Before Homosexuals - Educational Outreach Campaign

Guilford, Windham County | Film Feature

Documentary, LGBTQ

John Scagliotti

1 Campaigns | Vermont, United States

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This campaign raised $10,330 for distribution. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.

19 supporters | followers

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“Oh my God, we have history! Or Herstory! No it’s Ourstory! At last, hidden no longer! Back from the mists of time and ages of antiquity! Ancient gay love and lives!” - Movies Over the Rainbow review of the film, Before Homosexuals.

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About The Project

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  • Wishlist
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Mission Statement

Before Homosexuals is a feature-length documentary film about LGBT history, art, and poetry from 2000BC until 1900AD, demonstrating the significant role LGBT people have had throughout human history. Placing this film in 2000 educational institutions will increase LGBT representation and inclusion.

The Story

Before Homosexuals takes the viewer on a wondrous tour of same-sex desire from ancient times to Victorian crimes. Emmy Award-winning filmmaker John Scagliotti guides us in this expedition of erotic history, poetry and visual art in this point-of-view documentary.

He explores how the sexual revolution of the 1960s and the growth of LGBT political power in the 1990s cleared the path for artists and scholars to re-discover pre-20th century same-sex desires. Weaving dozens of expert interviews with art and poetry, he revels in lesbian love spells from ancient Rome, homoerotic verses of Michelangelo, censored chapters of the Kamasutra, Native American two-spirit rituals and more. 

You might ask, “why make a prequel to a film released in 1985?” Because of homophobia, discrimination, censorship, and anti-gay forces, it was impossible to find same-sex history. Even the National Archives in Washington DC didn’t have a category covering the immense topic of homosexuality.

It was the gay revolution of the 1990s that changed the world, and it allowed us to begin reclaiming and recording that lost history. In the 1990s every single institution was impacted by the LGBT movement, especially in the academic world of archives and museums. Though the history we present in this film is amazing, the story of how we were able to do so is also a very important part of the film.

In his over 40 years of LGBT media experience, Scagliotti has produced a number of now classic documentaries, such as Before Stonewall, After Stonewall, and Dangerous Living. In addition to filmmaking, Scagliotti created the first LGBT radio show in 1973 (The Lavender Hour) and the first ever gay and lesbian television series on PBS called In The Life. In 2010 Scagliotti began the first ever LGBT film festival cruise program called Pride of the Ocean. Recently he received an honorary doctorate from Marlboro College in recognition of his service to the LGBT and allied community.

 

 

Wishlist

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Film Editor for Educational Recut

Costs $2,000

The theatrical version of the film needs to be recut for the classroom & lecture hall.

Graphic Designer for Promotional Materials

Costs $2,500

Promotional package to present our film to academic institutions and educational distributors.

Travel Expenses

Costs $2,000

Meetings with educational distributors, colleges, universities, and grassroots organizations.

Physical Production of DVD & Study Guides

Costs $500

DVD & BluRay disc replication and print production of study guides and materials.

Film Screening Space Rentals

Costs $500

For regional screening to educational distributors, institutions, and grassroots organizations.

Publicity and Advertising

Costs $250

Getting the word out about our educational program via social media, publications, and direct mail.

Legal Fees

Costs $250

Review of legal contracts for educational distribution.

Cash Pledge

Costs $0

About This Team

          • John Scagliotti (Director/Producer)
            John Scagliotti has produced many now-classic documentaries, such as BEFORE STONEWALL, AFTER STONEWALL, and DANGEROUS LIVING. He also created the first LGBT radio show (THE LAVENDER HOUR, 1973) and television series on PBS (IN THE LIFE, 1991 to 2012). In recognition of his service to the LGBT community, he received an honorary doctorate from Marlboro College, VT.
          • Betsy Kalin (Producer/Co-Writer)
            In 2004, her feature length documentary, Hearts Cracked Open, premiered to great acclaim at the San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival and has gone on to win several awards. Her film, Roof, premiered at New York City’s MoMA as part of New Directors/New Films and is a part of the Short Shorts compilation released by Picture This! Entertainment. In 1997, Betsy formed Itchy Bee Productions and her experimental and documentary shorts have screened at festivals worldwide. She also wrote and directed the lesbian biography series, LesBios, for web broadcast. She is currently producing and directing the feature-length, East L.A. Interchange and the short documentary, Chained!.
          • Christopher Dawes (Co-Producer/Editor)
            A multimedia producer at the New York Gay and Lesbian Center where he produced more than 30 mini-documentaries for the online newsmagazine and filmed over 17 live events. He was also an Assistant Editor at In the Life TV. His recent short film Long Nights Journey into Day was selected to be shown at CineSlam, Vermont’s Shorts Fest.
          • David M. Hall (Co-Producer/Editor)
            David has produced many short films and animations including ST. SEBASTIAN: PROTECTOR OF BEARDS, BUG, FAMILY PORTRAIT which have shown in Chicago, New York and in festivals such as the VT Bear Film Festival. Since earning a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, he is excited to be working on his first feature-length project, Before Homosexuals: The Prequel to Before Stonewall.
          • Don DiNicola (Music Composer)
            Don DiNicola has over 15 years of experience in film and television as a composer and music supervisor and has developed a substantial, multi-tiered music publishing company that handles an extensive broadcast music catalog. He has written music for PBS, A&E, TLC, Discovery, CNBC, Style, Sundance and HBO networks. He has worked on Emmy award winning shows; “Suicide Bombers/Cult Of Death”, and “The Art Of Failure; Chuck Connelly Not For Sale” (both as Music Supervisor) and most recently the Emmy Award Winning “Baring It All” (as composer). Don also produces and directs original media content. His feature directorial debut, “Nowhere Now; The Ballad Of Joshua Tree” enjoyed a vibrant life on the international film festival circuit before being picked up for a one year run on PBS affiliate KCET in Los Angeles. His mixed-media short film, “Karma Cats; The Chintamani Stone” has spent the last 2 years screening at film festivals internationally. Don is also a founding faculty member of Vermont College Of Fine Arts.
          • Matt Bucy (Digital Colorist/Additional Cinematography)
            Matt Bucy is a filmmaker and cinematographer most recently recognized in American Cinematographer for his lighting and camera work on the award-winning recreation of 1960s TV, “Star Trek Continues (YouTube).” His experimental film, “Of Oz the Wizard (Vimeo),” a re-edit of the MGM classic, went semi-viral in early 2016, after favorable reviews in the LA Times, on Buzzfeed, Vox, Dangerous Minds and others. As an architect/developer, he has played a central role in the revitalization of his home town, White River Junction, Vermont, including the founding of a local film festival.
          • JoAnn Wypijewski (Senior Researcher/Narration Writer)
            An independent writer and previous editor of The Nation magazine. She is the president of the board, program director and co-founder, of Kopkind, a summer residency and public education project for political journalists, activists and filmmakers.

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