Being Heumann

Name: Being Heumann
Director: Sian Heder
Genre: Documentary, Drama, History
Released: 2026
Duration: 2 h 7 min
Cast: Ruth Madeley, Mark Ruffalo, Dylan O'Brien, Rob Delaney, Ray Fisher

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Documentary
Drama

2026
Sian Heder
127 mins

Summary

In 1977, disability rights activist Judy Heumann leads a historic 28-day occupation of San Francisco's Federal Building, uniting protesters in a fight for accessibility laws and equal rights.

IMDB

Review

A star rating of 4 out of 5.

Emma Simmonds

Based on the memoir by Judith Heumann, this compelling drama essays the heroic lengths that the titular disability rights campaigner and her comrades went to in their fight for a more equitable existence. Directed by Sian Heder (CODA), who co-writes with Rebekah Taussig, the film focuses on the 1977 Section 504 sit-ins - especially the San Francisco action, led by Heumann (played here by Ruth Madeley) - which piled pressure on the US government to act on long-delayed disability rights legislation. It tells an important story in a moving and entertainingly farcical way, showing how these activists quite literally cannot get arrested as there are no accessible jails, while Mark Ruffalo cuts an amusingly flustered figure as Heumann's adversary Joseph A Califano Jr, the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare. Madeley gives a fiery lead turn and the film sometimes makes its points very powerfully, though it leans a little too heavily on stirring soundbites. In any case, Being Heumann doesn't feel the need to make Judith particularly likeable, and it's all the better for it. We see how her willingness to push people past their limits is necessary to effect change, even as we're shown just how lonely that can be.

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7.1/10

How to watch

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Credits

Cast

rolenameJudith "Judy{dcq HeumannRuth MadeleyJoseph A Califano JrMark RuffaloEvan WhiteDylan O'BrienCongressman George MillerRob DelaneyChuck JacksonRay FisherKitty ConeMadeline DelpJim PichinJon BeaversJoni BrevesRoberta Colindrez

Crew

rolenameDirectorSian Heder

Details

Theatrical distributor

Apple

Released on

2026-11-13

Languages

English

Guidance

Swearing.

Formats

Colour