YOURS IN FREEDOM, BILL BAIRD
FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
"...an inspiring and deeply felt look at what one person can achieve in the pursuit of justice." — Ms. Magazine
In an America where women and trans people are losing legal bodily autonomy, the history of Bill Baird’s long fight for the right to birth control and abortion is as relevant as ever. In YOURS IN FREEDOM, BILL BAIRD, the first feature documentary about the firebrand reproductive rights activist, Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Rebecca Cammisa doesn’t just give us a portrait of Baird, but also creates a historical register of allyship and activism that those fighting to uphold freedom and choice can access, and perhaps emulate. The film introduces us to Jada Portillo, a then-16-year-old Arkansas high school student who contacts Baird to see if she can interview him for her National History Day project. The two bond, and their interactions over the course of the national competition reveal the central issues behind Baird's fight to keep government out of our bedrooms. These issues are still roiling some 50 years after Baird won his landmark 1972 Supreme Court case, the first of three total wins bearing his name. The film is produced by leading European documentary company Terra Mater Studios, in association with Corstoria. The film had its world premiere at the 2023 DOC NYC Festival, the largest documentary festival in America. The premiere screenings were sponsored by The New Republic. The film is currently seeking wide release.
"Yours in Freedom, Bill Baird stirs" — 3 1/2 out of 4 stars, Film Festival Today
“...a moving and insightful feature that looks both forward and back to tell the story of a largely overlooked reproductive rights pioneer. Arrested eight times in five states between 1965 and 1972,… indeed, it’s hard to view Yours in Freedom and not see how much we owe him.” — The Progressive Magazine
“…the film sounds a loud and dire warning about the need for reproductive justice advocates to remain vigilant and active if we want to keep the rights we currently have. This, Baird cautions, requires us to pay attention to politics at the local, state and federal levels. It’s an important, prescriptive reminder. But Yours in Freedom is also more than this and is an inspiring and deeply felt look at what one person can achieve in the pursuit of justice. 'The world is on fire,' Baird says in the film’s final frame. 'Freedom is on fire.’” — Ms. Magazine