Sandon Berg | |
---|---|
Born | July 15, 1971 |
Occupation | Filmmaker, film producer, screenwriter, film actor |
Partner | Michael D. Akers |
Website | |
United Gay Network |
Sandon Berg (born July 15, 1971) is an American film producer and screenwriter, and actor with past roles in both film and television. He co-founded United Gay Network, a film production company, with his longtime partner, Michael D. Akers.
Raised in Huntsville, Alabama, he finished high school there in 1989. He then attended Florida State University, Tallahassee, where he earned a BFA. [1] He moved to Los Angeles to work in the entertainment industry. Over the years, he worked in various film production jobs and even starred in several leading brand commercials.[ vague ] He had met Michael Akers in 1998 and the two began writing and producing films together, with Akers also directing and editing.[ citation needed ]United Gay Network was fully established in 2002 and its first long feature film was Gone, But Not Forgotten, a groundbreaking[ according to whom? ] gay film that explores the question of sexuality as a choice. [2]
Berg lives with his partner, Akers in New York City. [3] They met for the first time on a blind date in the late 1990s. [4] [ relevant? ]
United Gay Network is a production house founded by Akers and Berg. Akers and Berg release their films through the company. [1] In forming United Gay Network ten years ago, the longtime partners aspired not only to promote the genre of "gay films" but also tried to bring gay cinema closer to mainstream cinema. As Berg stated in a radio interview, he and Akers strive to create stories that would crossover to a broader audience. [5] [ better source needed ] Nowhere is this more apparent than in their latest production Morgan .[ why? ] Morgan achieves a depth that even exceeds UGN's first long feature film,[ how? ] Gone, But Not Forgotten , itself considered groundbreaking[ by whom? ] and to have set the pace for normalizing the portrayal of gay people in cinema.[ further explanation needed ] [6]
Laurence David Kramer was an American playwright, author, film producer, public health advocate, and gay rights activist. He began his career rewriting scripts while working for Columbia Pictures, which led him to London, where he worked with United Artists. There he wrote the screenplay for the film Women in Love (1969) and received an Academy Award nomination for his work.
But I'm a Cheerleader is a 1999 American satirical teen romantic comedy film directed by Jamie Babbit in her feature directorial debut and written by Brian Wayne Peterson. Natasha Lyonne stars as Megan Bloomfield, a high school cheerleader whose parents send her to a residential in-patient conversion therapy camp to "cure" her lesbianism. At camp, Megan realizes that she is indeed a lesbian and, despite the "therapy", comes to embrace her sexuality. The supporting cast includes Clea DuVall, RuPaul, and Cathy Moriarty.
Randy Shilts was an American journalist and author. After studying journalism at the University of Oregon, Shilts began working as a reporter for both The Advocate and the San Francisco Chronicle, as well as for San Francisco Bay Area television stations. In the 1980s, he was noted for being the first openly gay reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle.
UGN may refer to:
Rose Troche is an American film and television director, television producer, and screenwriter.
The Fluffer, a 2001 American independent film. It focuses on the adult video industry. The film was written by Wash West and co-directed by West and his husband Richard Glatzer. The Fluffer features cameos from a number of figures in the adult entertainment industry, including Ron Jeremy, director Chi Chi LaRue, Karen Dior, Zach Richards, Derek Cameron, Chad Donovan, Thomas Lloyd, Jim Steel, Chris Green and Cole Tucker.
The Watermelon Woman is a 1996 American romantic comedy-drama film written, directed, and edited by Cheryl Dunye. The first feature film directed by a black lesbian, it stars Dunye as Cheryl, a young black lesbian working a day job in a video store while trying to make a film about Fae Richards, a black actress from the 1930s known for playing the stereotypical "mammy" roles relegated to black actresses during the period.
The Frameline Film Festival began as a storefront event in 1976. The first film festival, named the Gay Film Festival of Super-8 Films, was held in 1977. The festival is organized by Frameline, a nonprofit media arts organization whose mission statement is "to change the world through the power of queer cinema". It is the oldest LGBTQ+ film festival in the world.
That Certain Summer is a 1972 American made-for-television drama film directed by Lamont Johnson. The teleplay by Richard Levinson and William Link was considered the first sympathetic depiction of gay people on American television. Produced by Universal Television, it was broadcast as an ABC Movie of the Week on November 1, 1972, and received a number of television awards and nominations. The movie was also recognized as being the first network drama to depict a stable, same-sex couple; the first to depict a gay parent; and the first gay themed show to win an Emmy, with Scott Jacoby winning for his performance. A novelization of the film written by Burton Wohl was published by Bantam Books.
A Marine Story is a 2010 drama film written and directed by Ned Farr about the United States military's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy on gay, lesbian and bisexual people serving in the armed forces.
Matthew Montgomery is an American actor, producer and writer born in Houston, Texas. Since his debut in Gone, But Not Forgotten, he has specialized in independent movies with LGBT themes.
The San Francisco Sentinel is an online newspaper serving the LGBTQ communities of the San Francisco Bay Area. Originally a weekly print periodical, the Sentinel covers local San Francisco politics, news and social events, and international news of interest to the gay community.
Gone, But Not Forgotten is a 2003 film directed by Michael D. Akers. The critically acclaimed film showed at more than 30 film festivals. It is among the films featured in Gary Kramer's book, Independent Queer Cinema: Reviews and Interviews. The cover of the book displays the poster for the film; the director, Michael Akers, and the star, Matthew Montgomery, are both interviewed in Chapter Five.
Michael D. Akers is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and film editor. In 2000, he founded "United Gay Network" (UGN) with his longtime partner, Sandon Berg. Most of his films are LGBT-related.
Morgan is a 2012 gay film directed by Michael Akers, produced by Michael D. Akers, Sandon Berg and Israel Ehrisman, and starring Leo Minaya as Morgan Oliver and Jack Kesy as Dean Kagen.
Phoenix is a 2006 film by American director Michael Akers, his third feature film after Gone, But Not Forgotten (2003) and Matrimonium (2005). The film was produced by Sandon Berg with Israel Ehrisman as co-producer and starred Chad Edward Bartley as Dylan, Gaetano Jones as Kenneth Sparks and Jeff Castle as Demetrius Stone. The film was distributed by United Gay Network. This film was inspired by Michaelangelo Antonioni's film L'Avventura and adds a gay twist.
Matrimonium is a 2005 comedy film directed by Michael Akers, his second feature film after the successful Gone, But Not Forgotten. Co-written and co-produced by him and Sandon Berg, the latter appears in a lead role in the film as Spencer who is having a sham same-sex marriage with the straight character Rick Federman in the role of Malcolm to enable the latter to win the 1-million dollar prize on the nationally broadcast reality television show Matrimonium.
The Dorian Awards are film, television and Broadway / Off-Broadway accolades given by GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, founded in 2009 as the Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association. GALECA is an association of professional journalists and critics who regularly report on movies, TV and/or New York City stage productions for print, online, and broadcast outlets mainly in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. As of March 2024, GALECA listed approximately 500 members, including those on its advisory board. The awards recognize the best in film, television and New York City theater, with categories ranging from general to LGBTQ-centric.
My Two Loves is a 1986 American made-for-television romantic drama film directed by Noel Black starring Mariette Hartley and Lynn Redgrave. It is considered groundbreaking for its portrayal of bisexuality and lesbianism on network television in the United States.