IX Side by Side LGBT Film Festival, Saint Petersburg, 2016 IX Side by Side LGBT Film Festival, 2016 | Page 22

26 ноября, сб
15:00—16:30
REMEMBERING THE MAN
Nickolas Bird, Eleanor Sharpe,
Australia, 2015, 83 min
2016 — Melbourne Queer Film Festival, Audience Award — Best Documentary, Jury Award
2015 — Adelaide Film Festival, Foxtel Movies Audience Award, Best Documentary
In the 1970s, at a prestigious Catholic boys school in Melbourne,
arty and flamboyant Tim Conigrave fell madly in love with
the star of the school’s football team John Caleo.
In 1995, Timothy Conigrave’s memoir, Holding the Man,
was published. The book told the story of his passionate
relationship with his first and only love, John Caleo, a relationship
that began in high school and ended 16 years later when the AIDS
virus struck down both men. Tim’s memoir became an instant
classic. Millions of copies have been sold and the book has been
adapted for the stage and screen.
Remembering the Man is a feature length documentary that
uncovers the true story of these star cross‘d Romeos:
their awkward schoolboy romance; their parents’
efforts to keep them apart; temptation, infidelity
and separation; how they came back together stronger
than before; and finally the courage they had to find
when they learnt they were both HIV positive.
Through Tim’s voice and intimate interviews
with friends and colleagues and unprecedented access
to archival footage and family photos, Remembering
the Man paints a raw, gritty and intimate picture.
«Remembering the Man is an intimate love story set in a time of war; a microcosm of the AIDS
pandemic; a face to put on all the faceless victims of HIV; and an operatic story of tragedy
and triumph. The relationship in this documentary transcends death and tragedy to become
something triumphant and uplifting.
Making Remembering the Man has been a labour of love. It took four and a half years to make
this film and you only spend that amount of time doing something if you are passionate about
it. It was difficult to secure funding. It was difficult to find the interviewees and convince them
to take part. It was difficult to track down and clear all the archive that appears in the film. But
ultimately it has been an amazing experience to make this film and help preserve this story».
Join the Directors Nickolas Bird, Eleanor Sharpe for Q&A after the screening.