Film Review: SPEAK
by Karen Pecota

Jennifer Tiexiera and Guy Mossman, USA 2025

The Super Bowl of public speaking for teenagers, is the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) Championships, a competition filmmakers Jennifer Tiexiera and Guy Mossman, showcase and follow five of the nation’s top American teenagers for a whole year crafting spoken word performances in SPEAK. It’s a prestigious competition where known orators have competed like Oprah, Justice Ketanji Brown-Jackson, Josh Gad, and Brad Pitt.

Each student works hard to earn the title of the NSDA National Champion, addressing topics they are passionate about, and that will garner food for thought from a worldwide audience. After choosing a topic, writing, performing, and being coached, the teenagers must compete and win competitions across the country, before entering the finalist category. The filmmakers capture unique moments with their featured-five, and often the most endearing coverage is that no matter how competitive the group is, they are still teenagers— showing off their true awkward selves. It just makes one smile!

Tiexiera and Mossman explain, “Over the course of a year, students write, practice and hone a powerful ten-minute speech inspired by their own personal and lived experiences, their ‘heart story.’” Adding, “Gen Z gets a bad rap these days, but it’s time we sit up and listen. We saw, firsthand, how competitive speaking can shape and motivate young visionaries.”

The hope of the filmmakers is that SPEAK will engage in conversations and give room to questions without animosity. Saying, “In our deeply divided world that faces historic challenges, these programs foster creative thinking, and the open exchange of ideas in an inclusive, fun, and competitive environment.” Continuing, “They nurture the next generation of leaders, entrepreneurs, artists, and judges who may be the bridge to deeper understanding and empathy. They are our future.”

Tiexiera and Mossman conclude, “SPEAK captures the passion, joy, and courage of unforgettable teens using their voices to change hearts and minds. This film is the perfect antidote for these fraught times in America—intense, funny, and most of all, hopeful. SPEAK up. SPEAK out.”

SPEAK is a documentary topic that is emotionally inspiring, no matter one’s age, and gives credence to the sense of pride, for us to acknowledge for the generations that come behind us who are committed to using their voices to make the world a better place.