Screening followed by Q & A with
Director Maya Newell & Producer Charlotte Mars
7pm, Friday 4 September 2015
Star Court Theatre
126 Molesworth Street, Lismore
Tickets available online – CLICK HERE
Gayby Baby follows the lives of four kids – Gus, Ebony, Matt and Graham – whose parents all happen to be gay. As they each wrestle with personal change, the outside world is wrestling with the issue of marriage equality, and whether or not kids of same-sex families are at risk.
Told from the point of view of the kids, this understated observational style documentary is an intimate portrait of same-sex families and the effects of growing up ‘Gayby’.
Screenworks has partnered with the filmmakers and the Star Court Theatre to bring this special event screening to Lismore.
In his all-female household, GUS strives to work out what it means to be a “man”; EBONY struggles to find her voice as a singer and a place where her gay family will be accepted; MATT questions how the God his lesbian mums worship can also damn them to hell; and GRAHAM’s desire to read and win the approval of his dads is complicated by a move to Fiji, where homosexuality is frowned upon.
Director Maya Newell was inspired to make the film after seeing the film The Kids are Alright – the first fiction feature to tell the story of a lesbian couple raising children. “As I left the cinema and strode down the street, I felt unnerved, unhinged and soon realised I was streaming tears. I had never seen my family reflected on the big screen before.”
This is the first feature documentary actually told from the perspective of kids from same sex families. “Kids need narratives that reflect their lives and the diversity of their family structures.” says Director, Maya Newell. When asked what family was, Ebony, one of the kids in the film, once said to me: “The people who make you who you are today are your family.” These kids get it.” “We just need the rest of the world to catch on.”
Improvements in IVF technologies and the liberalisation of legislation means there are large numbers of children growing up with diverse families structures. But who are these kids and what do they think? And do they face different issues to other kids?
Director Maya Newell and Producer Charlotte Mars will speak about making the film in a live audience Q&A after the screening.
For weeks the films producer and director lived and breathed a gruelling crowdfunding campaign to kickstart funding for the film. “From the outset the community really supported the film and we received a record number small pledges to raise the initial $100,000″ says Newell.
Producer Charlotte Mars feels that while the film is very personal to these families, there is a universal message. “The stories of kids with gay parents really could demystify the gay family unit, offer a new perspective in the marriage equality debate, and perhaps even help the wider community re-evaluate what really matters when it comes to family” she says.
A portion of the tickets sales will be donated to ACON Northern Rivers.
WATCH THE TRAILER:
This screening event is supported by Screen Audience Development funding from Screen NSW.
