Shouting Fire: Stories from the Edge of Free Speech

Shouting Fire: Stories from the Edge of Free Speech

2009 · 75 min · ★ 4.5 · Documentary

A documentary look at the changing interpretations of the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution - laws and court cases that have alternatively broadened and narrowed the amendment's protection of free speech and assembly. The film's thesis is that post-9/11 the government has seized unprecedented license to surveil, intimidate, arrest, and detain citizens and foreigners alike. The film also looks back to the Pentagon Papers' case and compares it to cases since 9/11 dealing with high school students' speech and protesters marching in New York City during the 2004 Republican convention. Comment comes from a range of scholars, pundits, and advocates.

Directed by Liz Garbus

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

Rent or Buy

Make it a double feature

2h 45m together

Shouting Fire: Stories from the Edge of Free Speech

Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna

Both from Liz Garbus.

More from Liz GarbusSee all →

Epidemic Africa

Epidemic Africa · 1999

Epidemic Africa

MovieDocumentary

A documentary short about the growing number of African children orphaned by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The film was screened at the United Nations Headquarters (NYC) for World Aids Day in December 1999, and before members of US Congress as part of a briefing on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in April 2000.

Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna

Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna · 2025

Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna

MovieDocumentary

A personal look at the life, work and untimely death of celebrated indie cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was shot and killed in a tragic accident on the set of the film Rust in 2021.

The Handmaid's Tale

The Handmaid's Tale · 2017

The Handmaid's Tale

SeriesDramaSci-Fi & Fantasy

Set in a dystopian future, a woman is forced to live as a concubine under a fundamentalist theocratic dictatorship.

One Night in Idaho: The College Murders

One Night in Idaho: The College Murders · 2025

One Night in Idaho: The College Murders

SeriesDocumentary

Told in captivating, tense, and emotionally wrenching detail by only those involved in and affected by the crime, this series intimately explores this American tragedy and its continued impact and fallout.

Investigative Reports

Investigative Reports · 1991

Investigative Reports

SeriesDocumentaryCrime

ariana grande: excuse me, i love you

ariana grande: excuse me, i love you · 2020

ariana grande: excuse me, i love you

MovieMusicDocumentary

Ariana Grande takes the stage in London for her Sweetener World Tour and shares a behind-the-scenes look at her life in rehearsal and on the road.

Dynasty: The Murdochs

Dynasty: The Murdochs · 2026

Dynasty: The Murdochs

SeriesDocumentary

Offers an unprecedented look at one the world’s most powerful families at a crossroads, as its patriarch, Rupert Murdoch, makes one last play to ensure his legacy at all costs.

Take Care of Maya

Take Care of Maya · 2023

Take Care of Maya

MovieDocumentary

When Jack and Beata Kowalski are wrongfully accused of child abuse after their 10-year-old daughter Maya visits the ER, a nightmare unfolds.

Sally

MovieDocumentary

Sally Ride's groundbreaking journey as the first American woman in space concealed a deeply personal story. Her life partner, Tam O'Shaughnessy, unveils their covert 27-year romance and its accompanying sacrifices.

Good American Family

Good American Family · 2025

Good American Family

SeriesDramaCrime

A Midwestern couple adopts who they believe to be a little girl with dwarfism, but gradually start to believe she may not be who she says she is.

Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence

Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence · 2023

Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence

SeriesDocumentary

A group of bright Sarah Lawrence College students fall under the dark influence of a friend's father, Larry Ray. With unprecedented access to the survivors who lived with Ray, the series follows the cult from its origins through its still-unfolding aftermath.

I Am Vanessa Guillen

I Am Vanessa Guillen · 2022

I Am Vanessa Guillen

MovieDocumentary

Vanessa Guillen was 20 years old when she was found murdered at a US Army base. Rather than submit to silence, her family fought for justice and change.

What Happened, Miss Simone?

What Happened, Miss Simone? · 2015

What Happened, Miss Simone?

MovieMusicDocumentary

The film chronicles Nina Simone's journey from child piano prodigy to iconic musician and passionate activist, told in her own words.

Unknown: Cosmic Time Machine

Unknown: Cosmic Time Machine · 2023

Unknown: Cosmic Time Machine

MovieDocumentary

The James Webb Telescope stirs imaginations with vivid photos of distant galaxies. This documentary tracks its historic journey from inception to launch.

Yellowjackets

Yellowjackets · 2021

SeriesDramaMystery

This equal parts survival epic, psychological horror story and coming-of-age drama tells the saga of a team of wildly talented high school girls soccer players who become the (un)lucky survivors of a plane crash deep in the remote northern wilderness. The series chronicles their descent from a complicated but thriving team to savage clans, while also tracking the lives they’ve attempted to piece back together nearly 25 years later.

The Innocence Files

The Innocence Files · 2020

The Innocence Files

SeriesDocumentary

The personal stories behind eight cases of wrongful conviction that the Innocence Project and organizations within the Innocence Network have worked to highlight and overturn.

More Like This

Olympia Part One: Festival of the Nations

Olympia Part One: Festival of the Nations · 1938

Olympia Part One: Festival of the Nations

MovieDocumentary

Starting with a long and lyrical overture, evoking the origins of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece, Riefenstahl covers twenty-one athletic events in the first half of this two-part love letter to the human body and spirit, culminating with the marathon, where Jesse Owens became the first track and field athlete to win four gold medals in a single Olympics.

Olympia Part Two: Festival of Beauty

Olympia Part Two: Festival of Beauty · 1938

Olympia Part Two: Festival of Beauty

MovieDocumentary

Part two of Leni Riefenstahl's monumental examination of the 1938 Olympic Games, the cameras leave the main stadium and venture into the many halls and fields deployed for such sports as fencing, polo, cycling, and the modern pentathlon, which was won by American Glenn Morris.

Dig!

MovieDocumentaryMusic

A documentary on the once promising American rock bands The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols. The friendship between respective founders, Anton Newcombe and Courtney Taylor, escalated into bitter rivalry as the Dandy Warhols garnered major international success while the Brian Jonestown Massacre imploded in a haze of drugs.

More on MaxSee all →

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone · 2001

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

MovieAdventureFantasy

Harry Potter has lived under the stairs at his aunt and uncle's house his whole life. But on his 11th birthday, he learns he's a powerful wizard—with a place waiting for him at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As he learns to harness his newfound powers with the help of the school's kindly headmaster, Harry uncovers the truth about his parents' deaths—and about the villain who's to blame.

The Batman

The Batman · 2022

MovieCrimeMystery

In his second year of fighting crime, Batman uncovers corruption in Gotham City that connects to his own family while facing a serial killer known as the Riddler.

Interstellar

Interstellar · 2014

MovieAdventureDrama

The adventures of a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King · 2003

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

MovieAdventureFantasy

As armies mass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world--and powerful, ancient forces of Light and Dark compete to determine the outcome--one member of the Fellowship of the Ring is revealed as the noble heir to the throne of the Kings of Men. Yet, the sole hope for triumph over evil lies with a brave hobbit, Frodo, who, accompanied by his loyal friend Sam and the hideous, wretched Gollum, ventures deep into the very dark heart of Mordor on his seemingly impossible quest to destroy the Ring of Power.

Dune: Part Two

Dune: Part Two · 2024

MovieScience FictionAdventure

Follow the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a path of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, Paul endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.

Supergirl

Supergirl · 2026

MovieActionAdventure

When an unexpected and ruthless adversary strikes too close to home, Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, reluctantly joins forces with an unlikely companion on an epic, interstellar journey of vengeance and justice.

Inception

Inception · 2010

MovieActionScience Fiction

Cobb, a skilled thief who commits corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious of his targets is offered a chance to regain his old life as payment for a task considered to be impossible: "inception", the implantation of another person's idea into a target's subconscious.

Dune

MovieScience FictionAdventure

Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet's exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence - a commodity capable of unlocking humanity's greatest potential - only those who can conquer their fear will survive.

The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight · 2008

The Dark Knight

MovieActionThriller

Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lt. Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as the Joker.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets · 2002

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

MovieAdventureFantasy

Cars fly, trees fight back, and a mysterious house-elf comes to warn Harry Potter at the start of his second year at Hogwarts. Adventure and danger await when bloody writing on a wall announces: The Chamber Of Secrets Has Been Opened. To save Hogwarts will require all of Harry, Ron and Hermione's magical abilities and courage.

A Minecraft Movie

A Minecraft Movie · 2025

A Minecraft Movie

MovieFamilyFantasy

Four misfits find themselves struggling with ordinary problems when they are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into the Overworld: a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination. To get back home, they'll have to master this world while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected, expert crafter, Steve.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire · 2005

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

MovieAdventureFantasy

When his name emerges from the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter becomes a competitor in a grueling battle for glory among three wizarding schools. Signs of Voldemort's return emerge as Harry's friends help him prepare for the Triwizard Tournament.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban · 2004

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

MovieAdventureFantasy

Harry Potter's life is in danger once more as dangerous wizard Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban Prison and is heading to Hogwarts.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 · 2011

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

MovieAdventureFantasy

Harry, Ron and Hermione continue their quest to vanquish the evil Voldemort once and for all. Just as things begin to look hopeless for the young wizards, Harry discovers a trio of magical objects that endow him with powers to rival Voldemort's formidable skills.

The Suicide Squad

The Suicide Squad · 2021

The Suicide Squad

MovieActionComedy

Supervillains Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Peacemaker and a collection of nutty cons at Belle Reve prison join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X as they are dropped off at the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese.

The Matrix

The Matrix · 1999

MovieActionScience Fiction

Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells the story of a computer hacker who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth.

Mortal Kombat II

Mortal Kombat II · 2026

Mortal Kombat II

MovieActionFantasy

The fan favorite champions—now joined by Johnny Cage himself—are pitted against one another in the ultimate, no-holds barred, gory battle to defeat the dark rule of Shao Kahn that threatens the very existence of the Earthrealm and its defenders.

Superman

Superman · 2025

MovieScience FictionAdventure

Superman, a journalist in Metropolis, embarks on a journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent.

Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th · 1980

Friday the 13th

Camp counselors are stalked and murdered by an unknown assailant while trying to reopen a summer camp that was the site of a child's drowning.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring · 2001

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

MovieAdventureFantasy

Young hobbit Frodo Baggins, after inheriting a mysterious ring from his uncle Bilbo, must leave his home in order to keep it from falling into the hands of its evil creator. Along the way, a fellowship is formed to protect the ringbearer and make sure that the ring arrives at its final destination: Mt. Doom, the only place where it can be destroyed.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter