Moonlight is a betifully nuanced gay g-of-age tale - The Verge

Contents:

• MOONLIGHT IS A BETIFULLY NUANCED GAY G-OF-AGE TALEMOONLIGHT IS A BETIFULLY NUANCED GAY G-OF-AGE TALE
• 'MOONLIGHT' EXPLOR OFTEN UNSEEN GAY, BLACK MALE EXPERIENCE
• IN 'MOONLIGHT,' GROWG UP BLACK, GAY AND POOR IN 1980S MIAMI
• ‘IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO BE VULNERABLE’: HOW MOONLIGHT REFLECTS BEG A BLACK GAY MAN THE US
• ‘MOONLIGHT’ GAY THEM WILL TT CHE CENSORS
• MOONLIGHT IS A POWERFUL AFFIRMATN FOR GAY BLACK MEN: WE’RE SUPPOSED TO EXIST
• EVEN A POST-MOONLIGHT WORLD, IT’S NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO GET A GAY MOVIE MAAS PRI MONTH DRAWS TO A CLOSE, SIX LGBTQ DIRECTORS REFLECT ON THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATNS OF GETTG THEIR WORK THROUGH THE SYSTEM.BY NICK ROMANOJUNE 27, 2017CLOCKWISE OM LEFT, JT KELLY'S I AM MICHAEL, 2015, ELIZA HTMAN'S BEACH RATS, 2017, ANDREW AHN'S SPA NIGHT, 2016, JAMIE BABB'S BUT I’M A CHEERLEAR, 2000, IRA SACHS' LOVE IS STRANGE, 2014, SYDNEY FREELAND'S DNKTOWN’S FT, 2014.CLOCKWISE OM LEFT, OM EVERETT COLLECTN, URTY OF SUNDANCE FILM FTIVAL, OM STRAND RELEASG/EVERETT COLLECTN, OM LNS GATE/EVERETT COLLECTN, OM SONY PICTUR/EVERETT COLLECTN, OM TOY GUN FILMS.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEHOLLYWOOD IS HAVG AN “EXCLIVELY GAY MOMENT”—A PHRASE ADVERTENTLY ED BY DIRECTOR BILL CONDON THIS WTER AND OVERBLOWN BY MEDIA ATTENTN. RECENT FILMS LIKE BETY AND THE BEAST AND POWER RANGERS HAVE “BROKEN GROUND” OR “MA HISTORY”—ACRDG TO THE HEADL, ANYWAY—AS MAJOR HOLLYWOOD RELEAS FEATURG OPENLY QUEER CHARACTERS. UNFORTUNATELY, THEIR “G OUT” SCEN HAVE MOSTLY BEEN LOST TRANSLATN.“I WATCHED ALIEN: COVENANT AND THERE’S A GAY UPLE , AND I HAD NO IA,” SPA NIGHT DIRECTOR ANDREW AHN TELLS VANY FAIR, LGHG. “AND I LOOK FOR GAY SH ALL THE TIME. I N’T BELIEVE I MISSED .”GLAAD’S FIFTH ANNUAL HOLLYWOOD REPORT RD NFIRMS THAT THE GAY MUNY IS STILL DRAMATILLY UNRREPRENTED MASTREAM MOVI: JT 23 OF THE 125 FILMS RELEASED BY STUDS 2016 FEATURED LGBTQ CHARACTERS, AND 10 OF THE 23 GAVE THEM LS THAN A MUTE OF SCREEN TIME. THE DIE REALM HAS BEE OUR PRIMARY SOURCE FOR MORE DIVERSY ON SCREEN. IT’S WHAT MA POSSIBLE FOR MOONLIGHT—A FILM ABOUT A QUEER PERSON OF LOR—TO W BT PICTURE AT THE OSRS. YET THAT SPACE WH S OWN PLITNS, AS MOONLIGHT DIRECTOR BARRY JENKS HAS DISCSED AT LENGTH.FOR SOMEONE LIKE LOVE IS STRANGE DIRECTOR IRA SACHS, WHO’S BEEN THE BS FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS, N FEEL “NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE” TO MAKE LGBTQ FILMS. “I’M ENURAGED BY ANYONE WHO MANAG TO MAKE A FILM WH LGBTQ NTENT THAT FURTHERS THE VISIBILY,” HE SAYS OF MOVI LIKE MOONLIGHT AND THIS YEAR’S CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, WHICH IS ALREADY GENERATG AWARDS BUZZ. “I NEED THE VISIBILY AS MUCH AS ANYONE WHO’S STARTG OR BEGNG, AND AS MUCH AS THE DIENCE. IT’S A REMR THAT ’S NOT IMPOSSIBLE, THAT I’M WRONG TO SOME EXTENT.”JAMIE BABB, WHO PUT HERSELF ON THE MAP 1999 WH BUT I’M A CHEERLEAR, THOUGHT THE DTRY WOULD CHANGE WHEN BROKEBACK MOUNTA ME OUT 2005—BUT SHE TOO STILL NS TO THE SAME ROADBLOCKS THAT PERSISTED THE 90S. “IT’S SAD THAT THE HOLLYWOOD RPORATE MACHE, WHICH IS VERY MUCH QUEER AS FAR GLBT WORKG THE DTRY . . . ARE STILL TIMIDATED BY THE BOTTOM LE AND WORRIED THAT PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO WATCH QUEER STORI WHEN THAT LSON HAS BEEN, I THOUGHT, LEARNED TIME AND TIME AGA.”LGBT MOVI ARE STILL TOO OFTEN PIGEONHOLED AS “NICHE” ENTERTAMENT. JT KELLY HAD A “HEO REALIZATN” TO THAT EFFECT DURG THE FIRST FANCG MEETGS FOR HIS 2015 FILM I AM MICHAEL, STARRG JAM FRAN AS A GAY MAN WHO BE AN ANTI-GAY CHRISTIAN PASTOR. COMPANI WOULD SAY, “WE JT DID A GAY FILM LAST YEAR AND DIDN’T DO WELL.” HE RELLS THKG, “WOULD SOMEONE SAY WE DID A STRAIGHT FILM LAST YEAR AND DIDN’T DO WELL?”ELIZA HTMAN, APPROACHG THE GENRE AS A HETEROSEXUAL FILMMAKER, WAS UGHT OFF GUARD WH THE REACTN TO HER 2017 SUNDANCE SELECTN BEACH RATS. SHE EXPLORED “ADOLCENT FEMALE OBSSNS” WH HER FEATURE BUT, IT FELT LIKE LOVE—BUT WHEN SHE TOOK A MORE MASCULE APPROACH TO THE SAME NCEPT, WAS DISMISSED BY STG DIRECTORS AS THE ONE “WH ALL THE GAY SEX.”“IT WAS A LTLE NCERNG THAT THAT WAS WHAT PEOPLE WERE REACTG TO,” SHE SAYS, “BEE I THOUGHT THE FILM HAD A LOT MORE PTH THAN THAT. BUT I THK PEOPLE ARE A LOT MORE PROTECTIVE OF YOUNG TALENT, AND I THK THAT THERE ARE STILL STIGMAS AROUND WHAT KD OF ROL PEOPLE SHOULD AND SHOULDN’T PLAY.” BRISH ACTOR HARRIS DICKSON, WHO STARS BEACH RATS, HAD TO ASK HIS REPRENTATN TO BACK DOWN WHEN THEY “PHED BACK VERY HARD AGAST THE NUDY AND THE NTENT” OF THE STORY. HTMAN UNRSTANDS THEIR RPONSE TO SOME EXTENT—’S “THEIR JOB [TO] PROTECT THEIR CLIENTS”—BUT SHE ALSO BELIEV “THERE’S STILL A LOT OF TABOOS AROUND MALE NUDY AND MALE SEXUALY THAT EXIST FILM.”AS A TRANS NATIVE AMERIN WOMAN, SYDNEY FREELAND WAS TOLD THAT HER 2014 FEATURE DNKTOWN’S FT WAS A “NICHE OF A NICHE.” SHE LOOSELY BASED THE NCEPT ON HER OWN EXPERIENCE LIVG ON A NAVAJO RERVATN NEW MEXI, BUT MANY FANCIERS CLAIMED “THERE ISN’T A MARKET FOR THIS, PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO SEE THIS, PEOPLE AREN’T TERTED THIS, AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.” AHN, ONE OF THE MOST LD BREAKOUTS OF 2016’S SUNDANCE FILM FTIVAL, FACED SIAR REMARKS, WHICH SENT HIM TO KICKSTARTER FOR HIS DIRECTORIAL BUT ABOUT A CLOSETED MAN A SMALL KOREAN-AMERIN MUNY. “WE ULDN’T EVEN GET THE MONEY TO GO THROUGH PREPRODUCTN,” HE SAYS.AND THOUGH TV GENERALLY HAS A REPUTATN FOR BEG RISKIER AND MORE CREATOR-IENDLY THAN FILM, BABB—WHO HELMED EPISOS OF THE L WORD AND LOOKG, AMONG A LENGTHY LIST OF SHOWS—BELIEV TELEVISN IS ALSO GOG BACKWARDS. “I LOVE TRANSPARENT AND THAT’S A GREAT SHOW WH QUEER CHARACTERS, FOR SURE, BUT THERE SHOULD BE 10 OF THEM NOW,” SHE SAYS.BABB HAS TRIED TO GET THREE DIFFERENT QUEER-ORIENTED SERI OFF THE GROUND OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS. “I’M GETTG THE TOP MEETGS WH THE HEAD OF SHOWTIME, THE HEAD OF NETFLIX, THE HEAD OF HBO,” SHE SAYS. BUT A GREEN LIGHT REMAS ELIVE. THE CLOST SHE ME WAS WH AN ADAPTATN OF INGRID JUNGERMANN’S WEB SERI F TO 7TH, A CURB YOUR ENTHIASM-STYLE LBIAN EDY THAT “TALKS ABOUT QUEER CULTURE OM THE SI AND MAK FUN OF .” SHOWTIME ORRED A SCRIPT, BUT SHE SAYS THE PROJECT NEVER MOVED FORWARD. THE GENERAL RPONSE, SHE SAYS, WAS, “OH, IF ’S A LBIAN SHOW, IS THERE GONNA BE A LOT OF HOT SEX? IT’S SUCH A NICHE.”MOONLIGHT GROSSED $65 LN WORLDWI ON A $1.5 LN PRODUCTN BUDGET, BUT THE NSENS STILL SEEMS TO BE THAT FANCIERS DON’T SEE AN DIENCE FOR THE FILMS BEYOND THE LGBTQ MUNY. WHEN THEY DON’T SEE AN DIENCE, THEY DON’T SEE A PROF. WHEN ASKED TO SCRIBE THE MOST DIFFICULT STAGE OF FILM VELOPMENT, SACHS DON’T NEED TO MULL HIS ANSWER. “CAPAL,” HE SAYS. “VERY SIMPLY, PALISM MAK THE CREATN OF WORK FOR MARGALIZED MUNI DIFFICULT.”AND PAL IS WHY HOLLYWOOD, SPE THE PRENCE OF LGBTQ EXECUTIV, STILL LARGELY NSIRS THE VISIBILY OF THE CHARACTERS TO BE A RISK. TAKE BETY AND THE BEAST, FOR EXAMPLE. OUT OF S $1.25 BILLN GROSS, $85.8 LN ME OM CHA, $37.5 LN ME OM SOUTH KOREA, AND $14.6 LN ME OM RSIA—TERRORI WH CENSORSHIP LAWS THAT N TARGET LGBTQ NTENT. “THE TRAGEDY IS THAT THIS MOMENT WHERE WE THK WE’RE MAKG PROGRS, WHICH WE HAVE DOMTILLY, THERE IS AN ERASURE UNTRI LIKE, LET’S START WH RSIA,” SACHS EXPLAS. “I ED TO GO TO THE GAY FTIVALS THERE, AND THE LAST TIME I SENT MY FILMS THERE THE FTIVALS HAD BOMB SR TWO OR THREE TIM—AND THAT’S ONE STAGE.”KELLY LLS “A B SANE” WHEN HE’S TOLD BEFORE EVEN SHOOTG A QUEER-LEANG FILM THAT “ WILL FOR SURE NOT SELL THE 40 MARKETS,” BUT HE’S ALSO NOT NVCED HOMOPHOBIA IS THE SOLE TERRENT. HE ALSO C THE “TRAGIC STATE OF THE DIE FILM WORLD”—AND HE’S RIGHT, TO SOME EXTENT. THE MARKET HAS CHANGED SCE THE EARLY 2000S, WHEN STUDS BEGAN PHG THE STORI TO SPECIALTY DIVISNS LIKE FOC FEATUR AND FOX SEARCHLIGHT—AND GIVG THEM SMALLER BUDGETS. “I’M TRYG TO BE REALISTIC STEAD OF JT PLAG THAT ’S HARR TO GET GAY FILMS MA,” KELLY SAYS, “EVEN THOUGH IS, AND EVEN THOUGH ANNOYS ME EVERY DAY.”MOST POPULARAND JT LIKE THAT… PREPAR FOR ITS LAST SUPPERBY CHRIS MURPHYRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHTHE TV MOVIE IS MAKG A WEIRD, WONRFUL COMEBACKBY DAVID CANFIELDADDG TO THE HEADACHE OF FANCG AND DISTRIBUTN IS MARKETG. “THERE IS A WAY FOR PEOPLE TO FD [LGBTQ FILMS] WHO HAVE THE APPETE TO FD , BUT YOU’RE NOT GONNA GET THE MARKETG PH THAT ALL THE STUD MOVI GET BEE ’S SUCH BIG BS NOW,” BABB SAYS. FILMS LIKE MOONLIGHT, THE IMATN GAME, AND CAROL DID GET WI PROMOTN, BUT THEY WERE ALSO AWARDS SEASON NTENRS. FOR SMALLER RELEAS, “Y, YOU N GET DISTRIBUTN ON NETFLIX OR AMAZON OR SUNDANCE SELECTS, IFC, WHATEVER—BUT YOU’RE NOT GONNA GET ANY MARKETG BEHD ,” BABB EXPLAS.AND THAT’S ASSUMG A FILM IS ACTUALLY SCREENED THEATERS—BEE AS AHN LEARNED WH SPA NIGHT, “ONCE YOU GET A DISTRIBUTOR, ’S NOT LIKE YOU’RE GUARANTEED TO PLAY THEATERS. THE THEATERS THEMSELV HAVE TO CHOOSE WHAT THEY WANT TO SCREEN, AND I HAD NO IA THAT’S HOW WORKED.”THE HOME TURF WAR NTU WH THE MPAA. LOVE IS STRANGE REIGNED QUTNS OF HOMOPHOBIA WHEN THE FILM, STARRG JOHN LHGOW AND ALED MOLA, WAS BRAND WH AN R-RATG FOR STRONG LANGUAGE. “THAT FILM ULDN'T BE MORE APPROPRIATE FOR A YOUNG DIENCE,” SACHS SAYS. THE R-RATG FOR 2014’S PRI, THE STORY OF GAY ACTIVISTS TEAMG UP WH STRIKG MERS 1984 WAL, CED A SIAR NTROVERSY, AND HARVEY WESTE VERY PUBLICLY NTTED THE RATG (AND WON) FOR THIS YEAR’S 3 GENERATNS, ABOUT A TRANS TEENAGER.“I’D FD IENDS OF ME WH 15-YEAR-OLD KIDS NOT TAKG THEM TO THE MOVIE [BEE] THEY ASSUMED THE NTENT WOULD SOMEHOW BE DISPTIVE TO THEIR CHILDREN BEE OF THE R-RATG,” SACHS RELLS OF HIS EXPERIENCE, “WHICH WAS JT KD OF TRAGIC ON SOME LEVEL.” THE DIRECTOR OBJECTS TO THE WAY THE RATGS BOARD OPERAT: “LERALLY, THE MEMBERS OF THE MPAA HAD TO BE MARRIED PEOPLE TO REPRENT A KD OF FAY VALUE,” HE SAYS, REFERRG TO A POT MA KIRBY DICK’S 2006 DOCUMENTARY ABOUT THE MPAA, THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED. “THIS IS DISGTG.”MOST POPULARAND JT LIKE THAT… PREPAR FOR ITS LAST SUPPERBY CHRIS MURPHYRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHTHE TV MOVIE IS MAKG A WEIRD, WONRFUL COMEBACKBY DAVID CANFIELDIT’S STILL POSSIBLE TO FD SUPPORT FOR QUEER STORI THE DTRY. AHN, FOR ONE, POTS TO MARC HU, AN OPENLY GAY EXECUTIVE AT STRAND RELEASG WHO ADVOTED FOR HIS FILM. BUT IF NOT FOR SACHS’S “ALTERNATE UNIVERSE” OF DIVIDUALS HE ULD RELY UPON OUTSI THE TRADNAL FILMMAKG SPHERE, HE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE LOVE IS STRANGE. IN FACT, ALL OF THE DIRECTORS FOUND HOPE BY BUILDG THEIR OWN WORLDS AND FDG THEIR OWN DIENC. AHN, FREELAND, AND HTMAN WERE SUPPORTED THROUGH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS LIKE THE SUNDANCE LABS AND CEREACH, WHILE KELLY FED HIS OWN PATH WH THE BLSG OF G VAN SANT, WH WHOM HE WORKED ON 2008’S MILK. HE’S TEAMG UP WH JAM FRAN ONCE MORE FOR A BPIC OF J.T. LEROY.AS A MEMBER OF QUEER ART, A NON-PROF SUPPORTG LGBTQ VOIC FILM, VISUAL ARTS, PERFORMANCE, AND LERATURE, SACHS IS TRYG TO CREATE THIS SORT OF UNIVERSE ON A SYSTEMATIC LEVEL. “I THK WHAT IS IMPORTANT—AND IS STILL POSSIBLE—IS THAT ARTISTS TAKE RISKS, AND THOSE RISKS ARE BOTH PERSONAL AND FANCIAL. AND TO BE BRAVE ENOUGH TO TAKE RISKS IS WHAT HAS CREATED A HISTORY OF QUEER CEMA,” HE SAYS.“I DON’T THK ’S GOG TO BE THE MASTREAM THAT’S GOG TO DO THE WORK,” AHN NOT OF LGBTQ REPRENTATN. “I THK ’S MORE A GRASSROOTS-Y THG, AND JT HAS TO KEEP BUILDG AND BUILDG.” WHEN TO SEEG REAL CHANGE MASTREAM HOLLYWOOD, HE PREDICTS, “I THK THERE HAS TO BE A UPLE MORE MOONLIGHTS.”13 DAZZLG ACTORS WHO MA THEIR MOVIE DEBUTS 20161 / 13CHEVRONCHEVRONCOURTY OF A24.ANYA TAYLOR-JOY, THE WCHWH ONLY AN UNCREDED APPEARANCE VAMPIRE AMY ON HER LIST OF FILM APPEARANC, ANYA TAYLOR-JOY MA AN ENTRANCG MAJOR BUT THE SPELLBDG HORROR FILM THE WCH.NICK ROMANO
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MOONLIGHT IS A BETIFULLY NUANCED GAY G-OF-AGE TALEMOONLIGHT IS A BETIFULLY NUANCED GAY G-OF-AGE TALE

One of the film’s most memorable scen when a teenage Chiron star at himself his bathroom, his face bloodied om a fight wh homophobic school bulli. Like Carol and Brokeback Mounta before , Moonlight nveys the pa of the ntug social stigma around homosexualy, the search for eedom and love, and the nstant stggle to munite and drop personal barriers. Moonlight rembl Brokeback Mounta and Carol s lh stagg, tensely ternal performanc, and treatment of the gay experience a very specific i.

Crilly-acclaimed movi like "Milk, " "Brokeback Mounta, " "Boys Don't Cry, " and "Philalphia" all told stori of LGBTQ characters — some real, some fictnal — who fought agast or suffered om of the LGBTQ nome ever snagged the Bt Picture award, though three of the four mentned above rulted actg awards for straight actors who took on gay or transgenr rol. Olson said she was "sadned" to see Cate Blanchett lose the Bt Actrs award, notg that was rare to see a leadg Hollywood actrs portray a lbian character who don't die at the end of the only do "Moonlight" end on an upliftg note, the film breaks barriers by prentg the largely tobgraphil story of a livg, black, gay man told his own words. Tarell Alv McCraney, whose script "In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue" was the basis for the film, also took an Amy Award for Bt Adapted Screenplay on Alv McCraney (right) livers a speech on stage next to Barry Jenks after they won the Bt Adapted Screenplay Osr for "Moonlight" at the 89th annual Amy Awards on Febary 26, 2017Mark Ralston / AFP/Getty ImagIn October, McCraney told NBC Out "Moonlight" isn't jt a "gay film" or a "black film, " that would be "disgenuo" to lim the story to jt one tegory.

'MOONLIGHT' EXPLOR OFTEN UNSEEN GAY, BLACK MALE EXPERIENCE

"It is a queer story, is a gay story, is a poverty story — you know what I mean? "For so long people thought bee the story is black or gay then that means 's not mastream, " Onuorah said.

Sunday night's diverse crop of wners — along wh the Amy's recent vatn to hundreds of women and people of lor to jo s homogeno ranks last year — uld potentially help overe that reputatn. Mahershala Ali livers a speech on stage after wng the Osr bt supportg actor "Moonlight" at the 89th Adamy Awards on Febary 26, 2017 Los Ralston / AFP/Getty ImagFor Bahamian-born filmmaker Sekiya Dorsett, 's important to intify "Moonlight" as the barrier-burstg black, gay film that is, bee that means the stori of queer people of lor have a reach like never before. '"It's almost taboo to be a black Amerin man who is homosexual, or a black man who is homosexual bee growg up you're told that you have to be that much more imposg, that much bigger, that much better...

IN 'MOONLIGHT,' GROWG UP BLACK, GAY AND POOR IN 1980S MIAMI

"It's kd of oxymoronic to be homosexual and have those same attribut. ""It has universal them about humany, about our universal search for love and also 's reprentg the gay muny a way that I don't thk they generally are reprented, " the actrs said.

Janelle Monae, who plays a surrogate mother figure to Chiron, said she hoped movie-go would "feel more empathetic towards the black, poor gay male experience and that we ntue not to ostracize those who are different om .

Amás suir un nstante aso lar, el fantasma la homosexualidad se hace prente en la vida Chiron. Una pequeña gran obra cda y dolorosa que n los temas ya muy sobados o son las drogas, la margalidad, el abo o la homosexualidad nsigue vtir un discurso una fuerza y un razón cutnabl pando n una magnífi habilidad l discurso empalagoso l "pena, pena, pena ".

‘IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO BE VULNERABLE’: HOW MOONLIGHT REFLECTS BEG A BLACK GAY MAN THE US

Rcido al tamaño l tweet, se trata la experiencia crecer negro, gay y alienado en los proyectos Miami.

‘MOONLIGHT’ GAY THEM WILL TT CHE CENSORS

Hibbert as Chiron, a young black man growg up gay an impoverished part of Miami Moonlight.

MOONLIGHT IS A POWERFUL AFFIRMATN FOR GAY BLACK MEN: WE’RE SUPPOSED TO EXIST

It's an thentic, timate portra of a young, gay black man whose mother is a crack addict. He was not gay, and he played football. Dpe renewed lls for people to judge the film on s own importance, the distrsg accatns of rape agast Parker – s star, as well as wrer and director – have meant s red-rpet-to-awards glory is lookg nsirably ls no movie was perhaps ever more sorely required to prevent another #OsrsSoWhe than Moonlight: Barry Jenks’s drama trackg a black gay man at three stag over his film has had an extraordary embrace on the tumn ftival circu; s brilliance has left few stumblg out of the cema unmoved.

It is a sentiment that, oddly, echo that of Parker, who claimed he would never play a gay character bee of the need to “prerve black masculy”. ”In the film, Chiron regulat his behavur orr to prevent people om knowg he’s gay, but the bulli at school and his cel mother are aware of his sexualy and persecute him as a rult.

EVEN A POST-MOONLIGHT WORLD, IT’S NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO GET A GAY MOVIE MAAS PRI MONTH DRAWS TO A CLOSE, SIX LGBTQ DIRECTORS REFLECT ON THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATNS OF GETTG THEIR WORK THROUGH THE SYSTEM.BY NICK ROMANOJUNE 27, 2017CLOCKWISE OM LEFT, JT KELLY'S I AM MICHAEL, 2015, ELIZA HTMAN'S BEACH RATS, 2017, ANDREW AHN'S SPA NIGHT, 2016, JAMIE BABB'S BUT I’M A CHEERLEAR, 2000, IRA SACHS' LOVE IS STRANGE, 2014, SYDNEY FREELAND'S DNKTOWN’S FT, 2014.CLOCKWISE OM LEFT, OM EVERETT COLLECTN, URTY OF SUNDANCE FILM FTIVAL, OM STRAND RELEASG/EVERETT COLLECTN, OM LNS GATE/EVERETT COLLECTN, OM SONY PICTUR/EVERETT COLLECTN, OM TOY GUN FILMS.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEHOLLYWOOD IS HAVG AN “EXCLIVELY GAY MOMENT”—A PHRASE ADVERTENTLY ED BY DIRECTOR BILL CONDON THIS WTER AND OVERBLOWN BY MEDIA ATTENTN. RECENT FILMS LIKE BETY AND THE BEAST AND POWER RANGERS HAVE “BROKEN GROUND” OR “MA HISTORY”—ACRDG TO THE HEADL, ANYWAY—AS MAJOR HOLLYWOOD RELEAS FEATURG OPENLY QUEER CHARACTERS. UNFORTUNATELY, THEIR “G OUT” SCEN HAVE MOSTLY BEEN LOST TRANSLATN.“I WATCHED ALIEN: COVENANT AND THERE’S A GAY UPLE , AND I HAD NO IA,” SPA NIGHT DIRECTOR ANDREW AHN TELLS VANY FAIR, LGHG. “AND I LOOK FOR GAY SH ALL THE TIME. I N’T BELIEVE I MISSED .”GLAAD’S FIFTH ANNUAL HOLLYWOOD REPORT RD NFIRMS THAT THE GAY MUNY IS STILL DRAMATILLY UNRREPRENTED MASTREAM MOVI: JT 23 OF THE 125 FILMS RELEASED BY STUDS 2016 FEATURED LGBTQ CHARACTERS, AND 10 OF THE 23 GAVE THEM LS THAN A MUTE OF SCREEN TIME. THE DIE REALM HAS BEE OUR PRIMARY SOURCE FOR MORE DIVERSY ON SCREEN. IT’S WHAT MA POSSIBLE FOR MOONLIGHT—A FILM ABOUT A QUEER PERSON OF LOR—TO W BT PICTURE AT THE OSRS. YET THAT SPACE WH S OWN PLITNS, AS MOONLIGHT DIRECTOR BARRY JENKS HAS DISCSED AT LENGTH.FOR SOMEONE LIKE LOVE IS STRANGE DIRECTOR IRA SACHS, WHO’S BEEN THE BS FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS, N FEEL “NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE” TO MAKE LGBTQ FILMS. “I’M ENURAGED BY ANYONE WHO MANAG TO MAKE A FILM WH LGBTQ NTENT THAT FURTHERS THE VISIBILY,” HE SAYS OF MOVI LIKE MOONLIGHT AND THIS YEAR’S CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, WHICH IS ALREADY GENERATG AWARDS BUZZ. “I NEED THE VISIBILY AS MUCH AS ANYONE WHO’S STARTG OR BEGNG, AND AS MUCH AS THE DIENCE. IT’S A REMR THAT ’S NOT IMPOSSIBLE, THAT I’M WRONG TO SOME EXTENT.”JAMIE BABB, WHO PUT HERSELF ON THE MAP 1999 WH BUT I’M A CHEERLEAR, THOUGHT THE DTRY WOULD CHANGE WHEN BROKEBACK MOUNTA ME OUT 2005—BUT SHE TOO STILL NS TO THE SAME ROADBLOCKS THAT PERSISTED THE 90S. “IT’S SAD THAT THE HOLLYWOOD RPORATE MACHE, WHICH IS VERY MUCH QUEER AS FAR GLBT WORKG THE DTRY . . . ARE STILL TIMIDATED BY THE BOTTOM LE AND WORRIED THAT PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO WATCH QUEER STORI WHEN THAT LSON HAS BEEN, I THOUGHT, LEARNED TIME AND TIME AGA.”LGBT MOVI ARE STILL TOO OFTEN PIGEONHOLED AS “NICHE” ENTERTAMENT. JT KELLY HAD A “HEO REALIZATN” TO THAT EFFECT DURG THE FIRST FANCG MEETGS FOR HIS 2015 FILM I AM MICHAEL, STARRG JAM FRAN AS A GAY MAN WHO BE AN ANTI-GAY CHRISTIAN PASTOR. COMPANI WOULD SAY, “WE JT DID A GAY FILM LAST YEAR AND DIDN’T DO WELL.” HE RELLS THKG, “WOULD SOMEONE SAY WE DID A STRAIGHT FILM LAST YEAR AND DIDN’T DO WELL?”ELIZA HTMAN, APPROACHG THE GENRE AS A HETEROSEXUAL FILMMAKER, WAS UGHT OFF GUARD WH THE REACTN TO HER 2017 SUNDANCE SELECTN BEACH RATS. SHE EXPLORED “ADOLCENT FEMALE OBSSNS” WH HER FEATURE BUT, IT FELT LIKE LOVE—BUT WHEN SHE TOOK A MORE MASCULE APPROACH TO THE SAME NCEPT, WAS DISMISSED BY STG DIRECTORS AS THE ONE “WH ALL THE GAY SEX.”“IT WAS A LTLE NCERNG THAT THAT WAS WHAT PEOPLE WERE REACTG TO,” SHE SAYS, “BEE I THOUGHT THE FILM HAD A LOT MORE PTH THAN THAT. BUT I THK PEOPLE ARE A LOT MORE PROTECTIVE OF YOUNG TALENT, AND I THK THAT THERE ARE STILL STIGMAS AROUND WHAT KD OF ROL PEOPLE SHOULD AND SHOULDN’T PLAY.” BRISH ACTOR HARRIS DICKSON, WHO STARS BEACH RATS, HAD TO ASK HIS REPRENTATN TO BACK DOWN WHEN THEY “PHED BACK VERY HARD AGAST THE NUDY AND THE NTENT” OF THE STORY. HTMAN UNRSTANDS THEIR RPONSE TO SOME EXTENT—’S “THEIR JOB [TO] PROTECT THEIR CLIENTS”—BUT SHE ALSO BELIEV “THERE’S STILL A LOT OF TABOOS AROUND MALE NUDY AND MALE SEXUALY THAT EXIST FILM.”AS A TRANS NATIVE AMERIN WOMAN, SYDNEY FREELAND WAS TOLD THAT HER 2014 FEATURE DNKTOWN’S FT WAS A “NICHE OF A NICHE.” SHE LOOSELY BASED THE NCEPT ON HER OWN EXPERIENCE LIVG ON A NAVAJO RERVATN NEW MEXI, BUT MANY FANCIERS CLAIMED “THERE ISN’T A MARKET FOR THIS, PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO SEE THIS, PEOPLE AREN’T TERTED THIS, AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.” AHN, ONE OF THE MOST LD BREAKOUTS OF 2016’S SUNDANCE FILM FTIVAL, FACED SIAR REMARKS, WHICH SENT HIM TO KICKSTARTER FOR HIS DIRECTORIAL BUT ABOUT A CLOSETED MAN A SMALL KOREAN-AMERIN MUNY. “WE ULDN’T EVEN GET THE MONEY TO GO THROUGH PREPRODUCTN,” HE SAYS.AND THOUGH TV GENERALLY HAS A REPUTATN FOR BEG RISKIER AND MORE CREATOR-IENDLY THAN FILM, BABB—WHO HELMED EPISOS OF THE L WORD AND LOOKG, AMONG A LENGTHY LIST OF SHOWS—BELIEV TELEVISN IS ALSO GOG BACKWARDS. “I LOVE TRANSPARENT AND THAT’S A GREAT SHOW WH QUEER CHARACTERS, FOR SURE, BUT THERE SHOULD BE 10 OF THEM NOW,” SHE SAYS.BABB HAS TRIED TO GET THREE DIFFERENT QUEER-ORIENTED SERI OFF THE GROUND OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS. “I’M GETTG THE TOP MEETGS WH THE HEAD OF SHOWTIME, THE HEAD OF NETFLIX, THE HEAD OF HBO,” SHE SAYS. BUT A GREEN LIGHT REMAS ELIVE. THE CLOST SHE ME WAS WH AN ADAPTATN OF INGRID JUNGERMANN’S WEB SERI F TO 7TH, A CURB YOUR ENTHIASM-STYLE LBIAN EDY THAT “TALKS ABOUT QUEER CULTURE OM THE SI AND MAK FUN OF .” SHOWTIME ORRED A SCRIPT, BUT SHE SAYS THE PROJECT NEVER MOVED FORWARD. THE GENERAL RPONSE, SHE SAYS, WAS, “OH, IF ’S A LBIAN SHOW, IS THERE GONNA BE A LOT OF HOT SEX? IT’S SUCH A NICHE.”MOONLIGHT GROSSED $65 LN WORLDWI ON A $1.5 LN PRODUCTN BUDGET, BUT THE NSENS STILL SEEMS TO BE THAT FANCIERS DON’T SEE AN DIENCE FOR THE FILMS BEYOND THE LGBTQ MUNY. WHEN THEY DON’T SEE AN DIENCE, THEY DON’T SEE A PROF. WHEN ASKED TO SCRIBE THE MOST DIFFICULT STAGE OF FILM VELOPMENT, SACHS DON’T NEED TO MULL HIS ANSWER. “CAPAL,” HE SAYS. “VERY SIMPLY, PALISM MAK THE CREATN OF WORK FOR MARGALIZED MUNI DIFFICULT.”AND PAL IS WHY HOLLYWOOD, SPE THE PRENCE OF LGBTQ EXECUTIV, STILL LARGELY NSIRS THE VISIBILY OF THE CHARACTERS TO BE A RISK. TAKE BETY AND THE BEAST, FOR EXAMPLE. OUT OF S $1.25 BILLN GROSS, $85.8 LN ME OM CHA, $37.5 LN ME OM SOUTH KOREA, AND $14.6 LN ME OM RSIA—TERRORI WH CENSORSHIP LAWS THAT N TARGET LGBTQ NTENT. “THE TRAGEDY IS THAT THIS MOMENT WHERE WE THK WE’RE MAKG PROGRS, WHICH WE HAVE DOMTILLY, THERE IS AN ERASURE UNTRI LIKE, LET’S START WH RSIA,” SACHS EXPLAS. “I ED TO GO TO THE GAY FTIVALS THERE, AND THE LAST TIME I SENT MY FILMS THERE THE FTIVALS HAD BOMB SR TWO OR THREE TIM—AND THAT’S ONE STAGE.”KELLY LLS “A B SANE” WHEN HE’S TOLD BEFORE EVEN SHOOTG A QUEER-LEANG FILM THAT “ WILL FOR SURE NOT SELL THE 40 MARKETS,” BUT HE’S ALSO NOT NVCED HOMOPHOBIA IS THE SOLE TERRENT. HE ALSO C THE “TRAGIC STATE OF THE DIE FILM WORLD”—AND HE’S RIGHT, TO SOME EXTENT. THE MARKET HAS CHANGED SCE THE EARLY 2000S, WHEN STUDS BEGAN PHG THE STORI TO SPECIALTY DIVISNS LIKE FOC FEATUR AND FOX SEARCHLIGHT—AND GIVG THEM SMALLER BUDGETS. “I’M TRYG TO BE REALISTIC STEAD OF JT PLAG THAT ’S HARR TO GET GAY FILMS MA,” KELLY SAYS, “EVEN THOUGH IS, AND EVEN THOUGH ANNOYS ME EVERY DAY.”MOST POPULARAND JT LIKE THAT… PREPAR FOR ITS LAST SUPPERBY CHRIS MURPHYRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHTHE TV MOVIE IS MAKG A WEIRD, WONRFUL COMEBACKBY DAVID CANFIELDADDG TO THE HEADACHE OF FANCG AND DISTRIBUTN IS MARKETG. “THERE IS A WAY FOR PEOPLE TO FD [LGBTQ FILMS] WHO HAVE THE APPETE TO FD , BUT YOU’RE NOT GONNA GET THE MARKETG PH THAT ALL THE STUD MOVI GET BEE ’S SUCH BIG BS NOW,” BABB SAYS. FILMS LIKE MOONLIGHT, THE IMATN GAME, AND CAROL DID GET WI PROMOTN, BUT THEY WERE ALSO AWARDS SEASON NTENRS. FOR SMALLER RELEAS, “Y, YOU N GET DISTRIBUTN ON NETFLIX OR AMAZON OR SUNDANCE SELECTS, IFC, WHATEVER—BUT YOU’RE NOT GONNA GET ANY MARKETG BEHD ,” BABB EXPLAS.AND THAT’S ASSUMG A FILM IS ACTUALLY SCREENED THEATERS—BEE AS AHN LEARNED WH SPA NIGHT, “ONCE YOU GET A DISTRIBUTOR, ’S NOT LIKE YOU’RE GUARANTEED TO PLAY THEATERS. THE THEATERS THEMSELV HAVE TO CHOOSE WHAT THEY WANT TO SCREEN, AND I HAD NO IA THAT’S HOW WORKED.”THE HOME TURF WAR NTU WH THE MPAA. LOVE IS STRANGE REIGNED QUTNS OF HOMOPHOBIA WHEN THE FILM, STARRG JOHN LHGOW AND ALED MOLA, WAS BRAND WH AN R-RATG FOR STRONG LANGUAGE. “THAT FILM ULDN'T BE MORE APPROPRIATE FOR A YOUNG DIENCE,” SACHS SAYS. THE R-RATG FOR 2014’S PRI, THE STORY OF GAY ACTIVISTS TEAMG UP WH STRIKG MERS 1984 WAL, CED A SIAR NTROVERSY, AND HARVEY WESTE VERY PUBLICLY NTTED THE RATG (AND WON) FOR THIS YEAR’S 3 GENERATNS, ABOUT A TRANS TEENAGER.“I’D FD IENDS OF ME WH 15-YEAR-OLD KIDS NOT TAKG THEM TO THE MOVIE [BEE] THEY ASSUMED THE NTENT WOULD SOMEHOW BE DISPTIVE TO THEIR CHILDREN BEE OF THE R-RATG,” SACHS RELLS OF HIS EXPERIENCE, “WHICH WAS JT KD OF TRAGIC ON SOME LEVEL.” THE DIRECTOR OBJECTS TO THE WAY THE RATGS BOARD OPERAT: “LERALLY, THE MEMBERS OF THE MPAA HAD TO BE MARRIED PEOPLE TO REPRENT A KD OF FAY VALUE,” HE SAYS, REFERRG TO A POT MA KIRBY DICK’S 2006 DOCUMENTARY ABOUT THE MPAA, THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED. “THIS IS DISGTG.”MOST POPULARAND JT LIKE THAT… PREPAR FOR ITS LAST SUPPERBY CHRIS MURPHYRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHTHE TV MOVIE IS MAKG A WEIRD, WONRFUL COMEBACKBY DAVID CANFIELDIT’S STILL POSSIBLE TO FD SUPPORT FOR QUEER STORI THE DTRY. AHN, FOR ONE, POTS TO MARC HU, AN OPENLY GAY EXECUTIVE AT STRAND RELEASG WHO ADVOTED FOR HIS FILM. BUT IF NOT FOR SACHS’S “ALTERNATE UNIVERSE” OF DIVIDUALS HE ULD RELY UPON OUTSI THE TRADNAL FILMMAKG SPHERE, HE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE LOVE IS STRANGE. IN FACT, ALL OF THE DIRECTORS FOUND HOPE BY BUILDG THEIR OWN WORLDS AND FDG THEIR OWN DIENC. AHN, FREELAND, AND HTMAN WERE SUPPORTED THROUGH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS LIKE THE SUNDANCE LABS AND CEREACH, WHILE KELLY FED HIS OWN PATH WH THE BLSG OF G VAN SANT, WH WHOM HE WORKED ON 2008’S MILK. HE’S TEAMG UP WH JAM FRAN ONCE MORE FOR A BPIC OF J.T. LEROY.AS A MEMBER OF QUEER ART, A NON-PROF SUPPORTG LGBTQ VOIC FILM, VISUAL ARTS, PERFORMANCE, AND LERATURE, SACHS IS TRYG TO CREATE THIS SORT OF UNIVERSE ON A SYSTEMATIC LEVEL. “I THK WHAT IS IMPORTANT—AND IS STILL POSSIBLE—IS THAT ARTISTS TAKE RISKS, AND THOSE RISKS ARE BOTH PERSONAL AND FANCIAL. AND TO BE BRAVE ENOUGH TO TAKE RISKS IS WHAT HAS CREATED A HISTORY OF QUEER CEMA,” HE SAYS.“I DON’T THK ’S GOG TO BE THE MASTREAM THAT’S GOG TO DO THE WORK,” AHN NOT OF LGBTQ REPRENTATN. “I THK ’S MORE A GRASSROOTS-Y THG, AND JT HAS TO KEEP BUILDG AND BUILDG.” WHEN TO SEEG REAL CHANGE MASTREAM HOLLYWOOD, HE PREDICTS, “I THK THERE HAS TO BE A UPLE MORE MOONLIGHTS.”13 DAZZLG ACTORS WHO MA THEIR MOVIE DEBUTS 20161 / 13CHEVRONCHEVRONCOURTY OF A24.ANYA TAYLOR-JOY, THE WCHWH ONLY AN UNCREDED APPEARANCE VAMPIRE AMY ON HER LIST OF FILM APPEARANC, ANYA TAYLOR-JOY MA AN ENTRANCG MAJOR BUT THE SPELLBDG HORROR FILM THE WCH.NICK ROMANO

It tells the story of Chiron, a gay, black boy growg up poor Miami, and follows him through his teenage years to adulthood. “Beg a black man Amerin is relatively difficult right now, beg a gay man Ameri is credibly difficult and so beg a black, gay man, like I’ve said before, n be perceived as the worst possible thg right now.

They key to playg Chiron, he says, was not to assume a difference between beg gay and beg straight. “One of my bt iends is homosexual so I knew his stggle, but wasn’t about pullg om that. He is young, black, gay, poor, and largely iendls—the kd of person who feels like he uld lerally vanish om beg so unseen by the world.

On March 17, the day that Disney’s Bety and the Beast opened on 20, 000 screens across Cha, The People’s Daily tweeted: “Controversial gay moment kept Disney’s #BetyAndTheBeast… requir no guidance for mors. Not only was Cha’s notorly strict censorship regime allowg the film — which clus a three-send “gay moment” — to screen full, the Communist Party’s official newspaper appeared to be boastg about .

'MOONLIGHT' REVIEW: GAY TRIPTYCH FEATUR GREAT PERFORMANC

“So many ternatnal films are ‘a ltle b gay’ the days, if the censors sisted on blockg all of , one day soon there wouldn’t be Amerin film showg Cha. Depictg gay relatnships on TV is banned Cha, but no l explicly prohib such stori feature films or onle. Regulators have shown their disfort wh the subject on several ocsns, however, pullg popular gay-themed dramas om the web, and blockg movi via the votn of “pornographic” or “sensive” material.

Bety and the Beast was a major stud tle wily projected to be a h (meang more revenue for lol cemas and distributors), while the film’s gay ntent uld easily be missed wh a well-timed sneeze. Though official word has yet to arrive, Fan says he’s not optimistic about Moonlight‘s chanc — although a surprise wi release would ed be “great news” for Cha’s gay muny. But if you’re a gay man hopg to see two male characters exprs that sort of timacy a high-profile film, you know better than to get your hop up.

COLUMB MOONLIGHT MARKET ON GAY STREET

The other people his life are better able to fe his difference than the near-silent Chiron: Classmat spect his homosexualy early on and bully him for ; ncerned adults do their bt to lay down track for Chiron’s own realizatn; and a fellow stunt, the popular, promiscuo Kev (played as a teen by Jharrel Jerome and as an adult by André Holland) gently guis Chiron to a beachsi renzvo where our protagonist has his first signifint sexual aren’t ually aaid to addrs teenage sexualy — the loss-of-virgy scene is a teen-movie staple — but they still tend to shy away om pictg the first stag of same-sex exploratn among young people. While the two of them tertwed that fashn is a powerful image, I appreciated that Moonlight also showed the two boys makg out, a cematic image gay teenagers are often prived of. It was the first time I’d seen anythg that was gay.

Media was whe, and gay media wher still.

For a long time I thought beg gay was a whe thg, and I was an anomaly. In the UK, LGBTQ people are livg more thentilly than ever and choosg to do so at an earlier age, which Stonewall boss Ruth Hunt put down to “an explosn of role mols and people talkg about beg gay”.