Feature doc focuses on two Black victims of predator Ed Buck

Gemmel & Tim explores the lives and untimely deaths of Gemmel Moore and Timothy Dean, two Black gay men who overdosed at the home of West Hollywood politico Ed Buck.

The deaths of Moore and Dean at the now-infamous apartment of Buck sent shockwaves through the LGBTQ+ community and opened discussions around meth use and racism. Media reportage focused on Buck’s political ties, hookup culture and drug use, but overlooked who the real victims were and what their lost lives meant to their families, friends, and communities.

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.

Watch the trailer here:

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 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.

“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.  

“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 premieres on iTunes, Apple TV and Amazon beginning October 18, 2022.

Pre-order on AppleTV here: https://bityl.co/EVDB | Pre-order on iTunes here: https://bityl.co/EVDC