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Mighty Ira

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Ira Glasser is one of America’s unsung champions of civil rights and liberties. As the leader of the American Civil Liberties Union for 23 years, he transformed the organization from a small, “mom-and-pop” operation on the verge of bankruptcy into a civil liberties juggernaut with offices in every state and a $30 million endowment. As his generation retires from the barricades, Ira reminisces on his life at the forefront of defending the rights of all Americans, from civil rights leaders to neo-Nazis. His story takes us to his hometown of Brooklyn, New York, where in 1947 Jackie Robinson and the Dodgers broke the color barrier in baseball and inspired a generation of civil rights activists; to the offices of Robert Kennedy, where the U.S. Senator spoke with a young Ira and convinced him to take his first job with the ACLU; and to California, where a 96-year-old Holocaust survivor explains to Ira why he thinks the ACLU was wrong to defend the right of neo-Nazis to demonstrate near his home in Skokie, Illinois, over 40 years ago — and how recent events in Charlottesville, Virginia, evoke painful memories. Amid high-profile controversies surrounding free speech, racial equality, and antisemitism — and on the occasion of the ACLU’s centennial — Ira Glasser’s story is as timely and provocative as ever.

Critics Reviews

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Matt Fagerholm RogerEbert.com 10/09/2020
2.5/4
A series of vignettes that, while worthwhile, never coalesce into a fully dimensional portrait of Glasser himself, nor a narrative that satisfies on its own terms. Go to Full Review Sheri Linden The Hollywood Reporter 10/07/2020
A warm portrait that poses ever-urgent questions. Go to Full Review Alan Ng Film Threat 11/13/2020
8/10
An excellent and fascinating biography. Go to Full Review Carla Hay Culture Mix 10/19/2020
[The movie] has a conventional approach in many ways but makes unconventional choices in other ways ... [There is] a compelling segment on the unlikely friendship between [former ACLU chief Ira] Glasser and ultra-conservative icon William F. Buckley Jr. Go to Full Review Read all reviews
Mighty Ira

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Cast & Crew

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Chris Maltby

Director

Nico Perrino

Director

Aaron Reese

Director

Ira Glasser

Actor
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Mighty Ira

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Movie Info

Synopsis Ira Glasser is one of America’s unsung champions of civil rights and liberties. As the leader of the American Civil Liberties Union for 23 years, he transformed the organization from a small, “mom-and-pop” operation on the verge of bankruptcy into a civil liberties juggernaut with offices in every state and a $30 million endowment. As his generation retires from the barricades, Ira reminisces on his life at the forefront of defending the rights of all Americans, from civil rights leaders to neo-Nazis. His story takes us to his hometown of Brooklyn, New York, where in 1947 Jackie Robinson and the Dodgers broke the color barrier in baseball and inspired a generation of civil rights activists; to the offices of Robert Kennedy, where the U.S. Senator spoke with a young Ira and convinced him to take his first job with the ACLU; and to California, where a 96-year-old Holocaust survivor explains to Ira why he thinks the ACLU was wrong to defend the right of neo-Nazis to demonstrate near his home in Skokie, Illinois, over 40 years ago — and how recent events in Charlottesville, Virginia, evoke painful memories. Amid high-profile controversies surrounding free speech, racial equality, and antisemitism — and on the occasion of the ACLU’s centennial — Ira Glasser’s story is as timely and provocative as ever.
Director
Chris Maltby, Nico Perrino, Aaron Reese
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 39m