Thursday, Oct 26, 2017 • 6:30–8pm
ADMISSION: $5 Members; $10 general
Filmmaker David Weissman’s Conversations with Gay Elders is a series of in-depth interviews and conversational documentaries focused on gay men whose journeys of self-discovery precede the era of Stonewall and gay liberation. It’s a cross-generational collaboration, in which 62-year-old Weissman (The Cockettes, We Were Here) works in partnership with gay men in their 20s and 30s as editors to profile gay men in their 70s and 80s. Conversations with Gay Elders explores how these men navigated being “different” long before there was any social or political context for a positive LGBT self-image.
The interview subject of this screening is longtime San Francisco resident Jack Lasner, now 89 years old. The editor of this piece is Oakland-based Ben Zweig, who most recently worked on the documentary, Dolores.
Promotional partnership provided by Keshet.
Additional episodes of David Weissman’s Conversations with Gay Elders will screen at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and the San Francisco Public Library.
Longtime San Francisco resident Robert Dockendorff was 76 years old at the time of the interview. Born in the midwest, Dockendorff has been a major player in San Francisco’s gay political community, a philanthropist, and had a long career in the US Navy and the maritime industry. The editor of this piece is Los Angeles resident Alex Bohs, who became involved with this project when he was 24 years old. The screening will be followed by a discussion with director David Weissman, subject Robert Dockendorff, and editor Alex Bohs.
New Yorker Daniel Maloney was 77 years old at the time of the interview. Born outside of Philadelphia, Daniel was a principal dancer with Martha Graham in the 1970s. The editor of this piece is Jake Stein, who came on to this project when he was 24 and only recently out of the closet as a gay man.
Tickets are $10 general / $8 students/seniors/YBCA Members.