Out In The Silence

Directed by Joe Wilson & Dean Hamer

Screening at the Show Me Social Justice International Film Festival. Warrensburg, MO – September 11, 201

Visit Film Site: http://wpsu.org/outinthesilence
Watch on Hulu: Watch on Hulu:

..

..

..
..

Out in the Silence captures the remarkable chain of events that unfold when the announcement of filmmaker Joe Wilson’s wedding to another man ignites a firestorm of controversy in his small Pennsylvania hometown. Drawn back by a plea for help from the mother of a gay teen being tormented at school, Wilson’s journey dramatically illustrates the universal challenges of being an outsider in a conservative environment and the transformation that is possible when those who have long been constrained by a traditional code of silence summon the courage to break it.

The aim of Out in the Silence is to expand public awareness about the difficulties that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people face in rural and small town America and to promote dialogue and action that will help people on all sides of the issues find common ground.
..
..

Joe Wilson, social activist and filmmaker, was frustrated by the limitations of traditional advocacy, and so he picked up a camera with hopes of reaching broader audiences with stories that inform and compel people to question and act. Wilson’s work has been awarded winner of the Videomaker Magazine National Documentary Challenge, Audience Prize at the One-in-Ten Film Festival, and Best Short Film at the Barcelona Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, among other recognitions. He and his partner, Dean Hamer, have produced over a dozen pieces for their company, qWaves, Documentary Films.

Dean Hamer, Scientist turned filmmaker, joined the journalism field after being invited to discuss his research on AIDS, human sexuality, and behavior genetics on numerous television news shows. He set out to communicate complex scientific and social ideas through compelling documentaries. Hamer’s debut film, The Preacher and the Poet, was a winner at the PBS/Independent Lens Online Shorts Festival. His work also has been awarded the Audience Prize at the One-in-Ten Film Festival, and Best Short Film at the Barcelona Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, among other recognitions. Hamer also has worked on productions for the BBC, Discovery Science, and network news channels. And he has written three award-winning books, including The Science of Desire, which was a New York Times “Notable Book of the Year” in 1994.