News Detail
Acclaimed Filmmaker Daniel Karslake Visits D-E
Portions of this artiicle contributed by Jamie Dalgleish '13
Daniel Karslake, the award-winning film director and producer of the documentary "For the Bible Tells Me So" visited Dwight-Englewood School campus earlier this week for a memorable Upper School (US) assembly, film screening, and a series of small group discussions. The event, coordinated by faculty member Vicky Frankel in partnership with the Gay Straight Alliance student club (GSA) and club faculty advisor Brian Kosnik, was an exceptional opportunity for our entire D-E community of US students, faculty and staff members.
The screening of the the documentary was an eye-opening experience, as many were not previously aware of how problematic or controversial religion can be for lesbians and gays. Even more enriching was the opportunity for teachers to take their classes to Hulst House during the afternoon blocks for discussions with Karslake himself; students with free periods were also welcome and encouraged to go. There was rarely a lull in the conversation--students and teachers alike had many questions for the director and filmmaker, which he was happy to answer as well as volunteer stories and updates from the families in the film, especially about their lives after the film was made.
Dan Karslake is the founding president of DK Works, a New York-based production company dedicated to creating high quality, thought-provoking theater, television, and movies that change the World. His first film, "For the Bible Tells Me So," had its world premiere in competition at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. Described by National Public Radio as "an incredibly powerful film that everbody should see," the movie examines the controversial intersection of religion and homosexuality in America through the lens of five Christian families. It has won multiple Best Documentary Audience Awards at film festivals across the country. The film was also voted the Best Spiritual Documentary of 2007 by Beliefnet.com, it won the GLAAD Media Award for Best Documentary of 2007, and was on the short list for a 2008 Academy Award. In October 2010, Entertainment Weekly listed "For the Bible Tells Me So" as one of five movies that has 'changed the world'.
Karslake has been an award-winning producer for the highly acclaimed newsmagazine, “In the Life,” which airs nationally on PBS in over 120 markets. Recognition for his outstanding work for the show, which has centered primarily on issues regarding religion and homosexuality, includes an Emmy nomination from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, as well as praise from GLAAD and the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association.
In Fall 2008, Karslake began work on his new documentary, "Every Three Seconds," as a visiting scholar at Stanford University under the auspices of the Haas Center for Public Service. The film is about the 'blinding potential' in each of us to have a significant impact on the world, and has been shot all over the world. It is slated for release later this year. Karslake also recently completed "Climbing the Ladder: The Jamii Bora Story," a 30 minute training video for poor communities around the world looking to start their own microfinance institution based on the model of the Jamii Bora Bank in Nairobi, Kenya.
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Daniel Karslake, the award-winning film director and producer of the documentary "For the Bible Tells Me So" visited Dwight-Englewood School campus earlier this week for a memorable Upper School (US) assembly, film screening, and a series of small group discussions. The event, coordinated by faculty member Vicky Frankel in partnership with the Gay Straight Alliance student club (GSA) and club faculty advisor Brian Kosnik, was an exceptional opportunity for our entire D-E community of US students, faculty and staff members.
The screening of the the documentary was an eye-opening experience, as many were not previously aware of how problematic or controversial religion can be for lesbians and gays. Even more enriching was the opportunity for teachers to take their classes to Hulst House during the afternoon blocks for discussions with Karslake himself; students with free periods were also welcome and encouraged to go. There was rarely a lull in the conversation--students and teachers alike had many questions for the director and filmmaker, which he was happy to answer as well as volunteer stories and updates from the families in the film, especially about their lives after the film was made.
Dan Karslake is the founding president of DK Works, a New York-based production company dedicated to creating high quality, thought-provoking theater, television, and movies that change the World. His first film, "For the Bible Tells Me So," had its world premiere in competition at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. Described by National Public Radio as "an incredibly powerful film that everbody should see," the movie examines the controversial intersection of religion and homosexuality in America through the lens of five Christian families. It has won multiple Best Documentary Audience Awards at film festivals across the country. The film was also voted the Best Spiritual Documentary of 2007 by Beliefnet.com, it won the GLAAD Media Award for Best Documentary of 2007, and was on the short list for a 2008 Academy Award. In October 2010, Entertainment Weekly listed "For the Bible Tells Me So" as one of five movies that has 'changed the world'.
Karslake has been an award-winning producer for the highly acclaimed newsmagazine, “In the Life,” which airs nationally on PBS in over 120 markets. Recognition for his outstanding work for the show, which has centered primarily on issues regarding religion and homosexuality, includes an Emmy nomination from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, as well as praise from GLAAD and the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association.
In Fall 2008, Karslake began work on his new documentary, "Every Three Seconds," as a visiting scholar at Stanford University under the auspices of the Haas Center for Public Service. The film is about the 'blinding potential' in each of us to have a significant impact on the world, and has been shot all over the world. It is slated for release later this year. Karslake also recently completed "Climbing the Ladder: The Jamii Bora Story," a 30 minute training video for poor communities around the world looking to start their own microfinance institution based on the model of the Jamii Bora Bank in Nairobi, Kenya.
Vicky Frankel commented, "Dan is an activist, a humanist and, especially, an artist; thus the film is an aesthetic pleasure as he skillfully weaves together the stories of these five families along with footage from the archives of history—reels that elaborate the civil struggles over decades as gay men and women aspire for equal rights and respect in every area of life. I was confident that the film would offer an educational experience for our school community—one that would enlighten the mind, heart, and eye. Even though Dan has been a most sought after speaker at colleges and universities around the world, especially, for example, in the aftermath of Rutgers student Tyler Clementi’s suicide last year, he leaps at the chance to speak to high school students and very generously offered to come to D-E..." .
Frankel continued, "Dan exemplifies for our students how a hard-working, optimistic, humble, sincere, loving, intelligent person can truly change the world for the better. I have been thrilled at the reception that faculty and students alike have given Dan, as they have expressed their gratitude for his presence here and in the world, and they have taken his messages and example to heart. I hope that, as Dan expressed during a TedxTalk in Orlando this year, our students will want to change the world for the better and help others, “not because it is our moral duty or responsibility, but because it is our most amazing opportunity…our greatest blessing that is some of the best, most palpable joy we can have.”
GSA faculty advisor Brian Kosnik expressed similarly appreciative sentiments, noting, "Dan Karslake is a master storyteller, not only in his films, but also in person. After the morning assembly, he generously gave up the rest of his busy day to meet with our students in Hulst House in a number of discussions after the film showing. D-E students were riveted by Mr. Karslake's compelling anecdotes about the five families depicted in the documentary and his experiences with these families during the shooting of the film. His accounts were, by turns, poignant, enlightening, and even humorous, at times. Overall, the entire day turned out to be a powerful educational experience, through which our Upper School D-E community came to a deeper understanding of how parents of devout faith can have 'unconditional love' for their gay sons and lesbian daughters." Frankel continued, "Dan exemplifies for our students how a hard-working, optimistic, humble, sincere, loving, intelligent person can truly change the world for the better. I have been thrilled at the reception that faculty and students alike have given Dan, as they have expressed their gratitude for his presence here and in the world, and they have taken his messages and example to heart. I hope that, as Dan expressed during a TedxTalk in Orlando this year, our students will want to change the world for the better and help others, “not because it is our moral duty or responsibility, but because it is our most amazing opportunity…our greatest blessing that is some of the best, most palpable joy we can have.”
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Located in Englewood, New Jersey, Dwight-Englewood is a greater New York City area private school with a rigorous college prep curriculum for boys and girls in preschool through grade 12.