Filmmaker, speaker and writer Cindy L. Abel formed Atlantis Moon Productions to develop projects that launch conversations and impact popular culture.
She directed and produced the award-winning BREAKING THROUGH, a documentary in which openly LGBT elected officials share their stories of self-doubt and triumph over multiple barriers, revealing a deeply personal, rarely-seen side of politicians and gay people.
Abel's latest award-winning film, currently screening at festivals, SURVIVING THE SILENCE: LOVE AND IMPOSSIBLE CHOICES, tells the story of two women in love who played a part in changing military policy, shining light on the unknown history of how a closeted colonel forced to expel an Army hero for being lesbian did so in a way resulting in re-instatement via federal court.
In partnership with Director Giovanni Coda, Abel produced two internationally-acclaimed films, BULLIED TO DEATH and XAVIER. Both avant-garde Italian-American co-productions intertwine cinema, photography and performing arts.
Abel also combines her experience in managing multi-million dollar, award-winning communications projects with filmmaking to create content for corporate and public affairs clients. She was named “Best Filmmaker” by GA Voice in 2019, served as National Co-Chair of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, Vice-Chair of Atlanta Film Festival and Vice President of Communications of Women in Film & Television Atlanta.
https://www.survivingthesilence.com/- Surviving the Silence Trailer
Two women in love are surviving the demands of a closeted military career when one is forced to expel an Army hero for being a lesbian. The way she does it, however, leads to re-instatement and eventual change in military policy.
Years before Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Col Pat Thompson presided over the board that dismissed Col Margarethe Cammermeyer for being a lesbian, forcing her to confront her own secret and moral dilemma: she too was a lesbian. Cammermeyer’s memoir was adapted as a 1995 TV movie by Barbra Streisand, but Thompson’s story remained a secret...until now.
The film also explores Thompson’s life before the trial: traditions that influence her, experiences that shape her and the moral code that determines the inevitability of her actions. She and her wife Barbara Brass candidly share how they hid their relationship, struggling to protect their love while preserving Thompson's career – and, how they emerged from the closet to become vibrant activists later in life.