Movie “Boys Don’t Cry” Revisited On TCM

Filmmaker Kimberly Peirce talks with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ about her award-winning film “Boys Don’t Cry” that was featured on the second season of Turner Classic Movies series “Reframed”. “Reframed” addresses famous/classic films that may have been controversial when they were released due to their themes like homophobia, misogyny, racism etc. The series that aired throughout November also took a look at pioneering LGBTQ films from an historical perspective. Each film is shown along with a discussion from film experts about these issues. Peirce co-hosted the show with Ben Mankiewicz who engaged in a conversation about how this 1999 breakthrough film raised awareness to the lives of our transgender community and the discrimination they faced that unfortunately continues today. “Boys Don't Cry” was directed by Kimberly and co-written by Peirce and Andy Bienen. The film is a dramatization of the real-life story of Brandon Teena played by actress Hilary Swank who won a Best Actress Oscar for her performance. The story is about a trans man who attempts to find love in Nebraska but falls victim to a brutal hate crime perpetrated by two male acquaintances. The film co-stars Chloë Sevigny who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress as Teena's girlfriend Lana Tisdel. We talked to Kimberly about what she hopes to accomplish with her work and her spin on our LGBTQ issues. 

Kimberly Peirce received a BA from the University of Chicago and an MFA from Columbia University Graduate Film. She also graduated from Sundance Institute's Writing, Directing & Producing Labs. Her unflinching debut feature “Boys Don’t Cry” earned numerous honors and was inducted into the Library of Congress as a National Treasure in 2020. Her second feature “Stop-Loss” was released by Paramount Pictures in 2008. In 2013 she directed a remake of the horror film “Carrie”. Kimberly is a Governor of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences and a National Board member of the Directors Guild of America. Recently she co-founded the first ever DGA LGBTQ+ Committee to expand the rights, representation and protections of LGBTQ+ people at the DGA and the industry. 

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