Oct 42 min read

"Queer2Queer" Filmmaker: Bennett Singer

Updated: Oct 8

Director and Producer, Queer2Queer

Bennett Singer has been making documentaries about social justice for more than 25 years. His films have reached more than ten million viewers worldwide and have been shown at The Smithsonian, The Kennedy Center, The United Nations, and The British Museum, as well as by organizations including The NAACP, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Campaign.

Singer received a duPont-Columbia Award for his work on the landmark PBS series EYES ON THE PRIZE II and went on to co-direct BROTHER OUTSIDER, a “brilliant” (Wall Street Journal), “beautifully crafted” (Boston Globe), and “electrifying” (MetroWeekly) portrait of the gay civil rights activist Bayard Rustin. The film premiered at Sundance, won 22 international awards, was broadcast on PBS’ POV series, and is currently streaming on Netflix.

He co-directed ELECTORAL DYSFUNCTION, an award-winning film in which political humorist Mo Rocca takes a road trip to discover how voting works — and doesn’t work — in America.

The former Executive Editor of TIME Magazine’s education program, Singer has written curriculum materials to accompany John Adams, Boycott, Band of Brothers, Iron Jawed Angels, The Laramie Project, and The Diary of Anne Frank and is the author or editor of five books, including a pioneering anthology for LGBTQ youth; the companion volume to Michael Apted’s 42 UP; LGBTQ STATS, an award-winning almanac of facts and figures about the global LGBTQ revolution; and THE STUDENT BODY, a novel of suspense (published by Random House) that he co-authored with three college classmates.

Bennett’s most recent film, CURED, co-directed with Patrick Sammon, tells the story of the activists who persuaded the American Psychiatric Association to remove homosexuality from its manual of mental illnesses in 1973.

Described as “fascinating” (Hollywood Reporter), “timely and urgent” (Cinerama Film), and “one of the best documentaries of this or any year” (British Film Institute), the Emmy-nominated CURED had its national broadcast premiere on PBS’ Independent Lens series and won the American Historical Association's award for best historical documentary, as well as a $50,000 award in the Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film.

Queer2Queer is a collaboration by The Future Perfect Project and the CURED documentary team, Queer2Queer (Q2Q) features powerful intergenerational conversations between LGBTQIA+ youth and elder activists.

In each of these four episodes, two inspiring change-makers come together to share wisdom, personal stories and hopes for the future. These heartfelt and uplifting conversations build connections between generations while fostering a deeper sense of our community’s shared values.