“We’ll Be All Right,” a short documentary by IU seniors Barton Girdwood and Carissa Barrett, will air in the Indiana Spotlight section of the ?festival.
Girdwood pitched the story in his documentary film class, and Barrett said she was immediately taken by the project.
“It was different,” Barrett said. “It was something I wanted to be included in.”
The documentary centers on a family, headed by Frankie Presslaff and Kelly Compton. Two dads have adopted eight children and raised them in Bloomington.
What holds the narrative together is Mimsie, Frankie’s mother. Mimsie is the woman who made the family’s existence possible. She fought for Frankie’s rights and supported him throughout his life until her death in 2009.
Mimsie continues to influence Frankie and her grandchildren’s life, specifically through the cassette tapes she left behind. These tapes hold recordings of her voice, sharing stories from beyond the grave. The filmmakers captured Presslaff listening to Mimsie’s cassette tapes for the first time since her death.
“The tapes are the inspiration,” Girdwood said. “They are the glue.”
When Girdwood was introduced to the life of Mimsie and her family through Doug Bauder, IU GLBT Student Support Services office coordinator, he said he knew he had found a remarkable story.
“They are unusual characters doing unusual things,” Girdwood said. “For people to see that type of determination tells a new story for LGBTQ people — it gives them the respect they deserve.”
Girdwood said Lecturer Susanne Schwibs’ class, Documentary Filmmaking, provided just the venue for him to tell the story.
Girdwood and Barrett were new to film before working on this documentary and both said the significance of the film was worth the work.
Schwibs provided mentorship and encouragement throughout the process. As an award-winning filmmaker, Schwibs said she still dedicated time to helping her students. She is the person who suggested they submit their film to Heartland.
“When you pick up that a person is passionate and that they are willing to work hard then you are willing to give a lot back,” Schwibs said. “My job is to facilitate their vision.”
And Girdwood and Barton had a vision. They said they aimed to make a film worthy of its title, “We’ll Be All Right.”
“We are all going to lose someone who means a lot to us,” Girdwood said. “But beyond that, (the family) has to survive.”
Girdwood and Barrett worked closely with the family, developing a bond through the lens. When the film had an initial screening, Barrett said the whole family showed up to see it.
The film took three months of filming and editing. When it was finished, Girdwood and Barrett submitted it to the Heartland Film Festival.
Girdwood, Barrett and Schwib plan to attend the film’s screening at Heartland. The film was also selected for the Indianapolis LGBT Festival, which takes place in ?November.
“It took so much to come to this point.” Barrett said. “It was one of the greatest ?experiences.”
