Stetson to Screen Award-Winning ‘Open Dialogues’ Film Series, Starting Jan. 27

Michael Candelaria January 25, 2024
“Stories from the LGBTQ Community” will be presented Jan. 27 at the Lynn Business Center’s Rinker Auditorium, beginning at 2 p.m.

The Art and Culture Center/Hollywood is partnering with Stetson to screen its award-winning Open Dialogues documentary film-shorts series on the university’s DeLand campus. Four screenings with panel discussions will be presented by Stetson’s Center for Community Engagement in collaboration with the Homer and Dolly Hand Art Center on campus and DeLand Pride, beginning at 2 p.m. in the Rinker Auditorium, located in the Lynn Business Center.

The public is invited, and students will have the opportunity to earn Cultural Credit for each film. The scheduled dates are:

  • Jan. 27: “Stories from the LGBTQ Community”
  • Feb. 24: “Black Voices | Black Stories”
  • March 23: “Queer Allies”
  • April 13: “Gen QueerZ”

About Open Dialogues

Produced by the Art and Culture Center/Hollywood, Open Dialogues captures the personal narratives and performances of South Florida residents who have been marginalized based on race and/or gender. Each film is directed, edited and photographed in black-and-white by Freddy Rodriguez of Miami-based 66 Films. 

Open Dialogues films have been shown since 2020 in a myriad of platforms, including film festivals, at colleges and universities, and on broadcast television, winning numerous awards.

“Stories From the LGBTQ Community” was named Best Short – Audience Award Runner-up in the 2021 Fort Lauderdale edition of the OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival.

“Black Voices | Black Stories” received an Emmy Award in the Diversity/Equity/Inclusion Long-Form Content category at the 2023 Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards and is a Silver Winner for Social Justice Film from the 2023 Telly Awards. 

“Queer Allies” was named Best Documentary Short at the 2023 Orlando Film Festival, and was screened this fall at the Fort Lauderdale, OUTshine and CineWorld (Sarasota) film fests.

“Gen QueerZ” premiered on National Coming-Out Day, Oct. 11, 2023, and captures the LGBTQ+ narratives of eight South Florida students who are part of Generation Z. 

Visit this website for film trailers and cast bios.

Open Dialogues is supported by grants from the Community Foundation of Broward, The Our Fund Foundation, The Windhover Foundation, and Jarett and Dara Levan Fund for the Arts at the Community Foundation of Broward. 

For more information, contact Ann-Marie Willacker, Stetson Coordinator of Community Impact, at [email protected] or 386-822-8713.