The documentary was one of the finalists chosen out of a pool of 180 submissions for KPBS Explore, designed to develop programming by local filmmakers. Media Arts San Diego is a partner, and KPBS has also funded the project. The interviews will continue into the fall, and to complete production on the $38,000 project, Cashman and Detwiler are raising money by crowdsourcing. “This project really is a reflection of gay social history in the United States,” said Detwiler, the film’s director. Along the way, they’re hoping to understand the role of these bars from a cultural and historical standpoint.
In dozens of interviews with LGBTQ San Diegans - activists, bartenders and bar owners - filmmakers Paul Detwiler and Chris Cashman are asking people about their memories of the city’s gay bars. If you think gay bars are just places for dancing, drinking and flirty fun, think again.Ī new documentary being filmed now in San Diego and set to air on KPBS next summer argues that the bars have a complex cultural, political and historical significance.
