Harvey Brownstone conducts an in-depth Interview with Marc Saltarelli, the Filmmaker behind “Studio One Forever”.
Marc Saltarelli is a multi-award-winning filmmaker whose narrative films and documentaries have made him one of the most respected and admired directors and producers in the film industry.
His movies have collectively been screened in over 250 major film festivals around the world. Some of his most popular films are, “Where We Began”, which won the Planet Out Award for Best Short Film, “To Comfort You”, which won the Best Picture and Best Drama awards at the Beverly Hills Short Fest, “Pride”, which won awards at the Accolade Competition and the Long Island Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, “Remember to Breathe”, which earned 5 Best Picture nominations worldwide, and WON an award at the Long Island Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, “I Knew Andy Warhol”, which was the centerpiece of the Warhol exhibit at the Palm Springs Museum of Art, and won the award for Best Documentary at the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival, and “Red Ribbons of Love”, which was named Best Documentary last year at the Toronto LGBTQ Film Festival.
Marc Saltarelli discusses his latest feature film, a fabulous documentary entitled, “Studio One Forever”, which tells the untold story of the most iconic gay disco in America, Studio One in Los Angeles. Studio One was much more than just a disco – it was a mecca for gay men looking for identity and a sense of community in a world that saw them as outcasts. Its adjoining nightclub, The Backlot, created the very first space where the gay community and members of the Hollywood elite socialized together.
From 1974 to 1993, Studio One and The Backlot became the center of nightlife in West Hollywood, and an important staging ground for the rise of the gay rights movement and the fight against AIDS. Featuring appearances by Chita Rivera, Thelma Houston, Lance Bass, Bruce Vilanch, Melissa Rivers, Felipé Rose from the Village People and many others, this highly compelling and insightful movie takes the audience on a fascinating journey of the history of the gay community, through the lens of this groundbreaking disco. The movie just won the award for the Best LGBTQ film at the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival.
Marc Saltarelli’s life-long passion for filmmaking is deeply rooted in the belief that movies should not only entertain – they also have the power to effect positive change in the world.
Harvey Brownstone is a retired judge of the Ontario Court of Justice and was the first openly gay judge in Canada. He is also the bestselling author of “Tug of War: A Judge’s Verdict on Separation, Custody Battles and the Bitter Realities of Family Court” and hosted “Family Matters with Justice Harvey Brownstone,” a television talk show on matters involving the family justice system.
After a distinguished legal career, Harvey was appointed a judge at the age of 38 in 1995. He has presided in family and criminal courts. He has been a trailblazer in several ways. He was the first openly gay judge in Canada. He was the first sitting judge in the world to write a national best seller and to host a TV talk show.
Harvey has been a role model and icon in the LGBTQ community. When same-sex marriage was legalized in Canada in 2003, he was the only judge to make himself publicly available to officiate at weddings for lesbian and gay couples travelling to Toronto from all over the world to get married. In 2007, he officiated at the wedding of Edith Windsor and Thea Spyer, the American couple whose marriage triggered the 2013 United States Supreme Court decision overturning the definition of “spouse” in the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
In February 2021, Harvey launched his online talk show “Harvey Brownstone Interviews” on his own YouTube channel. He saw this as an interesting hobby. Within several months, the show attracted hundreds of thousands – and then eventually, millions – of viewers. Because of the overwhelming success of the show, Harvey decided to retire from the judiciary on December 31, 2021 after having presided as a full-time judge for 26 1/2 years. Free from the constraints imposed upon judges regarding the expression of opinions and the endorsement of private enterprise, Harvey now happily devotes his full-time attention to hosting “Harvey Brownstone Interviews” as a regular member of the public – albeit one with a rather illustrious and unique career history.
Watch Marc Saltarelli on Harvey Brownstone Interviews on Youtube here:
The official website for Harvey Brownstone Interviews may be found at https://www.harveybrownstoneinterviews.com
Get “The Talk Show Blend” – Coffee For The Modern Day Trailblazer! By Harvey Brownstone from Breakfast At Dominique’s available at https://www.HollywoodBlends.com
For more information about Harvey Brownstone, here’s his Wikipedia page: