Perhaps no actor received a greater injection of exposure and career boost during the awards season just past than did Lily Gladstone, the Indigenous performer who won SAG Award and Golden Globe trophies along with an Oscar nomination for her standout performance in Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon.” While she lost the Academy Award for Best Actress to Emma Stone for “Poor Things,” Gladstone benefited tremendously, significantly elevating her stature after entering the campaign as a relative unknown. “I think I’m probably not going to fully metabolize it for years,” she says. “What’s cool is that you develop this camaraderie with people who are going through it with you, and there’s this collective relief when you get to see each other on the other side of it all. I was at the Met Gala last night with Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and we were...
- 5/10/2024
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
A photograph in the New York Times, showing a group of people relaxing at a vacation resort, caught the eye of playwright and director Moisés Kaufman in 2007. The seemingly innocuous image was shocking due to when and where it was taken. The picture, dated 1944, depicted a group of Nazi families on holiday at the Solahütte resort, which was situated within the boundaries of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
The snapshot was part of a memory book belonging to Karl Höcker, an SS officer who served at the time as administrative assistant to the head of the notorious death camp. The historical artifact was discovered by a U.S. officer in Germany after the war who sent it, more than six decades later, to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Kaufman is the founder of the Tectonic Theater Project, an innovative theater company whose experimental theater documentaries shed light on pivotal moments in history,...
The snapshot was part of a memory book belonging to Karl Höcker, an SS officer who served at the time as administrative assistant to the head of the notorious death camp. The historical artifact was discovered by a U.S. officer in Germany after the war who sent it, more than six decades later, to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Kaufman is the founder of the Tectonic Theater Project, an innovative theater company whose experimental theater documentaries shed light on pivotal moments in history,...
- 5/7/2024
- by Gerard Raymond
- Slant Magazine
New York’s Tectonic Theater Project and its founding artistic director Moisés Kaufman are speaking out against a recent decision by a Texas high school board to cancel a student production of Tectonic’s widely performed The Laramie Project.
The 2000 play, which was adapted as a feature film in 2002, is about the reaction to the 1998 murder of gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming.
“When the administration of the Timber Creek High School cancels a production of The Laramie Project, it’s telling the LGBTQ students that their stories are unwelcome, that they should refrain from speaking their truth and that that community is not willing to listen,” Kaufman said in the statement. “This is a terrible thing to do to any minority.
“The Laramie Project has been performed in thousands of universities and high schools around the world,” he continues. “The only logical reason to censor...
The 2000 play, which was adapted as a feature film in 2002, is about the reaction to the 1998 murder of gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming.
“When the administration of the Timber Creek High School cancels a production of The Laramie Project, it’s telling the LGBTQ students that their stories are unwelcome, that they should refrain from speaking their truth and that that community is not willing to listen,” Kaufman said in the statement. “This is a terrible thing to do to any minority.
“The Laramie Project has been performed in thousands of universities and high schools around the world,” he continues. “The only logical reason to censor...
- 2/28/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
PodcastOne (Nasdaq: Podc), a leading podcast platform and a subsidiary of LiveOne (Nasdaq: Lvo), which owns 80% of the Podc common stock, announced today that it has acquired the exclusive multiyear sales and distribution rights to New York Times best-selling author and attorney Rabia Chaudry’s and actress Ellyn Marsh’s true crime genre podcast, Rabia & Ellyn Solve the Case. Chaudry, who initiated the worldwide sensation podcast Serial and served as an Executive Producer on the HBO documentary series The Case Against Adnan Syed and Marsh, who starred on Broadway in Enron and Kinky Boots, host the weekly show.
Everyone has a true crime story they're obsessed with solving. Join true-crime experts, Chaudry and Marsh, along with special celebrity guests as they break down their favorite true crime cases. With Chaudry’s legal expertise and Marsh’s comedic wit, you’ll be seeing these cases in a whole new light. Launched...
Everyone has a true crime story they're obsessed with solving. Join true-crime experts, Chaudry and Marsh, along with special celebrity guests as they break down their favorite true crime cases. With Chaudry’s legal expertise and Marsh’s comedic wit, you’ll be seeing these cases in a whole new light. Launched...
- 12/5/2023
- Podnews.net
Exclusive: Luchina Fisher, the filmmaker behind Netflix’s forthcoming documentary short The Dads, has signed with CAA for representation.
Slated to debut on Netflix November 17th, the most recent short directed and produced by Fisher watches as five fathers of trans children join Dennis Shepard, the father of slain gay college student Matthew Shepard, for a weekend fishing trip in rural Oklahoma, finding common purpose across races, generations and experiences. As the men cast their rods into the river, they discuss what has brought them together: the love for their children.
The film, billed as a quiet meditation on fatherhood, brotherhood and manhood, was executive produced by Dwyane Wade and Jon Marcus for 59th and Prairie Entertainment, winning Best Documentary Short at the 2023 El Paso Film Festival. Netflix announced its acquisition of the title, named Runner-Up for the Documentary Short Audience Award at NewFest’s 35th anniversary festival, back in June.
Slated to debut on Netflix November 17th, the most recent short directed and produced by Fisher watches as five fathers of trans children join Dennis Shepard, the father of slain gay college student Matthew Shepard, for a weekend fishing trip in rural Oklahoma, finding common purpose across races, generations and experiences. As the men cast their rods into the river, they discuss what has brought them together: the love for their children.
The film, billed as a quiet meditation on fatherhood, brotherhood and manhood, was executive produced by Dwyane Wade and Jon Marcus for 59th and Prairie Entertainment, winning Best Documentary Short at the 2023 El Paso Film Festival. Netflix announced its acquisition of the title, named Runner-Up for the Documentary Short Audience Award at NewFest’s 35th anniversary festival, back in June.
- 11/13/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Hulu is preparing to launch a documentary film about McKamey Manor, widely regarded as the world’s most haunted house. Scroll to the bottom for a trailer.
Cash Cab producer Lion Television US is behind Monster Inside: America’s Most Extreme Haunted House, which will launch next week as part of Hulu’s Halloween Season and follows the story of Russ McKamey, the Navy Veteran turned master of horror who invites adrenaline junkies to the house and puts them through their paces to the extreme.
McKamey opened the manor to satiate his love of Halloween but it grew in popularity and obtained a social media profile, as the owner gained notoriety. It has, however, attracted controversy, with one participant saying she repeated her safeword for several minutes before employees stopped torturing her, while the police have been called to the manor on several occasions by locals.
Stan Hsue and Allison Corn,...
Cash Cab producer Lion Television US is behind Monster Inside: America’s Most Extreme Haunted House, which will launch next week as part of Hulu’s Halloween Season and follows the story of Russ McKamey, the Navy Veteran turned master of horror who invites adrenaline junkies to the house and puts them through their paces to the extreme.
McKamey opened the manor to satiate his love of Halloween but it grew in popularity and obtained a social media profile, as the owner gained notoriety. It has, however, attracted controversy, with one participant saying she repeated her safeword for several minutes before employees stopped torturing her, while the police have been called to the manor on several occasions by locals.
Stan Hsue and Allison Corn,...
- 10/5/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
On Monday, October 9, 2023, at 9:00 Pm, Investigation Discovery will air a documentary titled “The Matthew Shepard Story: An American Hate Crime.” This documentary revisits the tragic events of twenty-five years ago when Matthew Shepard was tied to a fence and brutally beaten. His story shook the nation and sparked a widespread outcry for hate crimes protections.
The documentary serves as a solemn reminder that the battle against hate and discrimination continues in America. It highlights the importance of addressing hate crimes and the devastating consequences they can have on individuals and their communities.
The program takes a factual approach, offering a glimpse into the history of this hate crime and its impact on society. It aims to raise awareness about the ongoing fight against hate and prejudice, emphasizing the need for continued efforts to combat discrimination and violence.
If you’re interested in understanding the significance of hate crimes protections...
The documentary serves as a solemn reminder that the battle against hate and discrimination continues in America. It highlights the importance of addressing hate crimes and the devastating consequences they can have on individuals and their communities.
The program takes a factual approach, offering a glimpse into the history of this hate crime and its impact on society. It aims to raise awareness about the ongoing fight against hate and prejudice, emphasizing the need for continued efforts to combat discrimination and violence.
If you’re interested in understanding the significance of hate crimes protections...
- 10/2/2023
- by Jules Byrd
- TV Everyday
It was one of the most tragic hate crimes to rock North America.
On Oct. 12, 1998, a 21-year-old gay college student named Matthew Shepard died in a Colorado hospital five days after being brutally abducted, beaten and tied to a fence in Laramie, Wyoming.
According to People, his convicted murderers, Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney, have been slammed with two consecutive life terms for his kidnap and murder.
Read More: Emmy Winner Liz Garbus To Direct Netflix Docuseries On Gilgo Beach Serial Killings
On Oct. 9, “The Matthew Shepard Story: An American Hate Crime” on Investigation Discovery (ID) will celebrate his life on the 25th anniversary of one of the United States of America’s most brutal hate crimes.
The docuseries will include exclusive interviews with Shepard’s friends and allies, local journalists and celebs deeply impacted by the murder, including Rosie O’Donnell and Adam Lambert.
Jason Sarlanis, President of Turner Networks,...
On Oct. 12, 1998, a 21-year-old gay college student named Matthew Shepard died in a Colorado hospital five days after being brutally abducted, beaten and tied to a fence in Laramie, Wyoming.
According to People, his convicted murderers, Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney, have been slammed with two consecutive life terms for his kidnap and murder.
Read More: Emmy Winner Liz Garbus To Direct Netflix Docuseries On Gilgo Beach Serial Killings
On Oct. 9, “The Matthew Shepard Story: An American Hate Crime” on Investigation Discovery (ID) will celebrate his life on the 25th anniversary of one of the United States of America’s most brutal hate crimes.
The docuseries will include exclusive interviews with Shepard’s friends and allies, local journalists and celebs deeply impacted by the murder, including Rosie O’Donnell and Adam Lambert.
Jason Sarlanis, President of Turner Networks,...
- 8/31/2023
- by Emerson Pearson
- ET Canada
Necropolitics and trans poetics never quite become one in Zackary Drucker and Kristen Lovell’s The Stroll, which recounts the history of the titular area of New York’s Meatpacking District where trans women went to make a living as sex workers between the 1970s and ‘90s. The documentary’s activist ethos takes up all of its space, and while Drucker and Lovell attest to the resilience of trans women in the face of relentless violence, they unfortunately opt for the most formulaic kind of visual storytelling. Which makes it difficult for ambiguity, the very stuff that desire is made of, to ever creep into the mix.
Apart from a few animated sequences dramatizing a predictable pattern of trans living that begins with a sex worker’s police arrest and ends with her returning to the streets, the film’s stylistic commitment is rooted in an apparent will to pass for routine streaming fare.
Apart from a few animated sequences dramatizing a predictable pattern of trans living that begins with a sex worker’s police arrest and ends with her returning to the streets, the film’s stylistic commitment is rooted in an apparent will to pass for routine streaming fare.
- 6/21/2023
- by Diego Semerene
- Slant Magazine
Exclusive: Netflix on Friday announced its acquisition of The Dads, a documentary short billed as a quiet meditation on fatherhood, brotherhood and manhood that counts 13-time NBA All-Star Dwyane Wade amongst its EPs.
The film from director Luchina Fisher (Mama Gloria) watches as five fathers of trans children join Dennis Shepard, the father of slain gay college student Matthew Shepard, for a weekend fishing trip in rural Oklahoma, finding common purpose across races, generations and experiences. As the men cast their rods into the river, they discuss what has brought them together: the love for their children.
The gay University of Wyoming Student who was beaten, tortured and left to die on October 6, 1998, Matthew Shepard’s story famously inspired the Moisés Kaufman play The Laramie Project, which Kaufman later adapted into a Sundance-premiering HBO film of the same name. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Dennis Shepard and wife Judy...
The film from director Luchina Fisher (Mama Gloria) watches as five fathers of trans children join Dennis Shepard, the father of slain gay college student Matthew Shepard, for a weekend fishing trip in rural Oklahoma, finding common purpose across races, generations and experiences. As the men cast their rods into the river, they discuss what has brought them together: the love for their children.
The gay University of Wyoming Student who was beaten, tortured and left to die on October 6, 1998, Matthew Shepard’s story famously inspired the Moisés Kaufman play The Laramie Project, which Kaufman later adapted into a Sundance-premiering HBO film of the same name. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Dennis Shepard and wife Judy...
- 6/16/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Emmy-winning Will & Grace star Leslie Jordan and the four-time Tony-winning playwright and librettist Terrence McNally are among the seven 2023 inductees to the National LGBTQ Wall of Honor.
The International Imperial Court System and the National LGBTQ Task Force said Monday that the LGBTQ legends will be honored during a ceremony on June 22 at 6:30 p.m. at the historic Stonewall Inn. This year’s event will coincide with the National LGBTQ Task Force’s 50th year celebration.
The Wall of Honor posthumously celebrates LGBTQ activists, artists and other community members, acknowledging their crucial roles in the ongoing fight for LGBTQ liberation. This year’s honors come amid a record wave of anti-trans and anti-lgbtq legislation across the U.S. and a rapid rise in book bans featuring LGBTQ characters, historical figures and narratives.
“At a time when the majority of states in this country are fighting legislation that is trying to erase us,...
The International Imperial Court System and the National LGBTQ Task Force said Monday that the LGBTQ legends will be honored during a ceremony on June 22 at 6:30 p.m. at the historic Stonewall Inn. This year’s event will coincide with the National LGBTQ Task Force’s 50th year celebration.
The Wall of Honor posthumously celebrates LGBTQ activists, artists and other community members, acknowledging their crucial roles in the ongoing fight for LGBTQ liberation. This year’s honors come amid a record wave of anti-trans and anti-lgbtq legislation across the U.S. and a rapid rise in book bans featuring LGBTQ characters, historical figures and narratives.
“At a time when the majority of states in this country are fighting legislation that is trying to erase us,...
- 5/15/2023
- by Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
When Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III was resoundingly defeated this week in his race to reclaim the Senate seat he’d once held for 20 years, I wish I could say I celebrated. On the face of things, it should have been gratifying to see the end of a political career that had been defined by racism and xenophobia. I’m from Alabama. Long before Sessions entered his unholy alliance with our racist president and, in short order, rose to national prominence (or, perhaps, national mockery), I was all too keenly aware...
- 7/17/2020
- by Alex Morris
- Rollingstone.com
Exclusive: The story of former Philadelphia police officer Jeffrey Walker is headed to the screen. The Nacelle Company, Stone Canyon Entertainment and producer Devon Shepard (Being Mary Jane) have optioned Walker’s life rights for possible TV or film development, with Stephen Belber (The Laramie Project) attached to pen the script.
Per producers, over the course of a 20-year career as a narcotics officer with the Philadelphia Pd, Walker, an African American, became co-opted by a system that harasses, unfairly arrests and often kills those in the very community from which he came. This is the story of Walker’s redemption, as he hits bottom and then begins the courageous work of helping dismantle that same system he helped to thrive. Walker’s story goes to the heart of our moment, in which people want answers to a problem we’re all part of: how did we get here, and where can we go now?...
Per producers, over the course of a 20-year career as a narcotics officer with the Philadelphia Pd, Walker, an African American, became co-opted by a system that harasses, unfairly arrests and often kills those in the very community from which he came. This is the story of Walker’s redemption, as he hits bottom and then begins the courageous work of helping dismantle that same system he helped to thrive. Walker’s story goes to the heart of our moment, in which people want answers to a problem we’re all part of: how did we get here, and where can we go now?...
- 7/8/2020
- by Denise Petski and Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
The GLAAD Media Awards were supposed to happen Thursday night in New York City, but the Lgbtq media watchdog group canceled the 31st annual festivities in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
However, GLAAD doesn’t want the day to go unnoticed, so the organization has released exclusive video to Variety of Elton John accepting the Vito Russo Award at the Media Awards in 2000 as well as footage of Rosie O’Donnell being honored with the same award three years later.
The Vito Russo Award is given to a media professional who has significantly helped Lgbtq acceptance. Ryan Murphy was to receive this year’s honor at the New York gala with Matt Bomer and Sarah Paulson presenting the award.
During her 2003 speech, O’Donnell recalled how her celebrity friends, including Ellen DeGeneres, Nathan Lane and the since-disgraced Harvey Weinstein, urged her to come out before she finally did during a...
However, GLAAD doesn’t want the day to go unnoticed, so the organization has released exclusive video to Variety of Elton John accepting the Vito Russo Award at the Media Awards in 2000 as well as footage of Rosie O’Donnell being honored with the same award three years later.
The Vito Russo Award is given to a media professional who has significantly helped Lgbtq acceptance. Ryan Murphy was to receive this year’s honor at the New York gala with Matt Bomer and Sarah Paulson presenting the award.
During her 2003 speech, O’Donnell recalled how her celebrity friends, including Ellen DeGeneres, Nathan Lane and the since-disgraced Harvey Weinstein, urged her to come out before she finally did during a...
- 3/19/2020
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety Film + TV
Variety‘s team of writers, editors, photographers and designers has been nominated for outstanding magazine overall coverage at the forthcoming 31st GLAAD Media Awards.
Announced Wednesday, the annual ceremony honors fair, accurate and inclusive representations of Lgbtq people and issues in filmed content and journalism across platforms and languages. Variety won the outstanding magazine prize in 2019 for its groundbreaking Trans Hollywood issue.
“I am so proud that we received this important nomination from GLAAD,” said Variety editor-in-chief Claudia Eller. “Covering the Lgbtq community all year round is among our biggest editorial priorities, as is publishing our annual branded Pride Issue. Thank you so much for this recognition.”
The 2020 nomination comes on the heels of the magazine’s inaugural Power of Pride issue, a deeply reported look at the state of pride in entertainment media, and how figures essential to Variety‘s coverage amplify queer voices globally. Flagship cover stars and...
Announced Wednesday, the annual ceremony honors fair, accurate and inclusive representations of Lgbtq people and issues in filmed content and journalism across platforms and languages. Variety won the outstanding magazine prize in 2019 for its groundbreaking Trans Hollywood issue.
“I am so proud that we received this important nomination from GLAAD,” said Variety editor-in-chief Claudia Eller. “Covering the Lgbtq community all year round is among our biggest editorial priorities, as is publishing our annual branded Pride Issue. Thank you so much for this recognition.”
The 2020 nomination comes on the heels of the magazine’s inaugural Power of Pride issue, a deeply reported look at the state of pride in entertainment media, and how figures essential to Variety‘s coverage amplify queer voices globally. Flagship cover stars and...
- 1/8/2020
- by Variety Staff
- Variety Film + TV
Washington — Thursday, November 7 was a fateful day for the courts in America.
By an 86-2 margin, the U.S. Senate approved William Nardini to a lifetime appointment on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals — Trump’s 45th appointment of an appeals-court judge. On the same day, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved another judicial nominee of Trump’s, Steven Menashi, an ally of Stephen Miller and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos with a history of inflammatory statements about Islam, Lgbt people, and race. Menashi’s nomination now goes to the Senate floor where...
By an 86-2 margin, the U.S. Senate approved William Nardini to a lifetime appointment on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals — Trump’s 45th appointment of an appeals-court judge. On the same day, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved another judicial nominee of Trump’s, Steven Menashi, an ally of Stephen Miller and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos with a history of inflammatory statements about Islam, Lgbt people, and race. Menashi’s nomination now goes to the Senate floor where...
- 11/8/2019
- by Andy Kroll
- Rollingstone.com
Fifty years after the release of low-budget rebel odyssey “Easy Rider,” which pushed Hollywood into the ’70s and shook the foundations of Hollywood, writer-director-actor Peter Fonda has died of respiratory failure from lung cancer. The son of Hollywood star Henry Fonda and New York socialite Frances Seymour Brokaw was born 79 years ago in New York City. He is survived by his older sister, actress Jane Fonda, and his daughter, actress Bridget Fonda.
In a statement to People magazine, the family said Fonda “passed away peacefully on Friday morning, August 16 at 11:05am at his home in Los Angeles surrounded by family …In honor of Peter, please raise a glass to freedom.”
Said Jane Fonda: “I am very sad. He was my sweet-hearted baby brother. The talker of the family. I have had beautiful alone time with him these last days. He went out laughing.”
Fonda made a splash with his...
In a statement to People magazine, the family said Fonda “passed away peacefully on Friday morning, August 16 at 11:05am at his home in Los Angeles surrounded by family …In honor of Peter, please raise a glass to freedom.”
Said Jane Fonda: “I am very sad. He was my sweet-hearted baby brother. The talker of the family. I have had beautiful alone time with him these last days. He went out laughing.”
Fonda made a splash with his...
- 8/17/2019
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Fifty years after the release of low-budget rebel odyssey “Easy Rider,” which pushed Hollywood into the ’70s and shook the foundations of Hollywood, writer-director-actor Peter Fonda has died of respiratory failure from lung cancer. The son of Hollywood star Henry Fonda and New York socialite Frances Seymour Brokaw was born 79 years ago in New York City. He is survived by his older sister, actress Jane Fonda, and his daughter, actress Bridget Fonda.
In a statement to People magazine, the family said Fonda “passed away peacefully on Friday morning, August 16 at 11:05am at his home in Los Angeles surrounded by family …In honor of Peter, please raise a glass to freedom.”
Said Jane Fonda: “I am very sad. He was my sweet-hearted baby brother. The talker of the family. I have had beautiful alone time with him these last days. He went out laughing.”
Fonda made a splash with his...
In a statement to People magazine, the family said Fonda “passed away peacefully on Friday morning, August 16 at 11:05am at his home in Los Angeles surrounded by family …In honor of Peter, please raise a glass to freedom.”
Said Jane Fonda: “I am very sad. He was my sweet-hearted baby brother. The talker of the family. I have had beautiful alone time with him these last days. He went out laughing.”
Fonda made a splash with his...
- 8/17/2019
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Whether a television series deals overtly in the political times of the day, as in CBS All Access’ “The Good Fight,” or uses complicated subject matter such as race and identity in a more thematic or metaphorical way (as in the streamer’s “Star Trek: Discovery”), the key for writers and producers is to handle the topics with care.
“If we’re making interesting shows, we’re dealing with difficult topics,” said Michelle King, co-creator and co-showrunner of “The Good Fight” at the Television Critics Assn. press tour Wednesday. “And so, if you’re bringing up religion or politics, you have to make absolutely certain that everyone is speaking not only their beliefs, but also being respectful of everyone else.”
While King acknowledged that that’s not an easy thing to always accomplish, “it’s on us” as the leaders both in the writers’ room and of the shows in general.
“If we’re making interesting shows, we’re dealing with difficult topics,” said Michelle King, co-creator and co-showrunner of “The Good Fight” at the Television Critics Assn. press tour Wednesday. “And so, if you’re bringing up religion or politics, you have to make absolutely certain that everyone is speaking not only their beliefs, but also being respectful of everyone else.”
While King acknowledged that that’s not an easy thing to always accomplish, “it’s on us” as the leaders both in the writers’ room and of the shows in general.
- 7/31/2019
- by Danielle Turchiano
- Variety Film + TV
In an eye-opening new documentary, director Josh Howard reveals the horrifying state-sanctioned homophobia that once plagued the Us
When Josh Howard began working on his documentary The Lavender Scare, way back in 2009, America was a very different place – not least for its Lgbt citizens. Barack Obama had recently been elected president; one of his early actions, in a reversal of Bush administration policy, was to sign a Un declaration calling for the decriminalisation of homosexuality. Months later, the Matthew Shepard & James Byrd Jr Hate Crimes Prevention Act was passed. Meanwhile, the list of states to legalise same-sex marriage was steadily growing.
Related: Outside the multiplex: the best smaller films to see in the Us this summer...
When Josh Howard began working on his documentary The Lavender Scare, way back in 2009, America was a very different place – not least for its Lgbt citizens. Barack Obama had recently been elected president; one of his early actions, in a reversal of Bush administration policy, was to sign a Un declaration calling for the decriminalisation of homosexuality. Months later, the Matthew Shepard & James Byrd Jr Hate Crimes Prevention Act was passed. Meanwhile, the list of states to legalise same-sex marriage was steadily growing.
Related: Outside the multiplex: the best smaller films to see in the Us this summer...
- 6/18/2019
- by Guy Lodge
- The Guardian - Film News
The independent film boom of the 1990s launched many brilliant actors, but perhaps none flew higher than Hilary Swank. She took the chance on a risky role in a micro-budget film with a provocative subject matter and an unknown director — and walked away with an Oscar. Then a relatively unknown TV actress, she was paid $3,000 for the film. However, in a recent interview at the Crosby Street Hotel to promote the Netflix movie “I Am Mother,” she lit up when discussing the heyday of independent film.
“I thought, ‘Wow this is my opportunity to break into film,” she said. “Famous people weren’t taking the risk on independent film, and they weren’t getting paid to do independent film, so there was no interest for them. But, newcomers couldn’t break into film because the studio system was like, ‘We only use famous people.'”
Directed by Kimberly Peirce and...
“I thought, ‘Wow this is my opportunity to break into film,” she said. “Famous people weren’t taking the risk on independent film, and they weren’t getting paid to do independent film, so there was no interest for them. But, newcomers couldn’t break into film because the studio system was like, ‘We only use famous people.'”
Directed by Kimberly Peirce and...
- 5/16/2019
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
John William King, 44, a white supremacist who brutally murdered a black man named James Byrd, Jr. in a 1998 hate crime that horrified the nation, was executed on Wednesday night in Texas via lethal injection. When asked if he had any last words, King reportedly said “no” before receiving the injection.
“King showed no remorse then and showed no remorse tonight,” Byrd’s older sister, Clara Byrd Taylor, said in a statement. “This execution tonight was just punishment for his actions.”
King was one of three men who was arrested and...
“King showed no remorse then and showed no remorse tonight,” Byrd’s older sister, Clara Byrd Taylor, said in a statement. “This execution tonight was just punishment for his actions.”
King was one of three men who was arrested and...
- 4/25/2019
- by EJ Dickson
- Rollingstone.com
Update with State’s Attorney statement A visibly angry Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson dismissed Jussie Smollett’s latest insistence on his innocence and decried the prosecutors’ dismissal of criminal charges against the Empire actor as, in Emanuel’s words, “a whitewash.”
Johnson said, as bluntly as he has before, that Smollett conducted a “hoax” to further his own financial gain.
Emanuel lambasted Smollett as selfishly exploiting hate-crime laws for his own personal gain. “He took those laws and turned them inside out and upside down,” the mayor said, repeatedly reminding reporters that a grand jury heard the case and brought the charges against Smollett.
“Do I think justice was served?,” asked Johnson. “No. And I think this city is still owed an apology.”
Earlier, the State’s Attorneys office attempted to clarify its decision to drop criminal charges against Smollett, releasing a statement reading, “After reviewing...
Johnson said, as bluntly as he has before, that Smollett conducted a “hoax” to further his own financial gain.
Emanuel lambasted Smollett as selfishly exploiting hate-crime laws for his own personal gain. “He took those laws and turned them inside out and upside down,” the mayor said, repeatedly reminding reporters that a grand jury heard the case and brought the charges against Smollett.
“Do I think justice was served?,” asked Johnson. “No. And I think this city is still owed an apology.”
Earlier, the State’s Attorneys office attempted to clarify its decision to drop criminal charges against Smollett, releasing a statement reading, “After reviewing...
- 3/26/2019
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
On December 20th, the Justice for Victims of Lynching Act cleared the U.S. Senate in a rare unanimous vote after it was introduced by the chamber’s three African-American members — Sen. Kamala Harris (D-ny), Sen. Tim Scott (R-sc) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-nj) — introduced it earlier in 2018.
It means, bluntly, that if the bill passes, that lynching would be a federal crime. That’s right: Although lawmakers tried to address lynching at the federal level nearly 200 times in the first half of the 20th Century, it was never successful. So...
It means, bluntly, that if the bill passes, that lynching would be a federal crime. That’s right: Although lawmakers tried to address lynching at the federal level nearly 200 times in the first half of the 20th Century, it was never successful. So...
- 1/10/2019
- by Jerry Portwood
- Rollingstone.com
October is recognized as Lgbt history month. October 12th marks 20 years since the death of Matthew Shepard, which prompted Congress to pass the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which President Barack Obama signed into law on October 28th, 2009. But all of that is hard to fathom when Vice President Mike Pence speaks at the annual summit of the anti-gay Family Research Council.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled the Family Research Council a hate group, giving Pence another first for this administration: He’s the first sitting vice president to...
The Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled the Family Research Council a hate group, giving Pence another first for this administration: He’s the first sitting vice president to...
- 9/26/2018
- by Jerry Portwood
- Rollingstone.com
Longtime YouTube star Tyler Oakley, who has become one of the platform’s most prominent Lgbtq voices, has increasingly harnessed his platform for advocacy work in recent years.
Now, in honor of the 20th anniversary of the death of Matthew Shepard -- a University Of Wyoming student who was beaten, tortured, and left to die as a result of his sexuality -- Oakley is gracing the cover of The Advocate magazine. The storied Lgbtq publication calls Oakley “an icon for a new generation of activists,” and he shares the cover with five other burgeoning figures: transgender musician Gio Bravo: basketball player couple Layana White and Haley Videckis, who sued Pepperdine University for discrimination; Los Angeles poet Edwin Bodney; and bisexual filmmaker Shayna Maci Warner.
In The Advocate, Oakley discusses how his social media presence and activism are Lgbtq increasingly overlapping. “I went to school thinking maybe someday I’ll work for a nonprofit.
Now, in honor of the 20th anniversary of the death of Matthew Shepard -- a University Of Wyoming student who was beaten, tortured, and left to die as a result of his sexuality -- Oakley is gracing the cover of The Advocate magazine. The storied Lgbtq publication calls Oakley “an icon for a new generation of activists,” and he shares the cover with five other burgeoning figures: transgender musician Gio Bravo: basketball player couple Layana White and Haley Videckis, who sued Pepperdine University for discrimination; Los Angeles poet Edwin Bodney; and bisexual filmmaker Shayna Maci Warner.
In The Advocate, Oakley discusses how his social media presence and activism are Lgbtq increasingly overlapping. “I went to school thinking maybe someday I’ll work for a nonprofit.
- 9/26/2018
- by Geoff Weiss
- Tubefilter.com
Exclusive: Stephen Belber has been hired to script The Needle and The Damage Done for Mike Tollin and Peter Guber which is based on journalist Paul Solotaroff’s article on the opioid epidemic. The project is now being done at USA Networks through Ucp. The rights for the project were picked up last fall.
The story goes in-depth about the fentanyl epidemic which is currently devastating the suburban communities of New England. The 8,000-word article appeared last October in Men’s Journal delves into a local DEA bureau chief’s relentless pursuit to fight the war on drugs.
“When you look at the numbers, it’s an epidemic of unprecedented proportion,” Tollin told Deadline. “And we have a chance to raise awareness. The man’s whose life we are focusing the story on understands that awareness is one of his priorities, his job. He’s a superstar DEA agent who recognizes this and welcomes it.
The story goes in-depth about the fentanyl epidemic which is currently devastating the suburban communities of New England. The 8,000-word article appeared last October in Men’s Journal delves into a local DEA bureau chief’s relentless pursuit to fight the war on drugs.
“When you look at the numbers, it’s an epidemic of unprecedented proportion,” Tollin told Deadline. “And we have a chance to raise awareness. The man’s whose life we are focusing the story on understands that awareness is one of his priorities, his job. He’s a superstar DEA agent who recognizes this and welcomes it.
- 8/8/2018
- by Anita Busch
- Deadline Film + TV
Neil Patrick Harris and Mary Louise Parker will take part in Laramie: A Legacy, a one-night benefit reading in September of The Laramie Project, set to honor Matthew Shepard on the 20th anniversary of his murder.
Presented by Tectonic Theater Project, Laramie: A Legacy is scheduled for Monday, September 24, at the Gerald Lynch Theater at John Jay College in Manhattan.
Also confirmed for the event is Tony Award-winner Billy Porter (Kinky Boots). Harris, Parker and Porter will join the original company of The Laramie Project – Stephen Belber, Amanda Gronich, Mercedes Herrero, Andy Paris, Greg Pierotti, Barbara Pitts McAdams and Kelli Simpkins – with Tectonic Theater Project founder and Artistic Director Moisés Kaufman directing.
Additional cast members will be announced at a later date.
In advance of the reading, The Matthew Shepard Foundation and Tectonic Theater Project are filming a PSA video featuring Parker, Porter, Kaufman, Michael Urie, Harvey Fierstein, Zachary Quinto,...
Presented by Tectonic Theater Project, Laramie: A Legacy is scheduled for Monday, September 24, at the Gerald Lynch Theater at John Jay College in Manhattan.
Also confirmed for the event is Tony Award-winner Billy Porter (Kinky Boots). Harris, Parker and Porter will join the original company of The Laramie Project – Stephen Belber, Amanda Gronich, Mercedes Herrero, Andy Paris, Greg Pierotti, Barbara Pitts McAdams and Kelli Simpkins – with Tectonic Theater Project founder and Artistic Director Moisés Kaufman directing.
Additional cast members will be announced at a later date.
In advance of the reading, The Matthew Shepard Foundation and Tectonic Theater Project are filming a PSA video featuring Parker, Porter, Kaufman, Michael Urie, Harvey Fierstein, Zachary Quinto,...
- 5/15/2018
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Strand Releasing
NEW YORK -- Style takes precedence over content in this fourth installment of Strand Releasing's popular series of gay-themed short-film compilations. Perhaps the weakest edition of the series, "Boys Life 4: Four Play" features a quartet of efforts more reflective of the filmmakers' career aspirations than of a desire for meaningful expression. The film is playing an exclusive theatrical engagement at New York's Quad Cinema.
The opener, "L.T.R.", from writer-director Phillip J. Bartell, at least displays a timeliness in its satirical look at reality TV, which this summer has been on a particularly gay-oriented bent. It depicts the unraveling of the so-called "long-term relationship" between pot-smoking, stay-at-home Riley (Weston Mueller) and the younger, party-animal Michael (Cole Williams), a relationship not at all helped by the sexual fling between Michael and the filmmaker documenting their story.
Another rocky relationship is examined in Brian Sloan's "Bumping Heads", depicting the developing friendship between thirtysomething Craig (Craig Chester) and much younger Gary (Anderson Gabrych), who meet when their noggins collide at a party. Craig wants the relationship to progress into something more romantic but is unable to act on his desire until yet another incident of head bumping lands him in the hospital.
The most serious entry, Alan Brown's "O Beautiful", uses the Matthew Shepard incident for inspiration in its depiction of the aftermath of a gay-bashing incident in which a young man (Jay Gillespie) has been left for dead in a Midwestern cornfield. One of his attackers (David Rogers) returns to help him, with his true motivations only gradually becoming clear. Its extensive use of split screen is more distracting than illuminating.
But not as distracting as it is in "This Car Up", Eric Mueller's trivial depiction of the "meet cute" between a yuppie exec (Michael Booth) and a sinewy bike messenger (Brent Doyle), in which the relentless use of split screen is as annoying gimmicky as it's been in Mike Figgis' feature-length experiments.
NEW YORK -- Style takes precedence over content in this fourth installment of Strand Releasing's popular series of gay-themed short-film compilations. Perhaps the weakest edition of the series, "Boys Life 4: Four Play" features a quartet of efforts more reflective of the filmmakers' career aspirations than of a desire for meaningful expression. The film is playing an exclusive theatrical engagement at New York's Quad Cinema.
The opener, "L.T.R.", from writer-director Phillip J. Bartell, at least displays a timeliness in its satirical look at reality TV, which this summer has been on a particularly gay-oriented bent. It depicts the unraveling of the so-called "long-term relationship" between pot-smoking, stay-at-home Riley (Weston Mueller) and the younger, party-animal Michael (Cole Williams), a relationship not at all helped by the sexual fling between Michael and the filmmaker documenting their story.
Another rocky relationship is examined in Brian Sloan's "Bumping Heads", depicting the developing friendship between thirtysomething Craig (Craig Chester) and much younger Gary (Anderson Gabrych), who meet when their noggins collide at a party. Craig wants the relationship to progress into something more romantic but is unable to act on his desire until yet another incident of head bumping lands him in the hospital.
The most serious entry, Alan Brown's "O Beautiful", uses the Matthew Shepard incident for inspiration in its depiction of the aftermath of a gay-bashing incident in which a young man (Jay Gillespie) has been left for dead in a Midwestern cornfield. One of his attackers (David Rogers) returns to help him, with his true motivations only gradually becoming clear. Its extensive use of split screen is more distracting than illuminating.
But not as distracting as it is in "This Car Up", Eric Mueller's trivial depiction of the "meet cute" between a yuppie exec (Michael Booth) and a sinewy bike messenger (Brent Doyle), in which the relentless use of split screen is as annoying gimmicky as it's been in Mike Figgis' feature-length experiments.
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.