{"id":8,"date":"2024-11-12T20:54:04","date_gmt":"2024-11-12T20:54:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cahcms.smca.ucf.edu\/the-committee\/?page_id=8"},"modified":"2025-01-06T18:44:27","modified_gmt":"2025-01-06T18:44:27","slug":"the-committee-documentary","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/the-committee\/","title":{"rendered":"The Committee Documentary"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n

About the Film<\/h2>\n

Fifty years ago, Florida\u2019s Legislative Investigative Committee, led by Senator Charley Johns sought to remove homosexuals from Florida’s state universities. As a result of the \u201cJohns Committee\u2019s\u201d efforts, more than 200 gay and lesbian students and teachers were expelled or fired. Featuring two of the victims and one interrogator, the film exposes the committee\u2019s subversive activities and how its effects are still felt today.<\/p>\n

The film traces the committee’s origins in the era of McCarthyism and anti-gay propaganda while detailing the personal stories of those intimately involved with its activities.<\/p>\n

In fall 2011, professors Robert Cassanello and Lisa Mills<\/a> taught an Advanced Documentary Workshop class at the University of Central Florida<\/a>. This interdisciplinary seminar was a cooperative effort between the History Department and the film program in the School of Visual Arts and Design.<\/p>\n

The students, with backgrounds in English, accounting, journalism, computer engineering, art, and radio\/TV production, were assigned into production teams where they would best be able to use their abilities.<\/p>\n

Students were required to read And They Were Wonderful Teachers<\/em><\/a>, a book by Karen Graves, Ph.D., about the Johns Committee\u2019s persecution of public school teachers. The class also watched the only documentary previously made on the subject, Allyson Beutke\u2019s Behind Closed Doors: The Dark Legacy of the Johns Committee<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

The class sought out interviews with experts who could speak with authority on the Johns Committee or the current state of LGBTQ affairs in the state of Florida. Interviews were conducted with members of the Florida public school system, survivors of the Johns Committee, a retired police officer who worked with the committee, and former Florida governor and retired U.S. Senator Bob Graham. Students also interviewed Judith Poucher, Ph.D., who recently released her book State of Defiance: Challenging the Johns Committee’s Assault on Civil Liberties<\/i><\/a>. Not all materials collected were included in the resulting new documentary about the Johns Committee.<\/p>\n

Documentary filmmaker and video producer Aaron Hos\u00e9<\/a>, representing the UCF Center for Distributed Learning (CDL), was brought onto the project as Producer and Supervising Editor. He would assist Dr. Cassanello and Dr. Mills in guiding the students through the various technical and creative facets of the film’s post-production and marketing phases. In the spring of 2012, the film began screening in film festivals in Florida and over the next two years it screened in festivals all over the world, winning many competitions, prizes, and awards. The students who made the film graduated, but stayed in touch with Cassanello and Mills about the film\u2019s success.<\/p>\n

Same-sex marriage became legal in Florida in January, 2015. Efforts to revise the ending of the film began shortly thereafter and WUSF-TV in Tampa agreed to pitch the film to the American Public Television Exchange for national distribution. Cassanello, Mills, Hos\u00e9 and their former students launched a fundraising campaign to cover the cost of licensing images and music in the film. On June 1, 2016 the film will be released to more than 70 local public television stations via APT.<\/p>\n

\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Charley\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tCharley Johns (center) with members of the Florida Legislative Investigation Committee\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Karen\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tStudents interview Karen Graves on the UCF film soundstage\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Johns\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJohns Committee survivor Chuck Woods and former Gainesville police officer John Tileson, Sr.\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Senator\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tSenator Bob Graham meets students Logan Kriete, Ben Taylor and Monica Monticello\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Editor\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tEditor Aaron Hose and co-directors Lisa Mills and Robert Cassanello with Suncoast Regional Emmy trophies\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Students\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tMonica Monticello, Logan Kriete and Amy Simpson at 2012 Gasparilla International Film Festival\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\"\"
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n

Watch Videos<\/h2>\n

Watch The Committee<\/em> now!<\/span>
\nPBS is now streaming The Committee<\/em> for free on their website.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/i> Watch Now\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n

Trailer<\/h3>\n