Nashville’s Outhaus Films Debuting Their Ground Breaking Film, “Invisible,” About Gay Women In Southern Music At The 52nd Nashville Film Festival
Writer and director T.J. Parsell and producer Bill Brimm are introducing their latest documentary film Invisible at this year’s Nashville Film Festival on Tuesday, October 5 at 7 PM CT at Marathon Music Works.
The documentary encompasses the stories of gay women in the southern music industries and the struggles they faced while owning their sexuality despite the institutionalized pushback of a male dominated field. The film features recording artists, songwriters and industry leaders such as Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Pam Tillis, Chely Wright, Mary Gauthier, Kye Fleming, Bonnie Baker, Jess Leary, Ruthie Foster, Cidny Bullens (formerly Cindy Bullens), Gretchen Peters, Dianne Davidson, Mary Ann Kennedy, Pam Rose, Cheryl Wheeler, Virginia Team, Jessie Scott, Rodney Crowell and writers Robert Oermann and Mary Bufwak (Co-authors of Finding Her Voice, An Illustrated History of Women in Country Music).
“Very early on, I started to scratch my head and wonder how much of what these women experienced was because they were gay, and how much of it was because they were women?” says T.J. Parsell. “We’ll let the audience decide, but I think women need to be represented more and the men who are in charge need to see this film.”
The 52nd Nashville Film Festival will be presented this September 30th-October 6th to celebrate various human expressions through the artistry of filmmaking. Invisible will be screening on Tuesday, October 5th at Marathon Music Works, 1402 Clinton Street.
“This is a woman’s story,” Director T.J. Parsell continues, “and even though Bill Brimm and I are both gay, we’re still men – so it was very important to us to hire women in key creative roles to help us tell this story with as much depth and understanding as possible.”
The film’s Director of Photography, Sandra Chandler is a lesbian and the Editor; Emily Gumpel Clifton, is bisexual. Invisible showcases the real-life experiences and undeniable talent of the women who busted through barriers put in place by a systemically white male heterosexual industry.
“At the end of the last reel, this is an uplifting film, because no matter how many forces seemed to conspire to keep these women down, their artistry and voices came through anyhow,” says producer Bill Brimm.
The documentary has been receiving rave reviews:
“Deeply moving.” – Linda Ronstadt
“Film is a highly collaborative art form, and one might say that Brimm’s and Parsell’s partnership is an example of the universe working in favor of the creative process by putting two artists with complementary skill sets and temperaments in each other’s paths.” – Leslie LaChance, The East Nashvillian
“Contemporary country music is finally coming out of the closet. The contributions of lesbian singer-songwriters are generally not the first thing that come to mind in the arena of country music, but some of the greatest hits in the genre are the work of gay women. Author, activist, and filmmaker T.J. Parsell brings their hidden stories, songs, and stunningly beautiful voices to light in this affirming, personal, and sensitively produced documentary” – Leah Loschiavo, Frameline
“Queer cinema plays such an essential role in the LGBTQ+ community on so many levels. In the case of T.J. Parsell’s fascinating new feature-length documentary Invisible, it’s about educating us by sharing the tale of how a group of queer women are still dealing with such a persistent and pernicious form of homophobia that hardly anyone outside the world of country music are even aware of.” – Roger Walker-Dack, Queerguru.com
The film Invisible won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at Frameline The San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival at its world premiere in June. To secure your tickets and stay up to date on the Invisible screening at this year’s Nashville Film Festival follow the links below.
Nashville Film Festival Website: nashvillefilmfestival.org
Website: outhausfilms.com
Facebook: facebook.com/invisiblefeaturedoc
Instagram: instagram.com/invisiblefeaturedoc
Twitter: twitter.com/InvisibleLGBT
About T.J. Parsell
T.J. Parsell is filmmaker, author and human rights activist dedicated to using film as a tool for social change. He has an MFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and his award-winning films on social issues have screened at festivals and have been viewed online millions of times. His films on sexual safety behind bars are mandatory screening for incoming prisoners throughout the United States and his PSAs on Juvenile Justice were instrumental in raising the age of adult criminal responsibility in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Michigan.
About Bill Brimm
Bill Brimm is a native of Nashville. He grew up in a neighborhood that was home to country music legends Kitty Wells, Hank Snow, Earl Scruggs and many others. The Nashville music industry has always been a part of his life. His close personal relationship with several successful gay women songwriters was the early catalyst for Invisible.
About Invisible
This ground-breaking documentary explores the individual and collective journeys of a group of LGBTQ+ women (and one trans man) who have successfully navigated the male-dominated landscape of southern music, crafting number one hits for some of country music’s greatest legends including Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley and many more. Yet, the most difficult part of their journeys was remaining true to themselves and their art while trying to maintain a livelihood. Invisible features Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Pam Tillis, Chely Wright, Mary Gauthier, Kye Fleming, Bonnie Baker, Jess Leary, Ruthie Foster, Cidny Bullens (formerly Cindy Bullens), Gretchen Peters, Dianne Davidson, Maryann Kennedy, Pam Rose, Cheryl Wheeler, Virginia Team, Jessie Scott, Rodney Crowell and writers Robert Oermann and Mary Bufwak (Co-authors of Finding Her Voice, An Illustrated History of Women in Country Music).