Red Without Blue

Brooke Sebold, Benita Sills, Todd Sills
USA
2007

I don’t really think I was born into this world as a man or as a woman. I think the process of changing was the path I was born into.

74", Betacam SP
Color, English

about the film

One of the year’s most acclaimed documentaries, Red Without Blue is a ground-breaking portrayal of gender, identity, and the bond of twinship despite transformation. Born in Montana, Mark and Alex were quintessentially all-American twins: early photos and family films show two cute, enthusiastic blond boys with picture perfect supportive parents. Yet by the time they were 14, their parents had divorced, they had come out as gay, and a joint suicide attempt precipitated a forced separation for two and half years. The film opens after they reunite –Mark is now an art student in San Francisco, while Alex has become Clair, a liberal arts student in New York. Over a period of three years, the film documents the twins and their parents, examining the Farley’s struggle to redefine their family as Clair decides to undergo surgery to become a woman. Painful, funny and deeply moving, we watch as a seemingly ordinary family comes to terms with being “different”. Above all, Red Without Blue is a powerful testament to the mysterious and redemptive power of love, whether between siblings, parents and children or lovers. The story of this fragile yet brave family teaches us that if we open our hearts wide enough, we can all truly come home.

about the director

Brooke Sebold studied film at Brown University and has been writing, editing and producing films in the Bay Area for the last six years. Presently, she works as an editor for the Vanguard Group at Al Gore’s new cable television station, Current TV.

Benita Sills has been working in the documentary film industry for seven years. After producing educational documentaries at CBS in New York, she moved to San Francisco and worked for two established documentary film production companies: The Working Group and Citizen Film.

Todd Sills studied film at New York University and holds degrees in religion and poetry from Northwestern University. After working at Merchant Ivory Films in New York, he moved to San Francisco where he splits his time managing Access Video and working on the post-production team at KQED.

awards

2007 Slamdance Film Festival: Best Documentary Feature Audience Award
San Francisco Gay & Lesbian Film Festival: Best Documentary
Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival: Best Documentary
Dublin Gay & Lesbian Film Festival: Best Documentary
Stockholm Film Festival
Belfast Film Festival
Seattle Film Festival
Jerusalem Film Festival

screenings

February 22 Friday, 7:30 PM AFM Fitaş Beyoğlu 1

February 24 Sunday, 5:30 PM AFM Fitaş Beyoğlu 1

February 29 Friday, 4:00 PM AFM CEPA Ankara 4

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