The Commitment to Premiere in Home Country of Canada »
The Commitment Selected for PRIDEFILM.online in Ukraine »
The Commitment Selected for Twisted Arts Film Festival in Tulsa »
The Commitment Selected for The Fatherhood Image Film Festival in NYC »
The Commitment Selected for Las Vegas Queer Arts Film Festival »
The Commitment Invited for Film Retrospective at Online New England Film Festival »
The Commitment Wins Award at UK's Sappho Film Festival »
The Commitment Selected as Finalist for Four Awards at UK's Sappho Film Festival »
Albert M. Chan Wins Best Directing for The Commitment at UK's Flikkers Queer Film Festival »
The Commitment Officially Selected For UK's Flikkers Queer Film Festival »
The Commitment Wins Best LGBT Film in India »
The Commitment Now Streaming at QueerBee Films »
The Commitment Premieres on Sixth Continent: Australia »
UK Premiere for The Commitment at QueerBee LGBT Film Festival »
The Commitment Premieres in the Caribbean at Santo Domingo OutFest »
The Commitment Premieres on Fifth Continent: South America »
The Commitment Selected for Official NYC Pride Event »
The Commitment to Premiere in Poland »
The Commitment Officially Selected for qFLIX Philadelphia »
Ugandan Organizers Reschedule The Commitment After Police Raid »
Ugandan Police Shut Down Festival Before The Commitment Screened »
Romania to Present Eastern European Premiere of The Commitment »
Ugandan Premiere of The Commitment »
The Commitment Wins Audience Award at qFLIX Worcester »
The Commitment Returns to Home State for qFLIX Worcester »
LGBTQ Mental Health Conference to Screen The Commitment »
The Commitment to Premiere in Korea »
Gays With Kids Features The Commitment »
German Premiere of The Commitment »
The Commitment to Screen in India »
The Commitment Nominated for Best Drama Short at San Antonio QFest »
Albert M. Chan Nominated for Two Acting Awards at San Antonio QFest »
The Commitment to Screen at San Antonio QFest »
NewFilmmakers New York to Screen The Commitment At Anthology Film Archives »
The Commitment To Screen At Chicago Filmmakers »
The Commitment To Premiere in Switzerland in November »
DVD Release Date for The Commitment Set for November 26 »
Leading Distributor to Release The Commitment on DVD and VOD »
LA-Area Premiere for The Commitment at Long Beach QFilm Festival »
The Commitment Selected to Screen at Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky Festival »
The Commitment to Premiere in East Asia at Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival »
The Commitment Accepted to 22nd Woods Hole Film Festival »
The Commitment Officially Selected for 2013 DC Shorts Film Festival and Competitions »
The Commitment Officially Selected for Philadelphia QFest »
The Commitment Becomes Audience Choice at Kansas City for LGBT Film Festival »
The Commitment Returns to Kansas City for LGBT Film Festival »
The Commitment Wins Jury Award for Best LGBT Film at SENE Film, Music & Arts Festival »
African Premiere for The Commitment at Durban Gay & Lesbian Film Festival »
The Commitment to Return to Missoui for QFest St. Louis »
The Commitment Included in 2013 Little Rock Film Festival's World Shorts Competition »
The Commitment Acquired By Moving Images Distribution »
The Commitment Set to Premiere in Europe at Torino GLBT Film Festival »
The Commitment Wins 2013 NASW Media Award for Best Film »
The Commitment Receives Perfect Score from On Location: Memphis International Film & Music Fest »
Missouri Premiere for The Commitment at Kansas City FilmFest »
The Commitment wins Award of Excellence »
DisOrient Asian American Film Festival of Oregon Proud to Present The Commitment »
The Commitment Nominated for 2013 NASW Media Award for Best Film »
The Commitment Returns to Hometown for Boston International Film Festival »
The Commitment Wins Audience Award for Best Short Film at Desperado LGBT Film Festival »
Desperado LGBT Film Festival Adds The Commitment to Lineup in Phoenix »
The Commitment Nominated for Crystal Cactus Award for Best LGBT Film »
The Commitment Selected for PRIDE LGBTQ Film Festival »
Hometown Premiere for The Commitment at Boston Asian American Film Festival »
The Commitment Accepted to 60th Annual Columbus International Film + Video Festival »
The Commitment to Screen at the 27th Annual Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival »
The Commitment to Premiere at the Palm Springs Gay and Lesbian Film Festival »
Post-Production for The Commitment Completed »
Citywide Blackout with Max Bowen Interviews the Cast of The Commitment »
Composer Ryan Leach Completes Original Musical Score for The Commitment »
Film Editor Aaron Howland Achieves Picture Lock for The Commitment »
Sound Editor John Gage Joins the Post-Production Team for The Commitment »
Music Composer Ryan Leach Comes Aboard The Commitment »
The Commitment Wraps Principal Photography »
Upcoming Screenings
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About The Film
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October 19, 2022 — The Commitment will screen at the Silicon Valley Asian American Pacific Film Festival, running in-person and online October 28-November 6, 2022. The in-person portion is October 28-29 at the AMC Dine-In Sunnyvale 12 & IMAX in Sunnyvale, CA, and the online portion will be from October 28 - November 6, 2022, with selected live streaming Q&As.
The Commitment screens in the online package of shorts Family, which can be pre-ordered for $5. An online pass to access all 60+ films can be purchased for $25.
The Silicon Valley Asian American Pacific Film Festival provides a platform for the artistry of storytelling of the Asian and Pacific Islander through the lens of the American experience. The Silicon Valley Asian American Pacific Film Festival (formerly, San Jose J-Town FilmFest) is a project Contemporary Asian Theater Scene (CATS), a 501c3 non-profit organization founded over 20 years ago by three visionaries who realized that Asian American artists needed a voice. Dr. Jerry Hiura, Steve Yamaguma, Miki Hirabayashi created CATS with the dream of supporting, mentoring and, ultimately, presenting Asian American artists and cultural disciplines to the South Bay.
October 13, 2022 — Tonight at 9pm ET / 6pm PT, writer/director Albert M. Chan will talk about his gay parrenthood drama The Commitment on a live filmmaker panel about Motherhood/Parenthood for the upcoming Silicon Valley Asian American Pacific Film Festival. Join the conversation either on the Contemporary Asian Theater Scene Facebook page or on Zoom.
The upcoming Silicon Valley Asian American Pacific Film Festival runs in-person and online October 28-November 6, 2022. The in-person portion is October 28-29 in Sunnyvale, CA, and the online portion will be from October 28 - November 6, 2022, with selected live streaming Q&As.
The Silicon Valley Asian American Pacific Film Festival provides a platform for the artistry of storytelling of the Asian and Pacific Islander through the lens of the American experience. The Silicon Valley Asian American Pacific Film Festival (formerly, San Jose J-Town FilmFest) is a project Contemporary Asian Theater Scene (CATS), a 501c3 non-profit organization founded over 20 years ago by three visionaries who realized that Asian American artists needed a voice. Dr. Jerry Hiura, Steve Yamaguma, Miki Hirabayashi created CATS with the dream of supporting, mentoring and, ultimately, presenting Asian American artists and cultural disciplines to the South Bay.
March 15, 2022 — The Commitment will premiere in writer/director Albert M. Chan's native country of Canada at the 2022 Muskoka Queer Film Festival, running March 18-20, 2022.
The Commitment will be livestreamed on Friday, March 18, at 7pm, along with 3 other films. The livestream will remain available for 24 hours in the private group.
The Commitment is one of 14 films that will be broadcast online for the duration of the festival. Pay-what-you-can tickets ($25 recommended donation) can be purchased here.
The Muskoka Queer Film Festival aims to bring a queer brightness to Muskoka and to make diverse queer life more visible in the region, showing the public all the bright sides of queer life and to inspire and support the local LQBTQI2S community with positive role models. The Muskoka Queer Film Festival champions queer film stories that carry an uplifting attitude and show the examples of overcoming the challenges of existing in the cis-gendered heterosexual (cis-hetero) world or that demonstrate the beauty and spirit of lesbian, gay, bi or trans life, culture, and relationships.
Muskoka Queer Film Festival is a joint project of Muskoka Pride, the Government of Canada's FedNor (Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario), and Sanctuary Studios. Located in the heart of Ontario's cottage country, the Muskoka Queer Film Festival attracts audiences from Toronto to North Bay, from Haliburton to London, and far beyond.
October 14, 2021 — The Commitment has been officially selected to screen in PRIDEFILM.online in the Ukraine, running October 17-21, 2021. The festival showcases LGBTQ+ works from across the world, in all genres that confront stereotypes, push boundaries, and strive for change.
October 1, 2021 — The Commitment has been officially selected to screen in the 2021 Twisted Arts Film Festival running November 11-19, 2021, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Twisted Arts Film Festival screens first-run LGBTQ-themed full-length films and 20 to 30 short films of all genres.
Twisted Arts is dedicated to advancing, celebrating, elevating, and amplifying LGBTQ+ artists by showcasing the best independent films, music, performances and all forms of mixed media. Twisted Arts is an all-volunteer run organization that was created to highlight local, national, and international LGBTQ+ artists through year-round programs which include an annual Fall film festival, a Spring multi-arts festival, a LGBTQ+ youth filmmaking Summer camp, members-only sneak peeks, access to year-round short films, special events, and private screenings with directors, actors, and other queer media icons.
September 28, 2021 — The Commitment has been officially selected to screen in the 2021 Fatherhood Image Film Festival running October 23-24, 2021, which highlights and showcases films from the past and present with the goal to impact, gauge, and assess the images of fathers in media.
Proceeds of the Fatherhood Image Film Festival, go to the Fatherhood Image Film Project, which offers ways to assist fathers in growth and address the 24 million absent-father homes. In particular, the project exposes parents and youth to a program that enhances the understanding and practical applications of parenting in the form of their own documentary film. Participants are aided by a full curriculum and workbook that are all bolstered by the use of digital clips to drive home the emotional maturity, time management, intentions, and perseverance required to be an impacting caregiver.
September 24, 2021 — The Commitment has been officially selected to screen in the 2021 Las Vegas Queer Arts Film Festival, an all-inclusive, diversity-driven film festival for LGBTQ+ filmmakers and artists running October 15-18, 2021.
Las Vegas Queer Arts Film Festival, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, will exhibit a variety of visual media work with each project having had a member of the LGBTQ+ community playing a prominent role in its production, or a message that speaks directly to the community through story and art.
September 10, 2021 — The Commitment has been invited to screen in a Film Retrospective for the 2021 Online New England Film Festival. All of the cast and crew were New England locals at the time the film was made in 2012, and the film was shot in the Massachusetts towns of Boston, Norwell, and Needham.
The Commitment screens in the showcase Way Back When, a selection of films featured in NewEnglandFilm.com during the 1990s and early 2000s. All films will be available to watch for free until October 15, 2021. The Commitment can be viewed here.
Writer and director Albert M. Chan was interviewed about The Commitment by NewEnglandFilm.com in an article published in April 2013, Making The Commitment: Behind the Short Film about an Interracial Gay Couple Adopting a Child.
Founded in 1997, NewEnglandFilm.com is an online community and resource for film and video production in the region, featuring jobs and opportunities, an industry production directory, local film industry news, and the Online New England Film Festival.
May 4, 2021 — At today's awards ceremony, director Albert M. Chan won Best BAME (Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic) Filmmaker at the UK-based Sappho Film Festival. The film was also nominated for Best Short Film (Aaron Howland, Seth Howland, Albert M. Chan, Richard Possemato), Best Director (Albert M. Chan), and Best Sound Design (John Gage).
All films will be available to watch for free on the festival's website for the next week.
The Sappho Film Festival is an LGBTQ+ film festival in the UK, with its key focus on diversity within the community and exploring films made by, for, and about the LGBT community, especially films and filmmakers that are focussed on women, LGBT+ and BIPoC subjects. The festival's goal is to give a platform to the best LGBT films that highlight new and established filmmakers, providing a network and community for everybody.
April 21, 2021 — The Commitment is an official finalist for Best Short Film, the most prestigious award at the UK-based Sappho Film Festival, running May 4-10, 2021. Additionally, Albert M. Chan is a finalist for Best Director and Best BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) Filmmaker, and John Gage is a finalist for Best Sound.
The Sappho Film Festival is an LGBTQ+ film festival in the UK, with its key focus on diversity within the community and exploring films made by, for, and about the LGBT community, especially films and filmmakers that are focussed on women, LGBT+ and BIPoC subjects. The festival's goal is to give a platform to the best LGBT films that highlight new and established filmmakers, providing a network and community for everybody.
March 2, 2021 — Albert M. Chan, the director of The Commitment, won the award for Best Directing at the UK-based Flikkers Queer Film Festival, which screened 32 films this past weekend.
Flikkers aims to provide a platform for films that are representative of the fantastically diverse queer community, with a special emphasis on films directed and/or produced by Queer/Trans/Intersex People of Colour (QTIPOC), who are underrepresented in the film industry.
February 12, 2021 — The Commitment will screen in the United Kingdom at Flikkers Queer Film Festival, which runs February 26-March 1, 2021. The film screens in Strand C: Queer Journeys, which will be available to watch on the Flikkers Queer Film Festival website.
Flikkers aims to provide a platform for films that are representative of the fantastically diverse queer community, with a special emphasis on films directed and/or produced by Queer/Trans/Intersex People of Colour (QTIPOC), who are underrepresented in the film industry.
June 6, 2020 — The Commitment has been awarded Best LGBT Film at the 12th monthly season of the Tagore International Film Festival, and is automatically nominated for the prestigious Sun of the East Award, the winner of which will be announced at the end of 2020.
Tagore International Film Festival is located in one of India's most important centers of modern art, Shantiniketan, Bolpur. The monthly live screenings take place at Gitanjali Cultural Complex.
Tagore International Film Festival is named after Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, who wanted to create a space where people can interchange their ideas about art, culture and life.
May 1, 2020 — The Commitment is one of QueerBee Films' new releases for the month of May. The streaming platform's page dedicated to The Commitment can be viewed here.
Founded by Angie West and Jac Nunns, QueerBee is an LGBTIQ community enterprise set up by filmmakers to curate queer short films and show them to new audiences in a fun and informative way. Their streaming platform presents expertly curated short films from a queer perspective, straight from the directors themselves, so wider audiences can see them. Monthly and annual subscriptions are available here. QueerBee is an LGBTQI Community Interest Company registered with Social Enterprise UK and Cinema For All.
January 13, 2020 — The Commitment will premiere on its sixth continent, Australia, at the 4th PRIDE Queer Film Festival in Perth on March 7, 2020, 4pm, at The Backlot Studios Perth. The Commitment screens in the session Short Films Mixed Bag alongside films from Brazil, United Kingdom, Italy, Turkey, and the United States.
Welcome to the World, also directed by Albert M. Chan, will also screen at the 4th PRIDE Queer Film Festival on March 7, 2020, 6:30pm, in the session Shorts From Around the World.
October 28, 2019 — The Commitment will premiere in Croatia on Wednesday, November 27, 2019, hosted by the Centre for Promotion of Tolerance and Preservation of Holocaust Remembrance.
Every month, the Centre for Promotion of Tolerance and Preservation of Holocaust Remembrance hosts a public forum called "Why do we hate each other?", where special guests and audience members talk about the problem of hatred in contemporary Croatian society. This month's discussion topic will be adoption for gay people in Croatia.
The Jewish Film Festival Zagreb, in partnership with the City of Zagreb, established the Centre for Promotion of Tolerance and Preservation of Holocaust Remembrance in May 2017. The mission is to create an environment for growth and development of an individual inspired by tolerance and acceptance of diversity, in particular the preservation of Holocaust remembrance. Through the power of social engagement and the arts, the center hopes to influence and change beliefs and opinions and raise awareness of intolerance and hatred when it comes to racism, discrimination, xenophobia, homophobia, migrant issues, assimilation, and integration.
June 4, 2019 — The Commitment will have its UK premiere at London's QueerBee LGBT Film Festival on Saturday, September 7, 2019, at Genesis Cinema and Hackney Showroom.
QueerBee is an LGBTIQ community enterprise set up by filmmakers to curate queer short films and show them to new audiences in a fun and informative way. QueerBee is an LGBTQI Community Interest Company registered with Social Enterprise UK and Cinema For All.
October 23, 2018 — The Commitment, known in Spanish as El compromiso, will have its Caribbean premiere at Santo Domingo OutFest on Friday, November 30, 2018, at 4:30pm, at the Centro Cultural de España en Santo Domingo. The film will be shown with Spanish subtitles translated by Marina Catalán.
The festival is coordinated by the Red de Voluntarios de Amigos Siempre Amigos (RevASA) and Amigos Siempre Amigos (ASA) and has the support of public, private and international cooperation institutions, as well as national community groups.
July 9, 2018 — The Commitment will premiere on its fifth continent, South America, at Festival Internacional de Cine LesBiGayTrans on July 12, 2018, at 7:20pm, at the Centro Cultural Juan De Salazar in Asunción, Paraguay. The film will be shown with Spanish subtitles translated by Marina Catalán. The film has previously screened in Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America.
Founded in 2005, Festival Internacional de Cine LesBiGayTrans is the only LGBT festival in Paraguay, and has the support of more than 30 feminist, human rights and artists organizations.
May 23, 2018 — The Commitment will screen during national LGBT Pride Month at My True Colors Festival, an official NYC Pride event. The film screens on Friday, June 15, 2018, at 6:45pm at The Brick Theater (575 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211). Another of director and actor Albert M. Chan's films, Welcome to the World, will also screen in the same session. Chan is scheduled to be in attendance for a talkback after the screenings. Tickets are $15 and are available here.
The My True Colors Festival is an annual event fighting for social justice and promoting cultural diversity through the arts by presenting works in multiple disciplines that are for and by underrepresented multicultural LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, asexual) storytellers. This year's festival will take place at various venues throughout Brooklyn, NY, including DUMBO's Made In NY Media Center by IFP.
Since its launch in June 2015 as an official NYC Pride Event Partner, MTCF has presented over 100 screenings of film shorts, narratives, documentaries, and web series; stage plays; music performances; dance acts; visual arts; and, talkbacks/one-on-one conversations with high profile artists like ABC Black-ish co-star Jennifer Lewis.
April 19, 2018 — The Commitment is an Official Selection of the 9th LGBT Film Festival, taking place at venues across Poland. The Commitment screens in the session Gay Shorts II on April 22, 2018, 8pm, in Warsaw's Kinoteka; on April 25, 2018, 5pm, in Katowice's Kosmos Cinema; on April 26, 2018, 6pm, in Warsaw's Kinoteka; and on May 11, 2018, 7:30pm, at Łódź-Przytulne's Kino Przytulne.
The LGBT Film Festival is one of the most important events on the cultural map of Poland. It takes place every year and became the biggest celebration of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) cinema in the country.
March 22, 2018 — The Commitment will screen Saturday, March 24th, 2018, at qFLIX Philadelphia. The Commitment will play at 5pm prior to Bi China in Connelly Auditorium at The University of the Arts. Director and lead actor Albert M. Chan is scheduled to be in attendance for a talkback.
qFLIX Philadelphia is a production of qFLIX USA, Inc., a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit corporation, and is rooted in 24 years of LGBTQ+ film festival leadership. Film as an international language allows qFLIX USA to foster, support, and give access to independent filmmakers and to encourage and nurture younger ones in the art of filmmaking.
December 23, 2017 — Determined to complete the second edition of the Queer Kampala International Film Festival after an unlawful police raid, organizers have announced that The Commitment will now have its Ugandan premiere on December 29, 2017. New venue details will be communicated privately to trusted community members. For security purposes, live updates and photos will not be allowed during the event.
On December 9, Ugandan police raided and forcibly closed the Queer Kampala International Film Festival, the first ever and only LGBTQI themed film festival to open up in Uganda. The festival featured films and documentaries portraying the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ) people. Police offered no formal legal basis for forcibly shutting down the festival. The festival organizer, Kamoga Hassan, told Human Rights Watch that the opening night was successful. A large audience responded positively to the films, he said, which included stories of LGBTIQ people coming to terms with their identities, fighting discrimination, engaging in activism, and falling in love. Organizers had hoped the stories shown during the festival would help to educate Ugandans about communities that face discrimination and marginalization in their country.
On December 9, shortly before the films began, organizers received a tip-off that police intended to raid the festival and arrest participants if they did not disband. The organizers asked participants to leave. Shortly thereafter, three police officers entered the venue and told organizers that they were shutting down the festival because the films – many of which have received international acclaim – were "pornographic," Hassan said.
Uganda's criminal code includes a colonial-era law prohibiting "carnal knowledge against the order of nature" with possible sentences of up to life in prison. The law very rarely leads to prosecutions, but police have used it as a pretext to shut numerous events targeting LGBT audiences and their allies over the past several years, such as the entire 2017 annual Pride Week scheduled events, parades and a fashion show in previous Pride Weeks, and a human rights education workshop in 2012.
Previously, The Commitment screened in Africa at the Durban Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.
December 15, 2017 — The Commitment did not have its planned Ugandan premiere at Queer Kampala International Film Festival on December 10, 2017. On December 9, Ugandan police raided and forcibly closed the Queer Kampala International Film Festival, the first ever and only LGBTQI themed film festival to open up in Uganda. The festival featured films and documentaries portraying the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ) people. Police offered no formal legal basis for forcibly shutting down the festival. Organizers are determined to complete the festival and communicate a new date and venue to trusted community members.
The festival organizer, Kamoga Hassan, told Human Rights Watch that the opening night was successful. A large audience responded positively to the films, he said, which included stories of LGBTIQ people coming to terms with their identities, fighting discrimination, engaging in activism, and falling in love. Organizers had hoped the stories shown during the festival would help to educate Ugandans about communities that face discrimination and marginalization in their country.
On December 9, shortly before the films began, organizers received a tip-off that police intended to raid the festival and arrest participants if they did not disband. The organizers asked participants to leave. Shortly thereafter, three police officers entered the venue and told organizers that they were shutting down the festival because the films – many of which have received international acclaim – were "pornographic," Hassan said.
Uganda's criminal code includes a colonial-era law prohibiting "carnal knowledge against the order of nature" with possible sentences of up to life in prison. The law very rarely leads to prosecutions, but police have used it as a pretext to shut numerous events targeting LGBT audiences and their allies over the past several years, such as the entire 2017 annual Pride Week scheduled events, parades and a fashion show in previous Pride Weeks, and a human rights education workshop in 2012.
Previously, The Commitment screened in Africa at the Durban Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.
November 19, 2017 — The Commitment will have its Eastern European premiere at the Serile Filmului Gay International Film Festival in Cluj-Napoca, Romania on November 20, 2017, at 9:30pm at Flying Circus, an alternative meeting point for people supporting the alternative culture with all its aspects. For a synopsis of The Commitment in Romanian, click here.
Serile Filmului Gay International Film Festival (known as Gay Film Nights International Film Festival in English) is the first international LGBTQIA+ film festival in Romania, and has been held every November in Cluj-Napoca since 2004. In a country where gay and Roma people are discriminated against, the festival aims to send an accurate and efficient message about cultural diversity and accepting individual values. To fulfill this goal, the program of the festival includes such activities as LGBT film competitions, exhibitions, shows, public debates, as well as outreach and ecological actions. Every year, free entrance is granted to all these events: the purpose of the festival is not to generate profit, but to promote democracy, tolerance and diversity.
November 7, 2017 — The Commitment will have its Ugandan premiere at Queer Kampala International Film Festival on December 10, 2017, at 7:40pm. Held in the capital city, Queer Kampala International Film Festival is the first ever and only LGBTQI themed film festival to open up in Uganda.
In a country as highly homophobic as Uganda, a number of security measures will be in place, including the security screening of attendees, keeping the venues secret until a few hours before each screening, and changing venues for each screening.
Previously, The Commitment screened in Africa at the Durban Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.
October 3, 2017 — The Commitment won the Audience Award for Best Men's Short at qFLIX Worcester, which was held September 14-17, 2017, at the historic 2,300-seat Hanover Theater, where director and lead actor Albert M. Chan and producer Richard Possemato were in attendance.
Audience awards were determined by festival attendees who rated the films on a newly-introduced phone app that proved popular and resulted in greater participation from the audience. Click here for a full list of award winners.
Previously, The Commitment won Audience Awards at Desperado LGBT Film Festival (Phoenix, AZ), Cinema Diverse: Palm Springs LGBTQ Film Festival, and Southeast New England Film, Music & Arts Festival.
September 13, 2017 — The Commitment will return to its home state of Massachusetts for qFLIX Worcester at the historic 2,300-seat Hanover Theater. The film screens on September 17, 2017 at 11am in the shorts program Diversity Rules: LGBTQ Shorts "We Are Everyone and Everywhere". Director and lead actor Albert M. Chan and producers Aaron Howland and Richard Possemato are scheduled to be in attendance.
August 19, 2017 — The LGBTQ Peoples of Color Mental Health Conference will screen The Commitment on October 5, 2017 at the Stewart Hotel in New York City.
This annual conference examines concerns, acknowledges developments and looks to the future for LGBTQ peoples of color, especially in the current political climate, as rhetoric threatens to further destabilize the mental well-being of members of these communities. This year's conference focuses on mental health care: navigating concerns, acknowledging developments and looking to the future for LGBTQ peoples of color, through the collective strengths and wisdom of clinicians, consumers, academics, and advocates to confront the issues affecting these communities. Visit here for more details.
July 19, 2017 — The Commitment is an Official Selection of the 17th Korea Queer Film Festival in Seoul. The film will screen at Lotte Cinema Broadway on July 21st at 11am and July 23rd at 2pm in Theatre 6. The film will be presented with Korean subtitles.
The Korea Queer Film Festival was founded with the Korea Queer Culture Festival (KQCF), which has been held since 2001. The Korea Queer Culture Festival has played an important role as a festival for the LGBT community in South Korea, where the general awareness of LGBT remains low. Together with the Korea Queer Culture Festival, the Korea Queer Film Festival has striven to offer the general a recognition of diversity through screening various LGBT films from all over the world.
March 20, 2017 — Gays With Kids, the world's leading digital media company, social network, and safe space for gay dads and gay men considering fatherhood, featured today Albert's film The Commitment. The article, titled The Commitment: A Film About Love, Loss, and Same-Sex Adoption, discusses Albert's journey as a gay adoptive parent and how his experiences inspired the film.
March 7, 2017 — The Commitment will be included in a special program of short films presented by Pride Pictures Queer Film Festival on the opening night of queerKULTUR, which will be held this year from March 31st to April 16th in Karlsruhe, Germany.
December 17, 2016 — The Commitment, written and directed by Albert, has been accepted into the Chennai Rainbow Film Festival, the film's 30th film festival. The film will screen at M M Preview Theatres on January 5, 2017 at 7:10pm. More than 50 short, documentary and feature-length films will be screened during the five-day festival, to be held January 4-8, 2017. Admission is free.
In India, the public depiction of LGBT people can be considered a political act -- a form of activism that has the power to connect people across boundaries. "The aim of the festival is to raise awareness about LGBT issues among the general public. It also aims at providing a platform to filmmakers who don't get the opportunity to screen their film in theatres. Many of them struggle to get funding," said Vikranth Prasanna, founder, Chennai Dost. This is the third year that CRFF is being held, and the theme is 'Hues of Love.'
October 10, 2016 — In addition to the two acting nominations announced last week, The Commitment has been nominated for the Jose Sarria Memorial Award for Best Drama Short Film at the upcoming San Antonio QFest.
The award is named after Jose Sarria, a drag queen that lead the fight for gay rights from the night club stage. He fought against the corrupt police departments that was extorting bribes from gay clubs and jailing gay men. His acts, normally arias, were tweaked to shed light on this struggle. In 1961 he ran for the SF Board of Supervisors and is thought to be the first openly gay candidate to run for public office anywhere in the world. His most enduring legacy was his establishment of the Imperial Court System which now operates worldwide.
The Commitment was nominated last week for two acting awards: the John Fryer Memorial Award for Best Male Performance and the Marsha P. Johnson Memorial Award for Best Portrayal of an LBGT Minority.
Written and directed by Albert M. Chan, The Commitment screens at City Base Cinema on Friday, October 14th, 2016, at 7:50pm within the program block JOURNEY. According to the festival, "These films comprise the journey that each of us takes in life. Whether it is a journey to acceptance by society at large or a personal journey of finding acceptance of ourselves, each of us journey in life gaining new wisdom and new ways of viewing our world." Tickets are on sale here.
October 6, 2016 — Albert M. Chan's performance in his adoption drama The Commitment has been nominated for two acting awards at the upcoming San Antonio QFest: the John Fryer Memorial Award for Best Male Performance and the Marsha P. Johnson Memorial Award for Best Portrayal of an LBGT Minority.
The first award is named after John E. Fryer who, in 1972, assumed the persona of Dr. Henry Anonymous and proceeded to present in front of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) a speech detailing the struggles of homosexual people within the organization. Homosexuality was still considered a sickness and therefore homosexuals were barred from being in the mental health field. His speech opened the door for the changing of hearts and minds that led to the APA removing the pathological definition of homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), thus allowing gay rights advocates to begin making advances throughout the world.
The second award is named after Marsha P. Johnson, a transgender performer at drag clubs and early gay liberation activist. She worked closely with ACT UP and was an early advocate for AIDS research and treatment. She was a co-founder of the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries in the 70's. She was also a veteran of the Stonewall Riots, the pivotal point that brought forth the gay rights movement as a national call to action and is rumored to have been the ignition that started the fire of rebellion.
Written and directed by Albert, The Commitment screens at City Base Cinema on Friday, October 14th, 2016, at 7:50pm within the program block JOURNEY. According to the festival, "These films comprise the journey that each of us takes in life. Whether it is a journey to acceptance by society at large or a personal journey of finding acceptance of ourselves, each of us journey in life gaining new wisdom and new ways of viewing our world." Tickets are on sale here.
San Antonio QFest operates under the umbrella organization of Pride: San Antonio which is a 501c3 organization. Originally established 5 years ago, this festival is held during LGBTQ History Month in order to promote the understanding and multicultural community that is the LGBTQ community.
September 13, 2016 — The Commitment continues its festival run at San Antonio QFest. The film screens at City Base Cinema on Friday, October 14th, 2016, at 7:50pm within the program block JOURNEY. According to the festival, "These films comprise the journey that each of us takes in life. Whether it is a journey to acceptance by society at large or a personal journey of finding acceptance of ourselves, each of us journey in life gaining new wisdom and new ways of viewing our world." Tickets are on sale here. San Antonio QFest operates under the umbrella organization of Pride: San Antonio which is a 501c3 organization. Originally established 5 years ago, this festival is held during LGBTQ History Month in order to promote the understanding and multicultural community that is the LGBTQ community.
December 13, 2013 — The Commitment will screen at the internationally recognized screening series NewFilmmakers New York on Saturday, January 4, 7pm, at Anthology Film Archives on the Lower East Side. Founded in 1969, Anthology Film Archives is an international center for the preservation, study, and exhibition of film and video, with a particular focus on independent, experimental, and avant-garde cinema. Since its founding, Anthology has grown far beyond its original concept to encompass film preservation; the formation of a reference library containing the world's largest collection of books, periodicals, stills, and other paper materials related to avant-garde cinema; and a remarkably innovative and eclectic film exhibition program. Anthology screens more than 900 programs annually, preserves an average of 25 films per year (with 800 works preserved to date), publishes books and DVDs, and hosts numerous scholars and researchers.
October 23, 2013 — The Commitment will screen at Chicago Filmmakers, a 35 year-old media arts organization with programs in adult and youth education, equipment access and membership services, film distribution, and community outreach, as well as film and video exhibition. The Commitment will screen there on Saturday, November 9, 2013, in the session Queer Family Matters as part of Reeling: The Chicago LGBT International Film Festival. Reeling, the second-oldest LGBT film festival in the world, returns with another slate of movies that showcase not only diversity within the queer community but also diversity in the range of possibilities within film itself.
October 12, 2013 — The Commitment will premiere in Switzerland on the opening night of QUEERSICHT lesbisch-schwules Filmfestival Bern. The Commitment screens on opening night, November 7, at Kellerkino, the first and oldest independent cinema in Switzerland, founded in 1970. The film screens again on November 10 at Kino Kunstmuseum, which is housed in the Museum of Fine Arts Bern, the oldest art museum in Switzerland with a permanent collection and houses works covering eight centuries.
September 17, 2013 — The Commitment will be released on the DVD compilation Green Briefs on November 26, 2013. In the meantime, Green Briefs is available for preorder on Amazon.com, TLA and Guest House Films. The new collection will feature a diverse group of gay-themed short films about individuals and couples who are struggling with what family really means. In addition to The Commitment, Green Briefs will include the short films Pride, Shabbat Dinner, Kimchi Fried Dumplings, and The Symphony of Silence.
August 22, 2013 — The Commitment will be distributed on DVD and VOD by leading gay film producer and distributor Guest House Films, as part of the short film compilation Green Briefs. The new collection will feature a diverse group of five gay-themed short films about individuals and couples who are struggling with what family really means. The compilation will be released this holiday season, but can be pre-ordered at www.GuestHouseFilms.com/store and shortly at other online DVD sellers. "Our film has a strong universal message that many people, whether LGBT or not, can identify with," says The Commitment writer/director Albert M. Chan. "We are thrilled to partner with Guest House Films to bring The Commitment to a wide audience."
August 5, 2013 — The Commitment will premiere in the LA area at the 2013 Long Beach QFilm Festival. The Commitment will play in the shorts session Men in Briefs on Saturday, September 7th, 2013, at 4:45pm at the Art Theatre of Long Beach. The Center Long Beach Q Film Festival's mission is to present films that embody the LGBTQ community. Along with The Center Long Beach, they advocate the inclusion of all individuals into a free and just community, without judgment or restriction due to sexual orientation or gender expression.
July 29, 2013 — The Commitment has been selected to screen at the CNKY Film Festival, taking place at the Know Theatre of Cincinnati. The Commitment screens in Block A on Saturday, September 21st, 2013, at 1:30pm. CNKY Film Festival is the premier film festival for Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, fostering a creative outlet for the tri-state area where LGBT issues are expressed and discussed through art of film.
July 21, 2013 — The Commitment will have its East Asian premiere at the 24th Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. The Commitment will play in the shorts session Man Shorts on Tuesday, September 24th, 2013, at 9:50pm at Broadway Circuit PALACE Ifc, and again on Sunday, September 29th, 2013, at 3:30pm at Broadway Circuit The One.
July 4, 2013 — The Commitment has been accepted to screen at the 22nd Woods Hole Film Festival on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. The Commitment will play in the shorts session SHORTS 08 - Unlikely Encounters on Thursday, August 1st, 2013, at 7pm at the Old Woods Hole Fire Station. The Woods Hole Film Festival has been named one of the top 10 film festivals by Filmmaker Magazine and "One of the 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World" by Movie Maker Magazine. Scheduled to be present are writer/director Albert M. Chan, producer/editor Aaron Howland, and production designer Alma Aron Baumwoll.
July 1, 2013 — The Commitment is an official selection for the 2013 DC Shorts Film Festival and competitions in Washington, DC. The Commitment is programmed in Showcase 10, which first screens on Saturday, September 21st, 2013, at 4:30pm at Landmark Theatres E Street Cinema. The Commitment's award-winning actress Kerri Patterson will be present at this first screening for a Q&A. The Commitment will repeat again on Monday, September 23rd, 2013, at 7pm at Landmark Theatres E Street Cinema; Wednesday, September 25th, 2013, at 9pm at Angelika Film Center; and Saturday, Septeber 28th, 2013, at 3pm at US Navy Memorial. For 10 years, the DC Shorts Film Festival and Screenplay Competition has screened the world's top short films to audiences throughout the region. This year, we will showcase over 154 films from 23 nations. Hundreds of filmmakers and thousands of audience members will gather to mix, mingle and explore the art of short cinema.
June 19, 2013 — The Commitment has been officially selected to screen at Philadelphia QFest. The Commitment will play prior to TWO: The Story of Roman & Nyro on Saturday, July 13th, 2013, at 2:30pm at the Landmark Theatres Ritz East Theater 2. Philadelphia QFest is the East Coast's largest GLBT film festival, featuring over 150 films from around the world in addition to parties, award presentations, and panel discussions. The festival is produced by the Philadelphia Cinema Alliance, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 2009 that also produces Philadelphia CineFest as well as year-round international film programming throughout the city.
June 17, 2013 — The audience has spoken. The Commitment will screen a second time at the 14th Annual Kansas City LGBT Film Festival as part of the Audience Choice Program. The free screening will take place Tuesday, June 18, 2013 at 7pm at the Like Me® Lighthouse Community Center. The Commitment screened earlier in the festival in the Men's Short Film Program. The audience rated the films, with the top-rated films from the men's and women's programs shown at a third program of viewers' favorites.
May 23, 2013 — The Commitment will return to Kansas City, Missouri, for the 14th Annual Kansas City LGBT Film Festival on Tuesday, June 4, 2013 at 7pm at the Like Me® Lighthouse Community Center. The film is featured in the Men's Short Film Program. Admission is free. Audiences will have the opportunity to rate the films, with the top-rated films from the first two programs shown at a third program of viewers' favorites. The Commitment previously screened in Kansas City earlier this year in April at the Kansas City FilmFest.
May 2, 2013 — After counting audience ballots, the 5th Annual SENE Film, Music & Arts Festival today announced that The Commitment has won the Audience Award for Best LGBT Film. In a ceremony last week at the historic Columbus Theatre, The Commitment was also presented with the Jury Award for Best LGBT Film.
April 27, 2013 — The 5th Annual SENE Film, Music & Arts Festival today announced their Film Jury Award winners in a ceremony at the historic Columbus Theatre, with The Commitment winning the Jury Award for Best LGBT Film. Actress Alecia Batson was on hand to accept the award on behalf of The Commitment. The film screened immediately afterwards with a Q&A with writer/director/actor Albert M. Chan and actress Mary Niederkorn.
April 22, 2013 — The Commitment will have its African premiere at the Durban Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, running June 11-30, 2013 at KwaZulu-Natal Society of Arts (KZNSA) Gallery in Durban, South Africa. As an independent platform for filmmakers from South Africa and across the world to specifically deal with issues relating to the LGBTI community, the DGLFF will showcase new and innovative motion pictures, documentaries, shorts and related productions whilst conducting workshops, debates and talks on past LGBTI movies, productions processes, film writing and how the visual medium affects and is affected by the pink community across the world. Special emphasis is placed on Durban and KwaZulu-Natal filmmakers, especially those that deal with human rights and issues of human sexuality in their work. Proceeds from the festival will benefit both the KZNSA and the KwaZulu-Natal Gay & Lesbian Tourism Association (KZNGALTA).
April 20, 2013 — After screening at Kansas City FilmFest earlier this month, The Commitment will return to Missouri to screen at QFest St. Louis on Saturday, June 8, 2013 at 8pm. The film screens prior to the feature film Tennessee Queer at Winifred Moore Auditorium at Webster University. QFest uses the art of contemporary gay cinema to spotlight the diversity and inherent complexities of living an alternative lifestyle in today's society. This year's event will feature an eclectic slate of contemporary LGBTQ-themed feature films, documentaries, and shorts. Individual tickets are $12 general admission, $10 for students and Cinema St. Louis members with valid and current photo IDs, and free for Webster U. students. Advance tickets will be available through Brown Paper Tickets.
April 17, 2013 — The 7th Annual Little Rock Film Festival, running May 15-19, 2013, announced a selection of 34 short films making their Arkansas premiere in the 2013 LRFF World Shorts competition. The Commitment was included in the lineup, and will be screening in the session World Shorts: American Dreams on Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 3:20pm and on Friday, May 17, 2013 at 1:15pm at Cornerstone Pub (tickets). "This year's shorts submissions have been absolutely amazing and nearly impossible to narrow down. The shorts we're showing, narratives and documentaries, run the gamut of emotion and should have a profound affect on every viewer," said Justin Nickels, LRFF Shorts Programmer. The LRFF 2013 World Shorts line-up includes films from more than 7 countries including Brazil, Canada, Sweden, Singapore, Mexico, Switzerland, Denmark and the USA.
April 12, 2013 — The Commitment has been acquired for distribution by Moving Images Distribution (formerly Canadian Filmmakers Distribution West). Since its beginnings in 1979, Moving Images Distribution has worked to connect audiences with avant-garde works by some of Canada's internationally acclaimed media artists and with award-winning documentaries, animation, short fiction and personal narrative works. Moving Images Distribution, which also distributes Chanal Productions' earlier film Fate Scores, will handle institutional/community purchases for The Commitment, as well as licenses for rental and exhibition, streaming, or duplication.
April 5, 2013 — The Commitment will have its European premiere at the Torino GLBT Film Festival on Monday, April 22, 2013 at 10:40pm, Saturday, April 13, 2013 at The National Cinema Museum of Torino's Multisala Cinema Massimo (tickets). The film is featured in the section Focus: We Are Family. Now in its 28th year, the Torino GLBT Film Festival is managed by the The National Cinema Museum of Torino, one of the most important of its kind in the world thanks to its vast collection and the many different scientific and educational activities it carries out. But what makes it truly unique is its special exhibit setup. The museum is located inside the Mole Antonelliana, a bizarre and fascinating monument which is the symbol of the City of Torino. Using the various areas inside the Mole Antonelliana, Swiss set designer François Confino created a spectacular presentation that offers visitors continuous and unexpected visual and acoustic stimuli, just like when an audience watches a film.
April 3, 2013 — The Commitment has won the 2013 National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Media Award for Best Film, becoming the first LGBT-themed film to win the award. The Commitment edged out Oscar-nominated Moonrise Kingdom and What To Expect When You're Expecting, in which Tilda Swinton and Kim Fields play social workers, respectively. "It's an incredible honor for our little indie film to be recognized by the National Association of Social Workers," Chan says. "We made the film with a lot of heart, so it's rewarding to see audiences responding so enthusiastically and spreading positive word of mouth." Actress Mary Niederkorn, who played the adoption social worker that resulted in the media award, was estatic. "I'm still pinching myself that we were put in the same category as major Hollywood-backed films with well-respected actresses," Niederkorn says. "The Commitment was a passion project from conception to completion, with many of the cast and crew having been touched by adoption." While The Commitment is about adoption, gay parenting, and cross-cultural families, producer and editor Aaron Howland explains that working on a narrative film that explores important social issues can be tricky. "In order to succeed, it requires a script with full, compelling characters that humanize the issues, and that's exactly what Albert brought to the table when he approached me about producing The Commitment," Howland says. The 2013 NASW Media Awards recognizes reporters, bloggers, columnists, television producers, movie directors and other media professionals who help raise awareness about the social work profession and issues important to social workers. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest membership organization of professional social workers in the world, with 145,000 members.
March 21, 2013 — The Commitment will screen at the 14th Annual On Location: Memphis International Film & Music Fest after receiving the maximum score from the selection committee. The film will screen on Saturday, April 27, 2013 at 8:30pm at Malco's Studio on the Square in the session Shorts Program 2. Chanal Productions' earlier film Fate Scores also screened at this festival in 2009. Festival attendees have included Richard Gladstein, Morgan Freeman, Holly Hunter, Isaac Hayes, Caldecott "Cotty" Chubb, Cybill Shepherd, Alan Bloomquist, Leo Fitzpatrick, Robert Mugge, Don Hertzfeldt, Jon Glascoe, Joseph Pierson, Del Shores, and Leslie Jordan. The festival has screened a number of Academy Award nominated films such as Don Hertzfeldt's The Meaning of Life, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's Amores Perros, Most (The Bridge) by Bobby Garabedian and William Zabka, and Sam Green and Bill Siegel's The Weather Underground.
March 10, 2013 — The Commitment will screen at Kansas City FilmFest on Thursday, April 11, 2013 at 3:25pm, Saturday, April 13, 2013 at 3:30pm, and Sunday, April 14, 2013 at 2:35pm, with all three screenings at Alamo Drafthouse Mainstreet Theater (tickets). The film is featured in the session Random Relationships: US/Int'l Shorts. Formerly known as the Kansas City Filmmakers Jubilee, the event has grown steadily since its humble beginnings in 1997, now spanning five days in one of Kansas City's premiere theatres. Over the years, he FilmFest has received thousands of entries from all over the world, and more than $200,000 in cash and prizes have been awarded in the juried competition.
March 5, 2013 — The Commitment will screen a second time in New England in the month of April, at the Southeast New England (SENE) Film, Music & Arts Festival in Providence, RI on Saturday, April 27, 2013 at 5:45pm at the historic Columbus Theatre. The film screens in LGBT Short Films. Tickets will be sold at the door for $10 ($8 for Seniors/Students/RIFC Members), cash and credit cards accepted. Scheduled to be present for a Q&A are writer/director/actor Albert M. Chan, producer/editor Aaron Howland, production designer Alma Aron Baumwoll, actress Mary Niederkorn, and executive producer Richard Possemato. The filmmaking team's previous effort Fate Scores screened at the 1st Annual festival back in 2009.
February 28, 2013 — The Commitment has been chosen to receive the Award of Excellence in Filmmaking at the Canada International Film Festival, April 5-6, 2013. Held each year in the beautiful and cosmopolitan city of Vancouver, British Columbia, the festival brings the very best of world cinema to Canada from over 90 countries around the world.
February 15, 2013 — April is shaping up to be a pretty busy month for The Commitment. The film will screen at the DisOrient Asian American Film Festival of Oregon on April 27, 2013 at 1:15pm at Bijou Art Cinemas in Eugene, Oregon. The film is featured in the shorts program Fighting for Family; admission is free. The festival's Associate Director Pamela M. Quan writes that The Commitment "is powerful and relatable, and we are proud to present it to the DisOrient audience." Started in 2006 by artists, educators, and activists, DisOrient is a grassroots and volunteer-run film festival committed to presenting honest portrayals of the diversity of the Asian and Pacific Islander American experience.
February 12, 2013 — The Commitment has been nominated for a 2013 National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Media Award for Best Film, alongside Oscar-nominated Moonrise Kingdom (Bruce Willis, Ed Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton) and What To Expect When You're Expecting (Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Dennis Quaid). The 2013 NASW Media Awards recognizes reporters, bloggers, columnists, television producers, movie directors and other media professionals who help raise awareness about the social work profession and issues important to social workers. NASW previously published an article about how The Commitment realistically portrays a social worker (played by actress Mary Niederkorn) helping an interracial gay couple adopt a newborn baby. The public is welcome to cast votes until March 15th. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest membership organization of professional social workers in the world, with 145,000 members.
February 7, 2013 — The Commitment returns to its hometown for the Boston International Film Festival on Wednesday, April 17, 2013 at 8pm at AMC Loews Boston Common 19 (tickets). The film screens in Session 24 alongside the feature film Virginity. Scheduled to be present for a Q&A are writer/director/actor Albert M. Chan, producer/editor Aaron Howland, production designer Alma Aron Baumwoll, cinematographer Andrew Nalband, actor Jason Lane Fenton, and executive producer Richard Possemato. Filmmakers Albert M. Chan and Aaron Howland have a long-standing relationship with the festival, now in its 11th year. In 2009, Chan and Howland attended the festival's Boston premiere of Fate Scores, written, directed, and produced by Chan and edited and shot by Howland. In 2006, the festival premiered the psychological thriller Interrogation, produced and edited by Howland and featuring Chan in the supporting role of Lieutenant Charles David Han. And back in 2003, the festival selected the Howland-produced short Jack Milton: Fairy Tale Detective as the winner of two awards: Best Storyline and Best Achievement in Creativity.
February 1, 2013 — The Commitment has won the Audience Award for Best Short Film at last weekend's Desperado LGBT Film Festival in Phoenix, Arizona. Meanwhile, Cloudburst, starring Oscar® winners Olympia Dukakis (Moonstruck) and Brenda Fricker (My Left Foot), picked up the Audience Award for Best Feature Film. Desperado LGBT Film Festival showcases the best in LGBT film and fosters diversity and multiculturalism throughout the state of Arizona.
January 15, 2013 — The Commitment has been added to the lineup at the Desperado LGBT Film Festival in Phoenix, Arizona. The Commitment screens in the shorts session Mixed Shorts on Saturday, January 26, 2013 at 12:45pm at the Center for the Performing Arts (tickets). Desperado LGBT Film Festival showcases the best in LGBT film and fosters diversity and multiculturalism throughout the state of Arizona. The festival is presented in collaboration with Paradise Valley Community College's Office of Student Life, P.R.I.D.E Student Organization, the Center for the Performing Arts, and the PVCC Center for International Studies.
January 3, 2013 — The Commitment has been nominated for the Crystal Cactus Award for Best LGBT Film at Out in the Desert: Tucson's International LGBT Film Festival. The Commitment screens on Friday, January 25, 2013 at 9pm at FLUXX Studio & Gallery (tickets), and the winner will be announced at the Closing Night Party on Sunday, January 27, 2013 at 9:30pm at the same location. Out in the Desert is a program of the Southwest LGBT Film Society, which works to celebrate LGBT cinema and seeks to create an affirming atmosphere in which to promote acceptance and tolerance, while showcasing the very best in independent films by LGBT filmmakers and about the LGBT community.
December 20, 2012 — The Commitment will have its Southwest Premiere at Out in the Desert: Tucson's International LGBT Film Festival on Friday, January 25, 2013 at 9pm at FLUXX Studio & Gallery. The film is featured in the session Family Secrets. Click here for tickets. Out in the Desert is a program of the Southwest LGBT Film Society, which works to celebrate LGBT cinema and seeks to create an affirming atmosphere in which to promote acceptance and tolerance, while showcasing the very best in independent films by LGBT filmmakers and about the LGBT community.
November 7, 2012 — The Commitment has been selected to screen at the PRIDE LGBTQ Film Festival on Saturday, February 2, 2013 at 7pm at the historic Buskirk-Chumley Theater, a renovated silent-era movie house with a capacity of over 600. The film is featured in the session Saturday Shorts. Click here for tickets. PRIDE LGBTQ Film Festival explores a wide variety of issues and situations involving the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer communities, advocating community-wide attitudes of awareness, acceptance and appreciation of diversity. The goal of the festival is to educate and strengthen the local community and celebrate artistic talent and achievement.
October 30, 2012 — Actress Kerri Patterson has won Best Supporting Actress in a Short Film in the Asians on Film (Summer 2012) competition for her touching portrayal of a pregnant women choosing adoption for her unborn baby in The Commitment. "This is so amazing and flattering," Kerri wrote. "It has been so amazing to be a part of this (both the real and the dramatized story)." Hear an excerpt of an interview Kerri gave earlier this year on the radio show Citywide Blackout, about the process of creating the character Victoria and how the role related to her own experiences as a real-life adoptee.
October 5, 2012 — The Commitment will have its hometown premiere at the Boston Asian American Film Festival on October 28, 2012 at 3pm at The Paramount Center. The film is featured in the session "Reel Food: A Shorts Program"; click here for tickets. BAAFF empowers Asian Americans through film by showcasing Asian American experiences and serving as a resource to filmmakers and the Greater Boston Community. BAAFF is a program of the Asian American Resource Workshop, a member-based organization that seeks to document the diverse Asian Pacific American histories, experiences, and social conditions, respond to current Asian Pacific American issues, and promote Asian Pacific American identity.
September 24, 2012 — The Commitment, along with Marc Parees' Little Ones and Chad Darnell's Groom's Cake, has been voted as the audience's favorite shorts series at Palm Springs Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. The Commitment screened on Saturday, September 22, 2012 as part of Short Series: All About Gaybies, three very different takes on gay adoption. Celebrating its fifth anniversary this year, the festival is a presentation of the Palm Springs Cultural Center and is dedicated to presenting the best in LGBT cinema. With the current gay and lesbian population in Palm Springs estimated to be about seven times the national average, a concentration even greater than that of San Francisco, Palm Springs is a fitting location for the premiere of The Commitment.
August 28, 2012 — The Commitment has been accepted to the Columbus International Film + Video Festival in Ohio, and will screen on November 14, 2012 at 7pm at the Gateway Film Center. The film plays in the session "Stonewall and the CIFVF: LGBT Shorts"; click here for tickets. Now in its 60th year, CIF+VF is the longest running film festival in the United States. Founded in 1950 by a group of progressive educators, the Columbus Film Council continues their legacy, honoring and screening the work of makers "whose creations of vision, beauty and power help us understand the complexities of our world by using their committed artistry to touch our minds and hearts."
August 17, 2012 — The Commitment has been selected to screen in the Shorts Section of the 27th Annual Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival on Saturday, November 3, 2012 at 6pm. The film plays at Cinema Paradiso in the session "GLBT SHORTS"; click here for tickets. A recipient of The Guinness World Record for the longest film festival, the FLIFF is dedicated to foreign and independent film, annually showcasing over 200 films from over 35 countries. FLIFF takes programming throughout South Florida, including The Weston Foreign Film Series, The Bay Harbor Islands Family Festival, The Hollywood Arts Park screenings, among other satellite operations. FLIFF also tours the state of Florida and Grand Bahama Island, partnering with The Daytona Beach Film Festival, The. St Augustine Film Festival, The Amelia Island Film Festival, and FLIFF On-Location Grand Bahama Island.
August 15, 2012 — The Commitment will premiere at the Palm Springs Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, which runs September 20-23, 2012 at the historic Camelot Theatres (2300 E. Baristo Road in Palm Springs). The Commitment screens on Saturday, September 22, 2012 at 11am in Theatre Two as part of Short Series: All About Gaybies, three very different takes on gay adoption that provide a humorous, and sometimes poignant look into life with and without gaybies; click here for tickets. Celebrating its fifth anniversary this year, the festival is a presentation of the Palm Springs Cultural Center and is dedicated to presenting the best in LGBT cinema. With the current gay and lesbian population in Palm Springs estimated to be about seven times the national average, a concentration even greater than that of San Francisco, Palm Springs is a fitting location for the premiere of The Commitment.
July 6, 2012 — A review of The Commitment has been published by Richard Propes of The Independent Critic, in advance of the first public screenings anticipated this fall. Propes describes The Commitment as "a 20-minute film with a feature-length film worth of emotional resonance, joy and heartbreak". He commends lead actors Albert M. Chan and Jason Lane Fenton for their "relaxed and authentic chemistry" and for bringing the relationship between the main characters "beautifully to life". He writes further that "Kerri Patterson and Mary Niederkorn are also both strong in supporting roles and, indeed, this is a film that would be difficult to pull off if not for its tremendously talented cast." On the production side, Propes describes the production quality as "strong throughout, with Ryan Leach's original score, D.P. Andrew Nalband's camera work and Alma Aron Baumwoll's production design all working to enhance the authenticity and naturalism that makes this such an appealing short film." Propes predicts that "The Commitment should have absolutely no problem finding a home on both the indie and LGBT film festival circuit."
May 25, 2012 — The post-production team consisting of film editor Aaron Howland, composer Ryan Leach, sound editor John Gage, and director Albert M. Chan has completed The Commitment. The film is currently under consideration to be screened at a number of film festivals in Fall 2012. "The team worked extremely hard to ensure we had the best possible film to submit to major festivals around the world," Albert said. The team should begin hearing back from festivals in August.
April 21, 2012 — Actors Albert M. Chan, Mary Niederkorn, and Kerri Patterson from The Commitment were featured guests on the UNregular Radio program Citywide Blackout with Max Bowen, talking about their respective characters. Albert, who is also the writer and director of the film, discussed the personal nature of the film and plans for distributing the film. Listen to the full broadcast:
The Cast of The Commitment on Citywide Blackout with Max Bowen
Citywide Blackout features a wide array of Boston-based musicians, filmmakers, and artists, often featuring in-studio live performances of New England indie bands.
April 17, 2012 — After an intense two months, Los Angeles based composer Ryan Leach has completed the original musical score for The Commitment. "It was a great experience collaborating with Ryan," director Albert M. Chan said. "He took the time to listen and understand my suggestions and feedback and to translate them into brilliant pieces of music that subtly complemented and enhanced both the comedic and dramatic moments of the film. There were times when I was at a loss to describe the mood of the music I was looking for in a scene, and so I only threw out a few adjectives. Well, Ryan quickly came back with something that was not only perfect for the scene, but also nothing that I would have imagined."
The two have never met before, but each came to know of the other from working on the 2006 psychological crime drama Interrogation, written and directed by John Chase (Venice Underground) and executive produced by Jeff Most (The Crow). For that film, Ryan served as composer and Albert played the role of Lieutenant Charles Han.
A sneak peek of the beautifully moving end theme of the film:
March 20, 2012 — Aaron Howland, who has been editing The Commitment for the past several months, has locked picture. His next task is to color correct the film, a process of altering the film's colors in order to make them appear more accurate as well as set the mood. With his brother Seth Howland, Ever since Aaron co-founded his film production company 7 Fluid Oz. Productions LLP in 2001, he has edited a wide range of film projects. Aaron directed, produced, and edited On the Way, a feature-length documentary about Milwaukee singer, songwriter, and guitarist Peter Mulvey. Aaron also produced and edited the feature-length dramatic film Interrogation, written and directed by John Chase (Venice Underground) and executive produced by Jeff Most (The Crow). Aaron has also worked on comedies, acting as producer and editor of the award-winning film Jack Milton: Fairy Tale Detective, and as director and editor of the critically acclaimed satire The Albino Code, which was featured on CNN, MSNBC, Inside Edition, and Entertainment Tonight. Most recently, Aaron edited Fate Scores, his first collaboration with director and actor Albert M. Chan, which was recognized by the National Film Board of Canada.
March 14, 2012 — John Gage, who served as the production sound mixer for The Commitment, will also be the post-production sound editor for the film. John's work will include cleaning up dialogue to make it more understandable and smoother, removing unwanted background sounds, as well as adding together various elements to create believable sounds for everything seen on screen. John was drawn to work on The Commitment as an adoptee himself. He has worked as a sound editor and mixer in the New England movie industry since 2003, with many projects involving people with disabilities.
October 16, 2011 — American film and television music composer Ryan Leach is attached to the upcoming film The Commitment. Ryan's masterful blending of styles and genres makes him an inventive voice in a new generation of composers, with his music heard on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and MTV. After graduating from Berklee College of Music with a Bachelors of Music in Film Scoring, Ryan made the move to Los Angeles, working for composer Michael A. Levine as assistant, music editor, and additional composer. It was with Levine that Ryan received his prime-time television debut, scoring additional music for Jerry Bruckheimer's Close To Home and Cold Case on CBS. In the Spring of 2007 Ryan moved with Levine to Remote Control Productions, Hans Zimmer’s facility in Santa Monica. where he gained first hand experience on such films as Bee Movie (score by Rupert Gregson-Williams), The Simpsons Movie, and The Dark Knight (scores by Hans Zimmer).
September 18, 2011 — The Commitment has wrapped principal photography and is in the post-production phase. Editor Aaron Howland will be taking the footage and assembling a rough cut in the weeks to come, with the film completed by Spring 2012.
