David Sampliner

Dirty Work

Tim Nackashi, David Sampliner

Russ Page, Darrell Allen

My Own Man

David Sampliner

Rattled by the prospect of becoming a dad, a 40-year-old filmmaker begins to consider what "manhood" really means for him, prompting him to pursue an array of interests and reexamine his views -- which were shaped by his father.

Turning Points Stories of Life and Change in the Church

David Sampliner

Turning Points is a documentary about Presbyterians struggling with the denomination’s previous barriers to ordination for LGBT Presbyterians. It opens with the poignant visit of Susie Smith, now a minister in the United Church of Christ, to her former Presbyterian congregation in South Carolina. Congregation members speak to the camera and to Susie about how their lives were changed by her presence and her departure. The choice between one’s son and one’s church is the focus of the Calhoun family’s story in the second segment. The third story recounts a tragic moment of misunderstanding in the life of a young minister and a daring act of reconciliation twenty years later. The fourth segment considers how a thriving congregation in the Midwest welcomes and includes gay and lesbian members.

Filmmakers Unite (FU)

Alan Berliner, Eva Ilona Brzeski