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Daddy & Papa

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Daddy & Papa is an Emmy-nominated one-hour documentary that opens a candid window on the personal, cultural and political implications of gay fatherhood. From surrogacy, foster care and interracial adoption, to the complexities of gay divorce and legal battle around gay parenting this Sundance Film Festival favorite presents a revealing look at some of the gay dads who are breaking new ground in the ever-changing landscape of the American family. Daddy & Papa utilizes an accessible, first-person narrative to create an intimate portrayal of gay dads, following the filmmaker and his partner on the their rocky, and sometimes amusing, journey to parenthood.

Along the way, we meet other gay dads: a single father confronting the isolation of raising at-risk kids in a gay, and largely childless, neighborhood; a healthcare worker battling Florida state law to adopt the child who for five years has called him "Dad"; and a couple and their nine-year-old daughter, whose biggest problem is not that her parents are gay, but divorced. Daddy & Papa takes an unflinching look at some of the complex issues surrounding gay fatherhood, including the effect of sexual orientation on children, challenge of white gay men raising African-American kids, changing relationship of gay fathers to the gay community and real impact on children of being raised without a mother. In the process, it reveals a new picture of what it means to be a family. For tips on facilitating a community forum, information on adoption and foster care, an overview of legal issues, and more, download our 8-page Discussion Guide from the Study Resources section.

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License Period:  5 years
Running Time:  56:44
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"Inspirational!"
Stephen Holden
The New York Times


"Splendid ... Students from a variety of social science disciplines would greatly benefit from seeing this delightful video, including psychology, sociology, government, anthropology, gender studies, sexuality studies, and policy studies. I will use 'Daddy & Papa' for years to come."
Ritch C. Savin-Williams, Professor of Developmental Psychology, Cornell University

"With emotional intelligence, humor, honesty, and courage, 'Daddy and Papa' brings to life the rich social and racial diversity and challenges of gay parenting. This artful, heart-full documentary should be mandatory viewing for every family judge, social worker, educator, mental health professional, policy maker, and neighbor."
Judith Stacey, Professor of Sociology and Gender & Sexuality, New York University


"The controversial subject of gay adoption gets thorough and sympathetic consideration...(in) this thought provoking film."
Booklist


"Wise, honest, and provocative, this intimate look at the state of gay fatherhood at the dawn of the 21st century is highly recommended."
Video Librarian

AWARDS & SCREENINGS:

  • NATIONAL EMMY NOMINATION, Best Documentary
  • AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST FILM, Orinda Film Festival
  • OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY NOMINEE, GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) Media Awards
  • BEST DOCUMENTARY AUDIENCE AWARD, Portland Lesbian & Gay Film Festival
  • BEST DOCUMENTARY AUDIENCE AWARD, 1st Runner-up, Seattle International Film Festival
  • BEST DOCUMENTARY AUDIENCE AWARD, Florida Film Festival
  • BEST FIRST PERSON DOCUMENTARY, Golden Gate Award, San Francisco International Film Festival
  • BEST DOCUMENTARY, Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
  • BEST DOCUMENTARY, Dallas OUTTakes
  • BEST DOCUMENTARY, North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
  • BEST DOCUMENTARY, Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
  • BEST FILM, Runner-Up, Cleveland International Film Festival
  • BREAKING THE MOLD AWARD, Newport International Film Festival
  • DOCUMENTARY MOST LIKELY TO CHANGE THE WORLD, Detroit Docs Films Festival
  • PBS NATIONAL BROADCAST, Independent Lens, 2003
  • GRAND JURY PRIZE NOMINEE, Sundance Film Festival
  • OFFICIAL SELECTION, INPUT (International Public Television) Conference, Aarhus, Denmark
Johnny Symons Johnny Symons is an Emmy-nominated documentary video and filmmaker based in the San Francisco Bay Area. His film Daddy & Papa, about the personal, cultural and political impact of gay men raising kids premiered at Sundance, won more than 15 major festival awards, aired nationally on PBS' Independent Lens and received a national Emmy nomination for Best Documentary. His film Beyond Conception, a feature documentary about the relationship between a lesbian surrogate and a gay male couple as they conceive and bear a child, premiered at the Florida Film Festival and aired on Discovery Health Channel. Symons is the co-producer of the Academy Award-nominated Long Night's Journey Into Day, a feature documentary about South Africa's search for truth and reconciliation and winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival. His newest documentary, Ask Not, about gays and lesbians serving in the US military under the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, premiered at the San Francisco International Film Festival and is currently on the festival circuit before its national broadcast on PBS' Independent Lens. Symons has been creating films on gay culture for more than 15 years, including Beauty Before Age, an exploration of the fear of growing older in the gay male community, which received an NEMN Gold Apple and an IDA nomination; Shaving the Castro, a portrait of a 70-year old Castro Street barber shop, which aired nationally on public television; and Out in Africa, an exploration of black African gay life, which was named Best Documentary at the Turin Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. He has freelanced as a segment producer for the PBS gay and lesbian cultural affairs show, In the Life, since 1998. Symons graduated with honors from Brown University and has a Masters degree in documentary production from Stanford University. He currently teaches documentary film at Stanford and the Art Institute of California-San Francisco.

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