Paragraph
175 examines another dark chapter in the
German past: the Nazi persecution of thousands of
homosexuals under a now-repealed penal code.
"We
were told that the subject's been done," says Epstein
dryly.
Narrarated
by Rupert Everett, the documentary picked up the
Director's Prize at Sundance. It's been programmed
by the Panorama.
All
of the duo's documentaries, among them, The
Times Of Harvey Milk, Common Threads:
Stories From The Quilt, and The Celluloid
Closet have all been well received at the
Berlinale.
"This
is the place where the film could have real international
impact," Epstein notes.
"And it's important because we still need
to make international sales," adds Friedman.
HBO
is set to air Paragraph 175 in 2001
and the pair are currently negotiating for theatrical
distribution.
Although
they couldn't get financing in Germany, "The irony,"
says producer Michael Ehrenzweig, "is that we
ended up having to pay Germany to use footage
from the Nazi archives."
Owen
Levy
