Southern Pride

Take a look at the upcoming powerful and essential LGBTQ Pride documentary SOUTHERN PRIDE directed by award winning Malcolm Ingram who delivers a poignant companion piece to his first documentary SMALL TOWN GAY BAR. This story about two Pride events in the rural American South examines the lives of LGBTQ living in Mississippi after the pivotal 2016 US Presidential election and drives home what it means to be connected with the community, especially in a time when we feel more and more alone.

In 2006, Malcolm Ingram’s award-winning documentary Small Town Gay Bar (Frameline30) explored gay bars in rural Mississippi. Gay bars are often the only safe communities for small-town LGBTQ people in the Deep South’s Bible Belt, and bigoted forces—Fred Phelps, Tim Wildmon, and more—have long tried to shut them down. Now, after the election of Donald Trump has emboldened anti-LGBTQ hatred in the region, Ingram returns to document the travails of running a gay bar in Mississippi, with a profile of lesbian bar owners in Biloxi and Hattiesburg.

Lynn Koval, the white owner of Just Us Lounge, the oldest gay bar in the state, and Shawn Perryon, Sr., the black owner of the nine-year-old Club Xclusive, decide separately to hold their cities’ first Pride celebrations in 2017, as a rebuke to the “open-season” mentality encouraged by Trump, as well as to Mississippi’s Religious Liberty Accommodations Act, the Pulse nightclub terrorist attack, and the murders of three Gulf Coast transgender women shortly after the 2017 inauguration. Just Us Lounge restored their community after Hurricane Katrina leveled Biloxi and nearly destroyed the bar. Can they and Club Xclusive organize a Pride event in the face of homophobia and racism? Months of preparation yield fundraising fiascos, unexpected road repairs, and the comical hustling of indifferent spring breakers. But the power of community should never be underestimated, and the brave efforts of the two gay bars are an inspiring example of real Southern pride.

VOD Release June 11, 2019

Available On: iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, Google Play, Fandango Now, Direct TV, Dish Network, and local cable providers

MALCOLM INGRAM – DIRECTOR / PRODUCER

MALCOLM INGRAM (Director / Producer) While on assignment for Film Threat magazine, Ingram met filmmaker Kevin Smith (Chasing Amy, Dogma, Clerks), who soon became his mentor. Smith financed Ingram’s first feature film, “Drawing Flies,” starring rising talent Jason Lee. Shot in the summer of 1995, the comedy found success on the Festival circuit and was released on DVD. Ingram’s next feature, “Tail Lights Fade” featured a high profile, talented cast including Denise Richards, Jake Busey, Elizabeth Berkeley and Margot Kidder. The film, a delirious action-comedy-drama, was released by Trimark/Lions Gate in 1999.

His third film, the documentary “Small Town Gay Bar,” also executive produced by Kevin Smith, has screened at over 100 film festivals around the globe. Making its world premiere at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, the film received a nomination for the Grand Jury Prize and went on to get a GLAAD Media Award nomination for Best Documentary. It also garnered multiple awards including the HBO Award for Best Documentary at the Miami LGBT Film Festival and the Grand Jury Award at Outfest in Los Angeles. Ingram’s next film project, “Bear Nation,” premiered at the 2010 SXSW Film Festival and played over 50 film festivals before winning the Best Documentary at the Atlanta International Film Festival.

His next documentary “Continental,” that tells the story of the infamous NYC cultural landmark and venue that started the careers of Bette Midler, Barry Manilow, Patti LaBelle and Frankie Knuckles while serving as a social and political hub, premiered to sell-out audiences at the 2013 SXSW Film Festival. It has since gone on to win awards and screen at festivals including the Hot Docs International Documentary Festival, Outfest, Frameline, Palm Springs International Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival and 2013 BAM Cinemafest.

His most recent documentary “Out To Win” tells the history of openly gay and lesbian professional athletes including indepth interviews with Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Jason Collins, Brittney Griner, John Amaechi, Billy Bean and more. The film debuted to acclaim at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival before landing high profile spots at festivals including the 2015 AFI Film Festival in Washington DC, Centerpiece Gala screenings at Outfest in Los Angles and Frameline in San Francisco, a Closing Night Gala screening at the BFI Flare Film Festival in London, England and a Big Ideas showcase screening as part of the 2015 Hot Docs International Documentary Film Festival in Toronto.

MONTE ZAIJCEK – PRODUCER

Monte Zajicek graduated from the American Film Institute in 2001 with a Masters in Fine Arts from their producing program.  He spent many years in LA working in commercials as a freelancer for many of the big commercial production houses.  After over a decade in LA, Monte returned to his hometown of Dallas, TX where he found his way into producing feature films.  Having done six films in three years, he recently premiered his latest feature documentary about the 90’s cult classic ‘Showgirls’ called “You Don’t Nomi” at the Tribeca Film Festival, and has two other narrative features expected to debut in 2020; including “Shoplifters of the World” a story about the last night of the summer in 1989 set entirely to the soundtrack of The Smiths.