural dismantling of a public institution. But what stayed with me wasn’t only the anger. It was the stubborn, surprising insistence on community, joy and showing up anyway."
positive · AI labelView post →TODAY: 6:30PM ET! Join NEA Higher Ed for an extended preview of 'First They Came for My College,' a documentary about the fight for academic freedom at the New College of Florida. Register Here! 👇👇👇 www.nea.org/professional... @neatoday.bsky.social
neutral · AI labelView post →Documentary filmmakers go behind the scenes of a Florida college’s anti-DEI takeover. “First They Came for My College” is guaranteed to make queer viewers’ blood boil. Director Patrick Bresnan’s galvanizing documentary chronicles the hostile (crypto-fascist) takeover of New College of Florida in Sarasota from January 2023 to the senior class graduation in 2024. This liberal arts honors college, once a community of radical acceptance, was targeted by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign to…
neutral · AI labelView post →The new documentary First They Came for My College —based on hundreds of hours of footage filmed on and around New College of Florida's palm-tree lined Sarasota campus — offers a warning about conservative efforts to take over higher education, writes @ajconn.bsky.social pen.org/first-they-c...
neutral · AI labelView post →If you are in the DC area - this looks interesting. FIRST THEY CAME FOR MY COLLEGE tells the inside story of the right-wing campaign to “reconquer” higher education in America I hope they do viewings in FL soon!
neutral · AI labelView post →A powerful new documentary about the attacks on academic freedom and diversity at New College, *First They Came for My College,* has just had its world premiere and will be screening around the country in the coming months. @higheredlabor.bsky.social @aaup.org
neutral · AI labelView post →KU and film professor emeritus Kevin Willmott will host a screening of "First They Came for My College" and a Q&A with the documentary's director. The event is open to the community. lawrenceks.news/4rpilrF
neutral · AI labelView post →Caught the #FirstTheyCameForMyCollege here in Houston at the MFAH. Every @aaup.org chapter in the country should be airing this, to explain to students, faculty, and parents how destructive the right wing takeover has been for the education & careers of students www.firsttheycameformycollege.com
positive · AI labelView post →On the way home from SXSW! Had a ton of fun in Austin, and at the Cookie Queens screenings. Got to see First They Came For My College, and it broke my heart in half. Absolutely required viewing for understanding how fascism devours, and who it digests.
positive · AI labelView post →On October 22nd at 7pm, @wexarts is showing an important documentary that we hope you can see. “First They Came for My College” (2026) chronicles the Florida state government’s takeover of the liberal arts New College - and the resistance to it.
neutral · AI labelView post →As we continue to see attacks on academic freedom, @afthighered.bsky.social & @psc-cuny.org hosted a screening of the documentary, “First They Came for My College.” Read more about the movement to resist these right-wing attacks and what's at stake in upcoming elections ⬇️ www.aft.org/news/lessons...
neutral · AI labelView post →The new documentary film “First They Came For My College,” with a theatrical run hitting Florida starting this month, tells the story of the conservative offensive through the eyes of New College students who lived the experience firsthand. www.wlrn.org/arts-culture...
neutral · AI labelView post →John Oliver just did an episode about the destruction of New College, and I have to say, he made it look like goofy conservatives doing goofy conservative things and not an absolute fascist nightmare. If you ever get a chance to see First They Came For My College, you should, I promise you.
positive · AI labelView post →DC/DOX starts today! I got you covered, with 10 short reviews for pretty much any sensibility. Other recs: Landscapes of Memory is a provocative look at Holocaust rembrance in Germany, while First They Came for My College is an immersive look at New College in Florida under reactionary control.
neutral · AI labelView post →Last few hours of SXSW but boy do I still have some recommendations for you, starting at 6pm with First They Came For My College. www.austinchronicle.com/screens/the-...
neutral · AI labelView post →#TrueFalse film festival ‘First They Came For My College’ debut by director Patrick X Bresnan. A must see! The most uplifting film I’ve seen about fighting fascism on the college level. (Columbia, MO) #film
positive · AI labelView post →Patrick Bresnan’s new doc FIRST THEY CAME FOR MY COLLEGE will be world premiering at TRUE/FALSE. The film documents the fascist takeover of the New College of Florida. In creating the score for this film I felt like I was contributing to the resistance in my own little way. Grateful for that.
neutral · AI labelView post →Several members of UTampa AAUP went to watch the First They Came For My College Documentary at the Sun Ray Cinema this afternoon, and were able to experience a panel of those who played a vital role in the documentary. We strongly encourage other chapters/schools to request a showing in your area!
positive · AI labelView post →MJ's @calamityjanet.bsky.social says of First They Came For My College: "After watching, I am left with a profound feeling of sadness, but also immense hope that resistance is worth it even when the ideal outcome of positive change isn’t within reach. #FirstTheyCameForMyCollege is in theaters now.
positive · AI labelView post →NYC! Join us for a screening of First They Came for My College and a Q&A moderated by @jonfreadom.bsky.social, Managing Director of PEN America U.S. Free Expression Programs, at Firehouse Cinema on Saturday, September 26 at 1 PM. Register here: pen.org/event/screen...
neutral · AI labelView post →If you want to know what Rufo has wrought, find "First They Came for My College" at a film festival near you. www.newcollegefilm.com
positive · AI labelView post →In DC to see “First They Came For My College” at DC/DOX. There are like a million cops all over for Trump’s stupid fight. 🙄
neutral · AI labelView post →“First They Came for My College also reckons with questions: ‘What are universities for?” asks one student. “Are they businesses to extract wealth from people, or are they places where we not only expand consciousness but also gain skillsets to improve humanity?” www.theguardian.com/film/2026/ma...
neutral · AI labelView post →there’s an incredible documentary about how Rufo & his goons targeted journalists at New College of Florida (RIP) as they dismantled the school. it’s called First They Came For My College and is currently touring the US. hopefully it’ll be available for download soon.
positive · AI labelView post →First They Came For My College, a film about #Florida Governor DeSantis's far right takeover of the New College, an innovative liberal arts college. There are screenings around the US this fall. Catch it if you can. #Education #Academics www.firsttheycameformycollege.com
positive · AI labelView post →#UTampa #AAUP supporters—join us for our first big event of the academic year! We’re going to watch the documentary First They Came For My College, which documents events at New College. Documentary opens 9/18 with Q&A with the filmmakers, and runs 9/19 too!
neutral · AI labelView post →A new documentary that chronicles the hostile takeover of New College by Florida's right wing extremists. "First They Came For My College" story link: msmagazine.com/2026/04/09/f...
neutral · AI labelView post →My first review out of #SXSW serves as a warning and a call to arms, the chilling doc. FIRST THEY CAME FOR MY COLLEGE. Coverage over at @cinapse.bsky.social #SXSW2026 cinapse.co/2026/03/sxsw...
positive · AI labelView post →OUT NOW: Three key voices behind the new documentary "First They Came for My College" share behind-the-scenes insights & tell their story of courage and resistance following the hostile takeover of New College of Florida by ultraconservative Republicans. democracyincolor.com/podepisodes/...
neutral · AI labelView post →Check out the @hammertonail.bsky.social #SXSW2026 curtain raiser, which just dropped today. I recommend the following: AMAZING LIVE SEA MONKEYS BEYOND THE DUPLEX PLANET BLACK ZOMBIE FIRST THEY CAME FOR MY COLLEGE GRIND PHOENIX JONES A SAFE DISTANCE SERLING SPARKS STORMBOUND #filmsky @sxsw.com
neutral · AI labelView post →Just popping in to rec the Columbia, MO annual True/False Doc Film Festival. Provocative, moving films; energetic audiences; great conversations with directors; and costume parade! Tell your local indy theater to get "First They Came for My College" (about New College takeover) asap.
neutral · AI labelView post →#FirstTheyCameForMyCollege premieres today at #TrueFalse film festival! www.theguardian.com/film/2026/ma...
neutral · AI labelView post →if you're in the Bay Area, First They Came For My College screens this Saturday, 10/17 at 3 pm at San Francisco's New People Cinema in Japantown! @alexakist.bsky.social @hotdogsladies.bsky.social
neutral · AI labelView post →The conservative takeover of New College of Florida hits the big screens Here's an interview I did with the director and producer of First They Came For My College - with several theatrical runs across Florida, including on Miami Beach www.wlrn.org/arts-culture...
neutral · AI labelView post →PSC members can sign up for a free screening & discussion of the documentary "First They Came for My College" - Sunday, September 27th at 4PM. The event will be held at the DCTV Firehouse Cinema, 87 Lafayette Street.
neutral · AI labelView post →Had the privilege of catching this one while it's still making the initial rounds and it could not be coming at a more crucial time. #NewCollege #FirstTheyCameForMyCollege shakesqueer.home.blog/2026/07/31/f...
positive · AI labelView post →For background, I highly recommend the documentary “First They Came for My College”, I was lucky to meet some of the students and teachers of this once unique college, taken over by Florida’s Governor Ron DeSatan. This was a trial run of a fascist takeover of a college. A real gut punch.
positive · AI labelView post →I reviewed five #PFF35 documentaries: THE LAST CRITIC, WHEN A WITNESS RECANTS, FIRST THEY CAME FOR MY COLLEGE, WHO KILLED ALEX ODEH?, and NUISANCE BEAR stephensilver.substack.com/p/documentar...
neutral · AI labelView post →First They Came for My College playing in the Bay Area twice this coming weekend. Saturday at the Roxie Theater, 3pm and then again in Palo Alto, Monday night at 8:10pm at the Mitchell Community Center in the UN Association Film Festival. www.unaff.org/2026/schedul...
neutral · AI labelView post →I watched the documentary First They Came For My College about the hostile right wing takeover of New College in Florida. It's really well done and I highly recommend everyone see it or try to get it screened at your local movie theater or campus. www.firsttheycameformycollege.com #academicsky
positive · AI labelView post →Just got tix to see "First They Came for My College" So looking forward to seeing this film about the students and faculty who fought so hard to save #NewCollege. #HigherEd #Resist #Academia Showings are happening across the country! www.firsttheycameformycollege.com
neutral · AI labelView post →Today's movie: First They Came For My College #SunRay #FilmSky
neutral · AI labelView post →The new documentary film First They Came For My College. . . tells the story of the conservative offensive through the eyes of New College students who lived the experience firsthand. WLRN Public Media | By Daniel Rivero See info and trailer at: www.firsttheycameformycollege.com
neutral · AI labelView post →Don’t forget!!! #UTampa #AAUP supporters, let’s make time to go and see First They Came For My College this weekend, playing Friday and Saturday at the Green Light Theater!
neutral · AI labelView post →First They Came for My College | Amherst Cinema share.google/swp4rZJMnqLj...
neutral · AI labelView post →America's quickening descent into fascist reign is shown clearly in Patrick Bresnan & Amy Reid's #SXSW doc FIRST THEY CAME FOR MY COLLEGE. Chris Reed spoke with them about the startling film... www.hammertonail.com/interviews/b... @chrisreedfilm.bsky.social
neutral · AI labelView post →Our SXSW reviews just won't stop, much like the U.S. government. Patrick Bresnan's doc FIRST THEY CAME FOR MY COLLEGE tells the sad tale of what happened to the New College of Florida, a victim of fighting "wokeness." Chris Reed has this review... www.hammertonail.com/reviews/firs...
neutral · AI labelView post →I swear this year's festival is a rage machine. This morning's film was First They Came for My College, a case in point.
negative · AI labelView post →https://apple.news/AG90yoR6ZS4uj5iFXwbdAGQ I can’t wait to see the documentary "First They Came for My College." People need to see on an international level how New College in Florida was upended and destroyed by the Trump/Desantis fascist coalition killing colleges that don’t take a knee.
neutral · AI labelView post →FIRST THEY CAME FOR MY COLLEGE (2026) This powerful documentary chronicles the hostile takeover of the New College of Florida by Gov. DeSantis and his allies, destroying a beautiful community dedicated to learning in order to score political points—horrifying. #365Movies 417 #PFF35
negative · AI labelView post →Be sure to watch new feature documentary, FIRST THEY CAME FOR MY COLLEGE, about what happens when a public college in Florida is swamped by a political hurricane. www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFMc...
neutral · AI labelView post →Caught the #FirstTheyCameForMyCollege here in Houston at the MFAH. Every @[email protected] chapter in the country should be airing this, to explain to students, faculty, and parents how destructive the right wing takeover has been for the education & careers of students www.firsttheycameformycollege.com First They Came For My College
positive · AI labelView post →Check out my recs, over at @filmfestivaltoday.bsky.social, of what to see at this year's @newnextfilmfest.bsky.social. FIRST THEY CAME FOR MY COLLEGE THE HAUNTING OF PENNHURST THE LORRAINE #filmsky
neutral · AI labelView post →Paraphrase:The pathological hatred that drives DeSantis & his vandals is on full display in “First They Came For My College,” a scorching documentary about how the state dedicated itself to destroying what once was a top tier liberal arts school, producing scores of Fulbright Scholars, Emmy winners…
neutral · AI labelView post →Filmmaker Patrick Bresnan's documentary First They Came For My College tells the inside story of the right-wing campaign to “reconquer” higher education in America. vimooz.me/21m59f
neutral · AI labelView post →First They Came for My College: Right-wing “human dust” mount takeover of New College of Florida - World Socialist Web Site www.wsws.org/en/articles/...
neutral · AI labelView post →Local DC/Baltimore area people who are interested learning about how the right wing is targeting higher education and how they destroyed my undergraduate institution, check out “First They Came for My College” this weekend at the DC/DOX festival. dcdoxfest.com/films/first-...
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