About the Book:

Winner, Lambda Literary Award, LGBT Arts/Culture

One of Quill & Quire's Books of the Year

The history of gay and lesbian cinema is a storied one, and one that became much larger with the success of Brokeback Mountain, Capote, and Transamerica. But the history of gay and lesbian filmmakers is its own story. In The View from Here, queer directors and screenwriters – some mainstream, others who work defiantly from the margins – speak passionately about the medium, in particular their personal experiences navigating through the often-cynical and cruel film industry. All of them offer fascinating anecdotes and opinions about cinema, and speak candidly about their attempts to combat studio apathy and demands of "the market" and still create films that are entertaining, engaging, and truthful.

Containing numerous black-and-white screen stills and production photos, The View from Here provides fascinating insight into the filmmaking process – a book for serious film fans and gay culture aficionados alike.

Filmmakers profiled include: John Waters (Pink Flamingos; Hairspray), Pedro Almodovar (Volver; Bad Education), Gus Van Sant (My Own Private Idaho; Good Will Hunting), John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig & the Angry Inch; Shortbus), Don Roos (The Opposite of Sex; Happy Endings), Randal Kleiser (Grease), Don Mancini (the Chucky films), Kenneth Anger, Gregg Araki, Lea Pool, Wakefield Poole, Monika Treut, Rosa von Praunheim, and Canadian filmmakers such as John Greyson, Bruce LaBruce, Robert Lepage, Patricia Rozema, David Secter, Lynne Fernie, and Aerlyn Weissman.

What people say:

"This book reinforces the point that actual contemporary queer film culture – as opposed to queer film studies – is far more wide ranging and electic than ever before." — Cineaste

"Matthew Hays' book of interviews, some recorded while he was a writer for the Montreal Mirror, gives voice to underground queer cinema -- the margins of which, in the case of John Waters (the American cult director of the original 1988 version of Hairspray), inform the mainstream." — Winnipeg Free Press

"A superb collection of interviews with influential gay and lesbian screenwriters, directors, and producers. ... Hays' interview technique is deft and masterful, turning what might easily have been a dense sequence of in-crowd conversations . .. into a valuable, witty, and often humorous look at where much of mainstream culture comes from, and who's making it." — Quill & Quire

"Hays demonstrates a deep appreciation for all types of gay and lesbian films, from the profound to the campy, from documentaries to porn. ... This collection of histories, opinions, and stories presents a fascinating view of queer film from the viewpoint of the filmmakers." — GLBT Round Table Newsletter (American Library Assocation)

About the Author:

Matthew Hays is a Montreal-based critic, author, and university and college instructor. His articles have appeared in a broad range of publications, including The Globe and Mail, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Vice, The Toronto Star, Ha'aretz, Cineaste, Cineaction, Cinema Scope, Cinema Journal, Canadian Cinematographer, The Walrus, Hazlitt, Maclean's, The Daily Beast, POV, Canadian Screenwriter, Montage, This Magazine, Equity Quarterly, The Hollywood Reporter, The Gay and Lesbian Review, Queerty and Xtra.