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 persistentvisions.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.
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
F U L L P R O D U C T I O N C R E D I T S
Director and Producer
Johnny Symons
Editor
Andrew Gersh
Co-Producer
Leah Wolchok
Camera
S. Leo Chiang
Peter LoGreco
Andy Schocken
Music Composition
Norman Arnold
Audio Post-Production
Philip Perkins, C.A.S.
Associate Producer
Eva Moss
Title Design and Motion Graphics
James Kenney
Heath Kessler
Charlie Wayne Denison
Archival Research
Christie Herring
Leah Wolchok
Assistant Editors
Brandi Bell
Keenan Newman
Erin Persley
Brittney Shepherd
Cary Virtue
Bethany Woolman
Post-Production Assistant
Tim O’Hara
Additional Camera
Clark Caldwell
Jake Clennell
Roger Gower
Daniel Kersting
Brian Liu
Rick Miranda
Jim Phelan
Ian Richardson
Mike Seely
Ines Sommer
Johnny Symons
Goro Toshima
Sound
John Cameron
Eva Moss
Johnny Symons
Leah Wolchok
Production Assistance
Lauren Brown
Pearl Emmons
Daniel Ephrem
Danny Gardner
James Gauvain, Jr.
Michael C. Guggino
Andy Harley
Julie Lagarde
Lisa Smith
Color Grader
Gary Coates
Effects Editor
Carlo Flores
Online Edit Facility
Video Arts
Music
Recorded at Track Record, Hollywood
Strings recorded by Damon Tedesco
Orchestration by Ken Fix
Orchestra contracted by Chris Tedesco
Mixed by Jason Nesmith
Bookkeeping
Christine Brown
Douglas Conrad
Transcription
Grace Rutledge
Legal Advice
Heller Ehrman LLP
Rosenstein, Wilson & Dean
Stanford Law School Fair Use Project
Law Offices of Richard J. Lee
Advisory Board
Aaron Belkin
Coit "Chip" Blacker
Nathaniel Frank
Jim Maloney
Archival Sources
ABC News VideoSource
Call to Duty Tour
Jarrod Chlapowski
William J. Clinton Presidential Library
The CONUS Archive
Duane Cramer
CSPAN
Department of Defense
Fred Fox
Alex Koleszar and Scott Hitt
The Los Angeles Times
Anne C. Loveland
Manchester Parents Group UK
National Public Radio
The New York Times
Alex Nicholson
Vince Patton
San Francisco GLBT Historical Society
Servicemembers' Legal Defense Network
Harry S. Truman Presidential Library
U.S. Army DVIDS
Production Stills
Davina Pardo
S. Leo Chiang
Daniel Ephrem
Featuring
Graham Beard
Aaron Belkin
Alexander Burgin
Jarrod Chlapowski
Nina Chlapowski
Sam Chlapowski
Duane Cramer
Rhonda Davis
Fred Fox
Haven Herrin
Craig Jones
Mireille Key
Dennis Laich
Robert Maginnis
David Mixner
Charles Moskos
Alex Nicholson
Kevin Olson
Vince Patton
"Perry"
Jacob Reitan
Alan Steinman
Executive Producer for ITVS
Sally Jo Fifer
ASK NOT is a co-production of Persistent Films LLC and the Independent Television Service (ITVS), with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).
ASK NOT is produced by Persistent Films LLC which is solely responsible for its content
© 2008 Persistent Films LLC. All rights reserved.
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 persistentvisions.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.
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
F U L L P R O D U C T I O N C R E D I T S
Director and Producer
Johnny Symons
Editor
Andrew Gersh
Co-Producer
Leah Wolchok
Camera
S. Leo Chiang
Peter LoGreco
Andy Schocken
Music Composition
Norman Arnold
Audio Post-Production
Philip Perkins, C.A.S.
Associate Producer
Eva Moss
Title Design and Motion Graphics
James Kenney
Heath Kessler
Charlie Wayne Denison
Archival Research
Christie Herring
Leah Wolchok
Assistant Editors
Brandi Bell
Keenan Newman
Erin Persley
Brittney Shepherd
Cary Virtue
Bethany Woolman
Post-Production Assistant
Tim O’Hara
Additional Camera
Clark Caldwell
Jake Clennell
Roger Gower
Daniel Kersting
Brian Liu
Rick Miranda
Jim Phelan
Ian Richardson
Mike Seely
Ines Sommer
Johnny Symons
Goro Toshima
Sound
John Cameron
Eva Moss
Johnny Symons
Leah Wolchok
Production Assistance
Lauren Brown
Pearl Emmons
Daniel Ephrem
Danny Gardner
James Gauvain, Jr.
Michael C. Guggino
Andy Harley
Julie Lagarde
Lisa Smith
Color Grader
Gary Coates
Effects Editor
Carlo Flores
Online Edit Facility
Video Arts
Music
Recorded at Track Record, Hollywood
Strings recorded by Damon Tedesco
Orchestration by Ken Fix
Orchestra contracted by Chris Tedesco
Mixed by Jason Nesmith
Bookkeeping
Christine Brown
Douglas Conrad
Transcription
Grace Rutledge
Legal Advice
Heller Ehrman LLP
Rosenstein, Wilson & Dean
Stanford Law School Fair Use Project
Law Offices of Richard J. Lee
Advisory Board
Aaron Belkin
Coit "Chip" Blacker
Nathaniel Frank
Jim Maloney
Archival Sources
ABC News VideoSource
Call to Duty Tour
Jarrod Chlapowski
William J. Clinton Presidential Library
The CONUS Archive
Duane Cramer
CSPAN
Department of Defense
Fred Fox
Alex Koleszar and Scott Hitt
The Los Angeles Times
Anne C. Loveland
Manchester Parents Group UK
National Public Radio
The New York Times
Alex Nicholson
Vince Patton
San Francisco GLBT Historical Society
Servicemembers' Legal Defense Network
Harry S. Truman Presidential Library
U.S. Army DVIDS
Production Stills
Davina Pardo
S. Leo Chiang
Daniel Ephrem
Featuring
Graham Beard
Aaron Belkin
Alexander Burgin
Jarrod Chlapowski
Nina Chlapowski
Sam Chlapowski
Duane Cramer
Rhonda Davis
Fred Fox
Haven Herrin
Craig Jones
Mireille Key
Dennis Laich
Robert Maginnis
David Mixner
Charles Moskos
Alex Nicholson
Kevin Olson
Vince Patton
"Perry"
Jacob Reitan
Alan Steinman
Executive Producer for ITVS
Sally Jo Fifer
ASK NOT is a co-production of Persistent Films LLC and the Independent Television Service (ITVS), with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).
ASK NOT is produced by Persistent Films LLC which is solely responsible for its content
© 2008 Persistent Films LLC. All rights reserved.