Writer/Director

Eileen Connors

While many filmmakers tell their coming out story, Eileen Connors chose to tell the story of what could have happened after she came out. Eileen waited two years before she told any of her family members she was gay. And she lived under the cloud of her family finding out before she could tell them herself. OUT OF STEP is her fears brought to life.

Eileen began her storytelling career as a newspaper photographer for The Tampa Tribune. Coincidentally, in the same position at the same news bureau that Executive Producer Rebekah Fleischaker’s mother once held. Eileen also photographed NASCAR racing and freelanced, selling pictures to TIME and NEWSWEEK. While capturing the story in one image was challenging, Eileen longed for the chance to tell her own stories and with more depth.

Eileen moved West, earning an M.F.A. in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute. But again, the limitations of the medium pushed her to reach for more. Eileen wrote her most personal story yet and was determined to direct it herself.

The end result is OUT OF STEP, a story she expects to resonate with others in the gay community. Eileen hopes the film will also serve as a bridge to the straight community. Gay marriage is the civil rights issue of our generation. The Federal Marriage Amendment will be a political football in the 2008 elections. OUT OF STEP is a coming out story told from a straight perspective, a viewpoint that embraces both sides of the issue.

Eileen’s short-term goal for OUT OF STEP is to make the feature-length version. Her long-term goal is to make a difference.