Synopses & Reviews
The history of gay and lesbian cinema is a storied one, and became that much larger with the recent success of Brokeback Mountain. But the history of gay and lesbian filmmakers is its own story. In The View From Here, queer directors and screenwriters speak passionately about the medium, in particular their personal experiences navi-gating the often cynical and cruel film industry. All of them offer fascinating anecdotes and ideas about cinema, and speak candidly about their attempts to combat studio apathy and demands of “the market” to create films that are entertaining, engaging, and truthful.
Filmmakers profiled include John Waters, Gus Van Sant, Don Roos, Randal Kleiser, Don Mancini, Gregg Araki, Isaac Julien, Lea Pool, Monika Treut, Rosa von Praunheim, Pedro Almodóvar, and many more.
Synopsis
John Waters, Gus Van Sant, and beyond: gay and lesbian filmmakers, in their own words.
About the Author
Matthew Hays is a Canadian film critic, writer, film festival programmer and academic. He won a Lambda Literary Award for his 2007 book The View from Here: Conversations with Gay and Lesbian Filmmakers. Hays teaches film studies, journalism and communication studies at Concordia University in Montreal, and has reviewed films for the Montreal Mirror. His writing has also been published in The Globe and Mail, The Guardian, Xtra! and The Advocate, and he has been a programmer for the Toronto International Film Festival. He was nominated for a 2008 National Magazine Award. Hays is openly gay.