Marc Huestis

Marc Huestis edits interviews with 15 men, including himself, around a set of topics starting with "what is sex?" The men are gay, living in or near San Francisco. They talk about their first sexual experiences, the gay scene in San Francisco in the late 1970s, the pall cast by AIDS, the safe-sex movement, getting into serious relationships, the illness and death of partners, pornography, S/M and pain, race and stereotypes, personal fantasies, and bliss. Huestis has a thesis, that sex is going to be with us, so how best do we embrace it? His 15 subjects, archival footage, clips from porn films, and close-up looks at men loving men flesh out various answers.

Marcie, a suburban housewife, dissatisfied with her bouffant-and-barbecue lifestyle, is hot on the trail of an old high school chum, Susan Jane. When she reconnects with her, Marcie stumbles into the wild and wacky world of San Francisco bohemia.

This documentary examines the many aspects of the gay fascination with Bette Davis, featuring film clips of Bette's most iconic moments, juxtaposed with camp burlesques of her by San Francisco actor Matthew Martin and others, including Charles Pierce and Arthur Blake; a profile of Martin highlighting his long identification with Davis; and interviews with fans, entertainers, and gay cultural historians.

With vintage footage, interviews, and Marc Huestis' own energy and humor at the center, Impresario is an homage to a San Francisco icon and one of the founders of Frameline.