Archive notice: This article was originally published on January 22, 2009. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Actor Sean Penn, honored on January 8 with the Critics Choice Award for his outstanding performance, plays legendary American civil-rights activist Harvey Milk in cult director Gus Van Sant’s new film Milk. The film opens in Germany on February 19, 2009, distributed by Constantin Film.
Director Gus Van Sant—known for his preference for unusual subject matter, Oscar®-nominated for Good Will Hunting and a Cannes winner for Elephant—turns the final eight years of Harvey Milk’s life into a compelling panorama of the 1970s from a rarely seen perspective. Thirty years after Harvey Milk’s tragic death, his unique story comes to cinemas for the first time. Oscar® winner Sean Penn (Dead Man Walking, Mystic River) leads an outstanding ensemble that also includes Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild), Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men), James Franco (Spider-Man 2 & 3) and Diego Luna (Y tu Mamá también).
Harvey Milk: politician and tribune of the people; icon, role model and hero; friend and lover. His life made history, and his courage saved lives—just not his own. Far more than a gay-rights activist, he became an emblem across social classes and political lines of the courageous struggle for civil rights and justice. His vision of a better world inspired many and remains unforgettable.
German cinema release: February 19, 2009, distributed by Constantin Film
Cast: Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna, James Franco, Alison Pill, Victor Garber, Denis O’Hare, Jeff Koons and many others
Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black
Director: Gus Van Sant
Production: Groundswell Production, Jinks/Cohen Company Production
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