The 85th Academy Awards and the Independent Spirit Awards are taking place this weekend, and though there appears to be no big breakout gay film such as Brokeback Mountain this year, a few queer filmmakers have managed to sneak into the awards-show circuit.
Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln was written by the award-winning playwright of Angels in America, Tony Kushner, who is an openly gay man. The film, which people have given a queer reading to, is nominated for 12 Academy Awards, including one for best adapted screenplay for Kushner.
“Relative to the Oscars, the Spirit Awards are super gay this year,” says Peter Knegt, who is attending both award presentations. “Keep the Lights On has a bunch of nominations, including best film. Gayby has a nomination, I think for best first screenplay. And How to Survive a Plague, which is also nominated for an Oscar, is I think, the frontrunner to win the documentary award.”
Hosted by Seth MacFarlane, the Academy Awards seem to be making up their gay content by having Barbra Streisand perform onstage for the first time since the 1970s, as well as Adele, and a full-on tribute to modern musicals with Jennifer Hudson, Catherine Zeta Jones and the cast of Les Miserables.
The Independent Spirit Awards are being presented in Santa Monica on Feb 23; the Academy Awards take place the following day, on Feb 24.
Check out our video interview with Knegt below.
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