ATHENS, Ohio -- Filmmaker Brent Scarpo, who produced the documentary film, "Journey to a Hate Free Millennium," will speak at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 8, at Ohio University's Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium. His multi-media presentation includes a 40-minute educational version of his documentary, interspersed with dialogue among audience members, and is free and open to the public.

Scarpo's documentary delves into the heart of hatred and prejudice and explores the impact on the families of victims. The film visits the fence where gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard was beaten, the road outside Jasper, Texas, where James Byrd Jr. was dragged to death and the grounds of Columbine High School.

"It's not a gay thing; it's not a black thing; it's not an Asian thing; it's a hate thing, and hate is non-discriminatory," Scarpo said.

His appearance is sponsored by several Ohio University groups including the Interfraternity Council; Women's Panhellenic Association; POWER (Promoting Ohio University Wellness Education and Responsibility); the International Student Union; the Office for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Programs, and ONE (Ohio University's All-Inclusive Alliance for Equality).

"We're confident that Brent Scarpo's talk will provide a service to the entire Ohio University community by making individuals aware of the potentially corrosive effect that hate can have on a community and society," Interfraternity Council Vice President of Public Relations Mark Ondrejech said. "We originally planned to have him as our Greek Week speaker but we decided to offer the opportunity for other groups to become involved and attract a broader audience."

Scarpo, who worked in Hollywood for more than 15 years as an actor and casting director, cast such well-known films as "Air Force One," "That Thing You Do" and "The Shawshank Redemption."