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Awards Film Festivals RSVP

Making APPLES in 48 hours, and the Massachusetts Independent Film Festival

Bee Nest was honored to have RSVP nominated for 3 different awards at the Massachusetts Independent Film Festival; Best Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Short Film. Needless to say, Ryan and I were going to be sure to ‘beeline’ or Bee Nest butts up there to Cambridge! But before heading to the festival, we hatched up a plan with our producing partners Lance Marshall and James Oxford at Watergun Outlaw Productions, to challenge ourselves with a 48 hour filmmaking frenzy. To be honest it wasn’t frenzied at all- I wrote that just for the sake of alliteration. But it was a challenge, albeit, a totally fun one!

We all went to a house about an hour outside of Boston, clicked a link and activated the 48 hour countdown clock for the short film challenge James had signed up for. We had two days to write, shoot and edit a short film – and we did it! We even had time to eat a nice baked potato dinner. Not too shabby. We really did it to challenge ourselves and have some fun, and we were fully expecting the film to be something we would bury from the light of day, but to our surprise we actually ended up making something that we really got a kick out of and are proud of. We titled it APPLES, and I would describe it as a thriller/creeper-comedy. And apparently the judges of the film challenge that our little 48 hour film had merit too, because, out of thousands of submissions, they selected it as one of their 16 finalists. They even awarded me with a Best Actress Award recently, and I am being completely honest when I say that was the last thing I was expecting. See the film here:

After we wrapped on our 48 hours of filmmaking, the four of us made our way to Cambridge to screen RSVP with the wonderful people who organize the Massachusetts Independent Film Festival. We met some amazing people at the opening night party, in particular, the vivacious ladies who run a non-profit named Bianca’s Kids. Debbie, Gabriella, Vanessa, and Maria were there to screen a documentary about how Bianca’s Kids came to be, and it a worthy story to be sure. We all joined them for the screening of their film, which celebrated the good that can be cultivated from devastating loss. It was a blessing to meet them, and laugh and cry together.

Our film, RSVP, was screened before a wonderful feature film that was made in Maine, titled NEPTUNE. We felt really honored for them to have programmed us with such a beautiful film. And the audience responded really well to RSVP. Tears and heart felt comments and questions during the talk back after certainly do quite a bit to boost a filmmakers spirits. They were a lovely crowd and we were so happy to be able to share our film with them.

Next up was the award ceremony, AND! ….we did not win. Hahaha. But as they say, it is always the biggest honor simply to be nominated 🙂 Being recognized in so many categories really did put a nice wind in our sails regardless. The biggest prize was getting to spend quality time with Lance and James, meet lovely people, and dig into some DIY creativity. After all, we all got into this business because we loved playing make-believe as kids! It’s nice to know that we don’t ever need to give that up as adults; it’s what we do best!

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Film Festivals RSVP

Bee Nest Films at the Macon Film Festival

Have you ever been traveling and arrived at a destination and immediately felt, “Wow. This feels like home.” Macon, Georgia delivered that ‘warm hug’  recognition to Ryan and I right of the bat. The Macon Film Festival is now cemented on our list of festivals we will always submit to, and always make a point of attending.

I’ll start from the beginning – our short film RSVP was accepted into the Macon Film Festival which took place this past week ( July 21-24) and we knew we wanted to head down to Georgia to attend because we’ve been wanting to get a feel for the Atlanta area, which has increasingly become active with film and television projects over the past 5 years. The prospect of being able to create somewhere and also live a comfortable life with a reasonable cost of living, seems almost like a mythical dream come true. Not to mention that Ryan and I are both originally from Florida, so being in a more accessible spot to the south east, that also has one of the largest international airports is also a major plus in our eyes.

We arrived a day early, and spent it in Atlanta’s Little Five Points Neighborhood. We were wooed pretty quickly. We had lunch at the Porter Beer Bar, and enjoyed a meal that was way more sophisticated, well prepared then one might expect from a place with “Beer Bar” in its title. We’re talking home-made curry infused pita with cauliflower falafel and the BEST garlic fries I’ve had in my life – Kimchi short rib philly cheesesteak, what!? Crazy. Delicious.  We walked around the neighb and loved the diversity, creative spirit, and warm hospitality. There were theatres featuring Breckt, and an original musical called Da Kink in My Hair – In just a few hours we understood how Atlanta is quickly becoming a city deserving of all of the attention it has been receiving.

We then made our way down to Macon, a 90 minute straight shot down from Atlanta.  We opted to rent an AirBnB in historic Macon in order to get more of a feel of the place, and we were glad we did. Right off the bat “intown” Macon blew us away in the architecture department -street after street of gorgeous, unique antebellum homes and blocks of turn of the century brick commercial buildings.  Basically a period film location scout’s  dream come true. On the block of the house we were staying in, there was even an adorable “free little library” that had a selection of books and magazines people could read and return. HOW CUTE!

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Even our AirBnB hosts, Nathan and Koryn, were huge fans of the Macon Film Festival!
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‘Pretty in Pink’ Themed Opening night Party

The next day, the festival officially began with a Short Film Master Class hosted by The Sundance Film Festival. Mike ___ the head short film programmer at The Sundance Film Festival, gave us all a behind the scenes glimpse at what stands out to them when choosing film film to screen at Sundance. He made it clear the the most important things to them were story and compelling performances – did it make you think? Did it make you feel? Flash and star power do not play a part in the decisionmaking process for short films. But what does play a big part in the process is length. He told us that the average film is 12 minutes long, and that if a film is 20 minutes, it really has to be so good it is able to beat out two films that are ten minutes long, so you are definitely increasing your competition when submitting a longer short film.

One way or another the competition is incredible steep. Mike told us that they received over 8,000 entries this past year. He and his team watch all of the film over the course of the year, and narrow them down to a couple hundred that they like and could see potentially programing into the festival. He said that it is this small percentage of films actually receive an email from the team saying that they liked the film but that due to the large number of submission and the limited number of spots, they were unable to program it. Ryan and I got a little boost to know that we did receive one of those email when we submitted RSVP to Sundance. Top 3% is not too shabby for your first film. I’ll take it 😉

Mike also interviewed James Ponsoldt, who directed The Spectacular Now and The End of The Tour.  James shared insights he’d collected from his childhood in Athens, Georgia, as a student at Columbia University in a post-911 New York, and as a first time director navigating self-doubt and learning from his peers. Having a successful and talented director share that real, beneficial growth comes from the failures that ‘destroy’ us at the time, served as a valuable reminder for all of the aspiring filmmakers in the group.

After the workshop, both Mike and James joined the attendees for a catered reception, and have the ability to speak with these respected and accomplished men one on one was an incredible opportunity. Major props to Sundance and the Macon Film festival for making it happen and providing such value to its filmmakers and community.

The Macon Film Festival screened our short film RSVP twice, and both times I was moved by the diverse audience’s heartfelt feedback. This was the first festival which we screened twice at, and I think getting all of those people to attend the screening was in large part due to the fantastic job that the Macon Film Festival’s PR staff did. Headed up by Terrell Sandefur, MFF’s publicity team arranged interviews, and parties, and documentary photos that elevated the festival in the minds of the community so that every local person we ran into was  excited about the festival and interested in our film.

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I will be honest though, the BEST part of that reception was meeting the festival’s photographer Maryann Bates. A long story made as short as possible: Maryann has a son named Ryan who looks almost identical to Beenest’s Ryan! Plus a whole avalanche of other uncanny connections and similarities revealed themselves! Maryann became a dear friend in only a matter of a few days, and if there was one thing that I could use to characterize the spirit of the Macon Film Festival, it would be that. That Macon has a remarkable way of making you feel like you are a long lost relative home for a reunion. This community of accomplished artists and creatives have created a tightly woven fabric in Macon, and if you are lucky and have an ounce of goodness in you, then they will welcome you in and allow you to experience first hand, the vibrant family which they have built in this charming pocket of Georgia.

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As a special thanks we put together a little love note to Macon. Hopefully it will help other people discover this little town full of of heart, character and history.

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Film Festivals RSVP

Bee Nest Films at The Maui Film Festival

Six years after Ryan and I got married, we sublet our apartment in New York and spent two months living on the Hawaiian Island of Maui. We lucked out in finding a cabin in Makawao, a ranching town on the slopes of Haleakala, that rented for a little less than what we were getting for our place in NYC. Our jobs were remote and we continued to work while there, but our days were sprinkled with watching sea turtles surf in the reef break on the north shore, and hiking through the lunar lava landscape in La Perouse, and gathering footage in windswept sugar cane fields and ancient upcountry eucalyptus forests.

In the last week of our residency, we were purchasing gifts for family at a local shop, and we noticed our bill was much lower than what it should have been, when we asked, the shop owner told us that she had assumed that we were locals and had given us the coveted “ locals discount”. To say that Ryan and I were honored by this assumption was a real understatement.

We joked with each other, “ You know what we’re gonna do!? We’re gonna make a film and submit it in the Maui Film Festival and we’re gonna come back here some day! That’s what we’re gonna do!”

We said this, having never made a film.

We laughed and had a lot of fun with how “out there” this fantasy was.

And then, this May, we got a call from a Maui area code with the news that our crazy fantasy had become a reality. 6 years after our first experience in Maui we would be returning as guest of Maui’s magical and life-affirming festival to screen our first short film, RSVP,  an allegory that expresses our hope for people of faith to Fully Affirm the LGBTQ community.

After sleeping on the floor of LAX during our 8 hour layover, we arrived in Maui. And oddly enough, it felt like only a few months had passed since we were last there.

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That first night we attended an event hosted by the Maui Film Festival, called the Taste of Summer. Despite being pretty loopy from jetlag and traveling for the past 20 hours, we had smiles that couldn’t be wiped off our faces. Paradise has a way of doing that to you.

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We screened RSVP at the Castle Theatre at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center which was beautiful space.  And we were honored to screen before the feature length documentary STRIKE A POSE, which explores the journey of Madonna’s backup dancers during the height of the AIDS crisis.

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There is truly an intangible magic to Maui, a feeling that I can only really ascribe to the fact that the Islands of Hawaii are still alive and being formed. Their continual birth, so far removed from the mainland and the rest of society, prompts you to undergo a similar expansion of self. Its natural beauty is almost confrontational, as if to say, “How can you not see all of this as the miracle and blessing that it clearly is?”  And so you take a good look, and become overwhelmed by how true that is: That you, and everything around you, is a gift.

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Ryan and I drove the “back way” to Hana and came upon a historic church. We took the opportunity to hoist a Pride Flag in order to express our belief that Jesus would definitely make room at his table for the LGBTQ community. And that he implores us all to do the same. He told us what  his greatest commandments were. Now it is time for all Christians to really treat them as such.

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Matthew 22:36-40

36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

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community news RSVP

Processing in the Wake of Hate

I remember picking out my outfit as I prepared to go out for a night of dancing with friends at The Pulse. I knew I could tease the outer boundaries of whatever fashion forward, thrift store finds I felt inspired to put together, because I knew I was going somewhere where acceptance and freedom of expression were celebrated. I knew that no matter how avant garde or “costume-y” I might have appeared for Central Florida, there would be someone there who would “looooooove my look”. I knew I would be joined on the dance floor by other people who would be right in step with my emotive interpretive dancing. Being different was cool. Owning it was even cooler. This was a safe place.

That evening ended with early morning greasy food and two ibuprofen. Now, years later, I wake up in Philadelphia and shudder at the realization that for so many people, their night, which had begun in such a similar way, ended in horrifying contrast. The refuge had been shattered, along with the lives of innumerable lovers, friends, family, and a community as a whole

We learned of the attack from Ryan’s sister, Rachael, who still lives Orlando with her partner, Amy. Rachael works in the surgical unit at Orlando Health Hospital which treated the majority of the patients that morning and in the days to follow. I stared into the eyes of the victims as they glided through my Facebook news feed, comforted only by a flood of messages saying, “So and So was marked Safe in Orlando.” I don’t express my gratitude for social media very often. This would be a profound exception.

Waves of tears would hit. Crashing upon me unexpectedly, as if I had turned my back on the sea; having become distracted by something glimmering in the dunes.

Safety has always been a highly sought after and elusive luxury for the LGBTQ community. I can related to this on certain levels as a straight woman. The freedom that comes with not fearing that someone may want to harm you, or take something from you, simply because of how you were born. And the rooted feeling that comes from knowing that you are valued, not as an object, but as a human being endowed with worth, grace, and wisdom. You are not an object that must withstand the projections of someone else’s frustrations with the world.

And the more I meditate on this, the more it’s revealed to me that we all, every gender, race religion, orientation, and ideology are suffering from this systemic virus of de-humanization. Some groups inarguably sufferer exponentially more that others. The LGBTQ community, in it’s all encompassing diversity, receives a good portion of the weight of this burden. Why?

What are they asking for that seems so impossible to respect?
The freedom to be themselves.
The ability to live full and open lives with the people they love.
Safety.
In other words: basic human rights.

My goal as a storyteller, and BeeNest Films’ goal as an agent of opening hearts and minds, has been attempting to do what we can to help further the progress and affirmation of the LGBTQ community. In particular, imploring faith communities to recognize how some of its rhetoric has planted seeds in society that lead to the horrific violent fruits of dehumanization we witnessed in Orlando on the morning of June 12, 2016.

As the aftershocks ripple outward, and blame casts it shadow within the hearts of so many, I feel more and more convinced that there is no “one” group to blame. As I begin to trace the connections between so many targeted and oppressed groups, and the motivations that lead to the overwhelming expressions of violence and discord in our world, it seems more and more apparent that the only singular guilty party, is the anger, hatred, and disgust that manifests itself, via many deceptive forms, in all of our hearts. It is the enemy.

There is no person, party, race or religion that is the source of the problem. There is just the same shape-shifting, insidious hatred that infiltrates all parties involved.

Imagine if a group of communities became infected with a parasitic virus: As victims become more ill and succumbed to the sickness, we don’t blame them or their families for getting sick. But their is a respect for the health of the community that is expected from those who are ill. We hold ourselves to a standard: that you remain vigilant and that you won’t knowingly go around putting other people in danger.

Now replace this virus with hatred and thoughts of superiority. When we become aware that we’ve become “infected”, our first priority should be to heal ourselves.We’ll each need to do the hard work needed to diagnose and treat these thoughts and impulses. Why? To save the community? Sure. But first things first, YOU have to get well. Otherwise, it is you who is going to be lost, and next thing you know you could be the one out there infecting your loved ones and the community with the “Superiority virus” or the ”Hatred Virus”.

And like with any sickness, it tends to start with small almost imperceptible symptoms: laughing at someone else’s expense ( hi! Guilty here!), being indifferent to someone else’s pain, criticizing someone’s differences, etc.

But watch out! Once we find ourselves in a full blown outbreak, as it would appear we are in right now, it can be really hard to stay vigilant and not allow our own hearts to become infected.

Here’s the thing, if someone caught in your face, or spat in your eye, you are most likely going to have to battle and infection. Don’t be upset with yourself. Someone spat in you eye! Feeling of anger will be natural But if you catch it early and really take care of yourself, you can fight it off! And guess what!? You’ll have some pretty effective antibodies developed to help you stay immune to the next viral attack. A virus that cannot find new hosts, eventually go dormant. THIS is the power of love Audra Day speaks of before performing her moving song RISE UP.

It is the immune system for our souls, hard at work, healing and protecting us. As we heal and protect ourselves with love, we further the healing and protection of our entire society.
Every. Little. Bit. Counts.

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Film Festivals RSVP

Bridging the Gap

While attending the Silver Springs Film Festival this past week, we had the pleasure of speaking to several film goers about how our film, R S V P, resonated with them.

 

When we set out to make R S V P we had the desire to attempt to bridge the gap that often exists between the Christian community and the LGBTQ community. The vast diversity that exists within each of these communities is what makes them so vibrant and dynamic, and it also makes it a bit daunting as a filmmaker to effectively speak to each of these communities in a mere 13 minutes of narrative! Coming to terms with the fact that your film is not going to resonate with every film-goer is the biggest gift you can give yourself as a filmmaker. Without a doubt, you will win some and you will lose some, and I am realizing more and more everyday, that if you aren’t losing some, chances are, no one is being effected! And the journey of storytelling is made worthwhile by just one individual having an experience that potentially shifts their perspective. This truth has really helped me release a lot of the fears I had as a first time filmmaker.

 

And then there are the moments when you are gifted with someone sharing their experience with you that coalesces all of the intentions you held when your set out to make your film. A moment like that, I recently realized at the Silver Springs International Film Festival, gives you chills to say the least! A little, or not so little, reminder to stay on your path.

 

My experience with this came when a young family shared their thoughts about R S V P with me: A 10 year old girl and her mother both saw our film at the screening at the Marion Theatre in Ocala, Florida and they said they were both very moved. This girl’s Mother told me that her daughter rushed home and insisted that her father see our film as well. She and her mother brought him back to the festival the next day to watch our short on SSIFF’s “Deep Dive”, which is a bank of computers with digital files of all of the films being screened at the festival, so people could watch films they may have missed in the theatre. He was moved as well. When the three of them came up to Ryan and I at the festival banquet dinner, they said, “ Thank you for making this film. We are Christian, Southern Baptist to be exact, and your film spoke to us – No matter what some people, or the (church) leadership may say, it is up to each of us, each individual Christian, to share the true love of God and affirm, value and love all of our brothers and sisters.”

 

Tears came to my eyes. My hands instinctively clasped my heart. This is why I made this movie. And to hear it come from a person’s mouth, made every bit of this journey thus far, worthwhile.  
I know some people are probably going to really not like my film for whatever reason. And that is ok. When I can look into the eyes of someone who is part of the LGBTQ community and we hug  and they say, “Thank you for making this film” and also receive a hug from a devout Christian and hear the same thing, that is when I know there is potential for a bridge to exist where there may not have been one before.

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Film Festivals RSVP

Mississippi Hearts Breaking

I write this in light of hearing the upsetting news that Governor Bryant of Mississippi signed a bill into law that is breaking hearts all across this nation, and particularly in Mississippi. The BeeNest team recently screened our short film R S V P at the Crossroads film festival in Jackson, Mississippi. R S V P is an allegory that expresses hope for the future of the church to become more affirming of the LGBTQ community. The people we met and encountered in Mississippi were overwhelmingly kind, generous, and gracious, which makes such a bill all the more saddening.

The 1523 Bill is a devastating piece of legislation that  leaves gaping holes open to be abused by those who harbour bigotry in their hearts, and what is the most disturbing and vile is that it allows those individuals and organizations to cloak their discrimination as “religious freedom”. Their hatred and mistreatment of others thereby can not be held subject to the due course of the law. History will not look kindly upon the lobbyists and states and political leaders who write, pass, and uphold such poor excuses of constitutional law.

The legal arguments for why this is a reprehensible piece of legislation fill a list as long as the line will be for the fair-minded businesses to leave such states. But given Bill 1523’s repeated referencing and protection offered to certain “sincerely held beliefs”, I felt it would be helpful to remind lawmakers, and anyone who may be inclined to abuse the loop-holes within this bill, of the Greatest Law, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” This – As a Christian –  Above All Else – Should be the most “Sincerely Held Belief.”

Romans 13:10

Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

We are all in agreeance that Religious Freedom is a profound and indispensable asset to the Democracy of our United States of America. It has afforded us a safety and expression that allowed our country to foster a diverse and rich melting pot that supports moral exploration and spiritual enrichment. This freedom, however, does not equal carte blanche discrimination against other peoples when attributed to a religious belief. The separation of church and state is a two way street which allows for the protection of the church from governmental corruption or coercion, and equally so, a protection of the civil liberties and human rights upheld by our nation’s constitution.

The LGBTQ community, as a majority, does not wish or desire to force religious organizations that do not affirm their same-sex unions to perform their marriage sacraments.  The lobbyists who are writing these bills and planting unfounded fears of unaffirming Pastors and Priests being forced to do so, out of fear of being sued, is frankly ridiculous. A county clerk, on the other hand, needs to be capable of upholding the law, just as a doctor must be held to upholding their Hippocratic oath.

In regard to commerce related services, such as wedding cakes and so on, such bills may protect a bigoted baker from being sued for not making a cake for a same-sex couple, but my prediction is that they will not be so well  protected by the free market. I advice we petition to require such businesses, that choose not to offer services to certain people, to clearly label themselves as such – thereby allowing same sex couples to avoid the pain of being turned away by snide comments or bigoted remarks, and this also acts as a call to action for the community at large. The LGBTQ Community, Straight Allies and other Fair-Minded Businesses will be able to make an educated choice as to where their dollars are being spent, and in their support of ending discrimination, they will be able to consciously support businesses that do not practice discrimination.

When it comes to Landlords, Employers, Health Care providers, State and Federal employees, and a whole host of other service providers in states that pass these “religious freedom” bills – discrimination of any sort should be deemed inadmissible by our federal constitution. The only protection that should be afforded would be for a clergy member to not suffer legal recourse if they choose not to facilitate the marriage sacrament for a same sex couple. The end. The buck stops there.  A religious organization should still be upheld to recognize the legal validity of a state issued marriage license.

Thankfully, there are many clergy members who would gladly, and with the love of God, preside over the sacrament of marriage for same sex couples. And there are many more clergy members and faithful Christians who find the discrimination latent within such “religious freedom” bills to be a deplorable abuse and/or complete disregard of the teachings of Christ.

A truly faithful Christian baker who happens to not yet be capable of seeing the validity of a same-sex union would, when presented with the request to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple, would defer to God and his infinite mystery and wisdom, and know that according to:

Galatians 5:14

For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

This Baker would know that by sharing God’s love with this couple, that he/she has fulfilled his or her duty as a faithful follower of Christ. He or she would know that we are incapable of sharing God’s love if we harbor thoughts of judgement toward others, and/or if we project thoughts of judgment of others onto God.

This bill has been labeled with the term “Religious Freedom” yet, with a strong conviction, I observe it to be more accurately described as “ Religious Hijacking which makes Causalities of the True Teachings of Christ”.

1 John 4:7

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

BeeNest Films at Crossroads Film Festival in Jackson Mississippi
BeeNest Films at Crossroads Film Festival in Jackson Mississippi

Pictured Above Left to Right: Bonnie Blue Edwards– Director of OUT IN ALABAMA, Ryan Jonze– Actor in RSVP and Co-Founder of BeeNest Films, Lance Marshall– Actor in RSVP and Co-Founder of Watergun Outlaw Productions, Shannon Beeby– Writer and Director of RSVP and Co-Founder of BeeNest Films, James Oxford– Co-Founder of Watergun Outlaw Productions,  Jenni Smith– Board of Directors of Crossroads Film Festival, Casey Parks– Director of THE BALLAD OF LITTLE PAM, Robbie Fischer– President of Crossroads Film Festival

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RSVP

The Backstory of R S V P and the Potential Power in Narrative

In 2012, researchers Kaufman and Libby conducted a series of studies, adding additional support that viewers who watch impact narratives experience a phenomenon of identification that may result in a temporary shift in one’s beliefs and worldviews.

Researcher Jonathan Cohen (2001) defines identification as the process of losing awareness of the self and strengthening one’s emotional and cognitive connection to a character. Identification allows audiences to vicariously experience narrative events, potentially causing a shift in their attitudes and behavior after internalizing a character’s trials and choices.

Such findings have lead researchers to conclude that Fictional stories are as effective as factual stories in influencing or shifting attitudes and beliefs related to the narrative.

My greatest hope as a filmmaker would be to potentially influence a person’s perspective toward one that is more empathetic toward others.

In R S V P we follow, DEVON, a gay widower, who is attempting to carry out his partner, STEPHEN’s dying wish: to have his ashes spread on his hometown beach in the company of the family that had disowned him long before. Far away for his own supportive family and friends, DEVON does not receive the reply that his Husband had hoped for, and he faces saying a final goodbye alone. Until a single guest arrives at the last moment.

My challenge in writing R S V P was to enrich a very small slice of time, with a very full, detailed backstory. I wanted to attempt to impart the history of these characters as a bread crumb trail, all be it very brief 13 minute bread crumb trail, and try and avoid handing over information via blocks of circumstantial text.

Growing up in Pensacola, Florida,  I observed certain beliefs and practices held by the Evangelical and Baptist community that surrounded me, and these observations helped form this short narrative fiction.

The character of STEPHEN was raised as the eldest son of a prominent Baptist Pastor who held, and preached, the belief that homosexuality was a damnable sin. STEPHEN was a model Christian and an admired youth leader in his congregation. However, when it was revealed that he was gay while he was in college, his farther, having “painted himself in a corner”, saw no other choice than to sacrifice his own son in order not be charged with being a hypocrite. He saw this choice as tough love, as an act that would “wake his son up” and force him to repent and “change”.

This did not happen. Given STEPHEN’s strong personal relationship with Christ, he continued to walk with him, but was forced to do so alone and without the support of the family and congregation which once had supported him. STEPHEN builds a life rooted in affirmation and love and eventual meets his soul mate, DEVON, and they marry.

DEVON’s family, however, was secular and affirming. DEVON supported STEPHEN’S relationship with Christ but never fully understood how he could still hold such reverence for a religion which had ostracized him. STEPHEN, knew in his soul and through his understanding of God’s Love, that there exists a separation between the Love Jesus exemplified, and the worldly manifestation of the church and its practices.

At the time when STEPHEN was disowned by his family, his younger brother, THOMAS, was 13 years old. THOMAS, along with his sisters and Mother, were very much the “flock” to his Father’s “Shepherd”. Despite the incredible amount of pain, heart-break, and havoc that their Father’s decision had on the family, they did not dare contradict the iron fist which had been put down in regard to this issue. Years passed, and when the family received word that STEPHEN had terminal cancer, STEPHEN and THOMAS’ mother could no longer take it – she must be reunited with her son – But their father, having grasped to this “principle” so tightly for so long, had allowed it to warp his conscious and his heart – he mandated that the family would not have contact with STEPHEN – he held tightly to his belief that be doing so they were doing “god’s work” in order to motivate STEPHEN to repent before he dies. Their family- what was left of it- silently shattered.

When DEVON sends the invite for the ash spreading ceremony to STEPHEN’s family, once again, his father The Pastor, instructs for his wife to diplomatically decline the invitation for the family as a whole. THOMAS, the little brother who is now a grown man, is tormented by this. At the last second, while assistant coaching a church youth softball game, makes up an excuse about needing to run a errand. He drives frantically to the beach, not giving a lot of thought as to what he’ll do there – he just knows he is being called. He is being called by God to be there.

If I could sum up what I feel are the most important aspects the this story and what I hope for R S V P to illustrate and impart, it would be the following things:

-THOMAS represents my hope for the current Church, and religion as a whole. He illustrates a shift toward acceptance and love that mirrors the love Christ exhibited during his physical time here on earth.

-THOMAS and his family also represent the pain, destruction, and weakening that have occurred with in Christianity (and many other Religions) – due to the practices of condemning, shunning and expelling many of its brothers and sisters.

-STEPHEN and DEVON represent a union built on love, monogamy, and deep spiritual connection. One that I believe is exalted by God.

-DEVON represents someone who has never had any reason to trust the Church. He has never had the experience of being a part of an affirming, uplifting congregation rooted in God’s love.

– Near the beginning of the film “we”, or the camera, switch perspective to that of STEPHEN’s spirit, observing and reacting to the events as they unfold. At the final moment of the film STEPHEN crosses over into heaven, or at least what my visual interpretation of what heaven might be like. This is something, that not many viewers may pick up on, given that I chose to do this in a way that was not very literal. Regardless, I felt that is was important to illustrate my belief that STEPHEN was not cast out by God for being gay, but instead, he returns to be surrounded by God when he crosses over.

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RSVP

Organizations in Support of Gay Christians

In the short film RSVP, we are introduced to the character THOMAS, a Baptist Youth Pastor who was raised by a staunchly conservative father who served as the Pastor of his “mega” church in the deep south.  When we leave THOMAS at the end of the film, there is a feeling that this is really the beginning for him. He has finally confronted the pain and injustice that had been wrought by his father’s choice to disown THOMAS’ older brother, STEPHEN.

I wrote the character of THOMAS, as a very personal hope for the future of religious communities, Christianity in particular. I saw him as a representation of a future church that cares for its whole community, the way Christ would himself. It is the ultimate answer to the question, “What Would Jesus Do?”. THOMAS recognizes how the prejudices of his father’s generation had been allowed to contaminate the objective of the Christian Church with a disproportionate focus being placed on judgement, and condemnation.

The message of Jesus Christ surpasses social construct, and our physical forms and asks  each person, as a spiritual entity, to follow Jesus, with praise and joy, into the heart of God. I of course understand, that there are many others that may feel differently, which is why the congregations, Pastors, and leaders who are stepping forward and creating a space for people of all sexual orientations to celebrate their faith in a loving and affirming community, are my faith “heros”.  Anything I can do to help make the path of acceptance and inclusion a bit more easy to tread, is a gift I gladly accept!

Below, is a list of organization that are leading this cause. For members of the LGBTQ community that felt as if their only option was to leave their faith community and worship on their own, please look into these wonderful organizations!

For members of the LGBTQ community that grew away from God because, they were told that God’s love did not extend to them based on harmful and translations of the teachings, please look into these wonderful organizations.

For members of the straight community that smothered their own spiritual life because they began to associate God with the voices of hate and condemnation that seemed to be the loudest, please look into these wonderful organizations.

For the Straight Christians who may have sat quietly, out of fear of being persecuted, and were forced to witness their brothers and sisters become ostracized from the church, please look into these wonderful organizations.

For the Straight Christians who may have listen to such sermons, and become infected with a misinterpreted view shaped by prejudice, instead of the boundlessness of God’s love, please look into these wonderful organizations.

UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST – Open and Affirming

RECONCILING MINISTRIES NETWORK 

INTEGRITY USA

BELIEVE OUT LOUD

THE ASSOCIATION OF WELCOMING AND AFFIRMING BAPTISTS

THE GLAD ALLIANCE

METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCHES

FAITH IN AMERICA

COVENANT NETWORK OF PRESBYTERIANS

M.I.N.D.- METHODISTS IN NEW DIRECTIONS

T.E.N.- THE EVANGELICAL NETWORK

DIGNITY USA – LGBTQ CATHOLICS

AUBURN SEMINARY

MANY VOICES – A Black Church Movement for Gay and Transgender Justice

WELCOMING COMMUNITY NETWORK

AFFIRM UNITED – The United Church Of Canada

ADVENTISTS FOR PROGRESS

CENTER FOR LESBIAN AND GAY STUDIES IN RELIGION AND MINISTRY

BREAKING THE SILENCE

NAZARENE ALLY

CHICAGO COALITION OF WELCOMING CHURCHES

PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIAN ALLIANCE

CANYON WALKER CONNECTIONS

CHARTER FOR COMPASSION

THE CHRISTIAN LEFT

PATHEOS – PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIAN

PATHEOS – UN-FUNDAMENTALIST CHRISTIAN

CHRISTIAN FEMINISM TODAY

NON HARMING MINISTRIES

PROGRESSIVE EPISCOPAL

THE N.A.L.T. CHRISTIANS PROJECT

GAY CHURCH

WELCOMING RESOURCES

Categories
RSVP

RSVP: A Different Kind of ‘Coming Out’ Story

When writing RSVP I was struck by the realization that a single patriarch or matriarch of a family can make a decision or enforce a belief that can cause immense pain for everyone else in the family. Our short film RSVP deals with the long term ramifications of a father disowning his gay son. This one decision sends lasting shock waves far beyond the character of STEPHEN. Even though he was the one cruelly cast off, he is certainly not the only one being made to suffer.

I was inspired by a real life situation that my best friend, Dean, shared with me. The man he was seeing at the time had been disowned by his father for being gay. Visions of the multifaceted pain that would come from being cut off from your family, for decades, perhaps a lifetime, began to swirl in my mind. It is hard to fathom the scars on a person’s psyche incurred by being disowned by the very people entrusted with unconditionally loving you. I began to also be affected by what the suffering of the family unit itself would be, particularly the siblings who had no control over such a decision and were then forced to live without the presence of their loved on in their life. Layers of grief and loss incited by one act of insufficient love.

This is when the family unit began to represent something larger to me. A microcosm of a congregation, a community, a religion, a society.

How many congregations have become less vibrant, less of a true representation of the fellowship Jesus chose to commune with on a daily basis, because certain people were being made to feel unwanted and unloved? How many towns lack diversity and the spectrum of personalities present in the world because those unique voices didn’t feel comfortable living and thriving there? How many religions are losing the faithful in droves because they are being told that being the way God created them is a damnable sin? How many more faithful drift away from the church because they do not feel the leadership’s interpretation of the word reflects what they understand to be God’s grace and Jesus’ unconditional love? And how has each of these individual losses coalesced to form a chain reaction that is present in our societies’ current list of moral shortcomings? These questions gnaw at my mind.

There have been huge strides made in the pursuit of equality and justice thanks to the tireless efforts of LGBTQ activists and allies, like John Pavlovitz and Believe out Loud. But those strides have been almost completely contained to the secular sector.

With the film RSVP, I wanted to plant a seed of hope for a new generation of religious leaders to truly embrace the accepting, loving, and compassionate values that Jesus himself modeled. And I believe that for such a transformation to take place, individual members of the faith community will need to bravely stand up and support the inclusion and acceptance of LGBTQ people into their congregations. My hope is that these faithful people are called to speak out in support of the sanctity of marriage being rooted in the spiritual quality of the union of two souls, and not on the sex organs of the parties involved.