Speaking Freely: A Film and Multi-platform Project about the First Amendment and the Work of Preeminent Attorney Floyd Abrams

FAIN: TR-285389-22

UnionDocs, Inc (Brooklyn, NY 11211-6941)
Yael Melamede (Project Director: August 2021 to present)

Production of a film about the First Amendment and the balance between free speech principles and other core values.

SPEAKING FREELY explores how our laws, attitudes, and culture norms around free speech have changed in the last fifty years. The centerpiece of our work is a feature-length documentary that explores these themes while tracing the professional journey of renowned attorney Floyd Abrams, who has been at the center of First Amendment case law for decades, beginning in the early 1970s when he represented The New York Times against the government in the Pentagon Papers Supreme Court case. As we tell his story, we explore how twenty-first century life is challenging the First Amendment in new ways, as we strive to balance free speech principles against our other core values, including privacy, equality, security, and personal freedom. The SPEAKING FREELY project also includes a dedicated website, social media, educational curricula, and the potential for additional ancillary media to further a dialogue on these important issues.

Associated Products

FLOYD ABRAMS: SPEAKING FREELY (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: FLOYD ABRAMS: SPEAKING FREELY
Writer: Yael Melamede
Writer: Clare Smith Marash
Writer: Harry Jackson
Director: Yael Melamede
Producer: Clare Smith Marash
Abstract: FLOYD ABRAMS: SPEAKING FREELY is a biopic of the First Amendment as told through the story of one of its central advocates. Through Abrams career, this archival-rich documentary traces the path of this law from its early precedents in the 1960s and 1970s to today, where the hotly contested principles of free speech have the nation wondering anew: what price are we willing to pay for free speech?
Year: 2023
Primary URL: https://rocofilms.com/films/floyd-abrams-speaking-freely/
Primary URL Description: This is the link to the film’s page on the website of our educational distributors, RoCo Films, where the film is currently available for licensing.
Access Model: The film was accessible for free through linear public TV and the PBS streaming app until Oct 22, 2023. We have begun licensing for use in educational and corporate sectors, and in 2024, the film will be available through streaming on-demand services.
Format: Web

FLOYD ABRAMS: SPEAKING FREELY Website (Web Resource)
Title: FLOYD ABRAMS: SPEAKING FREELY Website
Author: SALTY Features
Abstract: The first link is our slimmed down website for the film, which includes information on broadcast and other screenings, and will eventually include information on educational distribution and TVOD. The second link is the American Master’s page, which has additional resources for the film.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: https://www.speakingfreelyfilm.com/
Primary URL Description: The film’s website.
Secondary URL: https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/floyd-abrams-speaking-freely-about-the-documentary/28370/
Secondary URL Description: The film’s page on the American Masters website.

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