As Martin Luther King Jr.’s lawyer and speechwriter, Clarence B. Jones helped craft the language that defined the Civil Rights Movement. Now an upcoming documentary will present his story in his own words, offering an intimate insider’s view of the period. Premiering this year, The Baddest Speechwriter of All follows Jones — who died on May 22, 2026, at 95 — as he reflects on the personal costs and surprising truths of making history. 

The documentary short is co-directed by Ben Proudfoot and Stephen Curry (in his directorial debut), the collaborators behind the Academy Award–winning The Queen of Basketball. It features entirely hand-painted watercolor animation sequences from Daniel Bruson, with more than 3,000 individual paintings bringing Jones’s story to life.

The Baddest Speechwriter of All made its world premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, where it was awarded the Short Film Grand Jury Prize.

The film is produced by Ben Proudfoot for Breakwater Studios and Erick Peyton and Stephen Curry for Unanimous Media. Executive producers include Elizabeth Goodstein and Gigi Pritzker for Madison Wells, Peter Rotter, and Jane Solomon. 

Stay tuned for more updates on The Baddest Speechwriter of All ahead of its premiere.