Feature Documentary · (2026) · In post-production
Against the Grade
An unprecedented look into the lives of homeschooled teenagers in the New York City area.
A feature documentary shot over twelve months, following homeschooled teenagers across New York City as they build an education on their own terms.
Directed and shot by Mason Ember and produced in collaboration with his filmmaker parents, the film uses vérité technique and moments of cinematic grandeur to tell a colorful and creative story of being young and free to engineer one’s own life and learning. Its intimate interviews and fly-on-the-wall footage paint a robust picture of how these outside-the-mainstream kids navigate their education, social lives, fears, and dreams in a world not always built for young people like them.
Principal photography wrapped in December 2025. The film is in post-production.
Credits
- DirectorMason Ember
- CinematographerMason Ember
- EditorsMason Ember, Regan Avery
- ProducersMax Avery Lichtenstein, Regan Avery
Press
- March 2026 — Nominated for an Eddy Award, presented by Outschool and OpenEd, recognizing influential voices in alternative education.
- December 2025 — Mason Ember's letter to the editor about the film ran online and in print in the New York Times.
- 2025-2026 — Featured on the OpenEd podcast and Element Is Everything.