Hugh Hefner's After Dark: Speaking Out In America

Event Details

Event type: All Ages

Director: Brigitte Berman

Featuring: Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Bennett, Joan Baez, Hugh Hefner

English, 101 minutes, Rating Not Available

An Oscar winner and Queen’s graduate who was last at the festival with the KCFF 2017 opening night film RIVER OF MY DREAMS: A PORTRAIT OF GORDON PINSENT, Brigitte Berman is back with a look at a little-known endeavour by one of the last century’s most influential if controversial figures. In this companion piece to HUGH HEFNER: PLAYBOY, ACTIVIST AND REBEL (KCFF 2010) – her previous doc about the man in the robe – Berman delves into the rich history of Hefner’s two television shows of the ‘60s, both of which tackled topics of race, politics and culture in ways that were radical even by the standards of the era. (Mind you, Hef was less forward-thinking about women’s roles, being more likely to use young ladies as set decorations.) Fans like Bill Maher and Whoopi Goldberg and former guests like Joan Baez and Steppenwolf’s John Kay are some of the many luminaries featured in the new interviews that supplement Berman’s findings in this fascinating time capsule.

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