‘Steal This Story, Please!’ takes home 2025 SIFF DocFest Audience Award

SEATTLE – SIFF announced today that Steal This Story, Please!, a riveting portrait of "Democracy Now!"'s Amy Goodman, took home the 2025 SIFF DocFest Audience Award voted on by festival attendees. SIFF’s fifth annual DocFest ran October 16-23, screening 14 films at SIFF Cinema Uptown & SIFF Cinema Downtown.

The SIFF DocFest Audience Award returns for its second year after a successful launch last year. “It has been remarkable to see how SIFF DocFest has grown, and I’m thrilled with the stories we get to bring to our Seattle audience for a fifth year,” says Stan Shields, SIFF’s Associate Director of Festival Programming, “Seattle has one of the most enthusiastic documentary-going audiences in the world, which is what initially inspired us to conceive of this festival. We’ve seen the films we screen here go on to see incredible success, and we can’t wait to see where this year’s films go.”

About Steal This Story, Please!

For more than three decades, Goodman has reported from the frontlines of global conflicts, natural disasters, and grassroots movements, amplifying voices routinely silenced by commercial media. Steal This Story, Please! follows her journey from the wisecracking granddaughter of an Orthodox rabbi—raised in a tradition of asking hard questions—to an intrepid journalist undeterred by soldiers, riot police, and smear campaigns. Granted rare access behind the scenes of “Democracy Now!,” directors Carl Deal and Tia Lessin capture Goodman and her team’s unwavering commitment to provide a vital counterpoint to shrinking newsrooms and media monopolies, to prove that independent reporting remains essential to democracy itself. Urgent, inspiring, and with unexpected humor, the film offers both a celebration of Goodman’s legacy and a stirring reminder of what’s at stake when truth is under siege. (USA 2025, 101 min., d: Tia Lessin, Carl Deal)

—-------------

Press inquiries, materials, and interview requests can be made at press@siff.net.

# # #

About SIFF:
Beginning in 1976 with the annual Seattle International Film Festival, then expanding into year-round programming, SIFF is a 501c3 cultural arts organization dedicated to the creation of vibrant experiences and spaces that champion film discovery and arts education. SIFF envisions a thriving arts ecosystem where film discovery encourages a more empathetic, joyful, and connected world.

In its four theaters, SIFF offers year-round screenings, Film Talks, and a series of spotlight festivals throughout the year. SIFF also serves the community through educational programs and SIFFsupports, a partnership program that hosts and provides technical support to a variety of special screenings and festivals.

For showtimes and event updates, visit siff.net.