Jenni Olson's powerful elegy, 575 Castro St. reveals the play of light and shadow upon the walls of the Castro Camera Store set for the Academy Award winning film Milk. These mundane yet beautiful shots are almost bereft of movement and sound. All the better to showcase the range of emotions evoked by Harvey Milk's words on the soundtrack. The audio track is an edited version of the 13-minute audio-cassette Harvey Milk recorded in his camera shop on the evening of Friday, November 18, 1977 (a few weeks after his election to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors which made him one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States). Labeled simply: "In-Case" the tape was to be played, "in the event of my death by assassination." The experimental aesthetic of 575 Castro St. hearkens back to the dozens of Super 8 gay short films that passed through Harvey Milk's hands to be processed and developed. Commissioned by FilmInFocus.com to be showcased online in conjunction with the theatrical release of Milk, 575 Castro St. went on to world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival and has played at festivals and museums across the globe. It is permanently installed at the HRC Action Center & Store (at 575 Castro Street in San Francisco) and is in the collection of the UCLA Film & Television Archive. It also continues to be shown on the Milk website. Watch more Sundance curated short films at www.youtube.com/screeningroom. A note from the filmmaker about the sound quality: In our final sound mix my sound guru Jim Lively diligently removed as many of the clicks and squeaks as he could from Harvey's tape. The man was an inspiring orator, but really didn't seem to know the first thing about how to hold a microphone. Just as well — I think the noises provide a vivid sense of Harvey's presence in that room. There is even one point during the desk shot where we hear the creaking of his chair (it seems almost as though he is pushing his chair back from the desk). 575 Castro St. A film by Jenni Olson | (2008) | HD | color | 7 minutes | USA  2008 FilmInFocus.com For even more information about this film please visit the Official Website at: 575castrostreet.blogspot.com

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