Pasadena Church Pairs Older Adults and LGBTQ+ Ministry for Documentary Screening

When actor Will Ferrell learned that his friend of three decades, former Saturday Night Live head writer Harper Steele, had recently completed her gender transition, he did not deliver a speech. He suggested a road trip.

The resulting documentary, Will & Harper, comes to All Saints Episcopal Church on Thursday, June 4, when the church’s Senior Saints fellowship and LGBTQ+ Ministry co-host a screening at 12:30 p.m. in Sweetland Hall. Light snacks will be provided.

The 2024 film, directed by Josh Greenbaum, follows Ferrell and Steele across the country over 17 days, stopping at small-town bars, rodeos and roadside diners as Steele navigates public life as her authentic self for the first time. The two met at Saturday Night Live in the mid-1990s, where Steele worked as a writer from 1995 to 2008, eventually becoming head writer. Their friendship predates the documentary by roughly 30 years.

Will & Harper premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2024 and began streaming on Netflix that September. It won a Peabody Award, was named one of the top five documentaries of 2024 by the National Board of Review, and received a BAFTA nomination for Best Documentary at the 2025 ceremony.

The screening marks the latest in a series of film events organized by the LGBTQ+ Ministry at All Saints this year. In February, the ministry partnered with the Racial Justice Ministry for “February Freedom Film Fridays,” which included a screening of a documentary about the Rev. Pauli Murray, according to a report in Pasadena Now. In May, the LGBTQ+ Ministry and the AAPI Ministry screened the romantic comedy A Nice Indian Boy, according to the church calendar.

Senior Saints, a fellowship group for older adults at All Saints, meets on the first Thursday of each month from September through June at 12:30 p.m. in Sweetland Hall, according to the church’s website. Past programs have featured speakers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, technology seminars and museum outings, the church’s website states. The group’s ministry leaders are Liza Billington, Carolyn Ellis, Grace Galton, Marylouise Lau and Frank Wells.

The film is rated R for language. Its runtime is one hour and 54 minutes.

All Saints Episcopal Church is located at 132 North Euclid Avenue across from Pasadena City Hall. For questions about the screening, email lgbtq.ascpas@gmail.com. General church inquiries can be directed to (626) 796-1172.