Denial

Before Christine Hallquist became the first Transgender candidate for Governor in the USA, she was a CEO fighting climate change. Denial tells exactly the kind of complex, deeply personal story about climate change we need at this moment.

  • Derek Hallquist
    Director
  • Derek Hallquist
    Writer
  • Aaron Woolf
    Writer
    King Corn
  • Anoosh Tertzakian
    Writer
  • Aaron Woolf
    Producer
    King Corn
  • Eugene Jarecki
    Producer
    The House I Live In
  • Derek Hallquist
    Key Cast
  • David Hallquist
    Key Cast
  • Christine Hallquist
    Key Cast
  • Dr. Philip Schewe
    Key Cast
  • Dr. Courtney Warren
    Key Cast
  • Dr. Paul Shepson
    Key Cast
  • Sen. Patrick Leahy
    Key Cast
  • Sen. Bernie Sanders
    Key Cast
  • Gov. Peter Shumlin
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature, Other
  • Genres:
    LGBT, Environmental, climate change, family, transgender, psychology, educational
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 30 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    July 5, 2016
  • Production Budget:
    740,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    HD
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Los Angeles Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    July 16, 2016
    World Premeire
    Official Selection
  • Environmental Film Festival at Yale
    New Haven
    United States
    April 7, 2017
    Best Documentary
  • MIFO
    Miami
    United States
    January 14, 2017
    Special Jury Prize
  • TCFF
    Minneapolis
    United States
    October 15, 2016
    Midwest
    Special Jury Prize
  • WUFF
    New York
    United States
    May 20, 2017
    Best Documentary
  • Reading Film Festival
    Reading
    United States
    February 18, 2017
    Best Documentary
  • Reading Film Festival
    Reading, PA
    United States
    February 18, 2017
    Audience Choice Award
  • Eckard College Visions & Voices FF
    St. Petersburgh, FL
    United States
    February 24, 2018
    Audience Award
  • Rizoma FF
    Madrid
    Spain
    May 27, 2017
    European
    Official Selection
  • Best of Input
    Taichung
    Taiwan
    November 24, 2018
    Asian
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Derek Hallquist

Derek Hallquist received a filmmaking degree from Emerson College and started his career in Los Angeles shooting TV shows for the Discovery networks. Derek was Director of Photography for The House I Live In, which won the 2012 Sundance Grand Jury Prize and won a Peabody award with Independent Lens in 2013. He also shot extensively for Reagan, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2011 and won an Emmy Award with HBO in 2012. Derek’s production company, Green River Pictures, released his short documentary The Opiate Effect in, 2011, which Attorney General Eric Holder used it for outreach and is part of the Library of Congress. He has spent most of his life working on the Documentary DENIAL, which premiered at the LA film festival in 2016 and has won awards at film festivals around the country.

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Director Statement

It has become all too obvious that the toughest challenge we face with every global problem is ourselves. I followed my family as we demonstrated this. As my parent struggled at work with Climate Change denial, we struggled with her gender identity at home. After 15 years of footage, we come to at least one triumphant conclusion. As for the rest of the world, we shall see. There is hope.