When Nova Scotia filmmaker Ben Proudfoot got a call a few years ago from his one-time executive producer Stephen Curry, he didn鈥檛 expect the NBA superstar to pitch him a co-directing gig.
鈥淗e said he had an idea for a movie that he wanted to direct with me. I was like, 鈥極K?鈥欌 laughs Proudfoot.
鈥淎nd then he told me about Clarence Jones.鈥
Jones 鈥 a lawyer, political strategist and draft speech writer for King 鈥 is the subject of 鈥淭he Baddest Speechwriter of All,鈥 a 29-minute documentary co-directed by Proudfoot and Curry that premieres at Sundance on Friday.
At 95, Jones is one of the last living figures from King鈥檚 inner circle, and the film offers a rare, intimate account of the civil rights movement from someone who helped shape some of its most iconic words.
鈥淪tephen鈥檚 a first-time filmmaker and I've made hundreds of short documentaries. And he also happens to be, you know, one of the greatest basketball players ever,鈥 chuckles Proudfoot, a two-time Oscar winner.
They first connected over Proudfoot鈥檚 鈥淭he Queen of Basketball,鈥 which won the Academy Award for best documentary short in 2021 and was executive produced by Curry.
鈥淗e had a very clear idea of what stories of Clarence鈥檚 he wanted to explore.鈥
The Golden State Warriors star met Jones years earlier in San Francisco, where the two struck up a friendship that evolved into a mentorship. What drew Curry in, Proudfoot says, was Jones鈥檚 philosophy of choosing purpose over comfort 鈥 a theme that became central to the film.
鈥淭here鈥檚 this incredible moment in Clarence鈥檚 life where he leaves a lucrative job as a Hollywood lawyer to go work with Martin Luther King Jr. and his whole team in Alabama,鈥 Proudfoot says.聽
鈥淭hat's kind of what the movie is about 鈥 the choice to live with purpose versus living comfortably and to challenge yourself to go do something that's worthwhile. I think that's something that really struck a chord with Stephen, and strikes a chord with me too.鈥
The film is structured around an extended conversation between Curry and Jones, shot at San Francisco鈥檚 Mechanics鈥 Institute Library. Using an Interrotron 鈥 a teleprompter-like device that reflects Curry鈥檚 face into the camera lens 鈥 Jones speaks directly to the audience while actually making eye contact with Curry.
Though it was Curry鈥檚 first time directing, Proudfoot says the four-time NBA champion quickly found his footing behind the camera.
鈥淗e鈥檚 extremely observant and very focused,鈥 Proudfoot says. 鈥淚 was explaining how I approach interviews, and I could tell that in addition to listening to me, he was also watching my hands, my movements. I realized there actually are a lot of gestural and physical things I do as a director in an interview that he helped me discover.鈥
Curry鈥檚 perspective also helped unlock one of the film鈥檚 most distinctive stylistic choices: hand-painted animation used to recreate Jones鈥檚 memories.
鈥淭here鈥檚 one moment in the film when Martin Luther King Jr. is delivering the 鈥業 Have a Dream鈥 speech and Clarence gives very specific details that are little known about that exact moment,鈥 Proudfoot says.
Jones describes King scratching his leg with his other foot before delivering the speech鈥檚 iconic refrain.
鈥淪tephen (envisioned) a way to move the camera around, almost like how a basketball game might be shot, where the perspective is freewheeling. That's what initially inspired the idea of animating a lot of these memories.鈥
The animation 鈥 created by Brazilian artist Daniel Bruson and composed of roughly 3,000 individual watercolour paintings 鈥 allows the film to move freely through history, offering what Proudfoot describes as 鈥渋nstant replays鈥 of pivotal moments.
One of the film鈥檚 most emotional scenes comes when Curry gently presses Jones to talk about his mother鈥檚 death 鈥 a moment Proudfoot says only surfaced because of the trust between them.
鈥淪ometimes when people tell their life story, they gloss over the painful part,鈥 Proudfoot says.
鈥淚 remember Stephen coming back to that and asking him what it was like that day, what happened, really sort of going into that particular moment.鈥
Proudfoot says the memory that emerged from the exchange became the 鈥渆motional climax鈥 of the film.
鈥淭here was something about their existing friendship, relationship and mutual trust and respect that allowed for that to happen. The cameras disappeared, all the crew disappeared and it was just Stephen and Clarence having this conversation.鈥
Proudfoot believes Jones鈥檚 story is especially relevant now, at a time when progress feels stalled and systemic change out of reach.
鈥淚t鈥檚 easy to fall into passivity and say, 鈥楾here鈥檚 nothing I can do about it,'" he says.聽
鈥淭his movie is about the opposite 鈥 only you can solve some of these problems. I think Clarence's story is a call to anyone who feels that burning purpose within them to take up the torch and go do it.鈥
Proudfoot's focus is now on Sundance 鈥 and possibly attending the film's premiere with Curry, who happens to be playing a game in nearby Salt Lake City during the festival
"It's truly fateful," he says.
"If he doesn't attend, I'll see him at the game, but it might work out."聽
鈥淭he Baddest Speechwriter of All" has several in-person screenings at Sundance starting Friday, and online screenings between Jan. 29 and Feb. 2.聽
This report by 好色tvwas first published Jan. 22, 2026.
