The Year We Thought About Love Behind the Scenes of Queer Youth Theater
What happens when LGBTQ youth decide to create a play about queer love to tour to area high schools? The Hollywood Reporter writes that the play "shocks, entertains, and awes!" Our award-winning film reveals how the "powers of art elicit the most interactive, educational, funny, vibrant, experiential illustrations of real life for queers, and queers growing up." (Afterellen.com) The theater troupe explores love - familial, romantic, and spiritual - with wit, candor, and a bit of attitude.
While the play takes shape, other challenges come hurtling at the cast. A transgender teen is kicked out of her house; a devout Christian wrestle's with his church's homophobia, and a girl experiments with boy's clothing even as she models dresses on the runway on the weekends. When the Boston Marathon bombs explode outside their rehearsal room, these actors and activists grow even more determined to share their stories of love to help heal their city.
Running Time
69 mins
Year
2014
Kanopy ID
1179034
Filmmakers
Languages
Subjects
Show More
Related videos
What Do You Know - Six to Twelve Year Olds Talk About Gays and Lesbians
What Do You Know? Six to Twelve Year-Olds Talk About Gays and Lesbians is an award-winning 13-minute film that features students from Massachusetts and Alabama discussing what they know about gay mean and lesbians, what they hear at school, and what they'd like teachers to do. With perspectives ranging from…
Gender Matters - Transgender Youth
Six short films, including narratives and documentaries, delve into the lives of transgender & gender expansive young adults appear in this collection.
Narrative short Eddie tells the story of a young Latina who's just one of the boys and a VIP in the neighborhood kickball game. But on this particular…
In My Shoes - Children of LGBTQ parents
As the grandiose issues of the LGBTQ movement become part of the political theatrics and under debate in the highest courts in the land, it is the stories of those most directly impacted that can be the most moving.In this short documentary, young people who are children of LGBTQ parents…
Framing Lesbian Fashion
A landmark 1992 film, Framing Lesbian Fashion looks at the evolution of lesbian attire and identity -butch/femme, flannel, androgyny, cross-dressing and drag, queer fluorescent, S/M and leather, lipstick and more. Featuring interviews with Sally Gearhart, JoAnn Loulan, Arlene Stein, Kitty Tsui and others, Framing Lesbian Fashion incorporates archival photos and…
Expanding Gender - Youth Out Front
These four short documentaries explore the varied identities of trans and gender expansive youth and young adults.
In Tomgirl we meet Jake, a confident and lovable gender expansive seven-year-old who invites us into his world of hockey playing and skirt wearing to explore the transformative power of love and support…
School Girl To Actor
17-year-old school girl Renae Simpson lives in Mt Magnet, a mining town hundreds of kilometers away from Perth. She wants to be a famous actress, and, as she puts it, "be on the cover of Woman's Day". Over 2 weeks Renae is immersed in drama school with mentor Rick Brayford.…
Same Difference
Among the cries of "What about the children?" during the debate over California's Proposition 8, where were the voices of actual children? That's the question posed in Same Difference, a collaboration between renowned photographer Catherine Opie and award-winning filmmaker Lisa Udelson. It's an exploration of how modern American families are…
Equality U
Examining the complicated relationships between schools, religion, and human rights, Equality U is a feature-length documentary following a group of 33 young activists on the Soulforce Equality Ride, a first of its kind, two-month, cross-country tour to confront anti-gay discrimination policies at 19 conservative religious and military colleges.
Against the…
That's Not Us
Three twenty-something couples - gay, lesbian and straight - travel to an upstate New York beach house to enjoy the last days of summer, but what was meant to be a fun, carefree retreat transforms into an intimate exploration of sex and commitment. While gender and sexuality may vary, the…
Pop Rox
Jesse decides to profess her love to her best friend Roxanne with a grand gesture. What could possibly go wrong?
Official Selection at the Berlin International Film Festival, Frameline Festival and Outfest.
A Self-Made Man
At a crucial turning point in his life, Tony Ferriaolo's inner voice said, "Create yourself." This credo once saved his life and now serves as a guiding principle as he educates gender non-conforming youth, as well as their parents. Lori Petchers' moving A Self-Made Man interweaves the poignant story of…
Transparent
Pink or blue. Male or Female. Mommy or Daddy. Categories that we all take for granted are broken apart in transparent, a documentary about 19 female-to-male transgender individuals living in the United States who have given birth and, in all but a few stories, gone on to raise their biological…
Comments (10)
Three strong finger snaps. Touching and affirming.
This documentary is a Triumph!
Allen,
Thank you for the lovely comment and so glad you found the film with your library card!! Check out the other LGBTQ films on Kanopy from my colleagues at New Day Films!
What privilege its been to get an intimate peak into the lives of these folks. I felt so invested in each of their stories by the end of the film. Thank you for putting this amazing piece together for the world to appreciate!
Rebecca,
Thank you for these thoughtful words, which mean so much to me, especially knowing that you are the same age as many of the young people in the film!
True Colors director Nick Bazo and two of the actors featured in this film visited our university in 2018 for a screening of this documentary and a talkback session. Both the video and the opportunity to dialogue were an invaluable experience for our students and community alike. Highly ...Read more
True Colors director Nick Bazo and two of the actors featured in this film visited our university in 2018 for a screening of this documentary and a talkback session. Both the video and the opportunity to dialogue were an invaluable experience for our students and community alike. Highly recommend this video for anyone curious to learn about the power of theatre and the youth voice for the LGBTQ+ community, and how the arts can impact the lives of young people who experience it both on the stage and in the audience.
Read lessElizabeth,
We are soooo grateful that your brought Nick and two of the youth from the film to your welcoming campus at UCF! They loved dong the Q&A with the students and the entire community you brought together. Thank you for all the work you do in the arts!
I am thrilled to report that in November 2016, Trae, one of the stars from our film, received an award form First Lady Michelle Obama on behalf of the entire theater troupe for excellence in youth arts. This is the first time a LGBTQ youth group received this award. When we asked to film the ...Read more
I am thrilled to report that in November 2016, Trae, one of the stars from our film, received an award form First Lady Michelle Obama on behalf of the entire theater troupe for excellence in youth arts. This is the first time a LGBTQ youth group received this award. When we asked to film the rehearsal process for a year in 2013, we had no idea what might happen. So thrilled that the youth trusted us, and we were able to film six youth in all sorts of situations - including a fashion show where a gender queer youth walked the runway and in the kitchen of temporary housing for a young transwoman after being kicked out by her mother. We have loved hearing deep gratitude from students when sharing the film in campus screenings and classrooms.
Read lessThank you so much for this. I am a community college instructor who teaches a course called Reflections: Representations of Race, Ethnicity, Gender and Class in Hollywood Movies.
I will be showing your fantastic film to all my students. Thank You again for your courage in making this ...Read more
Thank you so much for this. I am a community college instructor who teaches a course called Reflections: Representations of Race, Ethnicity, Gender and Class in Hollywood Movies.
Read lessI will be showing your fantastic film to all my students. Thank You again for your courage in making this film.
Check Out BeLong in Ireland a group of students and adults whose work on gender issues I have supported for years.
Thank you Michael for your kind words. I'd love to hear how your students respond to the film! I hope you checked out the free 59-page discussion guide on the film's website. Meanwhile, I am now following BeLong on twitter. Looks like a great organization.