wfn.org | [UCC NEWS] UCC's 'Call Me Malcolm' premieres at two international

[guessb@ucc.org]

United Church of Christ
The Rev. J. Bennett Guess, news director
216-736-2177
<guessb@ucc.org>
<http://www.ucc.org>

Barb Powell
Director of Mixed-Media Productions
216-736-2175
<powellb@ucc.org>

For immediate release
March 1, 2005

United Church of Christ debuts feature-length documentary on transgender
minister at two international film festivals

The intentionally-inclusive United Church of Christ is not only the first
mainline Christian denomination to ordain an openly transgender minister,
but the 1.3-million-member church has produced a feature-length documentary
film to tell the remarkable story of one transgender minister's journey of
faith.

"Call Me Malcolm," co-produced by the UCC and Filmworks, Inc., debuted
at
the Riverside (Calif.) International Film Festival on Feb. 26 and will
have
its second premiere at the Cleveland International Film Festival, March
14-15. Several events are planned in association with the viewing in
Cleveland, where the UCC's national offices are located.

The 90-minute film tells the story of the Rev. Malcolm E. Himschoot, then a
UCC seminary student, who poignantly explores his struggles with faith,
love and gender identity.

"'Call Me Malcolm' is part of the United Church of Christ's effort to
provide resources for churches and other organizations to explore and
nurture God's extravagant welcome that includes lesbian, gay bisexual and
trangender persons," said the Rev. Michael D. Schuenemeyer, the UCC's
minister for LGBT concerns.

Schuenemeyer says "Call Me Malcolm" is unique among documentaries that
deal
with transgender issues "because it focuses on gender identity as it
relates to matters of faith, spirituality, vocation and human personhood."

"In the film, Malcolm does not propose easy answers to the questions that
arise," Shuenemeyer says, "but with enormous heart, integrity and
sensitivity shares his own struggles and listens compassionately to
[others], as he comes to terms with who he is and God's claim on his life."

Director Joseph Parlagreco says the film is more than an examination of
Malcolm's life or the struggles of the transgender community, but a film
that all can relate to, because it's about discerning, discovering and
celebrating one's identity.

"This is not the first film to take on the subject of transgender issues
and it certainly will not be the last," Parlagreco says, "but most
transgender films tend to focus on the physical and exploit the conflict. I
wanted to do a different kind of film. This is a film about identity."

"Malcolm's struggles are all of ours ? 'Who am I?' 'Where do I fit in?'
'What am I doing with my life?'" the filmmaker says.

Parlagreco, an award-winning cinematographer whose directing credits
include work for ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, PBS and VH1, says the UCC has served
as a "minister to the film."

"Imagine," Parlagreco muses, "a church producing a feature documentary
for
film festivals ? about a transgender minister. People are always amazed
when I mention that the UCC is our partner in this film."

The first of two screenings will be held at Cleveland's Tower City Cinemas
on Monday, March 14, at 7 p.m., followed by a panel discussion.

On Tuesday, March 15, at 10 a.m., the Rev. Malcolm Himschoot will preach at
a public worship service at the UCC's Amistad Chapel, 700 Prospect Ave., in
downtown Cleveland, followed by the second screening of the film at 12
p.m.
at Tower City.

More information is available at http://clevelandfilm.org/ or
http://callmemalcolm.com