The Coming Back Out Ball Movie

When you organize a ball for older members of the LGBTIQ* community, there’s some things to consider: the guests tend to go to bed early, enjoy playing pool and in some cases require a driving service. Artist Tristan Meecham soon realizes that he ought to organize the ball not only for, but together with his guests – if he truly wants to fulfill his mission of bringing the queer elderly back into the community.

Sue Thomson’s “Coming Back Out Ball Movie” documents Meecham’s ball project from the planning stage up to the big event. She gives insights into the past and present of the generation of pioneers who set the course for all the political achievements of the LGTBIQ* movement and had to deal with a world of stigmatization, jail sentences and marriages of convenience. In today’s world, where things have changed, there is more freedom and, most importantly, a much younger community, the concerns and hopes of the older queer crowd may be forgotten by society. Old age forces many into social isolation and leads to a closeted life in care homes with heterosexual cohabitants who still hold reactionary prejudices and values.

With his ball event, Meecham wants to set a benchmark for older LGBTIQ* people and encourage them to live their queer lives despite those difficulties. Meecham’s idealism and the resilience of his protagonists, who take their fate with a good amount of humor, make “Coming Back Out Ball Movie” an inspiring contemporary film experience for the community.