Thoughtcrime

Can we really be fully human without Free Speech? Is free speech the oxygen of our society? Without it we crumble. Free Speech Fear Free get's to the core of what free speech really is, and the impact it has on our day to day lives. It compares the UK with Belarus and shows what life is really like without Free Speech. It tells chilling stories of a dictatorship that destroys people's standard of living.

Holocaust Denial vs. Freedom of Speech

For 40 years, the community-organizing group ACORN advocated for America’s poorest communities, while its detractors accused it of promoting the worst of liberal policies. Riding high on the momentum of Barack Obama’s presidential victory in 2008, ACORN was at its political zenith when a hidden-camera video sparked a national scandal and brought it crashing down. The story involves voter fraud, a fake prostitute, and the rise of Breitbart.com.

Take a seat with us at FIRE’s first-ever classical music concert in support of free expression: “Outspoken: Music for Free Speech.” At the podium is conductor Rebecca Bryant Novak, a former doctoral student at the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music. Taking the stage for the first time since she was expelled without due process after speaking out about alleged harassment, Rebecca leads an all-volunteer orchestra in an unforgettable evening of music. Internationally acclaimed musicians, violinist Lara St. John and oboist Katherine Needleman, bring the stage to life with works by composers who themselves faced censorship, from Mozart to Shostakovich. Between performances, FIRE staff and special guests reflect on why free expression is essential for artists, and for all of us. The arts cannot thrive without free expression. Thank you to everyone who made this night possible!

Lauded as the most influential thinker of the Western world, psychology professor Jordan Peterson has become a polarizing paradox. After sparking both outrage and support for his stand against Canadian human rights legislation in late 2016, Peterson quickly transformed into a famous public intellectual and internationally best-selling author. SHUT HIM DOWN offers an intimate look into the controversy that started over alternate gender pronouns and left us with two stories about Peterson: Is he a heroic cultural warrior who pushes boundaries and transforms people's lives for the better? Or is he a bigoted peddler of regressive ideas that cause harm?

A sobering look at the erosion of democracy & freedom of the press in the United States and abroad.

How free and independent is the press in Europe? In recent years, multiple crises and the rise of authoritarianism have put pressure on journalists. We take a look at these countries, where aggression towards the media seems to be undermining the very idea of democracy.

Ira is one of America's unsung champions of civil rights and liberties. As his generation retires from the barricades, Ira reminisces on his life at the forefront of defending the rights of all Americans.

As the first part of our investigation, the CORONA.FILM prologue will delve into the science behind the pandemic. Starting at the very beginning, we shine a light on the responses. The aim is not to point the finger; our aim is to tell the whole story in all its complexity, as we believe that justice cannot prevail if only one side of the story is told.

In the run-up to parliamentary elections in mid-October, Polish filmmaker Marcin Wierzchowski travelled across his country to gauge the atmosphere in a society that is more divided than ever.

Florida, 1994. Artist Mike Diana is convicted on an obscenity charge in the wake of an undercover police officer purchasing his limited edition zine Boiled Angel. Here is the very unusual story of what led to this First Amendment debacle happening for the first time in the United States.

Inspired by real events, this ribald comedy pits an unlikely gang of students against their principal after she bars safe-sex activities on campus. Protesting Principal Weller's muzzling of free speech, the teens stage a bold and hilarious rebellion.

A campus culture war between Blacks and whites at a predominantly white Ivy League college comes to a head when the staff of a satirical magazine stages an offensive Halloween party.

The story of the 1985 Senatorial hearings to place "Warning: Parental Advisory" labels on music albums with 'obscene' lyrics and themes - and the rockers who tried to fight it.

An educational film intended for children from 6 to 8 years of age. ‘We Grew A Frog, 1970’ tells the story of two schoolchildren, Lynne and Martin, who collect frog spawn from the village pond, take it to school, and there, in a tank, watch the spawn grow into frogs. The film shows in close-up the developmental stages of the spawn-to-frog process. This educational film features the pupils of Whatfield School in Suffolk. Headteacher, Gwen Dunn wrote and told the story.

O child, I know it can be bad. O child, sometimes you're be sad. O child, it can be true. O child, sometimes it can be all new. Here comes the sun.

Heïdi's Ice

Carlos Gesell, mi padre

The Foreigner Story: Feels Like the Very First Time

Electro-Pythagorus is an intimate and subjective portrait of the late Martin Bartlett, the Canadian electronic music pioneer who studied with Pauline Oliveros, David Tudor, John Cage, and Pandit Pran Nath. His contribution as an interdisciplinary composer, educator, and founding member of Western Front, though undoubtedly extensive, is in danger of being erased from cultural memory since his death from AIDS in 1993. Navigating an array of archival materials including letters, correspondences, notebooks, personal photos, and a huge body of unreleased music and field recordings held at the archives of Simon Fraser University, Electro-Pythagoras is a journey through the evolution of Bartlett’s musical time and space, softly guided by Luke Fowler’s insightful camera and montage—creating an experimental portrait that defies one-dimensionality.