BIFF YEAR ’ROUND Spring 2022

Wednesday, May 11th, 6:30 PM, 2022
Downtown Beloit Association Office
557 E. Grand Ave. Downtown Beloit

Zoom Q&A Following!

Not A Tame Lion

Directed by Craig Bettendorf
Documentary Feature
USA | 118 min | 2022

If the inspiration for the Da Vinci Code’s Robert Langdon were drawn from a single living person, John Boswell would have been the one. Boswell read and translated fourteen ancient and modern languages, became a Yale Professor by age thirty and was granted full access to the highly classified and restricted Vatican archives from which he researched four award winning books, making him a world renowned expert in Medieval History and Linguistics. John Boswell was also openly Gay without apology in an era that was neither tolerant nor accepting.

NOT A TAME LION offers the first-hand accounts of Boswell’s closest friends, students, colleagues and family members as they recount his life, his works and his final days during which he feverishly worked to complete SAME SEX UNIONS IN MEDIEVAL EUROPE a book that changed the trajectory of the Marriage Equality debate, all while privately battling the debilitating effects of AIDS which led to his death on December 24th 1994 at the age of forty-seven.

Greetings from San Diego,
December 24th 2019 marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of Yale Professor John Boswell’s death. Boswell’s many contributions helped shape societies greater acceptance of LGBTQ people in profound ways. With a recent survey concluding that 20% of the millennial population identifies as LGBTQ, Boswell’s work clearly benefited many.

The recent success of LGBTQ themed films truly illustrates the fact that our stories have merit, resonate and are of interest to the broader audience. Marginalized communities need an accurate record of their own voices in order to preserve their history and experience. It is our hope that NOT A TAME LION accomplishes this by recalling the life and works of one of LGBTQ History’s greatest unsung Heroes.

Sincerely,
Craig Bettendorf

Not A Tame Lion, Movie Poster | Craig Bettendorf, Director

Craig Bettendorf, Director | Not A Tame LionCraig Bettendorf
Director

Writer and director Craig Bettendorf presents NOT A TAME LION, a Documentary Feature inspired by the success of his 2020 Docuseries pilot, SORRY WE MISSED YOU, John Boswell.

Bettendorf’s prior series pilot, TREADING YESTERDAY won the 2016 SCREENHITS Pilot Showcase in partnership with UNIVERSAL PRODUCTION MUSIC after a successful premiere at DANCES WITH FILMS XIX and is now in development.

Bettendorf’s first Documentary Feature, HOMOSAYWHAT premiered during the 30th Annual REEL PRIDE LGBT Film Festival in 2019 going on to win numerous festival honors before being picked up for sales representation by BLOOD SWEAT HONEY. HOMOSAYWHAT acquired distribution through CINEMA LIBRE STUDIO and was released in 2020.

Film Information

Director: Craig
Country: USA
Year: 2022
Language: English
Runtime: 118 min
Rated: 

Credits

Writer: Craig Bettendorf
Producer: Kai Morgan

Connect With This Film

BIFF - Beloit International Film Festival
BIFF | Beloit International Film Festival