a documentary short film

Gert’s Boys

about

Gert’s Boys centers on Cindy “Gert” McMullin, an original volunteer and co-founder of The AIDS Memorial Quilt. The Quilt was launched in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood in 1987, the epicenter of the AIDS crisis, as a social action tool to demand a public and government response to AIDS. Today, the Quilt is the world’s largest piece of community folk art with over 50,000 3x6 panels commemorating over 110,000 lives lost to AIDS. Gert, often referred to as Mother of the Quilt, continues to oversee the panels, which she refers to as her ‘boys’, in a warehouse in Oakland, California. Gert’s Boys introduces a unique window into San Francisco’s gay community 1981-1995 through the lens of one woman. The film explores Gert’s experiences caring for four of her boys – David, Roger, Jack and Joey – and becoming an activist in the process.

the film team

Cindy “Gert” McMullin
Subject

Sara L. Schwartz
Producer/Director

Michael Bodie
Producer/Editor

screenings

August 3-7, 2025

Visible Evidence Conference XXXI
Philadelphia, PA

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August 22-24, 2025

San Francisco Queer Film Festival
San Francisco, CA

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September 5-October 6, 2025

Women Over Fifty Film Festival
Viewable Online Worldwide

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September 18-21 & 25-28, 2025

Cinema Diverse: The Palm Springs
LGBTQ+ Film Festival
Palm Springs, CA

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September 27, 2025

Healdsburg International
Short Film Festival
Healdsburg, CA

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for press and screening inquiries, please contact —

Director/Producer, Sara Schwartz — saraschw@usc.edu

Editor/Producer, Michael Bodie — bodie@usc.edu