Steal This Story, Please!

Steal This Story, Please!
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Produced by
  • Carl Deal
  • Tia Lessin
  • Karen Ranucci
  • Diana Cohn
  • Caren Spruch
Starring
Cinematography
  • Cliff Charles
  • Nausheen Dadabhoy
  • Julia Dengel
  • Keith Walker
Edited byMona Davis
Music byZoë Keating
Production
company
Xceptional Communications
Distributed byXceptional Communications, Elsewhere Films
Release dates
  • August 31, 2025 (2025-08-31) (Telluride)
  • May 10, 2026 (2026-05-10) (United States)
Running time
98 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1 million[2]

Steal This Story, Please! is a 2025 American documentary film which explores the life and career of independent investigative journalist Amy Goodman and her work on the news program Democracy Now!. It was directed by Oscar-nominated, Emmy Awards-winning filmmakers Tia Lessin and Carl Deal.[3][4] Musician and political activist Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave), as well as actresses and political activists Jane Fonda[5] and Rosario Dawson, are among the executive producers.[1]

For its world premiere, Steal This Story, Please! opened the DC/DOX film festival in Washington, D.C. on June 12, 2025.[1][6] The international premiere took place on November 15, 2025, at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.[7] In both instances, the screening was followed by an in-person discussion involving Amy Goodman and filmmakers Carl Deal and Tia Lessin, about the importance of independent journalism.[1][8]

Cast

Release

Steal This Story, Please! was screened at the 52nd Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2025.[9][10]

The film was presented in the True Stories section of the 37th Palm Springs International Film Festival on January 3, 2026.[11]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of 24 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.3/10.[12] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 71 out of 100, based on six critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[13]

Accolades

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Cinema for Peace Awards 16 February 2026 Cinema for Peace Dove for The Most Valuable Documentary of the Year Steal This Story, Please! Nominated [14][15][16]
Mill Valley International Film Festival September 2025 Winner: Audience Favorite, Mind the Gap Steal This Story, Please! Winner
Jewish Film Institute 2025 Harvey Goldberg Award Steal This Story, Please! Winner
Seattle Intl Film Festival DocFest October 2025 Audience Award, Best Documentary Film Steal This Story, Please! Winner
Woodstock Film Festival October 2025 Audience Award, Best Documentary Film Steal This Story, Please! Winner
Santa Fe Intl Film Festival October, 2025 Special Jury Award, Documentary Feature Steal This Story, Please! Winner
Santa Fe Intl Film Festival November, 2025 Audience Choice, Best Documentary Feature Steal This Story, Please! Winner
St Louis Intl Film Festival November, 2025 Audience Choice Award: Best Documentary Film Steal This Story, Please! Winner
Hamptons Docfest December 2025 Audience Award Steal This Story, Please! Winner
Palm Springs International Film Festival January 2026 Audience Award Steal This Story, Please! Winner
Hindsight Film Festival January 2026 Best Feature Film Steal This Story, Please! Winner
Hindsight Film Festival January 2026 Best Use of Personal Perspective Winner
Human Film Festival January 2026 Best Documentary Film Steal This Story, Please! Winner
Santa Barbara Film Festival February 2026 Audience Award Steal This Story, Please! Winner
Santa Barbara Film Festival February 2026 The Fund for Santa Barbara Social Justice Award Steal This Story, Please! Winner
Cleveland Film Festival April 2026 Greg Gund Memorial Standing Up Competition Steal This Story, Please! Winner
Jewish Film Institute July 2026 Harvey Goldberg Award Steal This Story, Please! Winner
Pittsburgh Jewish Film Festival May 2026 Audience Award Steal This Story, Please! Winner
Mendocino Film Festival June 2026 Audience Award Steal This Story, Please! Winner

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Steal This Story, Please!". DC/DOX Film Festival 2025.
  2. ↑ "Steal This Story, Please! (2025)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  3. ↑ Wissot, Lauren (November 13, 2025). ""The Film Is a Portrait of Amy Goodman, But It's Also a Celebration of Resistance": Carl Deal and Tia Lessin on their DOC NYC and IDFA-debuting Steal This Story, Please!". Filmmaker Magazine.
  4. ↑ Haynie, Olivia (November 12, 2025). "Amy Goodman has been a fearless journalist for more than four decades; she says her Jewish roots made her that way".
  5. ↑ Gardner, Chris (March 23, 2026). "Jane Fonda Joins Documentary 'Steal This Story, Please!' as Executive Produce". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Film About Democracy Now! Journalist Amy Goodman To Open Third Annual DC/DOX Festival (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.com. April 30, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Steal This Story, Please!". IDFA. November 16, 2025.
  8. ↑ "Amy Goodman at IDFA Screening of "Steal This Story, Please!"". DemocracyNow.org.
  9. ↑ "52nd Telluride Film Festival Announces Lineup". Telluride Film Festival. June 12, 2025. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
  10. ↑ Davis, Clayton (August 28, 2025). "Telluride Festival Lineup: 'Hamnet,' 'Springsteen' and 'Ballad of Small Player' Set for Premieres With Tributes for Ethan Hawke and Noah Baumbach". Variety. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Steal This Story, Please!". Palm Springs International Film Festival. December 3, 2025. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Steal This Story, Please!". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Steal This Story, Please!". Metacritic. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  14. ↑ Bizilj, Jaka (January 4, 2026). "Cinema for Peace Unveils Nominees for 2026 & supports the people of Venezuela". Cinema for Peace Foundation. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
  15. ↑ Goodfellow, Melanie (January 8, 2026). "Cinema For Peace Gives Shoutout To Venezuelan Opposition Leaders As It Unveils 2026 Nominees Including Pope Leo, Jafar Panahi & Scarlett Johansson". Deadline. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Cinema for Peace". Retrieved May 6, 2026.
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