This week I had the joy of showing Gen Silent in Oakland, CA at Faith and Aging: A Conference for LGBTQI Spiritual Justice. The day began with a moving speech from LGBTQI elder advocate, Amber Hollibaugh. Amber is the Executive Director of Queers for Economic Justice in New York City. Here is part of her inspirational message:
Amber Hollibaugh – The Role of Congregations in Supporting LGBT Seniors from Rev. Roland Stringfellow on Vimeo.
Monday night, Gen Silent screens to the leaders of area aging organizations from around the country as part of a special reception at the N4A Conference in Washington D.C.
Diane Kaljian, Director Sonoma County, CA Adult and Aging Services (Left) after her recent screening of Gen Silent
Of the many opportunities to help people through this film, I am really looking forward to being there for this one.
These are the people who provide aging services at a local level. It is their case-workers and care-givers who are coming into our homes. No-one affects the lives of many LGBT older people more than these decision makers.
There is a new national study that will also be highlighted that evening. Ready To Serve shows that a majority of area agencies on aging want to address the specific needs of LGBT older people, but are unsure exactly how to go about it.
Gen Silent subjects Sheri Barden and Lois Johnson
That’s why I am so excited to show the courageous elders in our film, Gen Silent. I think nothing gives the depth of understanding about the unique challenges LGBT older people face in such a short time. You “get it” after spending an hour in their shoes.
Gen Silent has merely shed some national light on a growing number of resources available to AAAs. I am so proud as a filmmaker to be sharing the evening with The National Resource Center on LGBT Aging, SAGE, Ethos and the Riverside County Office on Aging.
I don't always get to choose my energy drinks on the road
But it’s not a flyby. I’ll be spending the next two days hoping to hear from AAA directors about their thoughts on the film. We have created a cultural competency curriculum using film clips. We are even making the film trailer available to those who want to put it in their presentations. All to get those statistics above to even out more. I hope folks will say hello, I am the one recovering from the red-eye with the energy drink.
Director Stu Maddux at the podium after taking a red-eye to get to the screening of Gen Silent at the University of Iowa.
My thanks to Robert McFalls, N4A, and Serena Worthington at SAGE for bringing us all together for a movie night!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Stu Maddux
MAD STU Media, L.L.C.
stu@stumaddux.com
June 26, 2011
CRITICALLY-ACCLAIMED DOCUMENTARY ABOUT LGBT SENIORS GOING BACK INTO THE CLOSET WINS BEST DOCUMENTARY AWARD AT THE NATION’S MOST PRESTIGIOUS LGBT FILM FESTIVAL: FRAMELINE
Film shows how those that fought the first battles for equality now face so much fear of discrimination in care giving that they are hiding their lives- and partners- in record numbers.
(SAN FRANCISCO, CA) After winning best documentary honors at more than ten festivals to date, the much talked about story of six LGBT older people faced with going back into the closet to survive, Gen Silent, has received its most important honor to date: the Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary at Frameline, The San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival.
“Each award has been special”, says the film’s director, Stu Maddux, “but I hope the added recognition from Frameline will help countless more communities show Gen Silent and begin protecting LGBT older people.”
Here is what people are saying about Gen Silent:
“This is one of the most amazing documentaries that you will see in this lifetime.” – Jessica Dollard, Programmer, Fairy Tales Queer Film Festival
“The filmmaking is personal, heart breaking, and the issues are real.” – Huffington Post
“One of the most important LGBTQ documentaries to come out this year.” – Chicago Sun-Times
“Every single person should see this film. It deserves an Oscar.” – best-selling novelist Patricia Cornwell
“One of the most important LGBT documentaries ever made.” – Charlotte LGBT Film Festival
TRAILER, STILLS & PRESS KIT: http://gensilent.com/
If Gen Silent wins the Audience Award for Best Documentary at this weekend’s Frameline screening, it will mean thousands more LGBT older people will be helped by our film. I am taking a deep breath right now as Kerry our associate producer and myself put labels on hundreds of bookmarks we are handing out at the screening- just to remind people to vote.
Winning at a festival like Frameline (the most prestigious LGBT Film Festival in many minds) creates hundreds of mentions around the world. And if we win, It will start countless more conversations about the fear and discrimination that our gay, lesbian, bi and trans elders face. Dozens more communities would show Gen 
Silent and begin reaching out to the isolated seniors that are out their alone tonight.
I have no illusions. All the films I have seen at this festival are winners and just to be included with them is an extreme honor. But I doubt any film could help as many people with this additional vote of confidence. So we have to try.
From L-R: KC Price and Jennifer Morris of Frameline, Holly Million of "With You" and Stu Maddux "Gen Silent" at this week's Frameline Reception
LGBT Aging Project's Lisa Krisky training trainers with the new Gen Silent curriculum
We are creating some very compelling versions of our documentary, Gen Silent. One is designed as training for employees, the other is a half-hour cut of the full 62 minute documentary for educators to use in a classroom hour.
They will be fully available August 1st.
I wake up in the middle of the night worried about them.
A year ago, I would have just put a film out on DVD and hoped it wasn’t uploaded, loaned, used for exhibition- all the things that eventually force independent filmmakers to take jobs working on reality television.
The Gen Silent curriculum debuted at the American Society on Aging National Conference. Impressive, n'est-pas?
Our dilemma is summed up by a friend telling me about the DVD that sits on her office shelf, “Now THAT is a great film, I have used that DVD for fifteen years in my training courses.”
Kudos to the filmmaker; Kudos to the friend who paid $20.00 for that 15 years worth of training material.
A couple of weeks ago, the nicest person in the room came up to me excited to share how she bought our earlier film on DVD and showed it to her entire school. “It got everyone talking!” If only she knew that it had also costs us hundreds of dollars in a lost exhibition fee (about equal to our own licensing fees for a month).
I told her that I was delighted.
I had the honor of speaking at Yale. This chalkboard reminded me of trying to explain my problem to film fans.
The few that do realize that they are hurting the little guy see it as “caveat emptor” in reverse, “if you didn’t want people to play your film over and over then you shouldn’t have sold it on DVD.”
Well maybe not over and over to crowds of hundreds, uploaded, torrented and copied.
Up to now, filmmakers have had no choice but distribute on DVD. But online streaming and rent to download is now a big enough part of the consumer mindset that many of us feel the shackles loosening.
My edit keyboard is special to me like a musician and their instrument.
So there’s the big build up for the announcement: its with no disappointment that I toss the DVD out the window. We have decided to rent Gen Silent for download or streaming on our website.
I actually have this secret self-important little dream of releasing all my work into the public domain after I die. Any small legacy I may ever have comes from that school kid’s ability to use my work in his report for class (should I ever be so honored!).
But right now I must be responsible with the circumstances, the blessing, the luck that has allowed me to make films. And doing that- wakes me up in the middle of the night.
It’s very humbling when people cry watching something I have made. It makes me back away a little bit and feel apologetic for getting too personal. Of course being the crazy documentary person, I asked this woman to keep crying while I got a shot of her. 
Organizers of this week’s Duke University screening of my latest doc, Gen Silent, placed boxes of tissue on each row before the film started. They said the word is out that it is a “tear jerker”.
I worry a little that people will be turned off by that label. I usually don’t want to sit through a tear-jerker myself. And besides, Gen Silent is equally sad, hopeful and often just hilarious. It happened to be the emotional roller-coaster that we captured these LGBT older people living.
It’s a privilege to make people feel emotions. I get glimpses of the my ability in very small places and at the most unexpected moments: like spotting a tissue box sitting on a chair. And then I look away feeling guilty that I am about to make someone cry.
But I secretly sit in the back of the room and watch the audience at it watches what I made. 
