Niftiness! I just found out that one of the films that will be at this weekend's Digital Film Festival in Venango county will be The Preacher and the Poet, is on the agenda The short film contrasts an African American minister's outrageous (and infamous) anti-gay comments from the pulpit with the emotionally compelling poem of a spoken word artist rapping about his best friend who committed suicide because of such anti-gay oppression.
The film was produced by Joe Wilson and his partner, Dean Hamer, who were the same guys who did We Belong: The Movie that was at the Great Lakes Film Festival. They were also filming footage at the PA HB 1400 hearing the week after the festival.
Speaking of the hearings, someone wrote a letter to the editor in a recent Erie Times Newsabout not being allowed to ask questions at the hearing. I think that the person s well meaning, but probably unaware that the format of a hearing is that people are set up to give testimony, and that it is not atown hall meeting/open debate thing. The lattersort of event is also very useful and appropriate, and this wasn't it.
This mostly came up because of Diane "Whack Job" Gramley giving what some in the audience thought were factually/logically flawed arguments. I agree, but I think that Rep. Babette Josephs was quite right to insist on changing the format in midstream. As much as I think Gramley is offbase, I still firmly believe that we should all be subject to the same rules. And Gramley left to her own devices probably helps us out. She threw a hisy fit a few years ago when the Barrow Theatre had a one night production of the musical "La Cage Aux Folles."
I did get a call asking to verify that I had sent my reply letter, so I am guessing that the Times News will run it.
Will we see you at the fest?
Alas! I am helping with celebrating Samhain this weekend, so I will end up having to wear my pointy hat rather than the rainbow one. ;) Do let me know how it goes.