A Single Man, the directorial debut of fashion designer Tom Ford, has captured the Queer Golden Lion for gay-themed movies screening at the Venice Film Festival. UPDATE: Colin Firth wins best actor at the Venice Film Festival for gay role in "A Single Man"CBC reports:
A Single Man, the directorial debut of fashion designer Tom Ford, has captured the Queer Golden Lion for gay-themed movies screening at the Venice Film Festival. Ford's adaptation of Christopher Isherwood's groundbreaking 1964 novel was praised as "the formal perfection of this portrayal of a man and the dignity of his love, which reminds us of the absolute necessity of laws guaranteeing the equality of rights, so that all love can be lived openly in the light of day," said a statement by the organizers of the trophy. The 48-year-old designer had earlier said his film is not "about being gay. "
The film stars Colin Firth as a college professor mourning the death of his partner of 16 years, the film's premiere Friday in Venice got much acclaim. "It's really a film about love and isolation that I think all of us feel, so it is very universal," Ford said at a news conference. "When I see someone who sees the film and says, 'It's a gay story,' I don't even know what they are thinking, it just seems to me a human story." In the story, Firth's character, George — who loses his partner in a car accident — starts to plan his own suicide. George "thinks it is the last day of his life, so for the first time in a long time he is seeing, and he is pulled by the beauty of life," Ford said. "[He] has a kind of epiphany where he understands what life was about."
The Queer Golden Lion is an unofficial award and is independent of the festival.
CAST & FILM SYNOPSIS
Set in Los Angeles in 1962, at the height of the missile crisis following US invasion of Cuba, A Single Man is the story of George Falconer, a 52-year old British college professor who is struggling to find meaning to his life after the death of his long time partner, Jim. George dwells on the past and cannot see his future as we follow him through a single day, where a series of events and encounters, ultimately leads him to decide if there is a meaning to life after Jim. George is consoled by his closest friend Charley a 48-year old beauty who is wrestling with her own questions about the future. A young student of George’s, Kenny, who is coming to terms with his true nature, stalks his professor as he feels in him a kindred spirit.
Visit Colin Firth's Official site.
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Colin Firth wins best actor at the Venice Film Festival for gay role in "A Single Man"
