THE RETURN OF RICHARD GANOUNG

Ten years ago the LGBT community was abuzz about the independent gay romantic comedy, Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss, which starred Richard Ganoung, Sean Hayes (who went on to fame as Jack in Will & Grace), Brad Rowe, and Meredith Scott Lynn. Ganoung is a Madison-based actor who has appeared on television and film and in several theatrical productions in Madison and elsewhere. Educated at the University of Wisconsin and Circle in the Square, New York, he has appeared in Tap-It/New Works’ incredible original production, Without Pity, many of Madison Repertory’s productions, and in quite a few productions of Shakespeare.

But ten years before the splash of Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss, Ganoung starred with Steve Buscemi and John Bolger in the gay film, Parting Glances, one of the first movies to take on the subject of AIDS. The movie was well-received and propelled Buscemi’s career forward. Kathy Kinney, who played Mimi on The Drew Carey Show was also in the film. More than 20 years later the film has been restored and the restored version was presented in Los Angeles and in New York. While the full schedule has not yet been released it is also expected to be presented at this year’s Wisconsin Film Festival, with Ganoung participating in the activities.

The restoration was the first project of the Los Angeles-based Outfest Legacy Project for LGBT Film Preservation. According to a press release from Outfest Parting Glances was one of the first few films identified by the organization as a significant LGBT title that had no viable archive or exhibition prints available. Other titles that they focused on right away were Before Stonewall, a documentary on the fledgling gay rights movement, and Common Threads, a documentary on the AIDS quilt.

The full Wisconsin Film Festival schedule with titles, locations, and performance times will be released in early March.