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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

Organizations Supporting 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

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RSVP

RSVP: A Different Kind of ‘Coming Out’ Story

Being a Gay Christian

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.

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Awards Film Festivals

RSVP Wins at Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival

Cinema on the Bayou film festival

Shannon-Beeby-RSVP-Award-Cinema-Bayou-Film-Festival_Bee Nest Films and Watergun Outlaw Productions had the recent pleasure of attending the Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival in Lafayette, Louisiana last week, as well as the honor of being the benefactor of a “Goujon Caille” (Golden Catfish) award for Bee Nest’s narrative short film, RSVP.

After the screening of RSVP, a talkback was held, wherein the audience’s reaction reinforced the small independent short film’s emotional impact. Mrs. Beeby spoke about her motivation for making RSVP, “I hope to share something that is unapologetically sincere. Sincerity can be a scary thing these days. It isn’t always the best way to get in with “the cool kids” But, I had to be honest with myself, and accept that I would rather be un-ironic or ‘uncool’ in favor of telling a story that is sincere and has the potential to heal and unify.“

BeeNest Films central storytelling goal is to use the art form of cinema to prompt a shift in perspective. This goal is also motivating BeeNest’s festival submission strategy. Executive Producer, Ryan Jonze shares the production companies approach, “RSVP has an ability to really resonate in areas that have a strong history and relationship with the Christian faith, for example, the South or more rural areas. This is because the pain caused by the friction between Conservative Christianity and the LGBTQ Communities is still very present. RSVP invites the viewer to confront and feel something that is still very difficult for a lot of communities in this country to explore in an empathetic way.”

At the Closing Night Ceremony for the Cinema On The Bayou Film Festival, the organizers, Rebecca Hudsmith and Pat Mire, awarded the RSVP Team with a beautiful “Goujon Caille” on behalf of the festival’s jury panel. The metal statuette is hand-made by cajun artist Andre Juneau, and evokes the whimsy and charm of Lafayette perfectly. After the ceremony, and as a Zydeco band played and everyone celebrated with beers and bourbons in hand, the 2016 Cinema On The Bayou Film Festival danced a rousing ‘good bye’ waltz into the night.

It’s also very much worth noting that the RSVP troupe had an amazing time in Lafayette, made even more special with their time spent at the eclectic cafe, TRIBE Collective. When not attending screenings at the Cinema on the Bayou film festival, lead actor, Lance R. Marshal, Mrs. Beeby and Mr. Jonze found themselves hanging out and eating the delicious, raw, vegan treats at TRIBE Collective. Co-Owner Melodie Carbuccia and Manager Walt Jamison opened their doors and their hearts and gave the RSVP team the gift of true Cajun kindness and hospitality, all served up in on a plate along side delicious whole and vibrant food. “The only thing missing”, said Marshall, “is the presence of our Producer, James Oxford and the rest of the RSVP team”.

TRIBE Collective Vegan Raw Food Lafayette Louisiana

And on that note, if you ever find yourself in Lafayette, Louisiana – whether for the Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival, the music scene or any other reason to visit Lafayette (there’s plenty!), you must do yourself a favor by stopping in at TRIBE Collective and trying as many of their mind-blowing raw treats as possible!

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Film Festivals

Post Production and the Stamped Film Festival

Stamped LGBT Film Festival Pensacola

STAMPED_01Anyone who has made a film before knows just how challenging and important the post-production process can be. While a looming festival submission deadline can serve as a great motivator in getting your film finished by a specific date, we decided from the very beginning that we would not take any post-production shortcuts. Luckily for us, we had a great team on board, and no major time constraints to get the film finished for the major festival deadlines.

We want as many people to see RSVP as possible – and now that it’s finished – this means getting it out to the film festivals. And not just the most well-known festivals. Our strategy from Day One has been to get RSVP in front of crowds who will be moved and challenged by the message this film imparts. So, in addition to the major film festivals, we are seeking out festivals in communities that we believe can stand to benefit from the themes RSVP presents. In addition to LGBT communities – and probably even moreso – this includes communities that have been silenced by powerful religious movements. As the film’s tagline says, this is “A Different Kind of Coming Out Story”.

RSVP’s writer/director, Shannon Beeby, is from the South (Pensacola, FL), which is where a lot of the films inspiration is drawn from. In fact, we intended to shoot RSVP on the beaches of Pensacola. But alas, being that our filmmaking community is based in New York City, we opted for the beaches of East Hampton.

All of this backstory is necessary, because when Mrs. Beeby happened upon a relatively new LGBT-themed film festival based in her hometown of Pensacola – the STAMPED film festival – she couldn’t imagine a better place to have the film premiere. And despite RSVP still in its unfinished post-production stage and having already missed the late deadline for the festival, we submitted it anyway, along with a note that promised all unfinished post (mainly color and FX) would be completed in time for the festival if they chose to let it in. And despite having already programmed opening night of the festival, the STAMPED board members held a vote and added a spot for RSVP on opening night.

Two of STAMPED’s board members, David Newton and Public Radio Content Producer, Lindsay Rae Myers (who interviewed Mrs. Beeby…a sound clip of which can be heard here) were instrumental in making STAMPED a huge success and a memorable experience that Bee Nest Films will always cherish.

Shannon Beeby and Dean Fournier
Shannon Beeby and Dean Fournier
STAMPED talkback with David Newton and Shannon Beeby
STAMPED talkback with David Newton and Shannon Beeby

About STAMPED Film Festival

STAMPED: Pensacola LGBT Film Fest — was inspired by efforts of the LGBT community in the mid-1990s to highlight the impact of LGBT tourism. After certain local officials and business owners spoke out against gay and lesbian visitors, including annual Memorial Day weekend activities, which draw tens of thousands of people to the area, many LGBT residents and visitors began to stamp the cash they spent with the words “GAY MONEY” and/or a pink triangle. That year, Christopher Street South, a local LGBT publication, estimated that gay and lesbian tourists spent $25 million annually in the area.

The mission of the Pensacola LGBT Film Festival is to host an inclusive, entertaining event that not only serves to bring our local LGBT community together for four nights of fun, but also educates others in a way to spread acceptance and love throughout the Gulf Coast.