"Ask Not" comes to Nashville Public Library, explores 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy

If you missed it during the Nashville Film Festival, you have a second chance to see "Ask Not," a documentary exploring the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy regarding gays in the military.

Director Johnny Symons's film returns to Nashville as part of the free ITVS Community Cinema series at the Nashville Public Library on Wednesday, May 20, at 6 p.m with a reception at 5:15 p.m. The library is located at 615 Church St. in Nashville.

“Ask Not” explores the tangled political battles that led to the infamous “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and reveals the personal stories of gay Americans who serve in combat under a veil of secrecy. "Ask Not” is the featured film for May 2009 and the final screening in the ITVS COMMUNITY CINEMA 2008-2009 series line-up. Presented in partnership with local public television stations and leading community organizations.

Nashville Public Television is available free and over the air to nearly 2.2 million people throughout the Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky viewing area, and is watched by more than 600,000 households every week. NPT provides, through the power of traditional television and interactive telecommunications, high quality educational, cultural and civic experiences that address issues and concerns of the people of the Nashville region, and which thereby help improve the lives of those we serve.

Nashville's public library system consists of the downtown Main Library and 20 branch libraries with a collection of more than 1.6 million items including books, periodicals, DVDs, CDs and downloadable audiobooks. The library also offers more than 600 public-use computers, free art exhibits, educational programs and events for all ages such as marionette shows by Wishing Chair Productions enjoyed by nearly 6000 children each month.

NPL also offers 24/7 reference assistance, online databases, interlibrary loan and special collections including the Metropolitan Archives, The Civil Rights Room and The Nashville Room offering local historical documents and ephemera, and online genealogical resources. Equal access is offered through the Talking Library audio reading service for the print disabled, and Library Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. For more information, call 615-862-5800 or visit www.library.nashville.org.


Independent Television Service funds and presents award-winning documentaries and dramas on public television, innovative new media projects on the Web and the Emmy Award-winning weekly series Independent Lens on Tuesday nights at 10 PM on PBS. ITVS is a miracle of public policy created by media activists, citizens and politicians seeking to foster plurality and diversity in public television.

ITVS was established by a historic mandate of Congress to champion independently produced programs that take creative risks, spark public dialogue and serve underserved audiences. Since its inception in 1991, ITVS programs have revitalized the relationship between the public and public television, bringing television audiences face-to-face with the lives and concerns of their fellow Americans. ITVS is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people. For more information about ITVS, visit www.itvs.org.