In this ground-breaking documentary, openly LGBT elected officials at all levels and from across the country – including the first gay US Senator, Tammy Baldwin – share their stories of self-doubt and triumph over multiple barriers ranging from race and poverty to gender and sexual orientation, revealing a deeply personal, rarely-seen side of politicians and LGBT people.
Tho’ featuring politicians, it isn’t about politics: it’s about people who feel fear and shame, yearning to live meaningful lives.
In Breaking Through, they describe the conflict they experienced between the barrage of anti-gay messages they were forced to confront and their desire to live open and fulfilled lives.
The country, she is a-changin’. 19 states have already recognized the love between LGBT couples and have given us the right to marry with more states on the way.
Now we are starting to see a new trend of openly gay politicians. The documentary Breaking Through examines the three P’s: People, Pride and Power.
Directed by Cindy L. Abel, who is openly gay, Breaking Through profiles elected officials who represent “firsts” in their respective positions.
“We made Breaking Through to encourage people who are wondering if their life is worth living,” said Abel. “Now it is accessible to all those that want to see real-life examples of overcoming obstacles and living authentic, fulfilled lives. I’m thrilled these surprisingly vulnerable, deeply personal stories will be shared with a national audience.” Breaking Through is director Cindy L. Abel’s first full-length documentary.
Praised by The Huffington Post as “a rich, fast-paced, spelling binding film,” Breaking Through has been a hit at festivals nationwide, including Philadelphia QFest, Sidewalk, Little Rock, San Diego, Oxford, Out on Film and the Miami Gay and Lesbian film festivals. Breaking Through was awarded a Remi at WorldFest Houston and the Audience Award at QFest Ft Worth, and was a jury award finalist at Moondance Film Festival.
BREAKING THROUGH from Cindy Abel on Vimeo.