In December 1977, a year before Harvey Milk was shot dead, Word is Out had its premiere in San Francisco. In the film 26 gay men and lesbians recount their experiences of discrimination and social oppression, but also of the freedom and the ability to love. This was the first film that challenged the prevailing image of homosexuality with an image from the gay perspective, and it became an important milestone (not only) for gay audiences. The mosaic-like montage uses the individual stories to create a polyphonic collective "we" at a time when the identity politics movements of the past century were still in their infancy. The idea of a collective also played an important role in the creation of the film. Six filmmakers, some of whom lacked any experience in filmmaking, formed a collective calling itself the Mariposa Film Group and conducted interviews over a period of five years, which were then assessed, discussed and put together in a painstaking process. The frankness, humor and courage of the protagonists, as well as the social and aesthetic commitment of the filmmakers, make Word is Out a moving film that is still well worth watching over 30 years after it was first released.
Anna Hoffmann
Production: Mariposa Film Group, New York
Camera: Mariposa Film Group
Format: 35mm (gedreht auf 16mm), color
Running time: 132 min.
Language: English
