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“Voicings,” a new film by filmmaker Stephen Williams (writer, director of “Blessing”), will be shot in Salt Lake City during October. The film portrays the internal struggles of a highly religious, Mormon man who is also gay and closeted. “I’m trying to show the role the culture plays in pushing gay men underground,” says Williams. “Films like ‘Far From Heaven’ and ‘Brokeback Mountain’ explore the plight of the closeted gay man, but they don't address the issue from a religious perspective. With ‘Voicings’ I hope to show how strong religious beliefs (i.e., in the eternal family, etc.) can be a major obstacle to a person's willingness to simply tell the truth.” Williams says that the film is primarily targeted at a straight audience, especially for those with a religious background. “I think gay audiences will enjoy the film.” The film will be 18 minutes long. Williams hopes to complete the post-production work in January, 2009 and submit the film to film festivals around the country. In addition, he hopes to use “Voicings” to find investors to finance a full length film on the same topic. Williams and producer Karl Bennion are looking for funding to complete the production, which is expected to cost about $3,000. The amount is small because many participants are donating their time and talent. “Short films are not money makers,” says Williams. “I am doing this because these films need to be made.” Donations from individuals would be greatly appreciated and may be made to Affirmation Gay & Lesbian Mormons, earmarked for “Voicings,” or by using this printer-friendly form. Donations to Affirmation are tax deductible and a grant in excess of the amount collected will be made to the production company for this project. Please mail donations directly to Affirmation, P.O. Box 1435, Palm Springs, CA 92263. “Voicings” will be shown at the 2009 Affirmation Conference and will be made available for Affirmation Chapter events next year. The DVD will also be available for sale to individuals. Stephen Williams will answer questions any interested parties or potential donors might have and is interested in general comments about this project. He may be reached at sjwill  xmission.com.
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www.affirmation.org