Philadelphia filmmaker’s ‘Patrice: The Movie’ about a New Jersey couple just won an Emmy
'Philly D.A.' creator Ted Passon's documentary about a Hamilton Township couple living with disabilities and fighting for marriage equality won a Creative Arts Emmy
Patrice: The Movie, about a New Jersey couple seeking marriage equality for people with disabilities, won the Emmy for exceptional merit in documentary filmmaking at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Sunday night.
Directed by Philadelphian and Philly D.A. creator Ted Passon, the 2024 film spotlights Patrice Jetter, a crossing guard, ice skater, and disability rights activist in Hamilton Township. She wants to marry her partner Garry Wickham and move in together, but if they do so, the pair risk losing a significant portion of their Medicaid benefits due to outdated laws restricting the civil rights of disabled couples.
The documentary, available to stream on Hulu, follows their love story and their struggles while underscoring the systemic challenges that disabled communities face across the country.
Jetter and Wickham attended the ceremony with Passon at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles to accept the Emmy.
» READ MORE: A disabled New Jersey couple’s fight for marriage equality finds voice in ‘Patrice: The Movie’
“We made this movie as a love letter to all the disabled people like us who can’t get married or even live with their partner without losing their Medicaid benefits, which they need in order to survive,” said Jetter on stage in a glittery black gown. “Now that Medicaid was cut by $1 trillion to pay for tax cuts for billionaires, we want to accept this award on behalf of all the millions of disabled people and low-income people like us who are going to lose their healthcare.
“We love you and we see you, and we’re scared just like you,” Jetter added. “We hope one day soon the government will take better care of those of us who don’t have anything than those of us who have everything. Until then, we’ll have to take care of each other.”
Passon said Jetter received one of only two standing ovations during the ceremony.
“We were all stunned!” Passon said in a text message on Monday. “The entire room got on their feet starting with Sarah Silverman, Ali Wong, Bill Hader, and Bill Burr … it was so emotional to see how much love there was in the room. It was a welcome reprieve from the terror and sadness created by the cuts to Medicaid."
Despite ongoing political difficulties, Passon’s film focused on Jetter’s indefatigable attitude and the couple’s determination to keep fighting, echoing what Wickham says in the film:
“They can stop us from getting married, they can stop us from living together, but they’re never gonna stop us from loving each other.”
“Patrice: The Movie” is streaming on Hulu.