Williamsburg Regional Library

William Yang: Friends of Dorothy

videorecording

William Yang: Friends of Dorothy

921960060

Originally produced by Felix Media in 2014

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Photographer William Yang came out in Sydney in the early 70s, a period of great social change. "I never consciously came out as a gay man, I was swept out by events at the time." He has seen the formation of a gay activist culture in the 70s, the commercialisation of the gay scene in the 80s, and lived through the devastating effects of AIDS in the early 90s. William lost two of his best friends, Peter Tully and David McDiarmid, both artists, during this period. His stories are set against a backdrop of the Gay Mardi Gras, which began as a protest march in 1978. Its progress, which included growing to a huge size in the late '90s and then going bankrupt in the early 2000s, reflected community attitudes. It has survived and is still a vibrant celebration, famous around the world, and now bringing together the different generations. It has done much to change social attitudes in Australia. With myriad images and his trademark candid narration, Yang leads us though this beguiling era of sexual discovery, politics, love and loss

live action