Sean Penn wins an Oscar for "Milk"!

＜English＞

Translated by faiyaque

Hello everybody, chief editor Yuki here!

Today I went to see the premiere of "Milk", the latest picture by director Gus Van Sant. The film authentically captures the life and times of Harvey Milk, an American politician and gay rights pioneer - while framed in perspective only Gus Van Sant could provide. I thought it was absolutely terrific and easily the most moving film I've seen recently. I'll be writing about it in more detail later, so please do check back for more.

For the time being, I'd like to just quickly introduce some truly wonderful news about "Milk", though I'm quite sure you've heard. On February 25th, at the 81st Annual Academy Awards, Sean Penn was awarded an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in the film's title role. In his acceptance speech, he boldly spoke, "I think that it is a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect, and anticipate their great shame and the shame in their grandchildren’s eyes if they continue [in] that way. We’ve got to have equal rights for everyone," in a clear statement supporting gay and lesbian civil rights.

Moreover, openly gay "Milk" screenwriter Dustin Lance Black also took home an Oscar for Best Screenplay. It's a thrill to see this film - about a man who devoted his life to advocating gay rights - recognized so roundly at the Academy Awards!

●Milk
●Director: Gus Van Sant ("Good Will Hunting" "Elephant" "Last Days")
●Starring: Sean Penn ("21 Grams" "Mystic River"), Emile Hirsch ("Into the Wild")
●Opens: During Golden Week at Cinema Rise, Cine Quanon Yurakucho 2-Chome, Shinjuku Wald 9, and theaters across Japan
●(C) 2008 FOCUS FEATURES LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
●Official website: http://www.milk-movie.jp/ (Japan)

★Harvey Milk
（1930-1978）An American politician and gay rights activist. In 1977 he became the first openly gay candidate elected to public office. He served in the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Milk was assassinated along with Mayor George Moscone on November 27, 1978 by Dan White, another member of the Board of Supervisors. When word got out that Dan White was sentenced to only 7 years in prison, people took to the streets in what became known as the "White Night riots".

★"The Times of Harvey Milk" - A documentary on Harvey Milk
Director Robert Epstein's 1984 documentary about Harvey Milk, also known as "The Mayor of Castro Street", won an Academy award the same year for Best Documentary Feature. It includes newsreels, pictures, and actual interviews relating to the case. In addition to this film, Epstein also released "The Celluloid Closet", a documentary that takes a look at Hollywood depictions of gays and lesbians and includes interviews with film industry stars.

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