A documentary about the man who brought us all out of the ‘Celluloid Closet’, Vito Russo changed the face of queer film theory forever. Now, director, Jeffrey Schwarz looks back at the man and the ways in which LGBT representation has changed over time. Vito reaches DVD in the UK on March 25th, courtesy of Peccadillo Pictures, and we’ve got two copies to give away.
In the aftermath of Stonewall, a newly politicised Vito Russo found his voice as a gay activist and critic of LGBT representation in the media. This documentary is about his life as an activist, an academic and a cinephile.
On June 27, 1969 a police raid on a Greenwich Village gay bar called the Stonewall took a surprising turn when patrons decided it was time to fight back. As a riot erupted on Christopher Street, a new era in the Gay Rights Movement was born. Vito Russo, a 23-year-old film student, was among the crowd.
Over the next twenty years until his death from AIDS in 1990, Vito would go on to become one of the most outspoken and inspiring activists in the GLBT community’s fight for equal rights. He was a pivotal part of three well-known organizations during their formative years: the GAA (Gay Activists Alliance), GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), and ACT UP (The AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power).
In the midst of his commitment to activism, Vito was also a prolific writer. His seminal book ‘The Celluloid Closet’ explored the ways in which gays and lesbians were portrayed on film. Even before the book was published, Vito was taking ‘The Celluloid Closet’ on the road, traveling to gay film festivals and college campuses for an entertaining and informative lecture-slash-clip show that intertwined Vito’s love of show business and radical gay politics. He continued writing, lecturing, speaking out and acting up until just months before his death.
If you’d like to try and win one of the two copies of Vito on DVD that we’ve got to give away, answer the question below and fill in your details, then press submit! The competition closes on April 4th 2013, so get answering and good luck!
HOW TO ENTER: Fill in the entry form below and click send. All fields need to be completed correctly for an entry to be valid. This includes your address, which will only be used if you win a prize. None of your details will be passed to any third party and will only be used for this competition (if you opt to receive a daily e-mail from Big Gay Picture Show, we will use your e-mail address to set that up, but you will be able to unsubscribe at any time), Multiple entries from the same ip address/computer risk being disqualified if we believe they break our rules on multiple/automated entries – we reserve the right to block ip addresses we believe may be engaged in trying to break the rules. This competition closes at 11.59pm on April 4th, 2013. Competition open to UK residents aged 18 or over. (For general competition terms and conditions, privacy policy and site T&Cs, CLICK HERE)
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