SPEAK

SUGGESTED $10 DONATION

Miantonomi Park
120 Hillside Ave, Newport, RI

ABOUT THE FILM: SPEAK follows five of the nation’s top teenage speech competitors, capturing the euphoria of victory and the devastation of defeat as they craft and perform original oratories over the course of a 9-month season. Their dream is simple: To win the Super Bowl of public speaking, the NSDA Nationals.

We witness them, their coaches and their parents as they fight to keep school speech programs alive amid budget cuts, book bans and censorship efforts that reach a fevered pitch during the 2024 election year.

We begin at the 2023 National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) Championships, introducing our eclectic cast of student orators: Noor, Noah, Sam, Mfaz and Esther, the two-time reigning national champion in Oratory. We follow them all the way to the 2024 Nationals where Esther hopes to threepete — and beat the current record holder and SPEAK’s Executive Producer, Josh Gad. Other notables include Oprah, Brad Pitt, Ketanji Brown-Jackson and Jordan Peele among others.

We watch these young firebrands rehearse wherever and whenever they can: at family dinners, on the school bus, in front of a beloved pet pig, at church, and, of course, with their coaches and teammates, who are often as close as family. The students have two goals: To change minds, and to take home scholarship money. College admission officers often show up at NSDA tournaments, scouring the event for future recruits. This is the Orators’ chance to be seen. And heard.

But no matter how determined and driven they are, they’re still teenagers, and we see them in all their youthful glory—hanging out at the mall, dressing up for Taylor Swift concerts, prepping for the prom, managing TikTok fame, navigating complicated family dynamics, receiving college acceptance (or rejection) letters, and falling in love – all while handling the immense pressure of striving for a championship title.

SPEAK captures the passion, joy and courage of unforgettable teens using their voices to change hearts and minds. This film is the perfect antidote for these fraught times in America – intense, funny, and most of all, hopeful.

Photographs will be taken at this event. Images may be used by newportFILM for promotional purposes. 

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