Olson’s images, shot on the set of Gus Van Sant’s Milk, are paired with taped audio presciently recorded by the real Harvey Milk to be played in the event of his assassination. 2008, video, 7 minutes.
Preceding
Fig Trees
Directed by John Greyson
An audacious, multilayered work with an arresting visual sensibility (much like Greyson’s Zero Patience and Lilies), the genre-defying Fig Trees deals with the campaigns of AIDS activists Tim McCaskell (Toronto) and Zackie Achmat (Capetown), who refused treatment for the disease until drugs could be made accessible to all South Africans. Backed by a pop music–laden score, the film disregards conventional storytelling, fragmenting time as Gertrude Stein and St. Teresa of Ávila weigh in on the ethics of medicine and the power of activism. Winner of the 2009 Teddy Award for Best Documentary Film at the Berlin Film Festival. 2009, video, 104 minutes.