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Take part in the debate about the role of free speech for democracy and political freedom. Listen to whistleblowers like former CIA agent John Kiriakou, publishers like Julian Assange, activists like Jude Law, Sarah Harrison and many more. The documentary that was initiated by Tarquin Ramsay at the age of 15 with the simple question: “What is free speech?”, and co-directed by Joerg Altekruse, won awards like the American Insight Free Speech Award or the Doc Utah Raven. It was shown around the globe, at the Cannes festival, on public tv in Japan, Germany, in schools and cinemas in Germany, France, Canada.
CAST
mit Jude Law, Sarah Harrison, John Kiriakou, Jacob Appelbaum, Julian Assange, Rob Gongrjp, Andy Müller-Maguhn, Jeremie Zimmerman and many more.
CREW
Director: Tarquin Ramsay, Joerg Altekruse
DOP: Niels Lagefoged
Editing: Roland Musolff
Production: Fear Free Films / Zeitfilm Media GmbH
Distribution: Realfiction, Cologne
World sales: Paul Thiltges Distribution, Luxembourg
Tarquin Ramsay is a 25-year-old queer filmmaker who jumped straight into documentary making at the age of 15 with his directorial debut feature Free Speech Fear Free featuring Jude Law and Julian Assange. The film won numerous awards and was nominated for the ‘Amnesty International Film Award’ in Hong Kong and ‘Best Positive First Film’ at Cannes 2019 Cinema Positif Side competition. The film went on to receive theatrical, broadcast and VOD distribution in over 20 countries. Tarquin also co-founded newsPeeks; a youth media organisation placing young reporters face to face with the most important journalists, hackers and whistleblowers. The organisation hosted two live talk-shows in London and Berlin with a roster including John Cusack, Seymour Hersh, Daniel Ellsberg and others.
Tarquin was also impact producer for feature doc Under The Knife directed by Emmy-winning Susan Steinberg. He led a national impact campaign that included the coordination of 70 free screenings over 5 days in conjunction with the TUC, Unite, Unison, GMB and the Daily Mirror.
Tarquin is also a co-director on an upcoming feature doc ‘The Source’ with The Act of Killing exec producer Andre Singer.
More recently, Tarquin has assisted in the set-up and coordination of youth journalism network Youth4Planet.
2019 Under the Knife (Documentary) (assistant producer)
2016 Free Speech (Documentary) (executive producer) / (producer) / (director)
Joerg Altekruse, film director/producer/socialentrepreneur/academic/generalthinker.org, president of the German charity association Youth4planet e.V., as well as the Youth4planet a.s.b.l., Luxembourg,
is a lifelong filmmaker and producer, based in Hamburg, Germany, with a broad range of mainly documentary films, working with broadcasters worldwide, and a special personal interest in environmental, technological and social change topics. He used his skills to create art installations and exhibition concepts (at Expo2000) and for advising and creating campaigns mainly in working for/with the German state agency for public health, BZgA on topics like AIDS, children and smoking.
His filmmaking for change concepts are based on the huge cooperation and learning opportunities in the digital sphere. Humans can reach the most incredible goals, climb the highest mountains, walk on the moon, if they learn to use the dynamic balance between the power of the individual, the group and their common interests to reach this goal.
He envisions the digital space as the most promising chance for the survival of mankind, through action based learning, the combined creativity in the cloud, and global interaction.
The dream was always to place a film in schools because I am a young person and I was a young person when I started this film. So for me it was always about contributing something to schools and universities because everyone has the right to free expression; we should all have that right. The reception of the film has been fantastic. Our world premiere was at a university in Utah, Mormon City, which of course is very fitting for a discussion on free speech. It also meant that half the audience left the auditorium at the first screening, which was great because that was exactly what we had planned and was fantastic to see, being a kind of a confirmation that the film was working and that people were pissed off. Something ignited inside them, making them angry so angry they were shouting. When people are angry they also start to use their voice and become politically active. And so we started submitting the film to a large number of festivals. It’s one hundred percent a team effort, I don’t think I could have ever done all this without Jörg. J.A.: – and I not without you.
PRESSE
Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks
“A powerful documentary with a lot of angry people. After this film, I recommend that there should be no documentary filmmakers over the age of 20.”
Nafeez Ahmed (VICE)
A powerful and provocative film.
Gavin Mcfadyeen, journalist and founder of the CIJ Centre for Investigave Journalism, Goldsmith University, London:
“The film explores one of the most important issues of our time, one that older generations tend to ignore.”
Keith Merrill, Jury Member, DocUtah
It was easy for us to nominate FSFF for Best Foreign Film. … Ramsay combines his ravishing interviews and powerful images with provocative visual metaphors that I have yet to see in a long documentary. Bravo!.
EXTRA
Film Education for the Classroom 7 – Film booklet on FREE SPEECH FEAR FREE [pdf]
FESTIVALS
Cannes Film Festival, Positive Cinema Week selection, 2019
Festival de Cine y Derechos Humanos; Madrid, Dec 2017
Free Speech Film Festival, Free Speech Film Award Winner, Philadelphia, US, Dec. 2017 St Louis International Film Festival, Nov. 2017
Docs Against Gravity Festival; Warschau, May 2017
DOK.fest München, Official Selection; May 2017
Human Vision Festival Austria, Dornbirn, März 2017
“This Human World” International Human Rights Film Festival, Wien, Dec 2016
Rain Dance Film Festival, London, OFFICIAL SELECTION , Sept. 2016
DOCUTAH INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL, WINNER BEST FEATURE FOREIGN FILM, 2016
HOUSTON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, WINNER BEST DOCUMENTARY, 2016
DOCS DF, Mexico City, Selección oficial, 2016