From Director David Weissman: I met Ben when he worked at Video Arts in San Francisco, where he did some post-production work on my film WE WERE HERE, in late 2010. I was immediately struck by his gentle thoughtfulness and he was clearly very skilled at his job. Over the next couple years we became friends, and I had Ben help me on some smaller projects. He was one of the first people who came to mind to work with on CONVERSATIONS.
From Editor Ben Zweig: I first met David Weissman and his editor Bill Weber in 2011, during the online edit of WE WERE HERE. I had moved to California from Missouri a few years back, and was just beginning a life-long curiosity with my queer ancestry. I professed my admiration for the film, and a beautiful collaboration, mentorship and friendship took shape. I believe that the heartspace cultivated in their films, and the reverence they have for their subjects are clear reflections of their own values.
In 2014, David approached me about a collaboration with him on “Conversations With Gay Elders.” Previously I had only edited short form pieces, and I was initially nervous to take on a larger form project. Only after David explained to me that he wanted to work together not because of my prior professional experience, but because of what he knew about me and the perspective I’d bring to the storytelling did I feel assured.
The first footage I remember watching was of 86-year-old Jack dancing in his Zumba class. This would eventually be the opening scene of our piece. I placed myself in the audience’s shoes—who was this man and how did he become a regular fixture of this class in the heart of the Castro? This guiding curiosity took me on a madcap road trip of Jack’s favorite cruising haunts; from the rear cars of New York Subways where he first explored his gayness in the 1940s, to the underbrush hollows of Land’s End in San Francisco in the 80s and 90s.
Once the camera was rolling, Jack’s eyes seemed to light up, becoming a gay pirate recounting his legendary swashbuckling days. I fell in love with his candidness, the crinkles around his eyes when he smiled—that devious chuckle when he recalled trysts with those lost straight men. I was completely fascinated by his ability to straddle the line between the hetero and homo-world, a skill I believe helped him survive the prejudices of the last century. Remarkably he never seemed to be burdened by the shame that so many gay men have carried with them into their adulthood, a symptom I struggle with to this day.
Although he told many fun stories in his interviews with David, it was important to me that we also show a fragile, vulnerable human as well. Jack’s ability for self-reflection appeared difficult for him to indulge in at times—he even confessed to David that this experience of deep sharing was new for him. However, the interviewing skills and life experiences David brought into this project allowed Jack to experience moments of regret, tenderness and sorrow in real time. I did my best to weave these feelings into the piece.
Six years later, I am able to have some reflections of my own. Carrying with me Jack’s wisdom on sex positivity, I have enjoyed some once unimaginable experiences for myself and I continue to seek a more liberated existence as I venture toward new avenues in life. As a filmmaker and self-identifying queer, I am truly grateful to Jack for his bravery in showing himself unfiltered, and it is my fondest wish that his stories will inspire others, too, to live their best shame-free lives.
www.benjaminzweig.com
