Old Lesbians Documentary Screening and Panel
July 18 @ 6:00 pm - 9:30 pm
SYNOPSIS
Having once lived in fear of losing her job for who she loved, Arden Eversmeyer recognized the importance of reclaiming the words “old” and “lesbian” with pride rather than shame. In 1998, after losing her partner of three decades and realizing that many of her Houston peers would die before telling their truth, Arden purchased a small audio recorder and began taping. As the Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project (OLOHP) expanded by word of mouth, Arden and others began to road-trip across the country to gather more.
Only about half of the interviewees are still alive. Many once believed they were alone in what they felt; they did not have examples in the media nor vocabulary. Still, they carved out lives for themselves with no blueprint in a patriarchal and heteronormative society. Through archival footage and audio, animation, and vérité scenes in the present day, Old Lesbians takes viewers inside these women’s lives– from beginnings to “ah-ha” moments to coming out and proudly living their hard-earned herstories.
DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
As a queer woman, I connect deeply with Arden Eversmeyer’s drive to preserve our community’s life stories through the Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project (OLOHP). I’m especially motivated by OLOHP’s stated mission, to “remind us all of the relative freedom we now enjoy because of the women who were strong enough to live their lives and love whom they wanted in a hostile society.” At the same time, I aim to center the joy, liberation, and sense of humor embedded in each recording. Their words have made me laugh, cry, and everything in between.
My background in journalism has trained me to tell others’ stories with diligence and care. I view this documentary as a joint creation– one that Arden started when she began collecting stories, that her participants and interviewers expanded, and that I am showcasing through film. Ultimately, I hope that this film will lead to more intergenerational queer spaces that connect older and younger members of the community and our allies.