Daryl Wein’s relevant documentary “Sex Positive,” winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2008 Los Angeles Outfest Film Festival, explores the life of Richard Berkowitz, an S&M- hustler-turned-AIDS activist in the 1980s, whose contribution to the invention of safe sex has never been formally acknowledged or aptly credited.
Berkowitz along with Dr. Joseph Sonnabend, a controversial virologist and AIDS doctor, and Michael Callen, an activist and musician, fought for safer sex practices without giving up on sex altogether. “Sex Positive” explores the courage of this unrecognized triumvirate, and their quest to save lives in the midst of unwavering dissent. Now destitute and alone, Berkowitz tells his story in an edifying, still timely documentary.
Directed by Daryl Wein, the docu and features significant footage as well as invaluable interviews with Richard Dworkin, Larry Kramer, Don Adler, Dr. Joseph Sonnabend, Bill Stackhouse, Michael Lucas, and others.
Running Time: 76 Minutes
