Iconic Stonewall Inn hosting national release of THIS TIME – free movie celebrating allyship!

Free Mom Hugs is proud to support a free screening of the award-winning film THIS TIME, on August 30th at Stonewall Inn, NYC, the national historic landmark site of the 1969 riots that launched the gay liberation movement.

To kick off the NYC premiere, iconic drag performer and featured talent in the film, Xtacy Love, will be performing and the screening will be followed by a short Q&A with the director, Robert Vaughn, and talent from the film. 

The film screened last week to packed audiences across the country for free on International Allyship day to drive action and create a national movement around mobilizing allyship. In addition to the free film screening in NYC on Aug. 30, THIS TIME is now streaming nationwide on GATHR.  

THIS TIME, an entertaining coming-of-age road movie reminiscent of LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, follows a closeted LGBTQ teen who inherits her deceased father’s journal and discovers cryptic clues about his secret life. To fulfill his dying wish, she blackmails an alcoholic hearse driver to race her cross-country for a long-shot rendezvous with her father’s friend, Liza Minnelli.

THIS TIME underscores the power of true connection and being seen exactly as you are. The film centers on the importance of LGBTQ allyship, especially for queer youth, and aims to spark impactful conversations and foster understanding across diverse communities.

Research from The Trevor Project highlights the critical need for LGBTQ allyship, estimating that that more than 1.8 million LGBTQ+ young people (ages 13-24) seriously consider suicide each year in the U.S. — and at least one attempts suicide every 45 seconds. LGBTQ+ young people are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers. However, one accepting adult can decrease the risk of suicide by 40%.

THIS TIME stars Charles Martin Smith, BFTA, Genie and Gemini Award-winning director, writer and prolific actor from AMERICAN GRAFFITI, THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY, NEVER CRY WOLF, and THE UNTOUCHABLES fame, as well as many television films and mini-series in a career spanning over 50 years. Smith makes his return to the big screen after a decade-long hiatus in THIS TIME. 

The film also stars the legendary Grammy Award nominated, multi-platinum R&B/Pop recording artist Deborah Cox who is currently playing Glinda in THE WIZ on Broadway, Anwen O’Driscoll, a Canadian actress known for YOU CAN LIVE FOREVER, BURDEN OF TRUTH and OCTOBER FACTION, based on the cult comic by Steve Niles and Damien Worm. Anwon also won Best Actress at the Orlando Film Festival and Hollywood North Film Awards for THIS TIME. The film also includes known drag performers such as Xtacy Love from RUPAUL’s DRAG RACE, who has been featured in ​​campaigns for Neutrogena, Sephora, Maybelline, Jack Daniels, Urban Decay, and in music videos and film. 

The film is directed and produced by Robert Vaughn who has ​​produced and directed more than 30 television and feature films including the stylish thriller TEMPO starring Hugh Dancy, Melanie Griffith, and Rachael Leigh Cook. Vaughn’s credits include WILD HORSES for HBO Pictures, TWINS for Showtime and director Renny Harlin, and FIREGIRL for Cinemax. His latest directorial effort, Lifetime’s CHRISTMAS MOVIE MAGIC was well reviewed in The Wall Street Journal, The Globe and Mail, and Entertainment Weekly and garnered one Canadian Screen Award nomination and three Directors Guild of Canada Award nominations. THIS TIME IS his feature directorial debut. 

The film was written and executive produced by Allie Jennings and produced by actor/producer Jennifer Gibson and Sahar Whelan. The film is released in partnership with Free Mom Hugs, a national nonprofit dedicated to empowering the world to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community through visibility, conversation, and education with the hope of reconciling relationships, believing that broken family relationships can be restored. 

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has endorsed the film, stating, “I would like to thank Free Mom Hugs for the celebration they are hosting, which shares the Canadian-made film, THIS TIME, and its important message, at viewing parties around the world. It is an incredible coming-of-age story on the tremendous impact that allyship can have, and especially to make a difference in a teen’s life. THIS TIME is an incredible coming-of-age story on the tremendous impact that allyship can have, especially in a teen’s life.” 

THIS TIME has won numerous awards, including Best Director at the Orlando Film Festival, Spirit of Independents Award at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, and Best Actress at the Florence International Film Festival.