Reviews
“Fascinating doc about doctors who took too long to heal themselves… Scintillates… So many vibrant and articulate participants [recall] their part in a battle that did a great deal to change longstanding (and not yet extinct) prejudices.” —The Hollywood Reporter
“Featuring interviews with queer activists next to survivors of electroshock conversion therapy, the film is uplifting despite its subject material, showing how resilience and persistence have always been at the heart of the ongoing LGBTQ+ Rights Movement.” —NYLON
“Suspenseful and furnishing a slam-dunk case about the landmark importance of this event, Cured is probably the best LGBTQ documentary of the year.” —Bay Area Reporter
“Riveting … deserves its place alongside other seminal documentaries such as How to Survive a Plague, The Celluloid Closet, Before Stonewall and The Times of Harvey Milk.… It’s hard not to be deeply moved and shed tears of appreciation for the queer heroes who came before us as the end credits roll and the beautiful song co-written and performed by TUCKER, The Other Side of the Rainbow, plays out. —The Queer Review
“Both illuminating and engaging, it’s a timely opportunity to reflect upon a historical context for present-day struggles to ban conversion therapy and to address ongoing transphobia—a measure of how far social change can progress and yet how long-lasting impacts can also stubbornly and inexplicably resist them.” — Georgia Straight
“[A] striking documentary. One of the five best LGBTQ+ films we watched [at Outfest].” —USA TODAY
“Energizing [and] absorbing… Sammon and Singer have captured something mighty.” —The Moveable Fest
“Patrick Sammon and Bennett Singer’s taut, informative 80-minute documentary ‘Cured’ illuminates the hidden history of how LGBTQ activists fought to remove the classification that being gay was a disease.” —EDGE Media Network
“Eye-opening… A strong, timely testament to the power of persistence and righteous anger to effect change.” —Rage Monthly
“A fitting tribute to many unsung heroes in the gay rights movement … highly recommended for younger viewers in the LGBTQ+ community who may not – but need to – know the history of their peers and their courageous efforts.” —Brent Marchant
“A lively presentation from beginning to end. Co-directors Singer and Sammon have done cinematic justice to a long-unheralded but all-important grassroots political victory in LGBT history. Highly recommended.” —Video Librarian
“[C]ompelling … meticulously researched … one of the most in-depth film contextualizations of gay liberation out there.” —Stir
“[B]eautifully chronicled… [an] important lesson.” —Washington Blade
“As paradigm shifts go, the speed of the APA’s turnabout is astonishing. In 80 minutes, Sammon and Singer show how it was done, and their use of the tools of film expands our understanding of the methods well-described in both academic and popular histories of the early gay rights movement. Cured belongs with those essential LGBT documentaries [Before Stonewall and Word Is Out], and it will also likely prove to be an excellent tool for teaching the history and philosophies of science.” —Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry
“Cured is a must-see for anyone who is curious about how activists fought and won against a powerful institution and not only changed LGBTQ people’s perception of themselves, but changed society as a whole. Cured reminds us all that justice is possible and that the fight must continue for all to be truly free.” —TheBody: The HIV/AIDS Resource
“A story of queer tenacity, resilience and solidarity — one as uplifting as it is infuriating, and one that proudly introduces its viewers to a menagerie of heroes we’ve failed to honour in modern civil rights discourse…. The charismatic queer activists that the film introduces us to bring levity to the upsetting context, and their charm alone makes Cured a crucial text for anyone interested in the history of the western queer rights movement. You’ll walk away from this feeling impacted, inspired and informed — what more could you possibly want from a documentary? —James Green Review
“This powerhouse documentary from directorial duo Patrick Sammon and Bennett Singer couldn’t be timelier… Shedding much-needed blinding light on a largely unknown part of queer history, Cured is a rich and rousing documentary that serves as a crucial reminder that we can’t get too comfortable in the fight for equality in the wake of current battles.” —Movie Marker
In the News
CURED is the 2022 recipient of the Austen Riggs Erikson Prize for Excellence in Mental Health Media, which recognizes media professionals who create exemplary work that contributes to a deeper understanding of and greater public awareness about mental health issues. The film was selected from among more than 100 submissions.
In July of 2022, CURED was nominated for a News & Documentary Emmy Award in the Outstanding Research category. There were more than 2,500 submissions for this Emmy competition.
In June 2022, the TODAY Show aired a segment on Dr. Anonymous and CURED. This segment features an interview with CURED co-director, Bennett Singer. Watch the feature here.
As part of a national commemoration to mark the 50th anniversary of the historic speech that “Dr. Anonymous” gave at the 1972 APA annual meeting, The Advocate published an op-ed commentary by CURED co-directors Patrick Sammon and Bennett Singer. Read the op-ed here.
CURED has been nominated for the 2022 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Documentary. The GLAAD Media Awards honor media for fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of LGBTQ people and issues. Since its inception in 1990, the GLAAD Media Awards have grown to be the most visible annual LGBTQ awards show in the world, sending powerful messages of acceptance to audiences globally. Learn more here.
Good Morning America 3: What You Need To Know featured CURED in a segment on October 20th. This segment included interviews with co-directors Patrick Sammon and Bennett Singer, as well as activist Rev. Magora Kennedy.
NBC News published an extensive feature about CURED and the heroic LGBTQ activists at the forefront of the movement to abolish the mental illness classification.
Psychology Today featured an extensive article about CURED that discusses how this fight fits into the broader context of LGBTQ history.
The Advocate published a feature about CURED on the day of the PBS broadcast.
CURED has won the American Historical Association’s 2021 John E. O’Connor Film Award for outstanding interpretations of history through film. The film will be shown and discussed at the American Historical Association’s 2022 annual meeting in New Orleans.
CURED Co-directors Bennett Singer and Patrick Sammon have won the Jonathan Daniels Award from the 2021 Monadnock International Film Festival. The award is given to directors whose films demonstrate artistic excellence combined with awareness around a social-justice issue.
CURED Composer Ian Honeyman and writer and performer Tucker Murray Caploe have been nominated for a Hollywood Music In Media Award for “The Other Side of The Rainbow”. As the closing song in CURED, this powerful composition celebrates the monumental victory depicted in the film — while reminding us that the struggle for LGBTQ equality continues.
Queerty featured CURED in its weekly “Culture Club” column which highlights new releases, old favorites and everything in between. “Told with professionalism and a holdover sting from years of being labeled ‘sick,’ Singer & Sammon highlight a much-needed passage from queer history, and sing the praises of heroes that deserve to be household names. It’s a must-see for anyone interested in queer history[.]”
Metro Weekly published a comprehensive feature about CURED. “A new documentary…brings to light a little-known chapter…when committed activists stepped out of the shadows to loudly and publicly resist an institution that used fear and ignorance to justify treating queer people as second-class citizens.”
LGBTQ Nation featured an extensive article about CURED. “[T]his important film unearth[s] the history of how a relatively small group of committed and fervent activists stood up to demand one of the central tenets of liberation: the freedom to define themselves.”
CURED was one of only nine documentaries featured at the 2021 edition of BFI Flare, London’s LGBTIQ+ Film Festival. Here’s a summary of the publicity we received. There were dozens of stories about CURED including features, interviews, reviews, and roundups.
Utah Film Center Damn These Heels 2021: Masterful examples of queer historiography and archival activism in Cured, The Utah Review
BBC News published an extensive feature story about the ways in which the mental illness classification was used to justify the denial of rights to LGBTQ Americans. “A new documentary recalls the struggle to change a definition which for years limited the rights of LGBT people in the US. But the film’s makers say the fight for equality was part of a bigger battle which continues today.”
CURED is the 2nd prize winner (out of 150 entrants) in the 2020 Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film, which recognizes excellence in historical documentary filmmaking. The prize comes with a cash award of $50,000. The funds will be used to help cover final post-production expenses. The Washington Blade featured a news story with more details about the film and the award.
Queerty published an extensive interview with the co-directors of CURED. “Queerty caught up with Sammon & Singer just ahead of the Outfest premiere to discuss the film, the inspiring heroes it features, and the refreshing example of civil, social conversation that helped queer people on the path to acceptance.”
Deadline Hollywood featured an exclusive premiere of the new trailer for CURED. “With CURED, directors Patrick Sammon (CODEBREAKER) and Bennett Singer (BROTHER OUTSIDER) shed light on the seldom-told story of the LGBTQ activists who went toe-to-toe against the APA to remove homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses.”
Towleroad posted an article about the world premiere of CURED.
Gay Times in the United Kingdom featured an article about the film and the release of the trailer: “Guaranteed to leave you with goosebumps.”
In 2020, Variety and other publications reported that 20th Television optioned CURED as the basis for a limited series on FX or Hulu, with Steven Canals, the co-creator of Pose, serving as writer and executive producer. That option recently expired and the producers of CURED are exploring additional avenues for a fictional adaptation of the documentary.
The Bergen Record featured an article in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising in June of 2019. The article focuses on the ways in which Stonewall cured gay people — of psychiatrists — and “transformed therapists from enemies to allies in the struggle for equal rights.”
Los Angeles Blade ran a story that highlighted the filmmakers’ participation in the 2019 annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association.
