Small Town Gay Bar
Encyclopedia
Small Town Gay Bar is a 2006
documentary
directed
by Malcolm Ingram
that focuses on two gay bars in the rural deep Southeast United States, one in Shannon, Mississippi
, and one in Meridian, Mississippi
. The documentary was produced by View Askew Productions
with Kevin Smith
serving as executive producer
.
, and Different Seasons/Crossroads in Meridian, Mississippi
.
Additionally the film visits Bay Minette, Alabama
, to look at the brutal hate crime
murder of Scotty Joe Weaver
. The film focuses on a group of folks who are less concerned with the national debate over gay marriage than they are with the life risks they take being openly gay
in small Southern towns.
2006 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
by Malcolm Ingram
Malcolm Ingram
Malcolm Ingram is a Canadian independent film director, pornographic film director, and podcaster. He was born in 1968 and hails from Toronto. He has made Drawing Flies under View Askew Productions, which was produced by Scott Mosier and Kevin Smith, Tail Lights Fade, and Small Town Gay Bar, a...
that focuses on two gay bars in the rural deep Southeast United States, one in Shannon, Mississippi
Shannon, Mississippi
Shannon is a town in Lee County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,657 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Shannon is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
, and one in Meridian, Mississippi
Meridian, Mississippi
Meridian is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Mississippi. It is the sixth largest city in the state and the principal city of the Meridian, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area...
. The documentary was produced by View Askew Productions
View Askew Productions
View Askew Productions is an American film and television production company founded by Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier in 1994. Actors Ben Affleck, Jeff Anderson, Matt Damon, Walter Flanagan, Bryan Johnson, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, Brian O'Halloran and Smith himself are just some of the stars that...
with Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, and director, as well as a popular comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality best recognized by viewers as Silent Bob...
serving as executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
.
Plot
The story of community in the Deep South that is forced to deal with the struggles of ignorance, hypocrisy and oppression, Malcolm Ingram's "Small Town Gay Bar" visits two Mississippi communities and bases those visits around two small gay bars, Rumors in Shannon, MississippiShannon, Mississippi
Shannon is a town in Lee County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,657 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Shannon is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
, and Different Seasons/Crossroads in Meridian, Mississippi
Meridian, Mississippi
Meridian is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Mississippi. It is the sixth largest city in the state and the principal city of the Meridian, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area...
.
Additionally the film visits Bay Minette, Alabama
Bay Minette, Alabama
Bay Minette is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city was 7,820. According to the 2007 U.S. Census estimates, the city had an population of about 7,726 people. The city is the county seat of Baldwin County...
, to look at the brutal hate crime
Hate crime
In crime and law, hate crimes occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her perceived membership in a certain social group, usually defined by racial group, religion, sexual orientation, disability, class, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, social status or...
murder of Scotty Joe Weaver
Scotty Joe Weaver
Scotty Joe Weaver was an 18-year-old murder victim from Bay Minette, Alabama, whose burned and partially-decomposed body was discovered on July 22, 2004, a few miles from the mobile home in which he lived...
. The film focuses on a group of folks who are less concerned with the national debate over gay marriage than they are with the life risks they take being openly gay
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
in small Southern towns.
Cast
- Jim Bishop as Himself
- Bill Curtis as Himself
- Rick Gladish as Himself
- Fred PhelpsFred PhelpsFred Waldron Phelps, Sr. is an American pastor heading the Westboro Baptist Church , an independent Baptist church based in Topeka, Kansas...
as Himself - Charles Smith as Himself
- Justin Williams as Himself
Quotes
- Kevin SmithKevin SmithKevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, and director, as well as a popular comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality best recognized by viewers as Silent Bob...
, executive producer of Small Town Gay Bar and also of "Silent Bob" fame: "It's a film that is a portrait of small-town gay bars in rural Mississippi," Smith said, straightening up. "Which is probably the hardest place in the world to be gay. It's a portrait of how people will create their own community, even in the middle of a community that ostracizes them and wants nothing to do with them. They can still collectively come together and create an oasis for themselves to just chill out and be themselves and be who they can't be in this particular buckle of the Bible Belt." - David Rooney of Daily Variety Magazine: "Ingram illustrates how gay bars function as oases of acceptance and alternative families for his good-humored, enduring subjects."
- Philip Martin of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: "Ingram’s movie not only makes it clear that people can be brave and resourceful in the face of intolerance, they can also throw a great party."
Soundtrack
- "Rollin' and Tumblin'" by R. L. BurnsideR. L. BurnsideNot to be confused with R. H. Burnside, stage director.R. L. Burnside , born Robert Lee Burnside, was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist who lived much of his life in and around Holly Springs, Mississippi. He played music for much of his life, but did not receive much attention...
- "Tired Hands" by K.C. Accidental
- "'Cause Cheap Is How I Feel" by Cowboy JunkiesCowboy JunkiesCowboy Junkies are a Canadian alternative country/blues/folk rock band. The group was formed in Toronto in 1985 by Margo Timmins , Michael Timmins , Peter Timmins and Alan Anton ....
- "Mosquito" by Jake Fairley
- "Anthems For a 17-Year-Old Girl" by Broken Social SceneBroken Social SceneBroken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock band, a musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed in 1999 by Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning. Most of its members currently play in various other groups and solo projects, mainly based around the city of Toronto...
- "Love Is A Place" by MetricMetric (band)Metric is a Canadian indie rock and New Wave band founded in 1998 in Toronto. The band has also at various times been based in Montreal, London, New York City and Los Angeles...
- "A Million Dead End Jobs" by FemBotsFemBotsFemBots are a Canadian indie rock band, originating from Toronto, Ontario. Originating members Dave MacKinnon and Brian Poirier also travel with The Weakerthans on tour...
- "The Rainbow" by WeenWeenWeen is an American alternative rock group. They formed in 1984 in New Hope, Pennsylvania when central members Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo met in an eighth grade typing class. Ween has a large cult underground fanbase despite being generally unknown in American pop music...
- "The Transit Song" by FemBots
- "What Comes After One" by FemBots
- "Animals Of Prey" by The Hidden CamerasThe Hidden CamerasThe Hidden Cameras are a Canadian indie pop band. Fronted by singer-songwriter Joel Gibb, the band consists of a varying roster of musicians who play what Gibb once described as "gay church folk music"...
- "At Night" by Jake Fairley
- "We Oh We" by The Hidden Cameras
- "Gay Bar" by Electric SixElectric SixElectric Six is a six-piece metro Detroit-based band that plays what has been described as a brand of rock music infused with elements of "garage, disco, punk, new wave, and metal." The band met recognition in 2003 with the singles "Danger! High Voltage" and "Gay Bar", and subsequently recorded...
- "The Fear Is On" by The Hidden Cameras
- "Small Town Murder Scene" by FemBots
- "Broken And Blue" by FemBots
- "I'm Still Your Fag" by Broken Social Scene
- "Ban Marriage" by The Hidden Cameras
Awards
- 2006 Grand Jury Award winner at the Outfest: The Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film FestivalOutfestOutfest is an LGBT-oriented film showcase and festival in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1982 as the "Gay and Lesbian Media Festival and Conference", the name was changed to Outfest in 1994.-Programs:...
for Best Documentary - 2006 Grand Jury Award winner at the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival for Best Documentary
- 2006 Nominated for Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film FestivalSundance Film FestivalThe Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
- 2006 Official Selection at the Sundance Film Festival
- 2006 Official Selection at the SXSW Film Festival
- 200819th Annual GLAAD Media AwardsThe GLAAD Media Awards were created in 1990 by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation to "recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives."Here, the nominees of...
GLAAD Media AwardGLAAD Media AwardsThe GLAAD Media Award is an accolade bestowed by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives...
nomination for Best Documentary