Five top-ranked high school oratory students spend a year crafting spellbinding spoken word performances with the dream of winning one of the world’s largest and most intense public speaking competitions.

Directors Jennifer Tiexiera and Guy Mossman take us behind the scenes of the prestigious competition that’s seen Oprah, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, Josh Gad, and Brad Pitt compete. The film provides a heartfelt glimpse into the lives of five competitors — raising prized pigs, managing TikTok fame, dating dreamy boyfriends, and navigating complicated family dynamics — all while handling the immense pressure of striving for a championship title.

Tiexiera and Mossman skillfully blend moments of youthful levity with the weight of urgent social issues tackled in their speeches, from anti-LGBTQ+ legislation to the epidemic of school shootings. These students aren’t just driven competitors. They’re grappling with real-life problems, but their passion and ambition offer hope that the next generation of leaders is ready to rise to the challenge of an increasingly fraught world.—Stephanie Owens

Available in person. Also available online for the public (January 30–February 2) and credentialed press and industry (January 29–February 2).