Speaking freely: a film and multi-platform project about the first amendment and the work of preeminent attorney floyd abrams [speaking freely explores how our laws, attitudes, and culture norms…

This Project Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, under the Promotion of the Humanities Public Programs program, provides $1.26 million to Uniondocs Inc. to produce Speaking Freely, a film and multi-platform project exploring First Amendment issues and the career of attorney Floyd Abrams. Key deliverables include a feature-length documentary tracing Abrams' representation of the New York Times in Pentagon Papers cases and examining challenges to free speech today. Ancillary elements comprise a dedicated website, social media engagement, and educational curricula to promote dialogue on balancing civil liberties and other societal values. The grant period spans May 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023, supporting public humanities programming through these documentary and digital platforms.

Speaking freely: a film and multi-platform project about the first amendment and the work of preeminent attorney floyd abrams [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.]