Ithaca College

The tenth annual "Out of the Closet and Onto the Screen" film series will begin on Wednesday, August 29, with a showing of Born This Way: The Documentary - a film created by Ithaca College students.  The screening will begin at 7:00 p.m. in Textor 101.  It is free and open to the public.

When Ithaca College’s renowned a cappella groups wanted to contribute to the fight against bullying due to sexual identity, they recorded the Lady Gaga song “Born this Way” as a fund-raiser. Some fellow students turned that recording process into a documentary that also highlights a few of the singers’ personal struggles with bullying.

Ithacappella, Premium Blend and IC Voicestream joined forces last spring to produce a new arrangement of Lady Gaga’s hit single “Born This Way.” The groups were joined on the song by The Pentatonix, winners of the third season of the NBC show “The Sing Off.”

The track was made available for purchase on iTunes, with all proceeds going to the Born This Way Foundation, an organization devoted to fostering a more accepting society; and the Ali Forney Center, a New York City homeless shelter for LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) youth.

Daisy Krikun ’12, a member of Premium Blend, decided to film a documentary on the recording collaboration as her senior media thesis project. Classmates Christine Williams served as producer, Stefan Garcia as director of photography and Liz Garcia as sound designer. The film includes stories told by members of the groups about their own experiences with facing bullying due to their sexual identity.

“We hope the documentary can contribute to and improve this serious national issue in an uplifting approach in order to make teens proud of their individuality,” said Krikun. “Being a member of Premium Blend, I heard about the Born This Way Project and knew it was the perfect opportunity to direct a documentary that could make a difference.”

Out of the Closet and Onto the Screen is sponsored by the Ithaca College Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Education, Outreach, and Services, and the theme of this year’s series is “Music: From A Cappella to Queercore.” The screening will also include refreshments and the opportunity to meet the LGBT Center program director and student staff, and student leaders of the four LGBT-themed student organizations on campus and the three campus a cappella singing groups.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Lis Maurer at lmaurer@ithaca.edu or (607) 274-7394. We ask that requests for accommodations be made as soon as possible.