The term partner has become the convention for describing committed gay and lesbian relationships. But what does this word mean? Even the longhand -- Domestic Partner -- has a different legal meaning depending on country, state, and city. Praised for its parity and criticized for its ambiguity, the word partner can be liberating for some but remains frustrating for others. During a time when defining gay and lesbian relationships, through words or legislation, frames a national debate, Howdy Partner is a spirited visual meditation on how one slippery word means more -- and, consequently, less -- than we may think.

Christie Herring's filmmaking background began with Waking In Mississippi, a 60-minute documentary examining race relations in her hometown of Canton, Mississippi. Herring's award-winning short films have been screened around the world and featured locally on KTEH's Video i. Chickens in the City is a chicken-level view of backyard coops in San Francisco and was the premiere podcast of Truly CA Shorts online. Her film Bodies and Souls illumines the quiet efforts of Sister Manette, a Catholic nun running the only health clinic in rural Jonestown, Mississippi. Howdy Partner is a spirited visual meditation on the slippery connotations of "partnership."