Revealing his true identity: Coming Out
"When I was a questioning teenager, and later when I made the decision to come out of the closet, I searched for a film that showed the process of coming out,” said Alden Peters, a young NYC-based filmmaker. “I found nothing but fiction films and YouTube videos, and nobody discussed what happened immediately after coming out.”
Peters said he wanted to see that entire process and hear the uncertainties along the way. “Over five years later, Coming Out is the film that I craved."
In his directorial debut, this young gay man documents his own coming-out experience, capturing everything on-camera as he plans and boldly captures his disclosures to friends, family, and society.
Inspired by social media coming out videos by teens around the world, Coming Out places viewers directly inside the raw, intimate moments when Peters reveals his true identity to his family and friends, ranging from the painfully awkward to the hilariously honest. In the age of smartphones, Facebook, and over-sharing, Coming Out succeeds in making the personal both a cultural event and a political celebration, and a poignant transcendence of the genre.
Crowdsourced videos from LGBTQ youth from around the world complement the depth of Peters’ own story, and he also interviews his own family, friends, and leading LGBT figures and experts, including Janet Mock, about the unique challenges of coming out in today's digital era.
Peters, the Director/Producer, is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and journalist who studied at New York University and at the Ludwig Foundation of Cuba in Havana, Cuba. He has been featured in Out Magazine, Time Out New York, Huffington Postand more.
This young, talented artist has also served as the Head of Production at Alleywire, and has worked with organizations such as the Tyler Clementi Foundation and the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (which secured landmark status for the Stonewall Inn in 2015).
Peters is a cofounder of Casa Vera Productions, where he produces and directs documentary films.
This film is 72 minutes long and can be purchased on digital platforms and at WolfeVideo.com after October 4.
Copyright 2016 The Gayly – October 9, 2016 @ 11:45 a.m.