Synopsis
 Detective Lieutenant Laurel Hester spent 25 years investigating tough cases in Ocean County, New Jersey, protecting the rights of victims and putting her life on the line. She had no reason to expect that in the last year of her life, after she was diagnosed with terminal cancer, that her final battle for justice would be for the woman she loved. The documentary film Freeheld chronicles Laurel’s struggle to transfer her earned pension to her domestic partner, Stacie Andree.
 
 Program Note
 Laurel, after 25 years of serving as a police officer in the Ocean County and being loved and respected by her colleagues and neighbors, is fighting terminal cancer. Her last wish is to turn her pension over to her partner Stacie. But the city council of Ocean County, where a homosexual couple is not recognized as a legal family union, disapproves of the pension succession. Her fight for justice is ignited once again for the last time of her life. After receiving the Special Jury Prize in Sundance 2007, this film was selected by 75 film festivals around the world and picked up about 13 awards. This is not only because of the amazing power of the film, or the directors’ talent, but also because of the weight that the issue carries in the film. One can see it as posing a question to Korean society which does not approve of queer marriage or partnership in any way. It inspires in us the need for creating a system that acknowledges queer couples. (Jay SOHN)