When most people hear the word ‘forensics’ they think of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation or something related to solving crimes; what they don’t think about is speech and debate. However, the competitors at the Texas Forensics Association State Championships take that word very seriously and Thank You for Judging is about the event, the people who conduct the event and the very brave and talented students from all across Texas who participate in it. One such participant was the 1998 TFA champion, Michael Urie, who would go on to star on the series Ugly Betty and in the Broadway musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying; he also co-directs the film. Urie chronicles many of the students participating in the event, particularly young men and women struggling with their sexual identities. Students performing monologues about coming out as gay find their goals thwarted by small-minded and anonymous judges who view their scoring as an opportunity to save souls. In the end, the competition is a way for kids who are usually on the outside looking in to participate in the competitive spirit that flourishes in the state of Texas, and Thank You for Judging chronicles their journey, with all of its ups and downs.
Catch the trailer here: http://vimeo.com/29845476
***
Screening with the short film "In Search of Avery Willard."
Who was Avery Willard? Photographer, filmmaker, writer, publisher, leatherman, pornographer…this short uncovers the life and work of a groundbreaking yet forgotten artist.