The Times of Vito Russo

Movie Title: Activist: The Times of Vito Russo

Country / Region: United States

Genre: Documentary

Release Date: January 1, 2011, USA

Plot:
On June 27, 1969, a police raid on a Greenwich Village gay bar called the Stonewall took a surprising turn when patrons decided it was time to fight back. As a riot erupted on Christopher Street, a new era in the Gay Rights Movement was born . Vito Russo, a 23-year-old film student, was among the crowd. Over the next twenty years until his death from AIDS in 1990, Vito would go on to become one of the most outspoken and inspiring activists in the LGBT community's fight for equal rights. He was a pivotal part of three well-known organizations during their formative years: GAA (Gay Activists Alliance), which staged subversive works of protest performance art to secure rights and dignity for all gay people; GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), formed to ensure that media representation of gays and lesbians was accurate; and ACT UP (AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power), a guerilla activist group that turned the fury over President Reagan's refusal to do anything about AIDS into a series of highly telegenic acts of civil disobedience. In the midst of his commitment to activism, Vito was also a prolific writer. His seminal book "The Celluloid Closet" explored the ways in which gays and lesbians were portrayed on film, what lessons those characters taught gay and straight audiences, and how those negative images were at the root of society's homophobia. Even before the book was published, Vito was taking "The Celluloid Closet" on the road, traveling to gay film festivals and college campuses for an entertaining and informative lecture -slash-clip show that intertwined Vito's love of show business and radical gay politics. He continued writing, lecturing, speaking out and acting up until just months before his death.
Plot Keywords: Character Name In Title

Directed by
Jeffrey Schwarz

Cast
Jeffrey Friedman ... Himself
Armistead Maupin ... Himself
Howard Rosenman ... Himself
Michael Musto ... Himself
Larry Kramer ... Himself
Robert Hawk ... Himself
Vito Russo ... Himself (archive footage)
Jenni Olson ... Herself
Alonso Duralde ... Himself
Richard Barrios ... Himself
Lawrence Mass ... Himself
Marc Smolowitz ... Himself
Arnie Kantrowitz ... Himself
Danny Scheie ... Himself
Michelangelo Signorile ... Himself
Richard Berkowitz ... Himself
Gabriel Rotello ... Himself
Laurence Kardish ... Himself
B. Ruby Rich ... Herself
Michael Lumpkin ... Himself
James M. Saslow ... Himself
Brandon Judell ... Himself
Jewelle Gomez ... Herself
Eric Marcus ... Himself
Reverend Malcom Boyd ... Himself
Jeffrey Sosnick ... Himself
Jim Fouratt ... Himself
Nancy Stoller ... Herself
Denise Romanello ... Herself
Steve Krotz ... Himself
Phyllis Antonellis ... Herself
Karla Jay ... Herself
Lou Maletta ... Himself
Baby Jane Dexter ... Herself
Ron Magliozzi ... Himself
Don Romesburg ... Himself
Joseph Brewer ... Himself
Arthur Evans ... Himself
Michael Schiavi ... Himself
Mark Thompson ... Himself
Tommi Avicolli Mecca ... Himself
Don Kilhefner ... Himself
Michael Denneny ... Himself
Charles Russo Jr. ... Himself
John Morgan Wilson ... Himself
Dorian Hannaway ... Herself
Jon Gartenberg ... Himself
Liliana Clough ... Herself
Rich Wandel ... Himself
David Ehrenstein ... Himself
Marc Rappaport ... Himself
Tom Harding ... Himself
Felice Picano ... Himself
David Mould ... Himself
Marcus A. Conant ... Himself (as Marcus A. Conant MD)
Howard Grossman ... Himself
Charles Silver ... Himself
Hal Offen ... Himself
Jay Blotcher ... Himself
David Kirby ... Himself
F. Allen Sawyer ... Himself
Charles Russo ... Himself
Stephen Greco ... Himself

Produced by
Lotti Pharriss Knowles .... co-producer
Adam Robitel .... associate producer
Jeffrey Schwarz .... producer
Taryn Teigue .... associate producer

Cinematography by
David Quantic

Production Management
Donovan Kosters .... post-production supervisor

Other crew
Robbie Banfitch .... production assistant
Darren Hollingsworth .... research assistant
Brian Nolan .... research assistant
June Schwarz .... research assistant

Production Companies

     Automat Pictures