From Brett Kavanaugh’s rise to the Supreme Court, to the Muslim ban, to the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, Magnolia’s new documentary on the American Civil Liberties Union “The Fight” covers all these pivotal events.
Beginning with the protests over the travel ban from seven Muslim countries in early 2017, “The Fight” follows four cases and four lawyers dealing with LGBTQ rights, immigration, abortion and voting rights.
For editors, Eli B. Despres, Greg Finton and Kim Roberts, the key was telling character stories instead of providing a complete history of the ACLU. It was about telling a concise story in under 100 minutes without overwhelming the viewer and following the vérité experience of the lawyers.
Despres, Finton and Roberts talk to Variety about getting to the heart of the action despite all the twists and turns that the ever-changing news climate provided while editing “The Fight,” which is now available on-demand.
Beginning with the protests over the travel ban from seven Muslim countries in early 2017, “The Fight” follows four cases and four lawyers dealing with LGBTQ rights, immigration, abortion and voting rights.
For editors, Eli B. Despres, Greg Finton and Kim Roberts, the key was telling character stories instead of providing a complete history of the ACLU. It was about telling a concise story in under 100 minutes without overwhelming the viewer and following the vérité experience of the lawyers.
Despres, Finton and Roberts talk to Variety about getting to the heart of the action despite all the twists and turns that the ever-changing news climate provided while editing “The Fight,” which is now available on-demand.
- 8/4/2020
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Formed in 1920, the American Civil Liberties Union, a.k.a. the ACLU, had been defending the rights of the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free for nearly a century when Donald Trump was sworn in to the presidency in January of 2017. The organization knew they would have their hands full when the former Reality TV star/failed real-estate mogul was granted the keys to the kingdom — and even they probably couldn’t have predicted just how many wars on numerous civil-liberty fronts they’d be combating.
- 7/31/2020
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
You could argue that the documentary “The Fight” takes on too much, because it juggles four different court cases on four different, vitally important subjects, jumping back and forth between the quartet of cases and trying to give them all their proper due in its hour-and-a-half running time.
Or you could argue that “The Fight” takes on too little, because those four cases are supposed to give us a sense of all of the work that the near 300 lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union do. That’s an impossible task, since the ACLU has already filed close to 150 lawsuits against the Donald Trump administration alone.
Or you could decide, as I did, that “The Fight,” like a cinematic version of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” does it just right: It picks four cases that give a good overview of the ACLU’s work and all carry huge stakes; it...
Or you could argue that “The Fight” takes on too little, because those four cases are supposed to give us a sense of all of the work that the near 300 lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union do. That’s an impossible task, since the ACLU has already filed close to 150 lawsuits against the Donald Trump administration alone.
Or you could decide, as I did, that “The Fight,” like a cinematic version of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” does it just right: It picks four cases that give a good overview of the ACLU’s work and all carry huge stakes; it...
- 7/31/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
It’s a volatile time in our country. We are divided and there’s an extreme sense of civic unrest. As hopeless as many of us feel, there are heroes on the front lines who are protecting our constitutional freedoms when it comes to abortion rights, immigration rights, LGBTQ rights and voting rights — and those heroes are chronicled in the documentary The Fight which debuts today in select theaters and on demand.
Directed by Elyse Steinberg, Josh Kriegman and Eli Despres, who produce alongside Kerry Washington, The Fight debuted at Sundance earlier this year. Who would have known that this documentary would be so poignant during this pivotal moment in history when Black lives are being killed, trans women of color are being murdered, the well-being of immigrants is at risk and the Trump’s administration is doing everything they can to put civil liberties of marginalized communities in danger.
Directed by Elyse Steinberg, Josh Kriegman and Eli Despres, who produce alongside Kerry Washington, The Fight debuted at Sundance earlier this year. Who would have known that this documentary would be so poignant during this pivotal moment in history when Black lives are being killed, trans women of color are being murdered, the well-being of immigrants is at risk and the Trump’s administration is doing everything they can to put civil liberties of marginalized communities in danger.
- 7/31/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Thanks to the pandemic, 2020 is a summer without a superhero movie. But a new documentary about the American Civil Liberties Union, The Fight, which Magnolia and Topic Studios are releasing in theaters and on demand July 31, offers up a kind of alternative, a real-life Avengers starring a group of lovably nerdy civil rights attorneys. Directed by Elyse Steinberg, Josh Kriegman and Eli Despres, who made the 2016 political documentary Weiner, and produced by Kerry Washington, The Fight follows ACLU attorneys Brigitte Amiri, Joshua Block, Lee Gelernt, Dale Ho and Chase Strangio as they pursue high-stakes cases on reproductive, LGBT, immigrant and ...
- 7/31/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Thanks to the pandemic, 2020 is a summer without a superhero movie. But a new documentary about the American Civil Liberties Union, The Fight, which Magnolia and Topic Studios are releasing in theaters and on demand July 31, offers up a kind of alternative, a real-life Avengers starring a group of lovably nerdy civil rights attorneys. Directed by Elyse Steinberg, Josh Kriegman and Eli Despres, who made the 2016 political documentary Weiner, and produced by Kerry Washington, The Fight follows ACLU attorneys Brigitte Amiri, Joshua Block, Lee Gelernt, Dale Ho and Chase Strangio as they pursue high-stakes cases on reproductive, LGBT, immigrant and ...
- 7/31/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Kerry Washington will be joined by attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union for a virtual discussion following the release of “The Fight,” a timely documentary focusing on ACLU lawyers as they battle for abortion, immigrant, LGBTQ and voting rights.
“The Fight,” produced by Washington, is being released through virtual cinemas and in select movie theaters on Friday, and the discussion will play exclusively after these engagements. In the discussion, which was filmed last week, Washington converses with Brigitte Amiri, Lee Gelernt, Dale Ho, Joshua Block and Chase Strangio — five attorneys featured in the doc — in a wide-ranging conversation about themes that emerge in “The Fight.”
In a clip from the Q&a, provided exclusively to Variety, ACLU attorney Dale Ho discusses filing a federal lawsuit on behalf of immigrants’ rights associations to challenge President Donald Trump’s attempts to block undocumented citizens from being counted in the census. In the constitution,...
“The Fight,” produced by Washington, is being released through virtual cinemas and in select movie theaters on Friday, and the discussion will play exclusively after these engagements. In the discussion, which was filmed last week, Washington converses with Brigitte Amiri, Lee Gelernt, Dale Ho, Joshua Block and Chase Strangio — five attorneys featured in the doc — in a wide-ranging conversation about themes that emerge in “The Fight.”
In a clip from the Q&a, provided exclusively to Variety, ACLU attorney Dale Ho discusses filing a federal lawsuit on behalf of immigrants’ rights associations to challenge President Donald Trump’s attempts to block undocumented citizens from being counted in the census. In the constitution,...
- 7/30/2020
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Just before 9 pm on January 27, 2017 — seven days after the inauguration of President Donald Trump and the night that the Muslim Travel Ban took effect — the 100-year-old American Civil Liberties Union was in Brooklyn Federal District Court. It defended two detained Iraqi immigrants, arguing that Trump’s ban on the entry of refugees and people from seven predominantly Muslim countries was unconstitutional.
Also that night, documentary filmmaker Elyse Steinberg (“Weiner”) joined hundreds of protesters outside the courthouse as ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt argued for an emergency stay of Trump’s order. As the crowd waited for the decision, they chanted, “Set them free!” And when they heard that Judge Ann M. Donnelly ruled on behalf of the plaintiffs, they cheered.
All of this would become the opening scene of “The Fight” — not that the filmmakers knew it at the time. Until that moment, they didn’t know they were making this film.
Also that night, documentary filmmaker Elyse Steinberg (“Weiner”) joined hundreds of protesters outside the courthouse as ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt argued for an emergency stay of Trump’s order. As the crowd waited for the decision, they chanted, “Set them free!” And when they heard that Judge Ann M. Donnelly ruled on behalf of the plaintiffs, they cheered.
All of this would become the opening scene of “The Fight” — not that the filmmakers knew it at the time. Until that moment, they didn’t know they were making this film.
- 7/29/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Just before 9 pm on January 27, 2017 — seven days after the inauguration of President Donald Trump and the night that the Muslim Travel Ban took effect — the 100-year-old American Civil Liberties Union was in Brooklyn Federal District Court. It defended two detained Iraqi immigrants, arguing that Trump’s ban on the entry of refugees and people from seven predominantly Muslim countries was unconstitutional.
Also that night, documentary filmmaker Elyse Steinberg (“Weiner”) joined hundreds of protesters outside the courthouse as ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt argued for an emergency stay of Trump’s order. As the crowd waited for the decision, they chanted, “Set them free!” And when they heard that Judge Ann M. Donnelly ruled on behalf of the plaintiffs, they cheered.
All of this would become the opening scene of “The Fight” — not that the filmmakers knew it at the time. Until that moment, they didn’t know they were making this film.
Also that night, documentary filmmaker Elyse Steinberg (“Weiner”) joined hundreds of protesters outside the courthouse as ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt argued for an emergency stay of Trump’s order. As the crowd waited for the decision, they chanted, “Set them free!” And when they heard that Judge Ann M. Donnelly ruled on behalf of the plaintiffs, they cheered.
All of this would become the opening scene of “The Fight” — not that the filmmakers knew it at the time. Until that moment, they didn’t know they were making this film.
- 7/29/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Anyone who cares about injustices committed by the Trump administration towards immigrants, women, the LGBTQ community, and other at-risk groups guaranteed civil liberties under the Constitution already knows about the court battles waged during the course of Eli B. Despres, Josh Kriegman, and Elyse Steinberg’s documentary The Fight. Anyone who doesn’t believe injustices have been committed—or worse, believe the White House’s actions were a response to injustices committed upon “true white Americans”—isn’t going to spend their money watching how those cases shook out beyond the scope of their privilege. So it was crucial that the filmmakers find a way into this important topic that allowed them to deliver something beyond headline sentiments. Rather than focus solely on the “fight” itself, they pivoted to highlight the “fighters.”
So while this film is about four cases seeking injunctions to block Donald Trump’s objectively hostile executive...
So while this film is about four cases seeking injunctions to block Donald Trump’s objectively hostile executive...
- 7/28/2020
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
The Fight Magnolia Pictures Reviewed for Shockya.com & BigAppleReviews.net linked from Rotten Tomatoes by: Harvey Karten Director: Elyse Steinberg Josh Kriegman, Eli Despres Cast: Brigitte Amiri, Joshua Block, Lee Gelernt, Dale Ho, Chase Strangio Screened at: Critics’ link, NYC, 7/17/20 Opens: July 31, 2020 The first thing that conservatives might say about the American Civil […]
The post The Fight Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post The Fight Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 7/26/2020
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
While the Atx Television Festival has always made sure its programming focused on political and social issues, its Aclu-sponsored panel about voter suppression and election year issues was especially relevant during a weekend where millions of people around the globe have been protesting against racial injustice. Although the annual Austin event cancelled its in-person programming due to the coronavirus pandemic, it presented a deep slate of virtual programming instead.
In a conversation moderated by Dale Ho, director of the Aclu Voting Rights Project, the panelists — Full Frontal with Samantha Bee senior field producer and director Razan Ghalayini; One Day ...
In a conversation moderated by Dale Ho, director of the Aclu Voting Rights Project, the panelists — Full Frontal with Samantha Bee senior field producer and director Razan Ghalayini; One Day ...
Atx Television Festival’s virtual edition appropriately titled “Atx TV…From The Couch!” has unveiled its full first wave of programming which includes recent additions The Bold Type, New Amsterdam and P-Valley. The fest will also include timely conversations about Covid-19, election year issues, Latinx representation as well as physical and mental health. The virtual event will take place June 5-7..
“Atx TV… from the Couch!” marks the first virtual event for the fest and will include industry-forward panels with showrunners and executives, sneak previews of upcoming series, and virtual events such as TV trivia and a music showcase. The event will be free to access via Atx’s official YouTube channel, with the option for viewers to donate to select organizations providing Covid-19 relief regionally and nationally.
The festival’s virtual line-up will include panel conversations with cast and creatives from Freeform’s “The Bold Type,” which returns for...
“Atx TV… from the Couch!” marks the first virtual event for the fest and will include industry-forward panels with showrunners and executives, sneak previews of upcoming series, and virtual events such as TV trivia and a music showcase. The event will be free to access via Atx’s official YouTube channel, with the option for viewers to donate to select organizations providing Covid-19 relief regionally and nationally.
The festival’s virtual line-up will include panel conversations with cast and creatives from Freeform’s “The Bold Type,” which returns for...
- 5/14/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Near the end of Elyse Steinberg, Josh Kriegman, and Eli Despres’ “The Fight,” one of the documentary’s central subjects, Aclu deputy director Lee Gelernt, is preparing for a quick hit on NBC News. The lawyer, best known for his work for immigrants’ rights, is minutes away from a live appearance discussing the state of the Aclu’s lawsuit against the government for its family separation policies. As the clock ticks down, a breaking news alert diverts everyone’s attention elsewhere: to the latest ruling in another Aclu-involved case, this one involving President Trump’s transgender military ban. Gelernt is forced to pivot, preparing talking points and official reactions before he’s thrust onto live television to sound off on yet another one of the over 100 lawsuits the American Civil Liberties Union has filed since Trump took office. It’s perhaps the most illustrative moment in the latest film from the trio behind “Weiner,...
- 1/24/2020
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
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