On Nov. 26, Focus Features’ new film Milk, the story of California’s first openly gay politician starring Academy Award winner Sean Penn, will hit box offices.
Had you heard?
A story on MSNBC.com reports that Focus Features is deliberately keeping the film as under wraps as possible, keeping it out of high-profile film festivals and heavily restricting media screenings to avoid partisanship. Their dilemma? “How to accommodate the gay-rights angle the core audience expects while appealing to mainstream filmgoers who might not be immediately moved to see a movie about the subject.”
One example of those filmgoers: At a recent Vegas test-screening for a middle-class, straight audience, several senior citizens tried to leave after a gay love scene in the early moments but couldn’t because they were trapped in the middle of a row (near Focus production chief John Lyons, in fact). The seniors eventually said they were happy that they stayed, but, like independent voters in an election contest, these are the viewers Focus must woo.
Curious? Here’s the trailer:
This article appears in Oct 28 – Nov 4, 2008.
