At this defining moment in American history, The Fight follows a scrappy team of heroic ACLU lawyers in an electrifying battle over abortion rights, immigrant rights, LGBTQ rights, and voting rights, available everywhere July 31st. 

Only days after the 2017 inauguration of Donald Trump, furious Americans gathered at airports across the country in protest of the Muslim ban. But it was the efforts of the American Civil Liberties Union, waging the fight in federal court, that turned the tide, staying the executive order on the grounds of unconstitutionality. The ACLU has never granted access to its offices, even as its battles—on the fronts of abortion rights, immigration rights, LGBT rights, and voting rights—have become more timely and momentous than ever.

With The Fight, access has finally been granted to the filmmaking team of Eli B. Despres, Josh Kriegman, and Elyse Steinberg, makers of 2016’s award-winning Weiner. Rousing, inspiring, and slyly humorous, their latest documentary follows four seismically important cases and a handful of magnetic attorneys. These lawyers may not know how to charge a cell phone or operate a stand-up desk but have persuaded Supreme Court Justices, beating back serious encroachments upon our freedoms. An antidote to endless news cycles filled with tweet tantrums, The Fight inspires with the story of front-line warriors in the battle for the American soul.

The Fight Official Trailer

About the Filmmakers 

Elyse Steinberg, Joshua Kriegman, Eli Despres (directors/producers) previously collaborated on the documentary Weiner, a Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize winner and BAFTA Award nominee that was shortlisted for an Academy Award. Steinberg and Kriegman were co-directors/producers (nominated for a DGA Award), and Despres was the editor and writer. Together, they created, co-directed, and executive produced the critically acclaimed Showtime docu-series Couples Therapy, which made numerous critics top-ten lists for 2019 and has just been renewed for its second season.

Steinberg and Kriegman made Variety’s 2016 list of “top ten documakers to watch.” Steinberg also directed the acclaimed feature documentary The Trial of Saddam Hussein (PBS). 

Despres’ other editing credits include BAFTA Award nominee Blackfish and Cannes Film Festival selection Red Army. He is a two-time nominee for a documentary American Cinema Editors Award.