A film telling the story of US gay equality activist Harvey Milk – which premiered in San Francisco this week, will be released in cinemas across New Zealand on 5 February next year, it has been announced. Sean Penn as Harvey Milk Sean Penn plays Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in America. He was assassinated in 1978, in his first year in office. Political commentators say the film's premiere couldn't have come at a better time, as it pushes gay equality issues into the spotlight as California prepares to vote on same-sex marriage next week. Many of Milk's real-life old friends were in the crowd at the first showing, held at San Fran's Castro Theatre. They later voiced their approval of the film, saying it was a true depiction of the time. Footage from the premiere of Milk is shown below.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News Staff
First published: Saturday, 1st November 2008 - 8:21am