Date: Mon, 25 Nov 1996 10:23:10 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: MEL GIBSON TO MEET UP-AND-COMING LESBIAN AND GAY FILMMAKERS ACTOR WILL HOST SEMINAR ON "CONSPIRACY THEORY" SET MEDIA RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Alan Klein (212) 807-1700 Pager: (800) 601-5483 (please include area code) Email: klein@glaad.org MEL GIBSON TO MEET UP-AND-COMING LESBIAN AND GAY FILMMAKERS ACTOR WILL HOST SEMINAR ON "CONSPIRACY THEORY" SET LOS ANGELES, CA, NOVEMBER 25 1996-The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and actor/director Mel Gibson will host 10 lesbian and gay filmmakers for an on-location seminar on the set of Gibson's new film, Conspiracy Theory. The day-long seminar is scheduled to take place in early January, 1997 in Los Angeles. Mel Gibson, Conspiracy Theory director Richard Donner and producer Joel Silver will provide up-and-coming lesbian and gay filmmakers with an up-close and personal look into the inner workings of a major Hollywood feature film. Last May, representatives of GLAAD and Mr. Gibson met to discuss the actor's relationship with the lesbian and gay community. The meeting, and the discussions that followed, led to the creation of this groundbreaking seminar. "GLAAD is proud to offer up-and-coming lesbian and gay filmmakers the opportunity to spend time on set with an actor and director of Mel Gibson's caliber," said William Waybourn, GLAAD's managing director. "We hope that the GLAAD seminar will help lesbian and gay filmmakers get a foot in the door, and Hollywood to more accurately represent lesbians and gay men in film." Seminar participants will be chosen from a nationwide pool of young lesbian and gay filmmakers. Criteria for selection include geographical balance and ethnic, racial and gender diversity. Waybourn added, "GLAAD is committed to seeing that the event's participants represent the diversity of our community." In addition to the GLAAD seminar, Gibson recently held day-long lectures at Harvard and USC School of Cinema in an effort to reach out to film students. GLAAD is the nation's lesbian and gay news bureau and the only national lesbian and gay media watchdog organization. GLAAD promotes fair, accurate, and inclusive representation as a means of challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. -30- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) glaad@glaad.org TO REPORT DEFAMATION IN THE MEDIA - Call GLAAD's Alertline at 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or go to the GLAAD Web Site at www.glaad.org and report through our Alertline Online. TO JOIN GLAAD AND RECEIVE GLAAD's DISPATCH AND QUARTERLY IMAGES MAGAZINE, call 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or join on the Web today at www.glaad.org/glaad/join/join-about.html TO SUBSCRIBE TO GLAAD-Net, GLAAD's electronic mailing list, send e-mail to majordomo@vector.casti.com with the message "Subscribe GLAAD-Net" TO UNSUBSCRIBE, send e-mail to majordomo@vector.casti.com with the message "Unsubscribe GLAAD-Net" GLAAD is the nation's lesbian and gay news bureau and the only national lesbian and gay multimedia watchdog organization. GLAAD promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation as a means of challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are registered trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc.