Community Cinema, presented by the Independent Television Service ( ITVS ), Independent Lens, WTTW, together with the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Center on Halsted, and Community Activism Law Alliance, announces an advance screening of Limited Partnership, a film by Thomas G. Miller and Kirk Marcolina.
Limited Partnership uncovers the often untold history of the activism that has led to a historical point, as the Supreme Court imminently is set to rule on same-sex marriage.
The film chronicles the 40-year love story between Filipino American Richard Adams and his Australian husband, Tony Sullivan. In 1975, thanks to a courageous county clerk in Boulder, Colorado, Richard and Tony were one of the first same-sex couples to be legally married in the world. Richard immediately filed for a green card for Tony based on their marriage.
But unlike most heterosexual married couples who easily obtain legal status for their spouses, Richard received a denial letter from the Immigration and Naturalization Service stating, "You have failed to establish that a bona fide marital relationship can exist between two faggots."
Outraged at the tone, tenor, and politics of the letter, and to prevent Tony's impending deportation, the couple decided to sue the U.S. government, initiating the first federal lawsuit seeking equal treatment for a same-sex marriage in U.S. history.
The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Windy City Times Publisher Tracy Baim, attorney and activist Nebula Li, and Anna Salgado, a queer, undocumented immigrant.
The free preview screening of Limited Partnership, followed by a community discussion about the intersection between LGBTQ and immigrant rights, is Saturday, May 16, 2 p.m., Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St. RSVP: limitedpartnershipchicago.eventbrite.com .
Presenters: ITVS Community Cinema, WTTW, together with the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Center on Halsted, and Community Activism Law Alliance.
For more information, visit: www.pbs.org/independentlens/limited-partnership/ .
About the Filmmakers
Thomas G. Miller ( Producer/Director ) has worked on documentaries and in public television since 1994. He associate produced the Sundance award-winning film Licensed to Kill ( POV, PBS ), and co-produced the recent award-winning film Code Black. He co-produced and edited Fender Philosophers for PBS and Camp Out for Logo TV. He edited the feature documentary films, Good Kurds, Bad Kurds and Home of the Brave. He produced and directed the award-winning feature documentary, ONE BAD CAT: The Reverend Albert Wagner Story ( Ovation ). Other credits include producing television films for Discovery, and WNET's series on disabilities, People in Motion. Miller is also on the board of the International Documentary Association and has been teaching editing, documentary filmmaking, and mentoring the Sloan Science films at the USC School of Cinematic Arts since 2004. He is a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and the Writer's Guild of America, West. He is also a pediatrician and has served as medical consultant for Sesame Street and other film and television series. He graduated with a BS degree in zoology from The University of Michigan, an MD from the Medical College of Ohio, and an MFA from the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
Kirk Marcolina ( Producer ) has worked in television and documentary filmmaking for nearly 20 years. Most recently, he produced and directed The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne, an award-winning documentary about an 80-year-old jewel thief that premiered at Hot Docs in 2013. He also produced and directed the feature documentary, Camp Out ( Logo TV ) about the first Bible Camp for gay teenagers. Marcolina's television work includes co-executive producing Boy Meets Boy ( Bravo ), Gay Weddings ( Bravo ), Switched ( ABC Family ) and That Yin Yang Thing ( TLC ). Marcolina also directed the Disney Channel documentary series Bug Juice and has edited many reality-based and documentary series. Marcolina has taught Documentary Production at California State University, Long Beach and was a Trustee of the International Documentary Association. He received his MFA in Film and Video Production from the University of Southern California and his BA in Communication from the University of Pennsylvania.
About the Panelists
Tracy Baim is publisher and executive editor at Windy City Times, which she co-founded in 1985. In 2014, she was inducted into the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association Hall of Fame. Baim's most recent book is Barbara Gittings: Gay Pioneer. Her other books include Gay Press, Gay Power: The Growth of LGBT Community Newspapers in America; Obama and the Gays: A Political Marriage; and Out and Proud in Chicago. Baim was executive producer of the lesbian film Hannah Free, starring Sharon Gless, and Scrooge & Marley. She is creator of That's So Gay!, an LGBT trivia game.
Nebula Li is an attorney and activist committed to engaging with the community to advance social change from the perspective of a queer, feminist, gender nonconforming Asian American, and 2nd generation immigrant. Nebula is a staff attorney at Community Activism Law Alliance ( CALA ), and coordinates the CALA/Enlace Chicago clinic in Little Village. After graduating from the University of Chicago Law School, Nebula has worked as a community organizer and attorney at various nonprofits and public interest law firms across Chicago. They currently serve on the board of the Chicago National Lawyers Guild, and as a member of the LGBTQ Immigrant Rights Coalition of Chicago. Aside from legal work, Nebula participates in community organizations Invisible 2 Invincible: Asian/Pacific Islander Pride of Chicago ( i2i ) and National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum ( NAPAWF ).
Arianna Salgado is a queer, undocumented immigrant and activist who is currently a student at Dominican University. Arianna has worked with several community organizations such as Nuestra Voz, West Suburban Action Project, the Immigrant Youth Justice League, West Suburban Immigrant Collective, and Undocumented Illinois. She has organized college workshops that inform students and families about the opportunities and resources available to undocumented students in the state of Illinois. Arianna has also worked to build safe and welcoming spaces for undocumented immigrants and to continue to build visibility for issues faced by undocumented and queer individuals. She has also taken part in organizing anti-deportation and anti-detention campaigns and is fluent in Spanish.
About Community Cinema
Community Cinema is a national civic engagement initiative featuring free screenings of films from the Emmy® Award-winning PBS series Independent Lens. Presented by Independent Television Service ( ITVS ) in partnership with local public television stations and community organizations, these in-person events and online social screenings bring community members together to learn, discuss, and get involved in key social issues of our time. For a complete lineup and more information about the Community Cinema series visit: communitycinema.org .
About Independent Lens
Independent Lens is an Emmy® Award-winning weekly series airing on PBS Monday nights at 10:00 p.m. The acclaimed series features documentaries united by the creative freedom, artistic achievement, and unflinching visions of independent filmmakers. Presented by Independent Television Service, the series is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, with additional funding from PBS and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. For more visit pbs.org/independentlens. Join the conversation: facebook.com/independentlens and on Twitter @IndependentLens .
