Hugh Hefner's After Dark: Speaking Out in America
Year: 2018
Country:
CANADA
Language:
English
Run Time:
101 minutes
While the old joke that some men only read Playboy for the articles is told with sarcasm, the truth is there was more to the late Hugh Hefner’s work than just centerfolds. His full revolutionary impact is revealed in this compelling documentary from Academy Award®-winning director Brigitte Berman. In 1959, Hefner started a television program called Playboy’s Penthouse. Set up to look like an apartment party, the variety show featured a slew of legendary performers. But it was its racial diversity that stood out most. Years before MTV was pressured to play black artists, Hefner gave them representation, regardless of the consequences. Despite it being the time of Jim Crow, everyone was treated as equals on Hefner’s show, much to the chagrin of some Americans. The program was canceled after two seasons, but reemerged later as Playboy After Dark, which continued to push for equality. In addition to performances from artists such as James Brown, Tina Turner, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Buddy Rich, the show featured candid conversations about censorship, racism, and progressive politics. Going beyond the bunnies, HUGH HEFNER’S AFTER DARK: SPEAKING OUT IN AMERICA examines Hefner’s unheralded role as civil rights activist. —E.F.
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Saturday, March 30, 2019 at 8:30 PM
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Hugh Hefner: Groundbreaking TV Host
Director
Brigitte Berman
Brigitte Berman is an Academy Award®-winning producer, director and writer who was born in Frankfurt, Germany, and graduated from Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, where she studied English and Film. Her work in the film and television industry encompasses more than thirty years. She has produced and directed over one hundred documentaries, both independently and at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. With her independent production company, Bridge Film Productions Inc., she has directed and produced two major award-winning feature documentaries that have shown at film festivals around the world
Filmography
Bix: Ain't None Of Them Play Like Him Yet (1981), Artie Shaw: Time Is All You've Got (1986), The Circle Game (1995), Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel (2010), The River of My Dreams: A Portrait of Gordon Pinsent (2016), HUGH HEFNER'S AFTER DARK: SPEAKING OUT IN AMERICA" (2018)
Producers
Victor Solnicki, Brigitte Berman, Dan Peel
Cinematography
Simon Ennis
Editing
Brigitte Berman, Lee Cochran
Qualicum Film Productions Inc.
Film Sponsor
Alistair and Joyce Fyfe
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