gay
Jerusalem Gay Bar as Metaphor for Peace and Unity
Filmmaker Yun Jong Suh
Filmmaker Yun Jong Suh discusses how she came to make a film about the only gay bar in Jerusalem. Her film, City of Borders, airs on public television this month. Check listings in your area here.
As a Buddhist Korean American, I am frequently asked why I am interested in the Middle East and how I discovered Shushan, Jerusalem’s only gay bar. I’m not the most obvious candidate to tell this story. But I believe my outsider status proved to be instrumental in making City of Borders.
I’m drawn to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict because I intimately relate to both sides of the war. Like the Israelis, I grew up in constant fear of my neighboring country, North Korea, attacking my small village in South Korea. I did not see North Koreans as humans but as demons determined to kill us if they had the chance. My childhood playtime often involved devising escape routes and places to hide in my home if North Koreans ever invaded.
In the News: The Latest on ITVS Programs
“Aron Gaudet’s simple, moving documentary captures these homespun folks as they make the phone calls to wake each other up, put on their ‘Maine Troop Greeters’ hats and buttons… Hardened soldiers’ eyes mist over at their reception in Bangor. Yours will to in this sweet little film.”
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“If Ripley’s Believe It or Not! were still around, Herb and Dorothy Vogel would surely be in it for amassing a world-class art collection on the most ordinary of working-class salaries.”
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“UNMISTAKEN CHILD stands as a window on a beautiful and mysterious world… A moving coming-of-age story in which a shy student matures into a teacher.”
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“LIONESS shows how a documentary positioned at the centerpiece of a strategic outreach campaign can put an issue on the public agenda and have a direct impact on public policy.”
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“Yun Suh’s documentary [CITY OF BORDERS] opens on a literal evocation of its title, as young Palestinian Boody and his friends make their way through a break in the West Bank wall… They’re going to Shushan, an openly gay club owned and run by Sa’ar, also the city’s first openly gay council member. Lively and precise, the movie notes the club’s status as a cultural haven…”
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ITVS Hosts Queer X-Change for LGBT Filmmakers
As part of ongoing efforts to bring young and emerging talent to public television, ITVS recently hosted an invitation-only event for four filmmakers from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Each were nominated by veteran producers who attended 2007’s LGBT Filmmaker Summit, a meeting that addressed issues related to the LGBT community. The ITVS Queer X-Change was hosted by the Programming Department’s Richard Saiz and Jonathan Archer and featured a case-study from ITVS-funded filmmaker Johnny Symons, who gave feedback to the presenters along with ITVS-funded filmmaker Charlotte Lagarde. Attendee Andy Blubaugh offers his take below.
Andy Blubaugh discusses his film THE ADULTS IN THE ROOM at the ITVS Queer X-Change.
I’ll admit, I was skeptical when I was invited to the Queer X-Change, an event aimed at encouraging emerging LGBT directors to produce for public television. My own film, THE ADULTS IN THE ROOM, seemed like a stretch for public television, both in its content and its execution. Worse, I had become wary of the effort that’s required to even be considered for ITVS funding. The Open Call process, while rewarding for the films that make it through, is arduous and time consuming. I wasn’t sure if I had it in me to try again.
But when you get an invitation to attend something like this, you don’t hesitate. You pack your bags, burn a ton of DVDs, and get excited.
As we gathered at the ITVS headquarters in San Francisco, I started to get nervous. Was I even ready to show my project in front of these people? These were, after all, the most important decision makers in public television that I’ve ever been in a room with. I felt outgunned.
Recent Talkback About Independent Lens This Month
It’s hard to believe another season of Independent Lens has come to an end. Check out some of the recent Talkback from viewers about films airing this month. Share your own thoughts and stay tuned for the latest updates about the upcoming season.
ASK NOT
“Thank you for educating me about ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.’ I am a teenager, and if I understand the need for ALL Americans to have equal opportunities, why doesn’t congress?”
Posted by: Monique on June 18, 2009
“I am not gay but when I was in Vietnam and they were shooting at me, I did not care if the guy beside me helping shoot back was gay, green yellow or whatever. Get rid of DADT. The war took years from my life and now the taxes I pay are being wasted by putting highly trained people out of the military.”
Posted by: Kenneth Mostella on June 17, 2009
“I am a lifelong military dependant, married to a career Army Officer. Both my husband and I support the full inclusion of every eligible person willing to serve… The only point of contention I had was with the Right to Serve Campaign, which in my mind will do a disservice to the advancement of equal rights… These recruiters are legally bound by the limits of this ridiculous policy. Lets continue with the discourse, it’s only a matter of time.”
Posted by: Molly on June 17, 2009
In the News: ASK NOT Featured on NPR’s Fresh Air
From today’s broadcast of Fresh Air on NPR: Alex Nicholson—a former Army human intelligence collector proficient in several foreign languages, including Arabic—was honorably discharged in 2002 under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which bars the estimated 65,000 gay Americans serving in the U.S. military from acknowledging their relationships and living their lives openly.
Listen to Alex discuss his story and ASK NOT, airing tonight on Independent Lens>>
Watch ASK NOT Tonight on Independent Lens
As wars rage in the Middle East, the U.S. military is eager for more recruits––unless they happen to be openly gay. ASK NOT explores the tangled political battles that led to the infamous “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy and reveals the personal stories of gay Americans who serve in combat under a veil of secrecy.
“[In the] PBS documentary ASK NOT, we meet ‘Perry,’ a young gay man from San Francisco who has enlisted in the Army and is bound for Iraq. His face is blurred to protect his identity, but his friends’ faces are clear. They look scared-and perplexed…”
- Newsweek
Check out a preview below:
ASK NOT airs tonight at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings)
In the News: The Latest on ITVS Programs
“[In the] PBS documentary ASK NOT, we meet ‘Perry,’ a young gay man from San Francisco who has enlisted in the Army and is bound for Iraq. His face is blurred to protect his identity, but his friends’ faces are clear. They look scared—and perplexed: why is Perry risking his life for an Army that doesn’t want him as he is?”
Read full review >>
“ASK NOT looks at the history of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ and examines its ramifications for gay and lesbian individuals and for the military itself.”
Read more [PDF] >>
“We have a special place in our heart for Independent Lens, so when they included us on their interactive Art House Theater Map, we were gushing with pride! And then we read the accompanying article, and I have to honestly say, it hit home so hard that I was a wee bit emotional by the end…”
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Forum on Social Change Chair and IOMBA degree candidate Patrick Huber discusses ITVS’s involvement with the Geneva Forum on Social Change (GFSC).
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“[SEA POINT DAYS] paints a deeply reflective picture of old white South Africa in transition and the frictions of a society in flux.”
Read full review >>
Podcast Interview with Vice President and Indie Lens Series Producer
Another season of Independent Lens is quickly coming to an end––concluding with THE ORDER OF MYTHS, which looks at a complex story about race relations at America’s oldest Mardi Gras, airing June 9 at 10:00, and ASK NOT, a film that explores the U.S. military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, premiering June 16 at 10:00 PM (check local listings).
In this audio excerpt of an interview from earlier this year, Vice President and Independent Lens Series Producer Lois Vossen explains how ITVS works with PBS stations to support our mission to take creative risks, tackle complex issues and express points of view seldom explored in the media. She also discusses what types of viewers are drawn to the series.
ASK NOT Filmmaker Contest: Enter to Win an Apple iMac Computer
Who doesn’t like a contest? From now through June 30, WHYY-Philadelphia invites you to create a short film and share your views about the U.S. military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in the first-ever ASK NOT Amateur Filmmaker Contest.
The winner will receive a 20-inch Apple iMac computer and will be featured on the Independent Lens Community Voices webpage. Film submissions must be less than ten minutes and have an underlying theme and relevancy to “don’t ask, don’t tell.”
All submissions must be accompanied by a signed contest entry form.
Read more about contest details, guidelines and contact information >>
The ASK NOT Film Contest is a project of WHYY with support from ITVS, in connection with the national broadcast on June 16 at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings).
Community Cinema Presents ASK NOT at the Oakland Museum of California
Last night marked the final Oakland Community Cinema Screening for the season with more than 150 people attending ASK NOT at the Oakland Museum of California. ASK NOT, airing June 16 at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings), explores the tangled political battles that led to the infamous “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy and reveals the personal stories of gay Americans who serve in combat under a veil of secrecy. Read a recap of the event below and find out how the policy affects those in the bay area community.
A panel discussion at the Oakland Community Cinema screening of ASK NOT, a film that explores the U.S. military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
Bay Area Regional Outreach Coordinator Sara Brissenden-Smith opened the discussion with Johnny Symons, filmmaker of ASK NOT; Darryl Moore, council member from District 2 in Berkeley; Rebecca Kaplan, council member at large; and Zoe Dunning, Navy Reserve Commander (Ret.) and board co-chair at the Service Members Legal Defense Network (SLDN). At her retirement in June 2007, Dunning was the only openly gay person serving in the United States Military.
The audience discussed topics that together culminated in a conversation on the issues raised in the film and recent related current events around California’s Proposition 8.
So what was the inspiration to make ASK NOT?
Upcoming Screenings
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A free monthly screening series, Community Cinema features films from the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Independent Lens.
In over 50 cities nationwide, screenings are followed by lively panel discussions that bring together citizens, organizations and public television stations to encourage dialogue and action around important and timely social issues. Last season, over 40,000 people attended 500 events nationwide.
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