''Pursuit of Equality'' is a 2005 American

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

directed by Geoff Callan and Mike Shaw, about the struggle of

same-sex couples A same-sex relationship is a romantic or sexual relationship between people of the same sex. ''Same-sex marriage'' refers to the institutionalized recognition of such relationships in the form of a marriage; civil unions may exist in countries ...

for marriage equality in the United States. Its focus is mostly on the same-sex marriages performed in San Francisco from February 12 to March 11, 2004. A major fundraising event for Equality California was also inspired by, and named after, the film. Callan, along with San Francisco mayor

Gavin Newsom Gavin Christopher Newsom ( ; born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman serving since 2019 as the 40th governor of California. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served from 2011 to 201 ...

and philanthropists Christopher Bently and

Wilkes Bashford Wilkes Bashford was a clothing retailer headquartered in San Francisco, California, United States. In November 2009, it was acquired by Mitchells Stores. The flagship store was opened in 1966 by its namesake Wilkes Bashford. It is favored by som ...

, hosted a wedding celebration titled The Pursuit of Equality in order to increase public awareness of this issue before the November 4th vote on

California Proposition 8 Proposition 8, known informally as Prop 8, was a California ballot proposition and a state constitutional amendment intended to ban same-sex marriage. It passed in the November 2008 California state elections and was later overturned by the ...

Synopsis

By issuing

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

licenses,

San Francisco Mayor The mayor of the City and County of San Francisco is the head of the executive branch of the San Francisco city and county government. The officeholder has the duty to enforce city laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by t ...

uproots the status quo, attempts to change the way the nation looks at life, love, and

marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

. From the first frame of the film, even before the press is aware, this film crew is with Mayor Gavin Newsom's senior staff as the nation's first same-sex couple exchange their vows and ignite a controversial civil rights topic. The story continues on the streets, in the courtrooms, and on the steps of City Hall, where same-sex couples clash with church groups who declare that their sexual and romantic desires are sinful. The film focuses on the compelling,

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

struggles surrounding same-sex marriage and captures the elation and despair of couples and families who are fighting for equal rights. This film made the independent

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theater, cinemas or screening venues, usually annually and in a single city or region. Some film festivals show films outdoors or online. Films may be of recent ...

circuit, winning multiple awards, and is scheduled for a wider release in the United States in 2008.

Awards

* 2005:

San Francisco International Film Festival The San Francisco International Film Festival (abbreviated as SFIFF), organized by SFFILM, is held each spring for two weeks, presenting around 200 films from over 50 countries. The festival highlights current trends in international film and vid ...

, Audience Award for Best Documentary * 2006: San Luis Obispo Film Festival, Audience Award for Best Documentary * 2006:

Melbourne Queer Film Festival The Melbourne Queer Film Festival (MQFF) is an annual LGBT film festival held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia in November. Founded in 1991, it is the largest queer film event in the Southern Hemisphere, in 2015 attracting around 23,000 att ...

, Audience Award for Best Documentary * 2006: Sonoma Valley Film Festival, Audience Award for Best Documentary * 2006:

Rainbow Film Festival The Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival (HRFF) is an LGBT film festival held annually in Honolulu which began in 1989 as the Adam Baran Honolulu Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. History Businessman Jack Law founded the non-profit Honolulu Gay & Lesbian ...

, Audience Award for Best Documentary * 2006:

Palm Springs International Film Festival Palm Springs International Film Festival (sometimes stylized shortly as PSIFF) is a film festival held in Palm Springs, California. Originally promoted by Mayor Sonny Bono and then sponsored by Nortel,here for Table of Contents it started in 19 ...

, Best of the Fest * 2009:

GLAAD Media Awards The GLAAD Media Award is a US accolade bestowed by GLAAD to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding portrayals of LGBTQ people and the issues that affect their lives. In addition to film and television, the Awards ...

, Special Recognition for Directors Geoff Callan and Mike Shaw

References

External links

* *
The Pursuit of Equality fundraiser
2005 films Documentary films about same-sex marriage in the United States 2005 documentary films Films shot in San Francisco LGBTQ culture in San Francisco Documentary films about human rights Documentary films about California 2005 LGBTQ-related films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films American LGBTQ-related documentary films English-language documentary films {{LGBT-documentary-film-stub

Synopsis

Awards

See also

References

External links