Documentaries

BFA Photography and Video and the Museum of the City of New York present a panel discussion on how homoerotic photography found its way into New York City galleries and museums in the 1970s. Led by boundary-pushing artist Robert Mapplethorpe and his patron Sam Wagstaff, alongside pioneering contemporaries George Dureau and Peter Hujar, the conversation will spotlight the gay men who helped establish the art market for photography during this era. Panelists include Vince Aletti, contributor, The New Yorker; Cynthia Carr, writer and cultural critic; Allen Ellenzweig, arts critic and author of The Homoerotic Photograph; and Robert Reid-Pharr, professor of English, The Graduate Center, CUNY. Moderated by Philip Gefter, author and photography critic.

Between 1969 and 1979 disco was the soundtrack of gay liberation, put female desire to the foreground in the age of feminism and led to the birth of modern club culture, before taking the world by storm. With contributions from Nile Rogers, Robin Gibb, Kathy Sledge and Ian Schrager.

Author, activist and playwright Larry Kramer is a political firebrand who gave voice to the outrage and grief that inspired a generation of gay men and lesbians to fight for their lives. This pioneering activist co-founded Gay Men’s Health Crisis and ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power), where his calls for direct action protest made AIDS a national issue, forever changing public health policy. An official selection at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, LARRY KRAMER IN LOVE & ANGER is highlighted by present-day footage as he reminisces about his life in the midst of battling complications from a liver transplant and a decade of living with HIV. Featuring unprecedented access to Kramer in his hospital room with David Webster, his partner and now husband, the film paints a vivid picture of a divisive man who has fought tirelessly for gay rights. LARRY KRAMER IN LOVE & ANGER shows what can happen when one person has the courage to challenge the system and inspire others to stand up and fight. He is the irrefutable father of the AIDS movement, which has ushered in a new era of strength and advancement in the struggle for LGBT rights. LARRY KRAMER IN LOVE & ANGER was directed and produced by Jean Carlomusto. (USA 2015)

Four young activists interview elder gay, lesbian and trans-gender activists who came out in the 1970s. They explore how the catalyst of the Stonewall riots enabled a new generation to come out and begin to organize, get visible and fight for rights. (15:18 USA 2014)