"Saving Marriage" -- Seeing the Future in California?

In the recent saturation media coverage of California's Proposition 8 -- which would eliminate the right of gay and lesbian couples to marry in that state -- it's often overlooked that all the way across the country, in the state of Massachusetts, same-sex marriage is now legal and safe from attack by the electorate.

In 2003, Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage, and a three-year battle ensued in the villages and towns of this tiny New England state. Legislators voted to place an amendment on the ballot that would override the court decision and take away the right of gay couples to marry, and then they changed their minds a year later. After that, opponents of gay marriage gathered signatures to put the matter on the ballot. And the process began anew.

The battle over gay marriage in Massachusetts, and the way it affected the lives of activists, legislators and just plain folks, was captured in the documentary film "Saving Marriage." The film opens in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, New York and Denver starting on October 10th.

Disclaimer: I co-produced and co-directed "Saving Marriage." But I must say the timing couldn't be better. What we filmed in Massachusetts foreshadowed what is now happening in California: Court grants right to marry. Public throws a tantrum. Couples start to marry. Minds start to change.

And then, there's a vote.

In Massachusetts, the whole process -- from the court decision to the final vote -- took more than three years. Here in California, it'll be all over in less than six months.

"Saving Marriage," distributed by here! Films / Regent Releasing. Opening at San Francisco's Roxie Theater (October 10); Los Angeles' Regent Showcase (October 17); Boston's Landmark Kendall Square (October 17); New York's Quad Cinema (October 24). For more information and to see a trailer, go to www.SavingMarriageTheMovie.com.