2022 AIFF Closing Night

NOT A TAME LION (1hr 59min) BEST OF FESTIVAL

Craig Bettendorf | 2022 | Doc | USA | MA PREMIERE

John Boswell, an openly gay man, devout Catholic, Yale Professor at age 30, world-renowned medieval philologist whose expertise in reading historical texts led him to a career studying the role of homosexuality in ancient religion, particularly Catholicism. His research and publications played a large role in clearing the way for Marriage Equality to become a reality, proving that the Catholic Church had openly performed LGBT Marriages throughout Europe well into the Middle Ages. NOT A TAME LION offers 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 all while privately battling the debilitating effects of AIDS which led to his death on December 24, 1994, at the age of forty-seven.

Awards: Grand Prize Alternative Spirit Award at Rhode Island Int’l FF; Official Selection at SoHO Int’l FF, Official Selection at 27th Indie Gathering Int’l FF.

Sponsored by Social Equity Access Fund

Q&A w/Filmmaker Craig Bettendorf and Producer Kai Morgan