Contact: Tom Murray, Producer/Director |
| A PORTABLE TRIBE talking with campers, vagabonds and naked men |
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| Tom Murray, Documentary Filmmaker |
| A PORTABLE TRIBE is a documentary film that celebrates the lives of Gay men, their bonding, sense of brotherhood and quest to explore non-urban adventures. |
COMMENTS-
I guess if I were to say that if I had a “mission statement” as a documentary filmmaker, it would be to
pursue my ongoing curiosity about how each of us goes about finding our place in the world. For
some it’s barely a concern, …life just seems to happen….while for others the journey may be long
and difficult. I think my focus is more on people than issues per se. While much of my past work
has focused on some of the problems and issues that confront people of the LGBTQ community, I
wanted to make a film like A PORTABLE TRIBE that also celebrates our community. A PORTABLE
TRIBE explores that way that Gay men connect, bond and share their lives in settings less often
explored. I'm really pleased to have the cooperation of the men who were a part of this project and
really excited about presenting this film with their stories.
TOM MURRAY
I guess if I were to say that if I had a “mission statement” as a documentary filmmaker, it would be to
pursue my ongoing curiosity about how each of us goes about finding our place in the world. For
some it’s barely a concern, …life just seems to happen….while for others the journey may be long
and difficult. I think my focus is more on people than issues per se. While much of my past work
has focused on some of the problems and issues that confront people of the LGBTQ community, I
wanted to make a film like A PORTABLE TRIBE that also celebrates our community. A PORTABLE
TRIBE explores that way that Gay men connect, bond and share their lives in settings less often
explored. I'm really pleased to have the cooperation of the men who were a part of this project and
really excited about presenting this film with their stories.
TOM MURRAY
BACKGROUND -
Tom Murray openly admits to getting a late start in life with filmmaking. Having studied filmmaking in
his college years, and long term fan of documentary films, it was only in his “50+” years that he
tackled his first feature length work. Inspired by his upbringing on a dairy farm in northern Illinois,
“FARM FAMILY...in search of Gay life in rural America” was voted Best Feature Length Documentary at
the Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in 2004 and has been acquired by Viacom as part of
the initial acquisitions for LOGO TV, the new Gay and Lesbian cable channel. Now a resident of the
Gulf coast of Florida, in 2005 Tom completed his second feature, “FISH CAN‘T FLY” which takes a
look at the way in which Gay people of faith go about putting their spirituality and sexuality in
harmony. In early 2007, Tom released the DVD for his third feature documentary titled “ALMOST
MYSELF” which takes a look into the world of transgender individuals. The film was inspired after
meeting a transgender woman who twenty years after having surgery and living as a woman, is
considering a return to life as a man again. The film received several honors including the jury award
for "Best Documentary" at the Tampa Intl. Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, and also the audience award
for "Favorite Documentary' at the Southwest Film Gay & Lesbian Film Festival in Albuquerque, NM.
Making the rounds at film festival throughout 2007, "TELL" continues the director's tradition of taking a
closer look at some of the lesser seen parts of LGBT culture. Conducting interviews with more than
14 LGBT military veterans and their allies, the film is sure to put a human face on the ongoing
controversial policy of "don't ask, don't tell" which effects each and every gay, lesbian, bisexual or
transgender person who wants to join the military and serve their country.
Tom Murray openly admits to getting a late start in life with filmmaking. Having studied filmmaking in
his college years, and long term fan of documentary films, it was only in his “50+” years that he
tackled his first feature length work. Inspired by his upbringing on a dairy farm in northern Illinois,
“FARM FAMILY...in search of Gay life in rural America” was voted Best Feature Length Documentary at
the Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in 2004 and has been acquired by Viacom as part of
the initial acquisitions for LOGO TV, the new Gay and Lesbian cable channel. Now a resident of the
Gulf coast of Florida, in 2005 Tom completed his second feature, “FISH CAN‘T FLY” which takes a
look at the way in which Gay people of faith go about putting their spirituality and sexuality in
harmony. In early 2007, Tom released the DVD for his third feature documentary titled “ALMOST
MYSELF” which takes a look into the world of transgender individuals. The film was inspired after
meeting a transgender woman who twenty years after having surgery and living as a woman, is
considering a return to life as a man again. The film received several honors including the jury award
for "Best Documentary" at the Tampa Intl. Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, and also the audience award
for "Favorite Documentary' at the Southwest Film Gay & Lesbian Film Festival in Albuquerque, NM.
Making the rounds at film festival throughout 2007, "TELL" continues the director's tradition of taking a
closer look at some of the lesser seen parts of LGBT culture. Conducting interviews with more than
14 LGBT military veterans and their allies, the film is sure to put a human face on the ongoing
controversial policy of "don't ask, don't tell" which effects each and every gay, lesbian, bisexual or
transgender person who wants to join the military and serve their country.