Gemmel & Tim explores the lives and untimely passings of Gemmel Moore and Timothy Dean, two Black gay men who both died from meth overdoses at the home of West Hollywood politico Ed Buck. Their deaths at the now-infamous apartment sent shockwaves through the LGBTQ+ community. The ensuing media circus cooked up a spicy concoction of sex, drugs, race and politics, but had no appetite for the in-depth human stories of who these individuals truly were. This documentary looks at Gemmel and Tim’s parallel walks of life through the eyes of their extended and chosen families – memories, correspondence, and things they did and didn’t share with each other. Through intimate recollections of their lost friends, each character exposes their own personal journey in dealing with grief. Powerful and galvanizing, Gemmel & Tim simultaneously investigates the crimes and offers a cautionary tale to keep these events from repeating.
“I’m a member of the LA gay basketball league (LAMBDA), where Tim Dean used to play, so Tim’s death has affected my close social circle deeply. I hear their outcry for justice, and I want to play my part in ensuring Gemmel and Tim’s deaths weren’t in vain.” Said director Michiel Thomas. He continues, “by shedding light on their lives, told by authentic voices who knew them best, I wanted to provide Gemmel and Tim’s extended family a platform to grieve, to show who their friend was, and to offer solutions to prevent these tragic events from happening in the future.”
Gemmel & Tim is written, produced, directed and filmed by Michiel Thomas. Thomas’s debut, “Game Face,” was distributed by Netflix in 2016, screened at more than 50 film festivals worldwide and won 12 awards, including the Audience Award at Frameline 2015. His next feature doc, “That’s Wild” (2020) was sold to PBS and AMC Networks, screened at and won 4 festival awards. Gemmel & Tim is produced by Michael Franklin and Niq Lewis. Animation by Remy M. Ndow, and Willard Hill serves as Composer.
Gemmel & Tim world premiered at Outfest LA 2021. The film won the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature at the Chicago Reeling LGBTQ+ Film Festival 2021, Black Alphabet 2021 and finished runner-up for the Filmfestival Oostende Audience Award 2022 in Belgium. It also received the honors of Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature at the Seattle Queer Film Festival 2021 and OUTSHINE Fort Lauderdale 2021. At the Ouray International Film Festival 2022, the doc won the Student Jury Award and Best Director. At Out Film Connecticut 2022 Gemmel & Tim received Documentary Jury Special Mention. PrideIndex.com’s Esteem Awards honored the film with a National Special Recognition for the efforts in supporting the African-American and LGBT communities in the areas of entertainment, media, civil rights, business and art.
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