Women Make Waves International Film Festival

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    We Came To Sweat: The Legend of Starlite

    Sasha WORTZEL Kate KUNATH 2014 USA Documentary color 73min English DCP
    Founded by an African-American for his gay community in 1962, the Starlite Lounge became a legendary safe-haven by catering to multiple generations of every race, creed, color and sexual orientation. When the survival of this black-owned LGBT institution came under threat nearly fifty years later, a passionate advocate engaged her community in a fight to save its legacy. The movement, and the subject of this film, is challenged by necessitating patrons to "come out" from the anonymity offered by the Starlite. Eight months of sensitively shot verite footage, previously outlawed at the bar, chronicles the movement. Intimate accounts from individuals who came of age at the Starlite, trace a collective experience from civil rights, to gay rights, to the onset of AIDS & its impact. The document of their movement explores the matrix of gay visibility, race and economics in America's most progressive metropolis.

    Director

    Sasha WORTZEL

    Received her MFA from Hunter College, WORTZEL is a filmmaker, artist, and educator working in video, installation, sound, and performance. Her work explores the politics of space in relation to race, gender, and queer desire. She has recently presented work at the Berlin International Film Festival, DOC NYC, Outfest LA, Newfest, BFI Flare, Tribeca Interactive, Leslie Lohman Museum, A.I.R. Gallery, and the Guggenheim Lab.

    Kate KUNATH

    A native Californian, KUNATH holds an MFA in Film and New Media from Hunter College and a BFA in Photography from The University of Washington. She uses visual storytelling as a tool for social justice. In her first feature documentary as cinematographer, director, and producer, We Came To Sweat, she explores the history of Starlite, Crown Heights Brooklyn's iconic and inclusive gay nightclub.

    Director's Statement ▾

    Sasha WORTZEL
    • 2014《搖擺彩虹吧》We Came To Sweat: The Legend of Starlite
    • 2014 Grit & Grind
    • 2010 Paint It Again
    • I Guess I'm Not Going to Get to Vegas
    Kate KUNATH
    • 2014《搖擺彩虹吧》We Came To Sweat: The Legend of Starlite

    Director/ Kate KUNATH, Sasha WORTZEL
    Producer/ Kate KUNATH, Tyler H. WALK
    Cinematographer & Screenwriter/ Kate KUNATH
    Editor/ Tyler H. WALK
    Sound/ Jeremy GRODY

    Light on Light Pictures
    Kate KUNATH
    kunathkate@gmail.com

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