HBO Documentary Films premiered at Lincoln Center in the 2011 New York Film Festival. It plays in film festivals around the country and will premiere on HBO in June 2012

 

In the aftermath of Stonewall, a newly politicized Vito Russo found his voice as a gay activist and critic of LGBT representation in the media. He went on to write "The Celluloid Closet", the first book to critique Hollywood's portrayals of gays on screen. During the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, Vito became a passionate advocate for justice via the newly formed ACT UP, before his death in 1990.

 

“An emotionally powerful documentary portrait with an impassioned voice that befits its subject...

 

‘Inspirational’ is an overused word with cringe-worthy connotations. But at a time when Wall St. protestors struggle to pierce the indifference of today’s political and financial establishment, this lovingly made HBO doc provides a laudable example.

 

While the documentary is tightly focused on one individual, Schwarz and his editor Philip Harrison work on a large canvas.”

 

-The Hollywood Reporter