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Wildness

About the Film

Year Released:

2012

Running Time:

Documentary/Fiction:

Mixing Documentary and Fiction

Synopsis:

"Wildness is a portrait of the Silver Platter, a historic, LGBT-friendly bar on the eastside of Los Angeles that has catered to the Latin immigrant community since 1963. With a magical-realist flourish—the bar itself becomes a character in the film—Wildness captures the creativity and conflict that ensue when a group of young, queer artists of color (Wu Tsang, DJs NGUZUNGUZU, and Total Freedom) organize a weekly performance art party, called Wildness, at the bar. What does “safe space” mean, and who needs it? The search for answers to these questions creates coalitions across generations."

-"Wildness," The Museum of Modern Art, accessed December 8, 2012. http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/film_screenings/14573

Poster Image:

Director

Film Director:

Wu Tsang

Production Info

Reported or Estimated Budget:

n/a

Location:

MacArthur Park area, Los Angeles, CA

Other Interesting Production Info:

Tsang taught himself how to write and edit film: he had no experience prior to "Wildness." While "Wildness" has been incorporated into a number of museum exhibits, Tsang created it for the theater. He hopes ultimately to distribute the film digitally, "because I want a variety of people who are essentially like me in terms of media-consumption: a little lazy, non-film-buffs - to be able to access the film easily on demand." Of all films, Tsang finds Lizzie Borden's "Born in Flames" most inspiring.

Categories About the Film

Genre:

coming of age

documentary

Keywords:

activism and social justice

art and culture

coming of age

glbtq

history and memory

immigration

urban life

Racial/Ethnic Affiliation:

African American

Asian-American

Chicano/a

Latin American

Latino/a

Mexican

Filmmaking Team

Writer's Name:

Wu Tsang and Roya Rastegar

Producer:

Kathy Rivkin, Daniel Carrera

Cinematographer:

Michelle Lawler

Primary Cast:

Narrator: Mariana Marroquin. Owner, director, and patrons of the Silver Platter: Koky Corral, Asma Maroof, Wu Tsang, Ashland Mines, Jose Morales, Daniel Pineda, Gonzalo Ramirez, Nora Ramirez (courtesy of variety.com).

Exhibition/Distribution Info

Distributor:

n/a

Festivals/Awards:

MoMA Documentary Fortnight (New York, NY; World Premiere); Outfest 2012 (the Grand Jury Award for Outstanding Documentary); SXSW (Austin, TX), Hot Docs (Toronto, Canada), SANFIC8 (Santiago, Chile).

Links

Link to the official film website:

http://www.wildnessmovie.com/

Links to Official trailer:

http://www.wildnessmovie.com/

Links to interviews (written) with Director/Filmmakers:

Chloe Wyma, "'I Dislike the Word Visibility': Wu Tsang on Sexuality, Creativity, and Conquering New York's Museums," BLOUIN ARTINFO, March 2, 2012, accessed December 16, 2012, http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/761447/i-dislike-the-word-visibility-wu-tsang

Indiewire Staff, "Meet the 2012 SXSW Filmmakers #10: Wu Tsang, 'Wildness,'" Indiewire, March 4, 2012, accessed December 16, 2012, http://www.indiewire.com/article/meet-the-2012-sxsw-filmmakers-tsang-wu-wildness

Links to Videos of Interviews:

WILDNESS documentary WINNER Outfest 2012

"Wildness" Documentary Interview with the directors Wu Tsang and Cathy Rifkin on BYOD at SXSW

Link to notable film reviews:

Vanessa Martinez, "SXSW '12 Preview: Doc "Wildness" Portrait of Historic L.A. Bar of Latin/LGBT Immigrant Communities," Shadow and Act, March 7, 2012, accessed December 16, 2012, http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/sxsw-12-preview-doc-wildness-portrai