On May 6th, 2009 Maine became the f irst state to legislatively grant same-sex couples the right to marry. Seven months later, a referendum reversed this right, and Maine became thirty-first state to say “no.” Question One, a new documentary by award winning filmmakers Joe Fox and James Nubile, chronicles the fierce and emotional battle. The film chronicles in “War Room” fashion the behind the scenes workings on BOTH sides of the campaign (the first time this has ever been done). With deeply personal and revealing interviews, people bared their hope and heartache as they fought to the finish for an issue framed and anchored in passion and purpose. The film also documents the controversial leading role of California based campaign consultants Frank Schubert and Jeff Flint as referendum proponents. Schubert-Flint Public Affairs headed the 2008 campaign for Proposition 8 in California, and have since taken the lead in a nationwide effort to outlaw same-sex marriage in other states. (Description courtesy of filmmaker.)

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With glitter, wit, evening gowns, and enchanting storytelling, Miwa looks back over a 50-year career and a fascinating life in music, film, and television (including the cult classic Black Lizard). As a young singer, Miwa popularized androgyny as a fashion statement, fusing the masculine and the feminine into a signal of a new generation of aesthetics. This evolved into performing as a woman and living off-stage as a man. In recent years he has voiced characters in Hayao Miyazaki’s internationally successful anime films like Howl’s Moving Castle and appears almost daily on Japanese talk shows. Having sold millions of records, publishing over 20 books, and performing to sell out crowds, Miwa continues to fight for gay rights.

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In June 2003, the Episcopal Church in New Hampshire came under fire when it became the first to elect an openly gay man, Gene Robinson, as a bishop. Since that flash point, Robinson has been at the center of the contentious battle for LGBT people to receive full acceptance in the faith. Director Macky Alston (whose film, Family Name, won the Freedom of Expression Award at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival) follows Robinson into the breach in the struggle for equality. While resolute in his calling, Robinson grows increasingly critical of the central role that religious institutions have played in fostering homophobia and hatred. He is pointedly not invited to a once-a-decade convocation of bishops and courts controversy by attending. His presence the next year for the Episcopal General Convention underscores the impact of its impending decisions about the church’s stance on the consecration of future gay bishops and the performance of same-sex marriage ceremonies. While Robinson never intended to be the poster boy for gay bishops, Love Free or Die demonstrates that he has become a beacon of hope for millions. His history-making church provides a model for other communities of faith to treat all people with dignity and respect, regardless of their sexuality. (Description courtesy of the Sundance Film Festival.) Winner, U.S. Documentary Special Jury Prize for An Agent of Change, Sundance Film Festival.

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