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F IL IW I
f e want to demystify the gay relation
ship...to demonstrate that male cou
ples are not so different from straight
couples," says Portland filmmaker
Aaron K. Douglas, who, along with co-producers
Elaine Miller and Jim Tuchschmidt, is at the
helm of a new documentary focusing on male
same-sex relationships.
Aaron Douglas’ “ My Days
"People focus too
of Awe and Grief, Part I:
much on the differences
Dirk and Me” won Best
rather than the similari
Documentary at Portland’s
ties," Douglas continues.
Forest
Film Festival
“Tins will explore those
similarities at a time
when educating people...can help them make
informed choices as to whether they support
gay marriage or civil unions.”
The trio will begin shooting the as-yet-
untitled project in the Portland area in the
near future, with a release slated for next year.
Douglas, something of a renaissance man,
has worn many professional hats— broadcast
journalism (both radio and television), paralegal
work, public relations, workplace and informa
tion technology consulting, record production
and acting as well as producing musical theater.
His pursuits have taken him all over the
Pacific Northwest, from Springfield (where he
was raised and attended college) to Seattle,
by C hristopher M c Q uain
where he worked for a law firm through the mid-
’90s. The frantic boom in the Puget Sound area
Outing” and “Scared Straight.” “I think some
saying, ‘Gee, my husband/wife does that, too!
inspired a relocation to the more laid-back Rose
of the most successful documentaries are per
How irritating!’ or ‘Yeah, sometimes Jane or
City in 1996, when he bought the houseboat he
sonal ones,” Douglas says. “It’s easier for the
John won’t put out!’ or whatever.”
shares with his husband, David, a psychiatrist
filmmaker to communicate emotions or themes
But the movie will also showcase the queer
(which, he jokes, “comes in handy sometimes”).
in words and pictures when the story...has ele
community’s neglected demographic. “Couples of
Douglas continued working in the legal field
ments of one’s own life experience. O f course,
different ages will help us to educate the pub
it’s also really great personal therapy.”
as a marketer, hut, as he says diplomatically,
lic. . .that many of these relationships have begin
“Lawyers are very challenging to work for.” It
ning, middle and end-of-life stages just like legal
was thanks to a particularly unpleasant boss that
ouglas is making the leap into longer-form doc ly married straight couples!” Douglas notes.
he decided to switch focus to his more creative
umentary with his latest endeavor, fof which
“Middle-age and senior-age gay men are certainly
side. “I’m grateful, because otherwise I may have
he and his team are seeking supplementary
underrepresented in all aspects of gay filmmaking.
stayed there many more years,” he admits, “and
public funding and screening couples through a
One of my personal goals... is to change that.”
I’m very excited about this new direction.”
“standardized, lengthy interview process.”
One of his other goals is to reach a straight
Douglas’ new direction took shape during
The feature will explore the histories and
audience in need of observations on gay lives.
his participation in a digital media production
experiences of three gay male couples of differ
“There are lots and lots of hcxiks about the ‘male
course at the Art Institute of Portland, where
ent generations and in different stages of their
couple,’ but no movies,” Douglas laments. “Peo
he began to conceive and create short docu
relationships. The 12 couples under considera
ple are starting to he sensitized to the issue, so it
mentaries as class projects. One of these, the
tion were culled from among Douglas’ acquain
is a good time to focus on educating straight
autobiographical “My Days of Awe and Grief,
tances and those who responded to an open call.
people, Iwho] I’m hoping will be interested in
Part I: Dirk and Me,” was screened this spring
They all hail in large part from the Portland
watching this type of program and educating
at Fifth Avenue Cinemas and as part of the
metro area, hut some are from as far away as
themselves instead of remaining ignorant.” J H
Forest Film Festival at Clinton Street Theater,
Central Point and Washougal, Wash. “We
where it won Best Documentary.
would like to have at least one couple from a
Couples interested in participating in A aron
“Dirk and Me" is the first in a five-part series of
rural area to get their unique perspectives,"
D ouglas ’ documentary about gay male
films Douglas plans that explore his relationships
Douglas says. About half of the couples were
relationships should contact the filmmaker at
with the people and culture of Springfield. “It’s a
recently married in Multnomah County.
503-407-0810. To view "My Days of Awe and
conservative place,” he says of his hometown. “It
Part of the d(x:umentary’s purpose is to reveal
Grief Part I: Dirk and Me” visit
was the first city in Oregon to pass an anti-gay law,
the experiences and challenges most long-term
www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetailJ2483130.
and they all voted in favor of Measure 9. There
relationships have in common. “I think both gay
weren’t any Gay Straight Alliances."
and straight people will see it," predicts Douglas.
C hristopher M c Q uain is a Seattle writer and
filmmaker.
“We want Jane and John Doe watching it and
Future parts of Awe and Grief include “The
Gav gaze
A trio of filmmakers will put Portland couples
on the big screen
D
I Elise
he network that brought us Queer as Folk
and The L Word goes nonfiction with a
two-part documentary series titled The
Opposite Sex.
The intense and rather excruciating “Rene’s
Story” premiered May 11 and repeats May 22
and 30. Rene is an extremely distressed and
overbearing 31-year-old female-to-male trans
sexual who has created a successful physical
transformation but hasn’t done the psychologi
cal or emotional work he needs to move into
the next phase of surgery.
Although surrounded by a reasonably support
ive family, Rene simply denies his birth past or
that he is anything but a “real man," including to
his wife of 12 years, who, astonishingly, has never
seen him fully naked. Rene’s verbal abuse of and
lack of respect for his wife, who is trying to grasp a
situation she never seems
to have fully understood,
alienates him from his clos
est ally and from viewers.
“Jamie’s Story,” airing
June 23, will be more
accessible to the general
viewing public. This story
of the male-to-female tran
“ Rene’s Story”
sition of a 47-year-old,
repeats May 22
good-old-boy type from
and
30
Michigan is anchored in
the turbulent but amazingly strong relationship
between Jamie and her wife, Brenda.
Jamie’s family predictably splits into two
camps: the supportive if confused mother and
sister and the three brothers, none of whom
accept Jamie and only one of whom agreed to
be interviewed (but not show his face).
What’s missing from both documentaries is
any explorations of gender fluidity or expres
sion beyond a very binary model. However,
these are trans people from cities smaller and
more conservative than Portland, which makes
for an interesting comparison of how transi
tioning is dealt with in other parts of the coun
try (hut doesn’t allow viewers nationwide vari
ant gender representations to consider).
This problem is somewhat addressed in the
not-to-be-missed after-show discussions with trans
people, including Calpemia Addams, whose boy
friend, Pfc. Barry Winchell, was famously murder
by fellow soldiers, and trans advocate Jamison
Green, who spoke at Portland Pride 2003. JH
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