My NDA
Juliane Dressner and Miriam Shor bring SXSW 2026 audiences the brave stories of three people living with the daunting realities of Nondisclosure Agreements. The My NDA begins with each of our subjects, and the look of pure fear on their faces as a lawyer tells them that breaking their silence could lead to financial ruin.
The opening credits feature news stories across time and the world. As we find Vince White, a pro-bono lawyer, offering advice to our three participants, the audience gains small insights into the actual NDAs, with highlighted passages presented within the consultations. Other public whistleblowers’ stories, like Zelda Perkins and Karen McDougal, offer us an “Oh Yeah,” moment, but it is the realization that NDAs have a painful and destructive commonality far beyond the splashy headlines.
Ifeoma Ozoma discovered that her salary at Pinterest was two levels below that of her white peers. It is no secret that Black women, in particular, have to fight twice as hard to be considered an equal to anyone in the workplace. Racial injustice permeates every corner of their lives. She embarks on a journey to change California legislation on behalf of the brave people who call out injustice. Lachlan Cartwright’s story will make your blood boil in its familiarity. As the former editor of The National Enquirer, the practice of Catch-And-Kill was not in his original job description. In 2015, he realized the global implications of hushing stories involving Trump. We all know how that worked out.
NDAs perpetuate a predominantly patriarchal system of power. Wealthy men are intimidating anyone they deem expendable in a social construct without traditional consequences. They are hiding sexual assault at a disgusting rate. Ashley Kostial, a woman who spoke out following a sexual assault on an SAP work trip, succinctly describes the ongoing fallout as repeated trauma. It is the inability to heal, move on, and oftentimes, find other employment because they cannot answer questions about their previous professional experience.
Filmmakers take such care to hide the identity of those still fighting their NDAs. The closing credits are cleverly designed to be the mirror image of the opening. As a standalone device at the end of the doc, and matched with the particular music track, it holds such power. Nondisclosure agreements are a legal trap when used to hide wrongdoing. These stories feel so close to home. There will not be one audience member who doesn’t feel connected and emotionally wronged. Everyone deserves to have their voice heard. I know that My NDA is just the tip of the iceberg.
My NDA
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