“TWO: THE STORY OF ROMAN AND NYRO” TO HAVE LOS ANGELES PREMIERE AT 2013 OUTFEST

Documentary Feature Chronicles the First 10 Years of the Lives of the Twin Sons Born to Acclaimed Songwriter Desmond Child and His Lifelong Partner Curtis Shaw

 

(Los Angeles, CA)– One of the most eagerly awaited films of the year will be coming to Los Angeles. Directed by Heather Winters, TWO: THE STORY OF ROMAN AND NYRO, documents the 12-year journey of legendary songwriter Desmond Child and his lifelong partner Curtis Shaw, and the extraordinary way they met and connected with Angela Whittaker, the woman who would carry their twin sons, Roman and Nyro, into the world.

"Gay marriage opponents need to come up with a better argument than procreation,” states Child. “Gay people are NOT infertile... we actually can procreate... and our children deserve married parents. End of discussion, America.”

“We're just living our lives day by day, and we have the same ups and downs like any other family,” says Shaw. “Love is love.... and love makes a family. This is our story.”

From pre-conception through the boys’ first 10 years, TWO is the personal and powerful story of these unique individuals whose lives become inextricably woven together in magical and unexpected ways. TWO is testament to the universal power and ultimate triumph of love – that it is love that makes a family, affirming modern families may be modern in their making, but timelessly human at their core.

“This film couldn’t come at a more important moment in our nation’s history when hearts and minds are fractured and debate rages over equality,” says director Winters. “I’m honored that Desmond and Curtis entrusted me to tell the world their story and invited me into their lives in such an intimate and poignant way.”

The film is presented by Desmond Child’s film production arm, Deston Films and was produced by Desmond Child, Curtis Shaw Child and Heather Winters. For nearly three decades, songwriter and producer Desmond Child has reigned as one of music's most successful creative forces. His list of accolades includes Grammy awards, 70 Top 40 singles, and songs that have sold over 300 million albums worldwide.

Over the course of his career, Child has worked with international superstars including Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Ricky Martin, Cher, Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.

TWO: THE STORY OF ROMAN AND NYRO will be featured at the 2013 Outfest Film Festival, screening on Wednesday July 17th at 7:15 PM. For ticket informaiton, please visit: www.outfest.org .

BORN THIS WAY - Outfest Documentary Competition!

Friday, July 14th - 7:30pm / Harmony Gold Theater

Directed by Shaun Kadlec & Deb Tullmann

More people are imprisoned each year for homosexuality in Cameroon than any other country in the world. With intimate access to the lives of two young gay Cameroonians, Born This Way sketches a vivid portrait of day-to-day life in modern Africa. Lyrical imagery, devastating homophobia, glimpses of American culture and a hidden-camera courtroom drama coalesce into a story of what is possible in the global fight for equality.

Born This Way explores the underground gay and lesbian community in an intensely homophobic culture that is taking its first steps toward greater acceptance. More people are imprisoned each year for homosexuality in Cameroon than any other country in the world, serving sentences up to five years. The film focuses on two people who dream of sharing with their families the truth about who they really are: Cédric wants to come out to his mom, and Gertrude wants to come out to the Mother Superior who raised her in a Catholic convent.

Cédric and Gertrude work at a nonprofit that officially operates as an HIV/AIDS clinic, but also functions as a safe space where LGBT people can come together without fear of going to jail, being attacked or being rejected by family and friends. When two young women in a remote village are arrested for “lesbianism and witchcraft”, they turn to brilliant human rights lawyer Alice Nkom to defend them. Cédric and Gertrude’s activism becomes bolder and stronger as they work with Alice to help the two women.

Born This Way is a view from the inside of a secret community on the verge of transforming into a social movement. It offers an inspiring portrait of this young, courageous community as it struggles to find its voice in a deeply traditional culture. The film is not only an eye-opening work of art, but also a key component of a global campaign to raise awareness about an unjust, anachronistic law and the compromised legal system that enforces it. Lyrical imagery, devastating homophobia, glimpses of American culture and a hidden- camera courtroom drama coalesce into a story of what is possible in the global fight for equality.

Documentary Features Section GORE VIDAL: THE UNITED STATES OF AMNESIA

Featuring the final on-camera interviews with the iconic American writer, essayist, and singular intellectual.

OUTFEST SCREENING:  Sat, July 20, 11:00am, DGA1

SCREENING INFO: http://tinyurl.com/VidalOutfest

SYNOPSIS:
No twentieth-century figure has had a more profound effect on the worlds of literature, film, politics, historical debate, and the culture wars than Gore Vidal.  Anchored by intimate one-on-one interviews with the man himself, Nicholas Wrathall’s new documentary is a fascinating and wholly entertaining portrait of the last lion of the age of American liberalism.

Featuring a series of candid interviews from namy notable figures, including  Burr Steers, Christopher Hitchens, Jodie Evans, Tim Robbins, Mikhail Gorbachev, Sting, David Mamet, Bob Scheer, William F. Buckley, Jay Parini, Norman Mailer, Nina Straight and Dick Cavett, the film shows just how prescient many of Vidal’s views were about American political and social ills, and even manages to pull back the curtain a bit on his internal life—which despite his very public homosexuality he kept largely cloaked.

Directed by LBGT filmmaker Nicholas Wrathall (Abandoned: The Betrayal of America’s Immigrants).

  Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia Trailer from Theodore James on Vimeo.