Gen Silent Explained

Gen Silent
Director:Stu Maddux
Producer:Stu Maddux
Joseph Applebaum
Distributor:Interrobang Productions
Runtime:63 minutes
Country:United States
Language:English

Gen Silent is a 2010 documentary film, directed and produced by Stu Maddux.[1] The documentary follows the lives of six LGBT seniors living in the Boston area who must choose if they will hide their sexuality in order to survive in the long-term health care system.[2] It has been screened at numerous colleges and universities as well as in front of government agencies and healthcare organizations.[3] [4] It premiered at the Boston LGBT Film Festival and has won numerous awards at others.[5]

The title of the film is a reference to the generations of older LGBT people who remain in the closet or reenter the closet out of concern for their safety or quality of life. As a result of the documentary, the term Gen Silent has increased in use as a way to refer to this group.[6]

Synopsis

Gen Silent was filmed in the Boston area over a one-year period. During that time, director Stu Maddux followed six LGBT seniors through their decision to either stay open about their sexuality or hide it so that they can survive in the long-term health care system.[7] [8] In the documentary a gay man named Lawrence Johnson searches for a nursing home where he and his partner can be open about their relationship while still receiving quality care.[9] It also follows a transgender senior by the name of KrysAnne. She searches for people to care for her because she is estranged from her family. The story of an LGBT couple named Sheri and Lois is told, including how they spent their lives fighting for LGBT rights. While Sheri states that she refuses to hide her sexuality, Lois states that she will if that is what it would take to protect her in the health care system. Mel and his partner are the final couple followed in the documentary. Mel's partner gets sick and he finds care from a welcoming agency where he feels comfortable and safe to speak openly for the first time about his sexuality and their 39 year relationship together.[4] [10]

Notable screenings

Gen Silent premiered at the Boston LGBT Film Festival in 2010. It was also screened at numerous other film festivals including the Frameline Film Festival, the Provincetown International Film Festival, the New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Film Festival, the Melbourne Queer Film Festival and the North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.[4]

It was also screened for health care staff at Duke University Medical Center, to lawmakers at the Massachusetts House of Representatives, and at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.[3] [5] Harvard and Yale Universities have also hosted screenings of the film.[11] [12] [5]

Awards and Recognitions

Gen Silent has won multiple awards including the Audience Choice Best Documentary at the Frameline Film Festival in 2011 and the Audience Choice Best Documentary at the Image+Nation Montreal International LGBT Film Festival.[5]

Select awards

YearAward NameOrganization
2010Audience Award for Best DocumentarySacramento Film & Music Festival[13]
2010Jury Award for Best DocumentarySacramento Film & Music Festival
2011Alternative Spirit AwardRhode Island International Film Festival
2011Audience Choice for Best DocumentaryFrameline Film Festival[14] [15]
2011Audience Award for Best DocumentaryConnecticut Gay & Lesbian Film Festival[16]
2010Audience Award for Best DocumentaryCharlotte Film Festival[17]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Wedner . Ellen . Documentary Gen Silent Raises The Question: Do LGBT Seniors need To Go Back In The Closet . The Miami Herald . 23 August 2012 . live . https://archive.today/20130208220416/http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2012/08/documentary-gen-silent-raises-question-do-lgbt-seniors-need-to-go-back-in-the-closet.html . 8 February 2013 .
  2. Web site: Rainbow Kilts LGBT Festival To Brighten Up Hawick This Weekend. The Southern Reporter. 21 August 2012. 23 August 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121012233819/http://www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk/news/local-headlines/rainbow-kilts-lgbt-festival-to-brighten-up-hawick-this-weekend-1-2479290 . 12 October 2012.
  3. Web site: Gay Pride 2012 Event Guide. University of Michigan . March 2012 . 23 August 2012 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20121009011651/https://spectrumcenter.umich.edu/sites/spectrumcenter.umich.edu/files/pride_2012program.pdf . 9 October 2012.
  4. Web site: Breaking Generation Silent: Facing The Needs and Challenges of LGBT Elders. University of North Carolina School of Social Work . 23 August 2012 . unfit . https://web.archive.org/web/20130301100150/http://ssw.unc.edu/diversity/about/aging . 1 March 2013.
  5. Web site: Recent Screenings. Gen Silent Official Website . 2012 . 23 August 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141107200601/http://stumaddux.com/gen_silent_RECENT_SCREENINGS.html . 7 November 2014.
  6. Web site: Knauer . Nancy J. . Gen Silent – Advocating For LGBT Elders . Illinois Law Center . 11 January 2012. 2 November 2020 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190423232718/https://theelderlawjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Knauer.pdf . 23 April 2019.
  7. Web site: Gustafson . Mary . The Silent Generation: Long-Term Care Is A Landmine For LGBT Seniors. McKnight’s Long-Term Care News & Assisted Living . 9 August 2012. 23 August 2012 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20131002130754/http://www.mcknights.com/the-silent-generation-long-term-care-is-a-landmine-for-lgbt-seniors/article/253936/ . 2 October 2013.
  8. Web site: Nursing Homes Not Prepared For Gay Seniors. UPI. 7 August 2012. 23 August 2012 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160616153621/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2012/08/07/Nursing-homes-not-prepared-for-gay-seniors/UPI-42851344362287/ . 16 June 2016.
  9. Web site: Wright . G . Gen Silent Follows Plight of Aging LGBT People. Social Workers Speak. 6 January 2012. 23 August 2012 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20120128030141/http://www.socialworkersspeak.org/hollywood-connection/gen-silent-follows-plight-of-aging-lgbt-people.html . 28 January 2012.
  10. Web site: Gen Silent – The People. Gen Silent Official Website. 23 August 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120914150402/http://stumaddux.com/gen_silent_people.html . 14 September 2012.
  11. Web site: Events . Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study – Harvard University . 29 August 2012 . bot: unknown . https://web.archive.org/web/20120530175619/http://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/event/2012gen-silent . 30 May 2012 .
  12. Web site: McDermott . Kate. . Gen Silent: Aging in the LGBT Community and How We Are All Responsible . Midnight At Yale . 5 April 2011 . 29 August 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110411053723/http://www.midnightatyale.com/2011/04/gen-silent-aging-in-lgbt-community-and.html . 11 April 2011 . dead .
  13. Web site: Administrator . Gen Silent At The Coolidge Corner Theatre. Axe Entertainment . 28 July 2012 . 23 August 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120922135032/http://axentertainment.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2678:2012-07-28-21-21-52&catid=39:theatre&Itemid=58 . 22 September 2012.
  14. Web site: Award Winners. Frameline.org. 21 May 2012. 23 August 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150401194721/http://ticketing.frameline.org/festival/updates.aspx?FID=48. 1 April 2015. dead.
  15. Web site: Documentary Explored LGBT Elderly. Pride Source . 17 November 2011 . 23 August 2012 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20130314124612/http://www.pridesource.com/article.html?article=50200 . 14 March 2013.
  16. Web site: Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Film Festival Awards. Film Festivals . 16 June 2011 . 23 August 2012 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150611114622/http://www.filmfestivals.com/blog/editor/connecticut_gay_lesbian_film_festival_awards . 11 June 2015.
  17. Web site: Journal Staff. Charlotte Film Fest Awards. Carolina Production Journal. 10 October 2010. 23 August 2012. https://archive.today/20130131213737/http://productionjournal.com/_news/festivals/121/. 31 January 2013. dead.

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