Are you ready for That Man: Peter Berlin? The Pink Festival 2005 proudly premieres the classic show-all-and-tell-all bio-pic that peeks into the life and times of iconic photographer, filmmaker, model and gay sex god.
Peter Berlin shot to international fame in the early 1970's with his two wildly successful 16mm films, Nights in Black Leather and That Boy. Those rare collectors’s items quickly entered the hearts and fantasies of gay men everywhere. Berlin's take on male sexuality was different from anything else available at the time. He preferred suggestive, skin-tight clothing instead of going totally nude. He served as his own photographer, model, and fashion designer and ended up redefining self-portraiture.
His sophisticated sculptured poses were the basis for several Tom of Finland drawings and are remembered for creating some of the most recognizable gay male imagery of the 1970's. Dubbed the "Greta Garbo of porn," Berlin displayed everything for the camera but remained an aloof, enigmatic figure to his fans, rarely making public appearances.
That Man: Peter Berlin is also a portrait of Armin, the man who created the icon-a man from an aristocratic German family who lost everything and grew up poor in post-war Germany. Early on, Armin discovered the power of his youthful beauty and used it to his advantage, beginning a globetrotting existence that eventually led to stardom and encounters with Andy Warhol, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Sal Mineo, among others. Eventually, Armin turned away from the spotlight, saw most of his friends die, and now continues to live quietly in San Francisco.
That Man: Peter Berlin is a journey through a most unusual life, featuring hundreds of Peter's personal and professional photographs, excerpts from his films and previously unseen videos, and interviews with Peter Berlin, John Waters, Armistead Maupin, Wakefield Poole, Jack Wrangler, Robert W. Richards, Rick Castro, and other fans and friends.
The documentary is directed, shot and edited by JIM TUSHINSKI (Jan-Michael Vincent Is My Muse) and co-produced with LAWRENCE HELMAN (Sex Is...). It premiered in Berlin International Film Festival 2005.
The Pink Festival unreels from June 1 to 7 at the Gateway, the newest mall to rise in Cubao, Quezon City. On its third edition this year, the event joins the world’s observance of annual Gay Pride Month of June.
The human rights celebration is presented by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the Mowelfund Film Institute, with the support of the Finland Embassy, the Swiss Embassy, Philippine NGO Support Program (PHANSuP), Women's Educational Media, Norwegian Film Institute, University of the Philippines Film Institute and AIDS Society of the Philippines.
Reservations and Season's Passes will soon be made available. Corporate sponsorships and provincial bookings are now being accepted. For more information, call: Mowelfund Film Institute at 410 4567; 727 1915 local 203; or 3673109.
Posted May 19, 2005