''Free the Nipple'' is a 2014 American

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, i ...

directed by

Lina Esco Lina Esco is an American actress, producer, director and activist. She gained recognition in 2007 for portraying Jimmy Smits' character's daughter in the CBS television drama ''Cane''. Esco has also performed in films, including ''London'' (2005 ...

and written by Hunter Richards. Esco created the film to draw public attention to the issue of gender equality and encourage discussion over what she perceived as America's glorification of violence and repression of sexuality. When in

post-production Post-production is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording individual program segments. The ...

during February 2014, the film was picked up for distribution by

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

-based WTFilms.

Synopsis

Led by Liv (

Lola Kirke Lola Clementine Kirke (born 27 September 1990) is a British-American actress and singer-songwriter. She starred in the 2015 film ''Mistress America'' and the Amazon Studios television series ''Mozart in the Jungle.'' She appeared in '' Gone Girl ...

), an army of passionate women launch a revolution to "

Free the Nipple Free the Nipple is a topfreedom campaign created in 2012 during pre-production of a 2014 Free the Nipple (film), film of the same name. The campaign highlights the general convention of allowing men to appear topless in public while considering ...

" and decriminalize female

toplessness Toplessness refers to the state in which a woman's breasts, including her areolas and nipples, are exposed, especially in a public place or in a visual medium. The male equivalent is barechestedness, also commonly called shirtlessness. Expose ...

. Based on true events, a mass movement of topless women, backed by

First Amendment First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

lawyers, graffiti installations, and national publicity stunts, invade

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

to protest censorship hypocrisies and promote gender equality legally and culturally in the U.S.

Cast

Casey LaBow Casey LaBow (b. Samantha Casey Labow, Aug. 14, 1986, New York City) is an American film producer and actress known for her role as Kate Denali in '' The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1'' and '' The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part ...

as Cali *

Monique Coleman Adrienne Monique Coleman (born November 13, 1980) is an American actress known for her role in Disney's ''High School Musical'' movies, in which she plays Taylor McKessie. Early life and education Adrienne Monique Coleman was born in Orangebu ...

as Roz *

Zach Grenier Zach Grenier is an American character actor of film, television and stage. He is best known for his roles in films such as '' Fight Club'', ''Tommy Boy'', and '' Twister'' and for his roles in television such as David Lee in '' The Good Wife'' a ...

as Jim Black *

as With *

as Liv *

Michael Panes Michael Panes is an American actor, writer, musician and composer. He attended Brown University and graduated with a music degree. He has appeared in numerous off-Broadway plays and has been noted as a gifted comedian with an uncanny resemblanc ...

as Lawyer * John Keating as Kilo *

Griffin Newman Griffin Newman (born February 19, 1989) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for starring as Arthur Everest in the Amazon Studios television series ''The Tick'', as the voice of Orko in the Netflix animated series '' Masters of the Uni ...

as Orson * Leah Kilpatrick as Elle *

Jen Ponton Jennifer Ponton (born June 27, 1984) is an American actress, screenwriter and producer, best known for portraying Rubi in the AMC series '' Dietland''. Early life Ponton is an only child raised in Bloomsbury, New Jersey; there she was a 2002 g ...

as Charlie * Liz Chuday as Blogger Liz * Sarabeth Stroller as Pippy *

Janeane Garofalo Janeane Marie Garofalo ( ; born September 28, 1964) is an American comedian, actress, and former co-host on the now-defunct Air America Radio's ''The Majority Report''. Garofalo began her career as a stand-up comedian and became a cast member on ...

as Anouk

Advocacy

Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip hop ...

, who had worked with Esco on ''LOL'', came forward to support the film and a woman's right to bare a nipple in public. Joining Cyrus in her support of Esco and the film are

Rumer Willis Rumer Glenn Willis (born August 16, 1988) is an American actress. She is the eldest daughter of actor Bruce Willis and actress Demi Moore. She has appeared in films ''Hostage'' (2005), ''The House Bunny'' (2008), ''Sorority Row'' (2009) and ''Onc ...

Nico Tortorella Nico Tortorella (born July 30, 1988) is an American actor and model, known for roles in filmsincluding ''Scream 4'', the Fox crime drama series ''The Following'' (2013–2015), and the TV Land comedy-drama series '' Younger'' (2015–2021). Fro ...

Lydia Hearst Lydia Marie Hearst-Shaw (born September 19, 1984) is an American fashion model, actress, socialite, and lifestyle blogger. She is a great-granddaughter of newspaper publisher and politician William Randolph Hearst and a daughter of the author an ...

Giles Matthey Giles Ingram Matthey (born 11 November 1987) is a British actor best known for his role as Claude Crane on the HBO original series ''True Blood'', Gideon on the ABC series ''Once Upon a Time'', and Jordan Reed on FOX series '' 24: Live Another ...

Cara Delevingne Cara Jocelyn Delevingne ( ; born 12 August 1992) is an English model and actress. She signed with Storm Management after leaving school in 2009. Delevingne won Model of the Year at the British Fashion Awards in 2012 and 2014. Delevingne sta ...

, and

Russell Simmons Russell Wendell Simmons (born October 4, 1957) is an American entrepreneur, writer and record executive. He co-founded the hip-hop label Def Jam Recordings, and created the clothing fashion lines Phat Farm, Argyleculture, and Tantris. Simmons' ...

Release

The film was picked up by

IFC Films IFC Films is an American film production and distribution company based in New York. It is an offshoot of IFC owned by AMC Networks. It distributes mainly independent films under its own name, select foreign films and documentaries under its S ...

, and it was announced on September 29, 2014, that Sundance Selects picked the film for

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

n release.

References

External links