‘The Fight’ Producer Kerry Washington On Why ACLU Lawyers Are ‘Our Avengers’ | Video
Kerry Washington, who produced the ACLU documentary “The Fight,” called the lawyers chronicled in the film “our Avengers” because of their desire to fight for civil liberties threatened by the Trump administration.
“They really are heroes — they are our Avengers,” she told TheWrap at the Sundance Film Festival. “Their day job is saving the world!”
The documentary follows five ACLU lawyers as they face legal battles against the Trump administration, such as the Muslim ban that Trump signed into effect on Jan. 27, 2017, which banned foreign nationals from seven predominantly Muslim countries from visiting the country for 90 days, as well suspending entry for all Syrian refugees.
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“The Fight” was directed by Eli B. Despres, Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg, the team behind the documentary “Weiner.” Steinberg told TheWrap that it was her idea to do a documentary on the ACLU.
“The origin story was that on the night that Trump issued his Muslim ban, I joined the protestors that were gathering on the steps of the Brooklyn courthouse and inside, [ACLU deputy director] Lee [Gelernt] was arguing for an emergency stay of that order,” she explained. “When he came out from the court, I could just see this expression on his face which was exhaustion and exhilaration and total shock to be at the center of the crowd of people who are shouting ‘ACLU!’ I felt like this is where we needed to be. We needed to document these lawyers in their fight against Trump — this would be a David versus Goliath courtroom thriller.”
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