Landmark gay documentary, WORD IS OUT, is restored, rereleased

When "Word Is Out" appeared in movie theaters in 1978 and later, on television, it became an icon of the emerging gay rights movement. It was the first feature-length documentary about lesbian and gay identity made by gay filmmakers, and it generated a groundswell of support and gratitude. Mariposa Film Group received thousands of letters telling them how much this film meant to them.

Now it's been lovingly and painstakingly restored--newly preserved to 35mm by the UCLA Film & Television Archives and the Outfest Legacy Project. Preserved from the original 16mm color negative, a 35mm color reversal intermediate, the original 35mm soundtrack negative, and the original 1/4" audio recordings, the "Word Is Out" restoration was made possible by The David Bohnett Foundation, The Andrew J. Kuehn, Jr. Foundation, and members of Outfest.

"Word Is Out" will be rereleased on June 8, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first Gay Pride marches. The restoration premiered at the 2010 Berlin International Film Festival, and the DVD version is being released by Milestone Films. Bonus features include a new documentary, "Word Is Out, Then and Now: Thirty Years Later," "Afterthoughts" by the filmmakers and participants, the trailer, PSAs, and "Remembering Peter Adair."

The interviewees of "Word Is Out" range in age from 18 to 77, among them poet Elsa Gidlow, political activist Sally Gearhart, inventor John Burnside, civil rights leader Harry Hay, and avant-garde filmmaker Nathaniel Dorsky. "Types" range from a housewife in bee-hive hair-do to a sultry drag queen. But all deliver their testimony with extraordinary intelligence, grace, honesty, and conviction, collectively forming a work of oral history that is profoundly engaging and deeply moving.

"Word Is Out" remains an important record of the gay and lesbian experience in America near the start of the movement. Thirty years later, it's fascinating to see how far this country has (and hasn't) come in the matter of equal rights based on sexual orientation.

"The whole movie worked as a piece of art and a piece of social activism," said the late Peter Adair, one of six people who collaborated to make "Word Is Out." Suggested retail price is $29.95.