Academy Award-nominated director Gus Van Sant’s ‘MILK’, starring Academy Award winner Sean Penn as gay rights icon Harvey Milk, had its world premiere at San Francisco’s historic Castro Theatre (at 429 Castro Street) last night. The evening benefited multiple charities supporting LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) youth. Dinner and dancing followed at City Hall.
Focus’ Mr. Andrew Karpen, Ms. Jennifer Siebel Newsom, San Francisco Mayor Mr. Gavin Newsom and Focus’ Mr. James Schamus
The city’s mayor, Gavin Newsom, and his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom were honorary co-chairpersons of the event. All proceeds will benefit the Hetrick-Martin Institute, home of the Harvey Milk High School, in New York City; Larkin Street Youth Services, in San Francisco; The Point Foundation, the national scholarship-granting organization; and San Francisco’s LGBT Community Center.
Director Mr. Gus Van Sant, Mr. Sean Penn and Mr. Diego Luna
CEO of Focus Features James Schamus commented, “Tonight, as San Francisco remembers one of its heroes, we also honor his intention to give hope to new generations who aspire to make a difference in the world.”
Ms. Diane Lane and Mr. Josh Brolin
In addition to Mayor Newsom and his wife, Mr. Van Sant, and Mr. Penn and Mrs. Robin Wright Penn, attendees included ‘MILK’ stars Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna, Alison Pill, and James Franco; Joseph Cross, Stephen Spinella, Kelvin Yu, Brandon Boyce; ‘MILK’ screenwriter and executive producer Dustin Lance Black; ‘MILK’ producers Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen; ‘MILK’ executive producer Michael London; Harvey Milk’s friends and colleagues Cleve Jones, Anne Kronenberg, Danny Nicoletta, and Frank Robinson; Focus Features CEO James Schamus and president Andrew Karpen; Diane Lane; Casey Affleck; T.R. Knight; Lars Ulrich and Connie Nielsen; Diane Baker; Peter Coyote; David LaChapelle; Chris Columbus; Armistead Maupin; Stuart Milk; James Hormel, The Honorable Bevan Dufty, Senator Barbara Boxer, Assemblyman Mark Leno, Treasurer Jose Cisneros, and Supervisor Tom Ammiano; Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski; Universal Studios president and COO Ron Meyer; Universal Pictures chairman Marc Shmuger and co-chairman David Linde; Universal Pictures vice chairman and Universal Studios EVP Rick Finkelstein; Levi’s Strauss America president Robert Hanson, Levi’s Strauss & Co. president and CEO John Anderson, Levi’s Brand Marketing vice president Robert Cameron; and close to 1,400 San Franciscans.
Ms. Robin Wright Penn and Mr. Sean Penn
The benefit event was held in the city where Harvey Milk (1930-1978) lived, loved, and changed the very nature of what it means to be a fighter for human rights. ‘MILK’, a biographical drama, was filmed entirely on location in San Francisco earlier this year, including at the Castro movie house itself.
Mr. Milk was an activist and politician, and the first openly gay man to be elected to major public office in America; in 1977, he was voted to the city supervisors’ board of San Francisco, representing the Castro District.
Mr. James Franco
From an original screenplay by Dustin Lance Black, ‘MILK’ is produced by Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, the Academy Award-winning producers of ‘American Beauty’, through The Jinks/Cohen Company. Groundswell Productions and Focus Features co-financed ‘MILK’, which is a Focus Features presentation in association with Axon Films of a Groundswell production and a Jinks/Cohen Company production. Executive producers of ‘MILK’ are Groundswell CEO Michael London (an Academy Award nominee for ‘Sideways’), Mr. Black, Groundswell’s Bruna Papandrea, Barbara Hall, and William Horberg.
‘MILK’ will be distributed worldwide by Focus; the film’s domestic theatrical run commences on Wednesday, November 26th in select cities (including New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco) before expanding in December 2008.
