‘Boy Erased’
Joel Edgerton’s gay conversion therapy drama Boy Erased was named outstanding film in limited release at the GLAAD Media Awards presented in New York on Saturday night.
Now in their 30th year, the awards recognise and honour media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the LGBTQ community and the issues that affect their lives.
Produced by Edgerton’s Blue-Tongue Films, Anonymous Content’s Steve Golin and Perfect World Pictures’ Kerry Kohansky-Roberts, Boy Erased faced stiff competition in its category.
The other nominees were 1985, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Disobedience, The Favourite, Hearts Beat Loud, A Kid Like Jake, The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Saturday Church and We the Animals.
Among the other honorees, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story was named outstanding TV movie or limited series, Pose outstanding drama series and Full Frontal With Samantha Bee’s Trans Rights Under Attack outstanding variety or talk show episode.
The outstanding TV journalism segment was Same Sex Couple Reacts to Supreme Court Ruling on CNN Tonight with Don Lemon.
Madonna was presented with the Advocacy for Change Award, the first woman to ever receive this honour for a person who, through their work, changed the game for LGBTQ people around the world.
“Over the past 30 years, images in media have evolved to celebrate the unique and dynamic stories of LGBTQ people and accelerate acceptance for the LGBTQ community,” said GLAAD CEO and president Sarah Kate Ellis.
“This year’s award recipients like Pose and Don Lemon showcase what it means to move the needle forward as they bring diverse and critical LGBTQ stories and issues to the forefront of mainstream media.”
At a ceremony on March 28 in Los Angeles, GLAAD honoured Love, Simon as outstanding film in wide release and Vida as outstanding comedy series. Beyonce and Jay-Z received the Vanguard award and Sean Hayes got the Stephen F. Kolzak award.
Edgerton wrote the Boy Erased screenplay based on the Garrard Conley memoir. Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman played a devout Baptist couple in Arkansas whose faith is challenged when they discover their son Jared (Lucas Hedges) is gay.
He played a self-anointed therapist who runs a camp which aims to help people “overcome” their homosexuality through sheer willpower.
Funded by Universal’s Focus Features, the drama grossed $US6.7 million in the US and $1.4 million in Australia.