Word is Out: Stories of Some Of Our Lives

Cast: John Burnside, Sally M. Gearheart, Elsa Gidlow, Harry Hay, Tede Mathews.

A film by the Mariposa Film Group including Peter Adair, Nancy Adair, Veronica Selver, Andrew Brown, Robert Epstein, and Lucy Massie Phenix

Producer: Peter Adair. Cinematographer: Peter Adair, Andrew Brown, Robert Epstein, Lucy Massie Phenix, Veronica Selver. Editor: Peter Adair, Andrew Brown, Robert Epstein, Lucy Massie Phenix, Veronica Selver.

Preservation funded by The David Bohnett Foundation with additional support provided by The Andrew J. Kuehn Jr. Foundation and the members of Outfest. Preserved as part of the Outfest Legacy Project for LGBT FIlm Preservation, in collaboration with the Mariposa Film Group and the James C. Hormel Gay & Lesbian Center.

Preserved from the original 16mm color negative, a 35mm color reversal intermediate, the original 35mm soundtrack negative and the original 1/4-inch audio recordings.

www.wordisoutmovie.com

In 1978, Word is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives startled audiences across the country when it appeared in movie theaters and on television. The first feature-length documentary about lesbian and gay identity made by gay filmmakers, the film had a huge impact when it was released and became an icon of the emerging gay rights movement of the 1970s. It has since become a landmark in the history of documentaries.

In honor of its place in our collective history, Word is Out was selected for restoration for the LEGACY PROJECT FOR GLBT FILM PRESERVATION by Outfest and the UCLA Film & Television Archive. The original film negative was recently restored, and the re-mastered 35 mm print will be shown around the world.

Bonus Features

The 30th anniversary DVD has been mastered to high-def from the UCLA restoration and will feature several documentaries including updates on the cast and the filmmakers, a history of the Mariposa Group, and an homage to Peter Adair, originator and inspired producer of Word is Out who died of AIDS in 1996.

Reviews

"Word Is Out impacted audiences around the world in 1978 by destroying stereotypes of the gay experience. Today, the power of this film lies not only in its disarming interviews but in how these beautifully woven interviews stand as a watershed to our history. These stories are a record of our struggles, our dissension, our joys, our loves and our lives.

"The filmmakers capture the innocence and charm of 26 people—ranging in age from 18 to 77, from San Francisco to New Mexico to Boston, from beehived housewife to sultry drag queen. You will laugh at the irony as one woman explains how doctors put her on a diet of two salads a day to cure her 'sickness.' You might feel humbled or grateful as one ex-member of the Women's Army Corps tells how the women expected to get beat up for dancing in gay bars by angry servicemen in the late 1940s and early 50s. Either way, you will leave the theater affected by the fierce courage and love emanating from these stories, our stories." -Kristin Pepe, Legacy Project Manager