Tongues untied
Marlon T. Riggs (Film director, Film producer, Editor of moving image work), Essex Hemphill (Screenwriter, Performer), Reginald Jackson (Screenwriter), Craig G. Harris (Screenwriter), Steve Langley (Screenwriter), Alan Miller, Donald Woods (Screenwriter), Joseph Beam (Screenwriter), California Newsreel (Firm) (Publisher)
Marlon Riggs' essay film Tongues untied gives voice to communities of black gay men, presenting their cultures and perspectives on the world as they confront racism, homophobia, and marginalization. It broke new artistic ground by mixing poetry (by Essex Hemphill and other artists), music, performance and Riggs' autobiographical revelations. The film was embraced by black gay audiences for its authentic representation of style, and culture, as well its fierce response to oppression. It opened up opportunities for dialogue among and across communities. Tongues Untied has been lauded by critics for its vision and its bold aesthetic advances, and vilified by anti-gay forces who used it to condemn government funding of the arts. It was even denounced from the floor of Congress. "Black men loving black men is the revolutionary act" is the rallying cry at the film's end and after more than 20 years, Tongues untied remains a celebrated vehicle for eloquent self-expression and liberation
Online Video, English, 1989
California Newsreel, [San Francisco, CA], 1989