The documentary “Speak,” which had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, screened Thursday night at Miantonomi Park as part of newportFILM Outdoors’ 15th anniversary season.
Co-director Guy Mossman attended the screening and participated in a post-film conversation with Todd Trebour, executive director of the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts.
The film follows five American teenagers over nine months as they prepare for the National Speech and Debate Association Championships, described as “the world’s largest and most intense public speaking competition.” The student competitors — Noor, Noah, Sam, Mfaz, and two-time reigning national champion Esther — craft original spoken word performances while navigating typical teenage experiences.
“Speak” documents the challenges facing high school speech programs amid budget cuts and censorship efforts during the 2024 election year. The documentary captures students rehearsing everywhere from family dinners to school buses as they compete for scholarship money and college recruitment opportunities.
The film’s executive producers include actor Josh Gad, who previously held the national championship record that competitor Esther hopes to break. Other notable alumni of the speech competition include Oprah Winfrey, Brad Pitt, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, and filmmaker Jordan Peele.
Next up in the newportFILM Outdoors series is “André Is An Idiot,” screening Thursday, Aug. 14, at 8:10 p.m. on O’Hare Lawn at Salve Regina University. The 2025 Sundance Film Festival U.S. Documentary Audience Award winner, produced by A24, follows a terminally ill advertising executive who documents his final journey with humor and stop-motion animation. Director Tony Benna will participate in a pre-film conversation.
The evening begins at 5 p.m. with venue opening, followed by live music from Thirsty Boots at 6:15 p.m. Food vendors, including Ben and Jerry’s, Boru, and Island Time Catering, will be on-site. A suggested donation of $10 is requested, and picnics are welcome at the bike-friendly venue.
newportFILM Outdoors is expecting record attendance this year, with representatives from every featured film participating in pre-screening conversations. The series showcases award-winning documentaries from distributors including A24, HBO Documentary Films, Jolt and Tribeca Films.