Hilferty, Robert

1989

A short video salute to Senator Jesse Helms.

1989

A series of shorts created to be put before regular porn on video lease and buy cassettes.

Torrice, Andrea

1989

Peril or Pleasure? Feminist-Produced Pornography raises important questions about erotica, porn, and censorship, which remain unresolved among feminists after several years of debate. Producer Andrea Torrice presents the pros and cons through interviews with women active on both sides of the issue. On the one hand are aspects of pornography as ritual, and as exploration and celebration of sexuality, while questions about exploitation, "sexual terrorism," and sex misinformation linger.

Woodward, Phil

1989

Featured in this installment is After Stonewall, a look back at the twenty years since the fateful day that a police raid on a bar in New York's Greenwich Village sparked off the modern Gay Rights Movement. The program also talks to some of the most vocal participants from the lively seventies about the sense of purpose that motivated them at the time and, in many cases, about their anger and disappointment in what they see as apathy amongst the British gay community towards Clause 28. The next program takes a hard look at the clause which illegalizes "promotion" of homosexuality, interviewing author of the clause, conservative MP David Wilshire and challenging Saatchi & Saatchi to develop an ad campaign to "sell homosexuality to the public. Also included is a lively report from Hollywood on how gay roles are seen as a bad career move for movie actors. Interviewer John Lyttle follows the passionate bits from My Beautiful Laundrette and Desert Hearts with such crucial questions as "Who thought up the champagne-sex scene?" and "Is Helen Shaver a good kisser?" He also asks Harvey Fierstein if he'd ever consider playing a straight role ("W-e-ll . . . I've always wanted to do Eleanor of Aquitaine . . ."). Plus a penetrating ten-minute look at gay men, lust, and safe-sex campaigns.

Woodward, Phil

1989

Directed by Connie Giannaris, maker of the Communards' videos, Disco's Revenge examines the history of gay disco music from Britain's adoption of Tamla Motown, through the soul of Sylvester and Summer, the high energy of Evelyn Thomas, Divine, and Miguel Brown, through its appropriation by Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Bronski Beat to the recent gay Latinization of House and its distinctive dance trends of “voguing.” The informed talking heads include Neil Tennant of the Pet Ship Boys, producer and Heaven DJ Ian Levine, and Chicago house star Frankie Knuckles. Giannaris's conscious, crafted use of visual seduction provides an appropriate approach to gay disco history. As Frankie Knuckles remembers the worst excess of "Saturday Night Fever" he turns knowingly to the camera, adjusts his sun-specs, and delivers a suitably camp farewell, "All that polyester, I couldn't stand it." The program concludes with Richard Kwietniowski's short film Alfalfa, a gay romp through the alphabet. The next episode of the series is hosted by Julian Clary, who introduces an analysis of the appeal of programs like "Dynasy" and "Golden Girls" to gay audiences. The program also includes a report from Newcastle on the lesbian/gay scene in England's northernmost city.

Woodward, Phil

1989

On St. Valentine's Day, 1989, Britain's Channel Four launched Out On Tuesday, a daring and innovative eight-week series of one-hour programs dealing with topics of interest to lesbians and gay men.  This progam presents two of the episodes from the series, which will be presented in its entirety during the festival. This program features Crimes of Passion, Clare Beavan's racy investigation of dyke detectives, a must for fans of alternative best-sellers Mary Wings, Katherine Forrest, and Ruth Rendell. Discover the way to tell if your sex scene is well written, and how She Came in a Flash, was nearly She Came Too Often. Also featured is Out in Africa, Melanie Chait's fascinating film on how two prominent political activists in South Africa are combining the struggle against apartheid with the struggle for gay rights. Simon Nkoli and Ivan Toms, currently serving the maximum prison sentence for refusing the draft, made no secret of their sexuality, forcing fellow activists to reevaluate their own prejudices against gays. As a result, the African National Congress has become the first liberation movement to acknowledge the importance of lesbian and gay rights, rather than dismissing demands with the usual "we'll deal with that after the revolution." Hosted by groovy lesbian comedy duo Parker and Klein, this next edition of the series looks at lesbian and gay foster parents and presents a short film by Mark Finch about cult cinema entitled Fasten Your Seatbelts.

Speck, Wieland

1989

Speck, Wieland

1989

Bociurkiw, Marusia

1989

Night Visions is an hour-long drama dealing with issues of lesbianism and race within the context of an urban community of women fighting for its survival. The story draws from actual events, legal battles, custody cases, and actions that have occurred in Canada during the last decade. These struggles are humanized through the simultaneous depiction of passionate relationships among these women—political, sexual, humorous, seriousˆexisting amid the political turmoil of the community. A Native single mother (Nea) is fighting a child custody battle, pitted against the Children's Aid and her white ex-husband. A lesbian photographer (Morgan) has her erotic photographs seized by the police. The two women meet through a mutual friend (Helena), a feminist activist who encourages them to find common cause. But cultural difference and racism intervene; contact with Morgan and her friends complicates Nea's life to the point of crisis; the narratives end separately. "Hope lies in what we do amongst ourselves, the messages we send to one another in the night," says Nea to Helena. "You have your struggle, and I have mine." In a “night” of state repression and systemic racism and homophobia, the vision of community and common cause appears and disappears like a dream.

Huestis, Marc

1989

Men In Love begins in San Francisco at a memorial service for Victor Charpier, a beloved teacher who has just died from AIDS. Among the many left in his wake is Steve, a young man in his late twenties who was one of Victor's primary caretakers in the final months. Victor has requested that Steven scatter his ashes on Maui in Hawaii, so Steven travels there. On the island he meets an extraordinary community of people who are striving to lead their lives in a balanced and harmonious way. Far away from his own urban world, Steven is able to step back and take a look at the crucial issues in his life. He falls in love with Peter, a native Hawaiian. Steven is slowly transformed by his experiences on Maui. With Peter, Steven finds ways he can practice safe sex and be fulfilled. Through the practice of Tantra yoga, he also learns how to be in touch with his own feelings and to increase his awareness of others, as well as the world around him.Men In Love was later transferred to film and released in cities throughout the United States.