Barbara Lee: Speaking Truth to Power Reveals

Directed By Abby Ginzberg
Unscripted Feature Documentary

"Truth to Power" paints a vivid and timely portrait of Congresswoman Barbara Lee, a steadfast voice for human rights, peace, and diplomacy in the U.S. Government.

  • ABOUT
  • BIO
BARBARA LEE: SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER, a feature length documentary, tells the complex story of Representative Barbara Lee, a steadfast voice for human rights, peace and economic and racial justice in the US Congress who cut her teeth as a volunteer for the Black Panther Party and was the lone vote in opposition to the broad authorization of military force following the September 11th attacks. In 2001, she issued a strident warning in the House of Representatives: “Let us not become the evil we deplore,” and today she continues that clarion call, demanding that Congress stand up to a president who has escalated tensions with numerous foreign governments, while seeding division within his own country. BARBARA LEE: SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER REVEALS how many of the challenges faced by Barbara Lee early in her life provided her with the motivation and commitment to improve the lives of others throughout her tenure as an elected representative. With unique access to a sitting member of Congress, this film not only introduces the public to Barbara Lee but to many others such as Senator Cory Booker, Rep. John Lewis, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, CNN commentator Van Jones, actor Danny Glover and author Alice Walker who all share insights about what makes Barbara Lee unique as a public servant and as a truth-telling African American woman.

Abby Ginzberg, a Peabody award-winning director, member of the Documentary Branch of AMPAS and EMMY® Silver Circle inductee has been producing compelling documentaries about race and social justice for over 35 years.

Labors of Love: The Life and Legacy of Henrietta Szold is Abby’s latest film which delves in to the remarkable life of Henrietta Szold, was a key figure in establishing healthcare in Palestine as well the administrator of Youth Aliyah which saved the lives of over 10,000 German Jewish youth. It premiered at the 2025 San Francisco Jewish Film Festival where it won the Audience Award for Best Documentary.

She Dared to Dream: Ayanna Pressley profiles Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-MA). it won the 2025 award for Best Short Documentary at the Harlem International Film Festival.

Her film, Barbara Lee: Speaking Truth to Power, won the 2022 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Documentary and is available on Amazon Prime. Shaking It Up: The Life and Times of Liz Carpenter (co-directed with Christy Carpenter) premiered at SXSW in March, 2024.

Her short film, Judging Juries, (2024) has won 4 short film awards and was chosen as a 2025 Honoree by the Webby Awards.

Abby directed and produced Soft Vengeance: Albie Sachs and the New South Africa, which won a Peabody award and 4 best documentary awards.

Abby was the Consulting Producer on The Barber of Birmingham, which premiered at Sundance in 2011 and was nominated for an Oscar® in the Short Doc category in 2012.

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