On Screen/In Person Film Series

The next event in the On Screen/In Person film series is particularly relevant to the cultural conversation on transgender rights and is not to be missed.

The film Real Boy is the coming of age story of Bennett Wallace Gwizdalski, a charismatic 19-year-old with dreams of musical stardom. The film follows him through the first two years of his gender transition from female to male as he grapples with newfound sobriety, struggles to repair a strained relationship with his mother and seeks support and mentorship from his musical hero, the well-known transgender folk singer, Joe Stevens.

The screening will take place on Thursday, March 30 at 7 p.m. A community panel will precede the film at 6:15 p.m. and there will be a post-show talk-back with the film’s director, Shaleece Haas. Following that, musician Joe Stevens will perform a mini-concert featuring some of his original music as well as that of his mentee and film star Bennett Wallace.

The community panel will include esteemed professionals including Joe Stevens; Meg Day, Franklin & Marshal Assistant Professor and member of Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies Program; Alexis Lake, therapist; and Dr. Tiffany Wright, Millersville University President’s Commission of Gender & Sexual Diversity Chair.

“Our community panel guests all have some mantle of expertise and special interest in LGBT issues,” says Barry Kornhauser, assistant director of campus and community engagement. “[The guests] have had an opportunity to screen this award-winning documentary ahead of time so that they can share what they think people should look for in the film from their personal perspectives.

“They will also answer audience questions about transgender experience from their respective points of view,” Kornhauser continues. “By providing such context and these differing perspectives, we believe that the audiences’ viewing of the film will be enhanced and enriched.”

Earlier in the day, director Shaleece Haas and musician Joe Stevens will visit with Millersville University students. They will be featured at the Social Work Department Common Hour from 12:10-1:10 p.m. and then lead a discussion for two combined classes – Dr. Gregory Seigworth’s Cultural Studies class and Dr. John Ortiz’s Gender, Utopia, Human Nature class from 2:35-3:50 p.m.

Millersville University is one of only eight sites to receive a grant from the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation to fund the On Screen/In Person film series, which brings the films’ directors and the community together in enlightening conversations about timely topics. The Foundation has invited MU to report the University’s efforts at their annual meeting and to participate in the On Screen/In Person program again next year.

Tickets cost $7 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and students. Visit artsmu.com for tickets and information about future film screenings.