"Out In The Silence" Tour of Mid-Coast Maine -- June 12-20

OUT IN THE SILENCE will have its Maine premiere, presented by Equality Maine, as the closing night feature in The First Annual It Gets Better – LGBT Maine Film Festival at The Grand in Ellsworth – Sun, June 5 at 7pm - and will then be featured in a June 12 - 20 Tour of Mid-Coast Maine in an effort to engage residents of small towns and rural communities in new conversations about inclusion, fairness, and equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people locally, around the state and across the country.


The tour is being coordinated by Out! As I Want to Be, the local non-profit serving LGBT & Questioning youth and their allies aged 14 – 22 in Mid-Coast Maine, as well as local residents and groups in each host community. Filmmaker Joe Wilson will be on-hand for dynamic post-screening audience conversations.

Tour Schedule

June 12 – 4:30pm – Holocaust & Human Rights Center of Maine, 46 University Dr., Augusta, ME -- (Sponsored by the Religious Coalition Against Discrimination)

June 13 – 7:00pm – The Congregational Church of Boothbay Harbor, ME

June 14 – 10:30am - Vinalhaven School, 22 Arcola Lane, Vinalhaven Island, ME

June 15 – 5:30pm - Farnsworth Museum, 16 Museum Street, Rockland, ME - (Followed by special dinner/fundraiser for Out! As I Want To Be)

June 16 – 6:30pm - Camden Public Library, 55 Min Street, Camden, ME - (Additional sponsors are The Community School, the CHRHS Gay Straight Alliance, and The Rig.)

June 18 – 6:00pm - Belfast Free Library, 106 High Street, Belfast, ME

June 20 – 7:00pm – The Waldo Theater, 916 Main Street, Waldoboro, ME - (Sponsored by Equality Maine)

For more info contact: Dora Lievow, Director, Out! As I Want To Be --
E: dora_lievow@yahoo.com T: 800-530-6997



Out! As I Want to Be, the film tour's primary sponsor, trains volunteer advisers, offers after-school programs, and chaperones trips to special events around the state. With this tour, Out! hopes to provide a springboard for Mid-Coast Maine residents, students, educators, clergy, civic leaders, elected officials, and community organizations to begin working together more intentionally to support our LGBTQ youth.


OUT IN THE SILENCE shows Wilson being drawn back to his small Pennsylvania hometown to share the story of a teenager tormented at school because he is gay, and the struggle the teen's mother goes through to get school authorities to do something about it. In the film, Wilson also strikes up an unexpected friendship with a conservative evangelical pastor and his wife, and follows the trials and tribulations of a local lesbian couple who can catalyze the rust-belt town’s economic revitalization if they find community acceptance. Intertwined with these heartfelt stories is Wilson's exploration of the role that a local 'family values' group plays in stoking anti-gay bigotry in the town. At once wrenching, entertaining, and inspiring, the film ultimately shows the individual and community transformations that are possible when people, on all sides of these challenging issues, speak out and take the time to get to know one another.

Produced in association with the Sundance Institute and Penn State Public Broadcasting, OUT IN THE SILENCE premiered at the 2010 Human Rights Watch International Film Festival in New York, has been broadcast on PBS, and won an Emmy Award for Achievement in Documentary. But the filmmakers are most interested in using it as part of a grassroots campaign to help raise LGBT visibility and promote dialogue and civic engagement, particularly in small towns and rural communities.

“We’re hopeful that screening events with this film in Maine will help people begin to find common ground on issues that have divided families, friends, and communities for far too long,” said Wilson.

For a press kit and more about the film, visit: OutintheSilence.com