Vito Russo doc hits Canadian screens

Director Jeffrey Schwartz speaks about his film

Jeffrey Schwarz says that one of the most empowering things he did upon coming out of the closet was to pick up a copy of Vito Russo’s book The Celluloid Closet.

He wasn’t alone. Soon after the book was first published in 1981, it became a rallying cry for more diverse representations of gay and lesbian characters in film and TV.

Now, Schwarz has taken his considerable research into the life of Russo and turned it into an evocative documentary portrait, titled simply Vito.

Xtra chatted with Schwartz at this year’s Inside Out film festival; you can watch the interview in the video below.

For more on Vito, check out our story here.


Read More About:
Books, TV & Film, Culture, Video, Arts, Canada

Keep Reading

Drag queens on RuPaul's Drag Race Global All Stars compete in a roast challenge.

How the ‘All Stars 10’ bracket format could save ‘Global All Stars’

The global season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” largely missed the mark. Could the tournament-style bracket format of “All Stars 10” be the way to get it right?
Dodgers players Glenn Burke and Dusty Baker perform what is considered to be the very first high-five in 1977.

The lesser-known gay history of high-fives

Glenn Burke made history as the first Major League Baseball player to publicly come out as gay. He’s also credited with inventing the high-five

Canadian judge halts deportation of non-binary American

The ruling could set a massive precedent for trans and non-binary Americans seeking refuge in Canada amidst Trump’s wave of anti-trans attacks

Canada reportedly considered advisory for trans travellers to the U.S.

A new report from Reuters shows that Canadian officials struggled to advise travellers on Trump’s trans policies following his January executive order