New LGBT film project

Ambersky

Anna Rodgers is an Irish film maker who has made some interesting LGBT films.
The Irish Shorts at the Gaze film festival in Dublin this year were really good and a version of NOVENA her new film was shown at it. They have been trying to raise funds to finish the film on Fundit for the last few weeks and the required amount has now been reached.
Now I know the subject of religion can be a very controversial one but I guess thats part of what makes this film so interesting. Many LGBT people do feel or want to feel part of a church or feel wounded by a rejection from a community they felt part of. I know a lot of posters here may be uninterested or totally reject religion and thats fair enough, very understandable in fact.
Annas films are linked to Vimeo and I cant find a way to embedd them here.
Anna chooses subjects which make people think and the quality of her productions are very professional.

Here is a link to the Vimeo page on the film Novena http://vimeo.com/83843825

A video of the sermon was later posted on YouTube by someone objecting to what happened under the title "Redemptorists Dundalk Scandal".
Im going to embedd that but I imagine putting it up as a positive may result in it disappearing. Do watch the video on Vimeo though and not just this YouTube version, as the Vimeo one gives more context to the whole thing.
The theme of the sermon was Courage and the reading before this was The Good Samaritan. For those of you not familiar with christian stories, the Samaritans were a people despised by many Jews, Jesus on being asked who is my neighbour, after teaching the law, to love your neighbour as yourself, told the story of a Samaritan helping a stranger in dire need while richer and holier people passed by, then asked them "Who do you think acted as a neighbour in that story"

The bit of interest begins at about 5mins in on the first video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ho2UPQhvMuc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_XoXhNXjXQ

AerynSun

Ugh... that warning posted across the bottom of the YouTube clip... so so sad that some people's minds and hearts are so very closed.

Delighted your woman is married under South African law, proud of that

Ambersky

It was arranged for both speakers to stand and make themselves available to the congregation after the mass.
A lot of people came up and shook hands with them, often stopping to tell personal stories about themselves or relatives and thanking them for speaking. Ive been told that was one of the most moving parts of the whole thing for the speakers.
Not everyone was happy obviously but it happened despite any possibility of a backlash and that is quite an event.

AerynSun

I'd say it took guts on the part of the priest who made the arrangements: asking them to come and share their stories, and to have them do it at the homily (it's in contravention of liturgical regulations for anyone other than a priest or deacon to give the homily at that point during the mass). Especially in light of the sanctions imposed on other clergy who have 'committed' 'lesser crimes' by merely writing about LGBT issues.

I salute the courage all round - the two of them standing up to speak, and the people who helped make that happen.

I heard recently of a sabbatical course for religious and clergy having LGBT speakers come in to share about their experience of the church. Good to hear 'long established' people in religious life saying that the stories touched them deeply and really challenged them to rethink their easily-held views about LGBT people, and made them realise some of the courage it takes for people to be honest about their lives when speaking out could cost them their place in a community.

Little seeds being planted. Hopefully more and more will find their way into people's understanding.

This clip was hard to watch when your woman nearly started crying talking about what it was like to think that the physical expression of her love for her partner was 'sinful'. Heartbreaking.