2024 Woodstock Film Festival: A Conversation with Filmmaker Emily Clark

INSIDE+OUT Upstate NY is thrilled to begin our annual celebration of the Woodstock Film Festival, now in its 25th year, with a series of interviews showcasing a select group of filmmakers participating in this year’s festival. Today, we shine a spotlight on director/writer Emily Clark to discuss her documentary film, Is Gay Marriage Next?

One Newsweek cover in 2003 would change the course of Emily Clark’s life. Back then, she wasn’t yet a documentary filmmaker, nor was she “out.” But the lesbian couple who bravely paraded their love and joy on the magazine’s cover, the words “Is Gay Marriage Next” emblazoned across their bodies in bold letters, would help change history and lend Emily courage to step into her truth. Two decades later, Clark tracked down the couple who had deeply impacted her life.  Now in a post-Roe world, the question resurfaces with a haunting twist: is gay marriage next—to go? Emily Clark’s short documentary artfully navigates the ebb and flow of LGBTQ rights in America.

Meet Emily Clark in our Exclusive Interview here, and then check out this inspiring short documentary at the upcoming Woodstock Film Festival. You can follow the Emily and the Film on Instagram: @emilyzing | @isgaymarriagenext

Now in its 25th year, 2024 promises to be as exciting as ever! | October 15 to October 20, 2024
Check out the 2024 Woodstock Film Festival Schedule | Get Your Tickets HERE.

INSIDE+OUT: Tell us about your film, Is Gay Marriage Next, showing at this year’s Woodstock Film Festival.

Emily Clark: Twenty years ago, I was deeply closeted when a Newsweek magazine arrived featuring a lesbian couple. That image blew my mind and changed my life–I came out a month later. Over the years, I’ve thought about these women, wondering who they are and where they are now. And since the culture wars are back and we’re worried about our rights being stripped away, I couldn’t help but wonder—what could they possibly think now? Well, I actually found them and found out.

What inspired you to choose a career in the film business, and what was your journey?

As a kid, I was obsessed with documentaries (thank you, Hoop Dreams) but didn’t go to film school. I learned by working in advertising, spending time on sets, and getting to make branded documentaries through working at Ogilvy. Branching out and making passion projects has been a huge part of expressing myself and making political statements that can’t be summed up in a tweet. It turns out I have a lot to say.

When did you first have the idea to interview those two courageous women?

In February of 2023, I thought of the women from the cover and told myself I needed to track down that magazine (shout out to eBay!) and see where these women were. By May, we were shooting.

How difficult was it to find and convince them this film would be a good idea?

I found the women online first, so I knew they lived in my city (NYC). That made it more likely to happen. Then, when I reached out to them, I think they were touched. As they say in the film, the magazine cover is from 2003, before social media. They had no idea a closeted teenager in suburban Philadelphia was staring at their faces and finding hope for the first time. So I didn’t feel much convincing needed to be done — this was their story, too, and they were happy to revisit this slice of history.

What was the biggest challenge in making this film?

Two major challenges stand out: securing funding and avoiding burnout. I did a GoFundMe campaign with friends to cover some of the music costs, which was incredibly helpful, and I gradually funded the rest myself. But the burnout part was real. This project delved into heavy topics and brought up a lot of unexcavated feelings, which was one of the reasons I wanted to make it in the first place. I think a lot of people in the LGBTQ community who came out might not want to put a microscope to it; there’s a lot of lingering hurt and bad reactions that may not be fully ironed out—even 20 years later. When I finished the film, I took myself to a nice dinner and let my brain relax and think of nothing for a moment.

What is the greatest surprise of making this film?

I am just so thankful to Lauren and Lis for saying yes to this adventure. It’s not often you get to reach back in time and soothe your teenage self. But by them saying yes to making this with me, I got to do that while also looking toward the future. Making this film was a special project in many ways; I’m surprised that I pulled it off (with the help of many talented people) and that it exists in the world.

Any advice for young queer filmmakers?

There’s a quote I like, “Take your broken heart and turn it into art.”

As I say in the film, LGBTQ people are constantly given new things to overcome, and we always find a way to persist and keep on loving. My advice is this: “Don’t wait for permission to make a film. Give it to yourself and get started, especially if you have a broken heart. Filmmaking offers a powerful platform to expose injustice and inspire others to keep fighting. For me, it’s been an unexpected yet surprisingly reliable path toward healing.”

In this film, you explore LGBTQ progress and setbacks. Are you hopeful about the future?

This film is a love letter to the LGBTQ community that has never given up. So, I have to feel hopeful: it’s what keeps us going.

What was your most rewarding or the most challenging project to date?

I had never produced anything before this, so the learning curve was steep. For this film, I worked with an animator and designer in India. I had a music supervisor locking down music licenses. I pored through hours and hours of archives to find the best quotes from pride parades the year the magazine came out, in 2003. And my tireless editor made it all look stunning through 33 rough cuts. It was a lot of moving pieces on top of my full-time job. It was so challenging, and that’s part of what made it incredibly rewarding. And, I got to meet and thank the women who, without knowing it, changed my life. Is there anything more rewarding than that?

What are your thoughts on technology and the changing landscape of the TV and film industry?

With AI, it feels like, who’s in charge here? It reminds me of how Facebook started as a fun way to look at your crush, then your parents joined, and now Truth Social exists, and no one knows what’s real. Like many people, I’m nervous about the dark side of AI and the ease of making deepfakes, but on the flip side, I’m excited about how much it blows open visual possibilities when it’s in the right hands.

What is one question you are constantly asked or the biggest misconception about what you do?

Are you a vegetarian? I am not.

Can you put your finger on what makes a great Director and who inspires you?

I’m inspired by anyone brave enough to make a film. And as someone who made a short, I’m also inspired by anyone who has made a feature. A great director can fuse wildly different elements of the creative process into something that feels seamless. What looks effortless on screen is all about mastering complexity behind the scenes—building something that looks like it always could have existed. You have to be gifted visually and know how to talk to people in a way that translates into a theater full of people in different moods. All this to say, it’s really hard, and I’m always learning.

What are you working on now that you’re excited about?

I would love to expand this short into a series about thanking people who changed your life without knowing it. There’s so much potential in uncovering the powerful, hidden stories of how one small act of courage creates a ripple effect. In a strange way, the magazine cover and this film are connected. Who else out there had their life changed by someone or something?

How often do you participate in Film Festivals, and what does having an outlet such as the Woodstock Film Festival mean to you?

I’m so thankful for a stage like Woodstock to share this extremely personal, meaningful story—especially during an election year when so much is at stake.

This is my first festival circuit, so I’m learning a lot, and I’m incredibly grateful to Woodstock Film Festival for giving me this platform. Filmmakers don’t make films to sit on their hard drives, and seeing it on the big screen, hearing people’s reactions around me, and getting kind notes from strangers in my DMs after they’ve watched it at a festival means so much.

Film festivals are an amazing community experience, and a place to see art that won’t necessarily make it to the major streamers. They’re also a sacred space for people who made a film to come together and support each other’s art, a truly special break from the onslaught of capitalism. (Sometimes I say things like that, but I promise I’m fun at parties)

If you could have one superpower what would it be?

To speak every language and dialect on earth.

Good one. Thank you, Emily, we look forward to seeing you film!

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About Emily Clark

Emily Clark is a queer documentary filmmaker. She grew up in Philadelphia, but luckily escaped the accent. After graduating from American University, she moved to NYC where she discovered the ad industry. This eventually led to directing award-winning branded content and making festival-worthy short docs. She wants to see more diversity in the film industry and on screens in her lifetime, and is currently pitching her short as a proof-of-concept for a series about thanking people who changed your life without knowing it.

About the Woodstock Film Festival

The 25th Annual Woodstock Film Festival brings a slate of distinguished films to screen from October 15 to October 20, 2024, at venues across the Hudson Valley towns of Woodstock, Rosendale, Kingston and Saugerties.

Founded in 2000, the Woodstock Film Festival (WFF) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that nurtures and supports emerging and established filmmakers, sharing their creative voices through an annual festival and year-round programming to promote culture, diversity, community, educational opportunities and economic growth.

WFF provides innovative mentoring and inspired educational programs benefitting filmmakers, students and diverse audiences while serving as a powerful cultural and economic engine for New York’s Hudson Valley and beyond. Such efforts have consistently resulted in the festival being hailed as one of the top regional film festivals worldwide. 

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Now in its 25th year, 2024 promises to as exciting as ever! 2024 Lineup and Tickets HERE.

Full and Weekend Festival Passes are available – Get Your Festival Deluxe Passes HERE

Here is a link to the 2024 Film Festival Schedule