Films

Sundance: ACLU Doc “The Fight” Goes to Magnolia Pictures, Elyse Steinberg Co-Directs

"The Fight"

Another woman-directed film has secured distribution out of Sundance. “The Fight,” from Elyse Steinberg, Josh Kriegman, and Eli Despres, has been acquired by Magnolia Pictures in “a low-seven-figure deal,” Variety confirms. The documentary follows American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) attorneys as they push back against the Trump administration in the courts.

“The Fight” spotlights “pertinent cases in line with the [ACLUS’s] battle for equity, and the threats and consequences that the current political landscape represents to future generations of Americans,” per the doc’s synopsis. The story begins in the week following Trump’s inauguration, when his administration implemented the “Muslim ban” — i.e. the travel and immigration restrictions placed on those from Muslim-majority countries. The doc also chronicles cases dealing with family separation at the border, reproductive rights, voting rights, and the military’s expulsion of trans soldiers.

“Scandal” alumna Kerry Washington produces alongside Steinberg, Kriegman, and Despres. Maya Seidler and Peggy Drexler also serve as producers.

No word on a release date yet.

“The Fight” was recently named one of Chicken & Egg Pictures’ inaugural Project: Hatched recipients. The filmmakers received a $20,000 grant and mentorship focusing on “The Fight’s” Sundance premiere, distribution, and impact.

Steinberg directed Showtime docuseries “Couples Therapy” with Kriegman, Despres, and Kim Roberts. She and Kriegman picked up the Sundance Grand Jury Prize and a Critics’ Choice Documentary Award for “Weiner,” their portrait of fallen congressman Anthony Weiner during his ill-fated NYC mayoral campaign. Steinberg also helmed the “America at a Crossroads” installment “The Trial of Saddam Hussein.”


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