Before Stonewall

Before Stonewall
DVD cover
Directed byGreta Schiller
Robert Rosenberg
Produced byJohn Scagliotti
Robert Rosenberg
Greta Schiller
Narrated byRita Mae Brown
CinematographyJan Kraepelin
Sandi Sissel
Cathy Zheutlin
Edited byBill Daughton
Distributed byFirst Run Features
Release dates
  • September 15, 1984 (1984-09-15)
(Toronto International Film Festival)
  • June 27, 1985 (1985-06-27)
(United States)
Running time
87 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Before Stonewall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community is a 1984 American documentary film about the LGBT community prior to the 1969 Stonewall riots. It was narrated by author Rita Mae Brown, directed by Greta Schiller, co-directed by Robert Rosenberg, and co-produced by John Scagliotti and Rosenberg, and Schiller. It premiered at the 1984 Toronto International Film Festival and was released in the United States on June 27, 1985. In 1999, producer Scagliotti directed a companion piece, After Stonewall. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Teddy Awards, the film was shown at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2016.[1] To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in 2019, the film was restored and re-released by First Run Features in June 2019.[2][3] Later in 2019, the film was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[4][5][6]

  1. ^ "Berlinale 2016: Panorama Celebrates Teddy Award's 30th Anniversary and Announces First Titles in Programme". Berlinale. Archived from the original on December 21, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  2. ^ McCaulay, Marci; Bartlett, Robin (June 21, 2019). "Greta Schiller: Before Stonewall". Directed By Women. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  3. ^ Schiller, Greta (June 19, 2019). "Guest Post: What I Learned From Revisiting My 1984 Documentary 'Before Stonewall'". Women And Hollywood. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  4. ^ Chow, Andrew R. (December 11, 2019). "See the 25 New Additions to the National Film Registry, From Purple Rain to Clerks". Time. New York, NY. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  5. ^ "Women Rule 2019 National Film Registry". Library of Congress. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  6. ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved September 17, 2020.