Happy Pride everyone! While planning our celebration at the Goethe-Institut Toronto (see details below), I started talking to Maxime Desmons about what influence gay films in general --and the German coming-of-age film "Summer Storm" which we will show in particular-- had and have on his work as a filmmaker and gay man."Growing up in France I was learning German as a second language in Grade 8. After the war, France & Germany worked hard on rehabilitating a friendship – many French towns would be twinned to a West German city.
I am so thankful to this Great Governmental Program for arousing & shaping my homosexuality. I was 13 years old when I was sent to Frankfurt Am Main, and the family that welcomed me were nudists. When Rolf, the 6-foot 14-year-old blond karate kid who I was paired with, showed me his parents naked in the family album, my blood started to flow like a river covered in rose petals and my heart danced to Nena’s 99 Luft Balloons that summer. I was born to be me. Well sort of…
The film 'Summer Storm' unfolds at a rowing championship in a German campground, and there are a great moments showing the awkwardness of youthful sexual awakening. Continue reading "How movies shaped me (& Happy World Pride)" »
