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!GBFF2025 Pass: All Five GBFF2025 Collections! (Excludes some Special Screenings)
Then & Now (2025)
This documentary, 50 years in the making, tells the story of three gay men from the same generation, revealing their personal experiences against the backdrop of a rapidly changing world. From early struggles to the rise of the LGBTQ+ movement, their lives reflect resilience, love, and the fight for equality.
Director - Raymond J Reiss
Director - Raymond J Reiss
Director Biography - Raymond J Reiss
Ray's love for film began with The Wizard of Oz in his Kansas childhood. After graduating from Wichita State University in 1968, he served as a vault librarian for intelligence in the U.S. Navy. In 1971, he completed a film course with Lance Hayes and returned to San Francisco to create a TV show, making Holograms, while pursuing his Master's at JFK University.
Ray returned to Kansas in 1980, where he served three terms as mayor of Park City and ran for state representative twice. Today, he is a director, actor, and producer with Reiss Productions, having worked on a German TV show with Jochen Schropp and produced six documentaries. His film Lights, Camera, Wichita opened the 2021 Doc Sunback Film Festival.
Ray has been a magician since 1981, a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, and enjoys sharing his craft. He remains active in the Tallgrass Film Festival and other Wichita organizations. Ray believes in living life fully and enjoys sharing it with his wife, Jane.
Please tell us your motivation for making your film:
As a long-time friend of the subjects of the film, it has evolved over 50 years to become a documentation of their lives, struggles, and changes over time. I was inspired to tell their story and give them a voice for the experiences they went through.
What are the themes and central messages you wanted to convey with your submission?:
That humanizes people who have problems with sexual identity or preference. Hopefully this will change the minds and hearts of those who are quick to judge.
Please list ANY possible CONTENT / TRIGGER Warnings:
Explicit Nudity and Sexuality
- Year2025
- RuntimeNeed Film! 39:36
- LanguageEnglish
- CountryUnited States
- Content WarningExplicit Nudity and Sexuality
- Note
!GBFF2025 Pass: All Five GBFF2025 Collections! (Excludes some Special Screenings)
Then & Now (2025)
This documentary, 50 years in the making, tells the story of three gay men from the same generation, revealing their personal experiences against the backdrop of a rapidly changing world. From early struggles to the rise of the LGBTQ+ movement, their lives reflect resilience, love, and the fight for equality.
Director - Raymond J Reiss
Director - Raymond J Reiss
Director Biography - Raymond J Reiss
Ray's love for film began with The Wizard of Oz in his Kansas childhood. After graduating from Wichita State University in 1968, he served as a vault librarian for intelligence in the U.S. Navy. In 1971, he completed a film course with Lance Hayes and returned to San Francisco to create a TV show, making Holograms, while pursuing his Master's at JFK University.
Ray returned to Kansas in 1980, where he served three terms as mayor of Park City and ran for state representative twice. Today, he is a director, actor, and producer with Reiss Productions, having worked on a German TV show with Jochen Schropp and produced six documentaries. His film Lights, Camera, Wichita opened the 2021 Doc Sunback Film Festival.
Ray has been a magician since 1981, a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, and enjoys sharing his craft. He remains active in the Tallgrass Film Festival and other Wichita organizations. Ray believes in living life fully and enjoys sharing it with his wife, Jane.
Please tell us your motivation for making your film:
As a long-time friend of the subjects of the film, it has evolved over 50 years to become a documentation of their lives, struggles, and changes over time. I was inspired to tell their story and give them a voice for the experiences they went through.
What are the themes and central messages you wanted to convey with your submission?:
That humanizes people who have problems with sexual identity or preference. Hopefully this will change the minds and hearts of those who are quick to judge.
Please list ANY possible CONTENT / TRIGGER Warnings:
Explicit Nudity and Sexuality
- Year2025
- RuntimeNeed Film! 39:36
- LanguageEnglish
- CountryUnited States
- Content WarningExplicit Nudity and Sexuality
- Note
