Award-winning Australian filmmaker Maya Newell has lesbian moms, and wants to show people what it’s like growing up with same-sex parents. She is now working to complete Gayby Baby, “a child’s eye view of our newest breed of family.” Watch a promotional video below.
The film is a look into the lives of several children and teens in Australia. Newell and producer Charlotte McLellan explain, “Told from the perspective of the kids, Gayby Baby is a film about the experiences of the newest generation of gaybies, as well as a film about what family in the 21st century might mean to us all.” They hope the documentary will “create a voice for children in same-sex families and help the rest of us make sense of what it means to be raised ‘culturally queer’.”
Newell appeared on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Q&A show earlier this week, where she asked panelists whether they had “ever thought of kids in same-sex families” when considering whether to allow same-sex couples to marry. One of the panelists was Senator Penny Wong, the Commonwealth Minister for Finance and Deregulation, and herself a lesbian mom. (Wong was on Q&A last May, too, when she spoke up for her family against right-wing drivel.)
Australia’s Daily Telegraph also profiled Newell (among others) last year in a piece that gives more insight into same-sex-headed families in the country. (I don’t, however, like the paper’s headline asking whether same-sex parents are “better.” It’s not a competition.)
Here in the U.S., the folks behind the Gay Dad Project are also trying to raise money for a documentary—in their case, about families with one gay and one straight parent. Existing documentaries from the perspective of those with gay or lesbian parents include Meema Spadola’s Our House (2000, updated 2008; my review and interview here), and two short films by Jen Gilomen and COLAGE: In My Shoes (2005) and Family Time (2010). Both of Gilomen’s films are available free on YouTube at the links above.
Below is Newell’s promotional video for her film. Seems like she and McLellan have both the filmmaking and publicity skills to make it a success, although they are still trying to raise money. I can’t wait to see it all.
Gayby Baby the movie – Crowdfunding Trailer (2) from Gayby Baby on Vimeo.
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