American INSIGHT

Join us in celebrating the debut of a new historical documentary from our board member, Oliver St. Clair Franklin. “Becoming American: Philadelphia's Story” debuts on June 15 on PBS and will be available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App.

“Becoming American” explores the founding of the United States through the lens of Philadelphia, America's first capital. From indigenous people and enslaved Africans to lawmakers and artisans, the film reveals how diverse communities shaped a new nation. Though rooted in Philadelphia, this is a shared American story whose debates, ideals, and consequences still resonate today.

Oliver, who serves as host and executive producer of the film, said, “This is a story that must be told — not just for Philadelphia, but for America. My hope is that this film will help build a human connection to Philadelphia during this time, that people feel the 'energy' when they walk our historical streets, and by the time of our Tricentennial, that these stories are fully integrated into the historical narrative.”

View the trailer for the film at https://www.pbs.org/video/trailer-phmvlp/

Find out more at https://www.becomingamericanmovie.com/

You can get the PBS app on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, LG TV, and Vizio.

Learn more about Philadelphia's connection to the rule of law in our latest Free Speech Spotlight Blog post.

https://freespeechfilmfestival.org/the-rule-of-law-and-philadelphia/

We're continuing our “Focus On” series, where we'll highlight a past film that referenced the core values of our mission to promote free speech, human rights, the rule of law and democracy.

Today, we're highlighting “I Will Not Be Silenced," the Free Speech Award-winning film in 2016. The documentary, which was written and directed by Judy Rymer, chronicled Australian journalist Charlotte Campbell Stephen's seven-year battle for justice after she was horrifically gang r***d in Nairobi.

The film documents Charlotte's fight against the Kenyan legal system. Charlotte shares the stories of Kenyan women as they find their own strength to fight back.

Ultimately, Charlotte's case served as an example for the women of Kenya and the need for reformers in the Kenyan legal system.

Learn more about the film in our Free Speech Spotlight Blog (https://freespeechfilmfestival.org/blog/) post this week honoring Philadelphia's connection to the Rule of Law.