The Filmmaker
My goal was to show the duality of being a gay person from the South. Because the South is so entrenched in the Bible Belt, homosexuality is not always tolerated. However, all southerners love the South even when it doesn't love them.
Southern culture has three primary aspects: family, faith and food. Sunday dinner is the culmination of the three F's. It's when the entire family gets together after church to eat. This project centers on a southern Sunday dinner in Los Angeles, where six gay men from different, rural southern towns come together to share the stories of their struggles against religious persecution, feelings of isolation and even violence.
I wanted to use something traditional like the Sunday dinner to show that southern tradition can be inclusive of all people. It was also a good opportunity to get my subject into a southern state of mind so they would be more likely to open up about their lives.
The stories of struggle against religious dogma and family intolerance are real and heart felt...so are the stories of love for southern family, faith and food.
In the end, what we realized was that we brought the South with us to a new home in Los Angeles.
- -Jason Ball, Writer/Producer/Director
Jason started his professional career as a television newscast producer in Memphis, Tennessee where he met his longtime partner, Troy. He has also worked in the television news business in Miami and Los Angeles.
This is Jason's first venture directing a documentary feature. He is also the author of two screenplays, one of which is set in the South.
He lives in Los Angeles's Silver Lake neighborhood with his partner, Troy, and their dog, Earl.