Documentary looks at views on homosexuality
The documentary, "Fish Out of Water," a film that dissects the seven Bible verses used to condemn homosexuality and justify marriage discrimination, will be screened at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 11, at McHenry County College, 8900 Route 14 in Crystal Lake.
Sponsored by MCC's Student Life and the Equality Club, the event is free and open to the public. A discussion and question-and-answer session will follow the film.
Created by Chicago film production company Yellow Wing Productions and directed by Ky Dickens, the film was the Documentary Centerpiece of Reeling: The Chicago Lesbian & Gay International Film Festival and winner of the "Best Documentary" Jury Prize at the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.
The hourlong documentary won recognition at numerous other film festivals, including Official Selections for the International Film Festival in South Africa, Outfest 2009, and the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival.
"Fish Out of Water" also was the second-place winner for "The best 2009 Film Festival Release with a lesbian Character" on AfterEllen.com and was chosen as the Showcase Film at the Rhode Island International Film Festival as well as for Audience Award runner-up at the Tallgrass Film Festival.
"We're excited that 'Fish out of Water' is starting to screen in the suburban area," Dickens said, "The film strikes a nonthreatening, inclusive tone and we're finding that people from all walks of life resonate with the film's conciliatory message."
With the help of a cartoon narrator, animated recollections of Bible passages and documentary-style interviews, the film makes a polarizing subject accessible and nonthreatening.
The film begins with an animated recollection of the fallout at Vanderbilt University when Dickens came out to her sorority sisters. Their rabid rejection sparks her search for Bible-based condemnation. Crisscrossing America and listening to the country's impassioned speech on this divisive issue, she speaks with ministers of all denominations, as well as folks at truck stops and barbershops across the nation.
Covering over 20 states and capturing the gay community's devastation immediately after the 2008 vote on Proposition 8, the documentary presents the relevance of this age-old issue with concern, humor and creativity.
Golden Globe nominated composer Kaki King, "Into the Wild," delivers an original score that flows effortlessly through the film's diverse elements.
To learn more about the film, visit www.fishoutofwaterfilm.com. View the trailer at www.fishoutofwaterfilm.com/trailer.html. For information, call the MCC Student Life Office at (815) 455-8550.