O V E R V I E W ASK NOT is a rare and compelling documentary film that
explores the effects of the US military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gay and lesbian
soldiers and service members. The film exposes the tangled political battles that led to the discriminatory law and examines
the societal shifts that have occurred since its passage in 1993. Current and veteran gay soldiers reveal how “don’t
ask, don’t tell” affects them during their tours of duty, as they struggle to maintain a double life, uncertain of
whom they can trust. The film also explores how gay veterans and youth organizers are turning to forms of personal activism to
overturn the policy. From a national speaking tour of conservative universities to protests at military recruitment offices,
these public events question how the U.S. military can claim to represent democracy and freedom while denying one segment of the
population the right to serve.
P R I N C I P A L C R E D I T S
Johnny Symons persistent-visions.com, Director/Producer, is an award-winning Bay
Area-based documentary film and videomaker. His film DADDY & PAPA (2002), about the personal, cultural, and political impact of
gay men raising kids, premiered at Sundance, won more than 15 major festival awards, aired nationally on PBS’ Independent
Lens and received a national Emmy nomination for Best Documentary. BEYOND CONCEPTION (2006), his feature documentary about the
relationship between a lesbian surrogate and a gay male couple as they conceive and bear a child, premiered at the Florida Film
Festival and aired on Discovery Health Channel. Symons is the co-producer of the Academy Award-nominated LONG NIGHT’S
JOURNEY INTO DAY (2000), which won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival. A documentary
filmmaker since 1991, Symons graduated with honors from Brown University and has a Master’s degree in documentary
production from Stanford University. He currently teaches documentary film at both Stanford and the Art Institute of
California-San Francisco.
FULL BIO
Andrew Gersh gershpost.com, Editor, is a documentary film and video
editor based in Berkeley, California. His work has appeared on PBS (including NOVA and FRONTLINE), ABC, MSNBC, National
Geographic, Discovery, Turner Broadcasting, the BBC in the United Kingdom and in movie theaters worldwide.
Leah
Wolchok redorafilms.com, Co-Producer, is an
award-winning filmmaker who got her start in the documentary world at the Oxygen network. Her short films have screened at
festivals worldwide, including the HBO Frame-by-Frame Documentary Film Series and Silverdocs. She received a BA in English from
Yale and an MA in documentary production from Stanford.
F E A T U R E D C O L L A B O R A
T O R S Call to Duty Tour
calltodutytour.org
Palm Center
palmcenter.org Servicemembers United
servicemembersunited.org
Soulforce
soulforce.org
Full Production Credits