THE BADDEST SPEECHWRITER OF ALL + MINK!
genres:
Behind some of the most enduring words of the Civil Rights Movement stood Clarence B. Jones, lawyer, advisor, and speechwriter to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In THE BADDEST SPEECHWRITER OF ALL, Jones tells his remarkable story in his own words, offering an intimate insider’s perspective on the movement, his partnership with King, and the personal sacrifices behind moments that changed American history.
Co-directed by Academy Award winner Ben Proudfoot (winning for THE QUEEN OF BASKETBALL and THE LAST REPAIR SHOP) and Stephen Curry, making his directorial debut, the documentary brings Jones’s memories vividly to life through Daniel Bruson’s extraordinary hand-painted watercolor animation, comprising more than 3,000 individual paintings. Candid, illuminating, and deeply personal, the film reveals the man behind the language that helped define a generation while examining the complicated realities of making history from inside the movement. Jones passed away in May 2026 at age 95, giving this cinematic testament even greater resonance. World Premiering at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, THE BADDEST SPEECHWRITER OF ALL won the Short Film Grand Jury Prize.