VITO - FREE 25TH ANNIVERSARY SCREENING

Suggested watch time: 10/15 @ 9:00 PM or 10/16 @ 4:30 PM

Live Q&A with director Jeffrey Schwarz and Jason Plourde of AMP: 10/16 @ 6:00 PM

CO-PRESENTED BY: THE AMP - AIDS MEMORIAL PATHWAY

Jeffrey Schwarz; 2011; USA; 93 min.

Few films connect to the impetus and ideals that encapsulate Three Dollar Bill Cinema’s 25 years more than VITO. 

As a young film student, Vito Russo was present at the Stonewall riots, after which he would become one of the most outspoken and inspiring activists for LGBTQ equal rights. He was a pivotal member of three well-known organizations during their formative years: the Gay Activists Alliance, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, and ACT UP. As director Jeffrey Schwarz recalls, “Vito participated in every significant milestone in the gay liberation movement—and...his story was also the story of our community.” He continued writing, lecturing, speaking out, and acting up until just before his death from AIDS in 1990.

Russo is most known for writing The Celluloid Closet, a groundbreaking book that explored the ways in which gays and lesbians were portrayed on film, and how these negative images were at the root of society’s homophobia. As an assistant editor on the film version of that book, Schwarz discovered the depth of his future documentary subject. “I learned about the years Vito spent battling AIDS as both a person with the disease and a passionate and angry agent for change. Although he didn’t live long enough to see much of the progress he had been hoping for, his work forever changed the landscape for those living with the disease.”

This award-winning documentary includes rare archival footage of Vito at gay rallies and celebrations, stories from family and celebrities, and clips from a variety of LGBTQ films. A live conversation with director Jeffrey Schwarz, moderated by former TDBC director Jason Plourde, will be held following the film on Friday, October 16, at 6:00pm.

CONTENT WARNING: IMPLIED VIOLENCE, DEPICTION OR DISCUSSION OF SUICIDE

Co-presented with The AMP: AIDS Memorial Pathway AMP uses public art to create a physical place for remembrance and reflection in Seattle’s Capitol Hill, utilizes technology to share stories about the epidemic and the diverse community responses to the crisis, and provides a call to action to end HIV/AIDS, stigma, and discrimination. www.TheAMP.org