A long-overdue Bent Alaska update — October 2013

“Milk” screening Sunday benefits One Anchorage

Come out Sunday, January 22nd for a screening of Gus Van Sant’s Milk, starring Sean Penn in his Oscar–winning performance as openly gay politician Harvey Milk. Suggested donations of $5 will benefit One Anchorage in its campaign to gain passage of the Anchorage Equal Rights Initiative.

Dustin Lance Black, screenwriter (LGBT History Month)

Dustin Lance Black is a screenwriter, director and producer. In 2009, he received an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for “Milk,” about openly gay San Francisco politician Harvey Milk. Bent Alaska presents his story as part of our celebration of LGBT History Month 2011, with thanks to the Equality Forum.

Dustin Lance Black

“I heard the story of Harvey Milk and it gave me hope that I could live my life openly as who I am.”

Dustin Lance Black (born June 10, 1974) is a screenwriter, director and producer. In 2009, he received an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for “Milk”, about openly gay San Francisco politician Harvey Milk.

Black grew up in a devout Mormon household in San Antonio, Texas. After his mother remarried, he moved to Salinas, California. As a young boy, Black knew he was gay. He believed he would be “hurt and brought down” because of it and that he was going to hell. He says his “acute awareness” of his sexual orientation made him gloomy and sometimes suicidal.

In high school he fostered a love of the dramatic arts and began working on theatrical productions. He enrolled at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television and graduated with honors. In 2000, he wrote and directed two gay-themed films, “The Journey of Jared Price” and “Something Close to Heaven.” Black was the only Mormon writer for the HBO series about polygamy, “Big Love”, for which he received two Writers Guild of America Awards.

Captivated by the story of Harvey Milk, Black researched Milk’s life for three years, culminating in a screenplay. Academy Award-nominated director Gus Van Sant signed on with the project. In 2009, “Milk” received eight Academy Award nominations and won two. Black received an Oscar for his screenplay and Sean Penn won for best actor.

Black’s recent works include the screenplay for “Pedro”, profiling AIDS activist and MTV personality Pedro Zamora. He is the screenwriter for “J. Edgar,” a film about FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

In 2010, he narrated the documentary film “8: The Mormon Proposition”, a documentary about the involvement of the LDS church in anti-marriage equality Proposition 8 in California.

In 2009, Black topped The Advocate’s list of the “Forty under 40” most influential openly gay people. He is an outspoken LGBT activist, serving on the boards of The Trevor Project and the American Foundation for Equal Rights. Black frequently speaks about gay rights to college students across the country.

He resides in Los Angeles.

In May 2008, YouTube videographer castrointhestreets ran into Dustin Lance Black at the unveiling of Harvey Milk’s new statue in San Francisco’s City Hall, and interviewed him. Watch:

For more about Dustin Lance Black, visit his website, LGBT History Month page, or Wikipedia article.

Photo credit: Dustin Lance Black at the 81st Academy Awards, 22 Feb 2009. Photo by Greg Hernandez (greginhollywood on Flickr), used in accordance with Creative Commons license.

MILK at the Oscars

“Milk” in Anchorage: A tale of two theaters

The movie Milk is showing at The Bear Tooth, Friday–Sunday at 7:50 p.m. and Tuesday–Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Only six showings — don’t miss it!

Milk is based on the life of Harvey Milk, an openly gay man who was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977.

Milk shows Harvey (played by Sean Penn) uniting the gay community under his charismatic leadership, adding ‘sexual orientation’ to the city’s non-discrimination policy, and defeating Prop 6, Anita Bryant’s crusade against gay and lesbian teachers.

He also faced the constant threat of assassination.

The issues are timely after the narrow passing of Prop 8, California’s ban on gay marriage, and relevant in Anchorage where we still do not have ‘sexual orientation’ in the non-discrimination policy of our city or state.

Milk received 8 Academy Award Nominations including best picture, best director (Gus Van Sant), best actor (Sean Penn) and best supporting actor (Josh Brolin).

The biggest crowds are expected for the Friday and Saturday shows at The Bear Tooth.

An unsuccessful opening

Milk opened in Anchorage at the Century Theater on Dec 12. A few readers saw it and sent comments, posted here along with my review. But Milk was removed from the schedule after only two weeks. It was the lowest-grossing film in the theater that month, according to a Century 16 employee.

“I was stunned and disappointed to say the least,” wrote Matt in an email to Bent Alaska. “I’m no political activist, but the news of the film’s Anchorage demise didn’t make me think too highly of the community.”

Why did Milk flop at the Century in December?

• The national LGBT community is boycotting the Century/Cinemark Theaters because the company is Mormon-owned and the CEO donated almost $10,000 to pass Prop 8. The LDS Church urged members to donate to Prop 8, preached their support from the pulpit, and may have violated their tax-exempt status as a religious organization by engaging so directly in a ballot issue. Protests have occurred outside Mormon temples, and many LGBT people refuse to support business owners who gave money to take away our civil rights.
• Alaska’s LGBT community already boycotts Mormon-owned businesses like the Century because the Utah-based Church was a main backer of Alaska’s Measure 2, banning gay marriage here in 1998.
• Milk opened at the Century in the middle of the Anchorage International Film Festival, where other gay-themed films were shown the same week.
• We knew that Milk would have a second run at The Bear Tooth, a GLBT-supportive theater.

These factors combined to make the Century opening almost a non-event. It’s no wonder that ticket sales were dismal.

The real question is why the Milk producers chose to open the film at the Century, despite the boycott. If it had opened at a Regal Theater, like Brokeback Mountain did at the Dimond, the results would have been different.

A strong second run

In contrast, The Bear Tooth is a favorite of the LGBT community, as much for the good food and progressive atmosphere as for the showing of LGBT films.

Go see Milk this weekend at The Bear Tooth. Learn how Harvey lead successful campaigns for gay rights, and prove that a gay-themed movie can be successful in Anchorage.

Got “Milk”?

Did you see Milk this weekend?

“My partner and I just returned from seeing it and it is a MUST SEE,” wrote Dee. “We did not buy from the consession stand, due to the ownership of the theater (Mormon) but would not have missed the first day of this film… I urge the community and our allies to see this movie. We’re thinking Academy Award for Penn.”

“The Prop 6 part was disturbing because it reminds me so much of Prop 8,” wrote Elias, “along with the other dozen ballot measure campaigns I’ve been in.”

I agree that Penn gave an excellent performance, and that the comparison between winning Prop 6 and barely losing Prop 8 is heart-wrenching.

Gay and lesbian history is so hidden that many young adults don’t know about the struggle for our rights. Milk opens with the police raiding a gay bar, beating the customers and dragging them off to jail, simply for being gay. The scene uses real video from the late 60’s and early 70’s. We’ve come a long way.

Then in 1978, the newly-elected Supervisors, representing minorities who had never been represented before, voted to add ‘sexual orientation’ to the non-discrimination policy of San Francisco. They knew the gay community was an ally, and they understood that job and housing protection is an important civil rights issue.

I watched this scene in a movie theater in Anchorage, Alaska, where 30 years later we do not have ‘sexual orientation’ in the city’s non-discrimination policy. It isn’t in the state policy either. Or the national policy.

We still have a long way to go.

If you haven’t seen Milk, definitely see it. Remember to take the Milk Challenge — boycott the concession stand and give a donation to Alaskans Together for Equality, to off-set the ticket profit to the Mormon-owned and Prop 8 supporting Century/Cinemark.

If you saw Milk, what did you think about it?

The “Milk” Challenge

The movie Milk opens tomorrow (Friday, Dec. 12) in Anchorage, showing at 1:40, 4:35, 7:35 and 10:30 p.m. at the Century 16, across from Loussac Library. The message of Milk is timely, and the reviews sound great. (Watch the Milk trailer.)

Here’s the problem: We want to support a good-quality gay movie (and encourage the production of more gay movies) but don’t want to support the Mormon-owned Century/Cinemark whose CEO donated $9,999 to Prop 8, the California initiative that eliminated gay and lesbian marriage.

The solution: Boycott Century’s concessions! Eat before you go and only buy the ticket, no food or drinks.

Theaters don’t make much on admissions; most of their profit is from concessions. We can support the film and still deprive the theater of revenue.

Several people wrote in about the concessions boycott (thank you!) Jason suggested that we “sneak in our own candy” as an extra dig at Century.

Elias suggested that we offset the ticket fees to Century with a donation to Alaskans Together for Equality, the state LGBT rights group that takes on political issues like the ones Harvey Milk fought for. It’s a great way to support equal rights and, at the same time, withhold money from those who work against us!

Take the Milk Challenge: See Milk, and balance your political karma with a donation to Alaskans Together.

And Milk is the perfect time to start wearing a White Knot for marriage equality, “because everyone should be able to tie the knot.”

Milk, Dream Boy and Queer Duck: Gay movies come to Anchorage

UPDATE: Take the Milk Challenge!

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The movie Milk is opening in Anchorage on Friday, December 12 at the Century! Watch the trailer here: MILK

Unfortunately, Century/Cinemark is owned by Mormons who donated to Yes on 8. Some in the LGBT community are boycotting the Century and giving their movie dollars to supportive cinemas. Locally, we hope Milk will play at The Bear Tooth in a few months.

Others are calling for a big national turnout on the opening weekends, because record-setting attendance for Milk will make it easier to get funding for future gay-themed movies. The message of Milk is timely, and the reviews sound great.

What will you do?

1. See it this month at the Century (and not buy food or drinks, since they make most of their profit from the concession stand), or

2. Wait until The Bear Tooth shows it in the spring.

Two other gay-themed movies are showing this month at The Bear Tooth for the Anchorage International Film Festival, which runs December 5-14, 2008.

Queer Duck is an animated feature, and Dream Boy is a gay coming of age romance. For a special treat, go to The Gay-La, an after-screening party at Mad Myrna’s with James Bolton, the Portland-based director of Dream Boy.

The trailer for Dream Boy (2008):

The commercial for Queer Duck, the Movie, which came out on Logo in 2006:

MILK opens today in the Lower 48

Update 2: Take the Milk Challenge!

Update: “Milk” is opening in Anchorage on Friday, Dec 12 at the Century (a Mormon-owned theater.) For more about this controversy, see Gay Movies Come to Anchorage.

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The movie Milk, about Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected politician in the U.S., opens to select audiences (not us) today, one day before the 30th anniversary of Milk’s assassination. It opens in many more cities on Dec 5, and opens everywhere else on Dec 12. It looks amazing!

If you know when and where Milk is showing in Alaska, please leave the info in the comments.

Watch the trailer: