Reel Review: Shouting Fire

Tonight I went to the screening of the upcoming HBO documentary Shouting Fire: Stories from the Edge of Free Speech. Held at Atlanta's Woodruff Arts Center, the screening was a combined event put on by HBO, PRSA of Georgia and the Atlanta Press Club. Who better to talk about free speech than those who write and tell stories every day?

The documentary was eye-opening and frustrating, poetic and inspiring. The struggle for freedom of speech today is just as much of a struggle as it was during each major social movement in America's history. The case studies that were highlighted in this film really brought to light the question, "Does America even have true freedom of speech?" Or, is that freedom only reserved for certain groups? The film will stretch your own thoughts about free speech, so I encourage you to watch the premiere this coming Monday, June 29 at 9 p.m./8C on HBO.

Please watch the film and share your thoughts here. For now, I'll leave you with some quotes from the film that struck me:

"Defending free speech equals defending the speech of people you hate."
"If it comes at a price, it is not free." - Ward Churchill