Purchased from Gerard Koskovich Queer Antiquarian Books in 2023 (AM 2025-029).
The publication Caravan to Oz : A Family Reinvents Itself Off-Off-Broadway (New York ; Seattle : El Dorado Books, 2014) and the VHS tape The Cockettes (Strand Releasing, 2002) were removed from the collection during 2024-2025 processing. Digital files and directories that were empty were also removed from the collection during 2024-2025 processing. Materials containing personally identifiable information (PII) were also removed from the collection during 2024-2025 processing.
The materials in this collection remain in the order in which they were received.
Processed and described by Lauren C. Williams in November 2024-February 2025, using description provided by the dealer. Language adapted from dealer-provided description was used to create the biographical note for David Weissman and file-level Scope & Content notes. Most of the dealer-supplied language was written by or in consultation with Weissman and is up-to-date as of the time the collection was acquired in 2023.
The born-digital materials in this collection have been processed according to Princeton University Library's Born-Digital Processing Workflows. For more information on the workflow, please read our full
Some digital file and folder names were edited for clarity and consistency during 2024-2025 processing.
This collection documents the professional career and personal life of David Weissman, an American gay filmmaker, film programmer, public speaker, and activist who is known for directing the documentaries The Cockettes (2002) and We Were Here (2011), as well as the series Conversations With Gay Elders (2015–2017). Materials documenting Weissman's personal life include correspondence, photographs, and journals, spanning from Weissman's childhood in the 1950s-1970s through his adult life in California and traveling abroad. There is also a small group of materials collected by Weissman's father, Bernard, on his son.
Weissman's filmmaking career is also represented through photographs and correspondence, in addition to documents such as screenplays and production files. Among the photographs that portray Weissman's career are images from various film screenings and openings, including from the Frameline film festival. The production and screening of The Cockettes and We Were Here are well represented in the collection, especially in photographs and film posters. Also included as digital files are over 35 hours of audio and video interviews with Weissman.
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the
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The collection is open for research.
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David Weissman is an American gay filmmaker, film programmer, public speaker, and activist. He is known for directing the documentaries The Cockettes (2002) and We Were Here (2011), as well as the series Conversations With Gay Elders (2015–2017), an intergenerational project for which he partnered with gay men in their 20s and 30s to create short films profiling men in their 70s and older who first experienced gay life before the liberation movement of the 1970s.
Weissman was born and grew up in the Los Angeles area, the son of an upper-middle-class Reform Jewish family with ties to progressive culture. After attending public elementary and high schools, he moved in his late teens to Venice Beach, California, where he came out as gay and was active in the thriving counterculture and political activism in what was a bohemian seaside town at the time.
In 1976, Weissman moved to San Francisco, where he immersed himself in the overlapping counterculture, gay and activist communities. Over the next 28 years, he was deeply involved in the city's cultural and political life, especially as it developed its GBTQ center and through the start of the AIDS crisis. In 1980, Weissman served as an aide to San Francisco Supervisor Harry Britt (1938–2020), who had been appointed to replace Harvey Milk (1930–1978) after Milk's assassination. Weissman subsequently worked on political campaigns including Britt's 1986 run for U.S. Congress.
By the early 1980s, Weissman began pursuing his filmmaking career. He started out making shorts reflecting San Francisco's avant-garde drag culture such as Beauties Without a Cause (1986), as well as shorts responding to the onset of the AIDS crisis, including Song From an Angel (1988). AIDS also increasingly claimed a central place in his engagement in political and activist pursuits.
In 1984–1985, Weissman lived in Amsterdam, where he worked to establish connections with the European film community and where he made a number of lifelong friends. During this period, he also traveled in Western Europe, furthering his professional and personal contacts on the continent.
In 1990, Weissman was the first recipient of the Sundance Institute's Mark Silverman Fellowship for New Producers, serving as an intern producer on Joel Coen and Ethan Coen's film Barton Fink (1991). He also developed a never-produced narrative feature with filmmaker Richard Glatzer. In the mid-1990s, Weissman produced and directed an acclaimed series of innovative HIV prevention public service announcements as well as trailers for film festivals, including the Frameline Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. In the late 1990s, he started work on documentaries.
In 2004, Weissman moved to Portland, Oregon, where he co-founded and for 10 years co-programmed QDoc: The Portland Queer Documentary Film Festival. Weissman sold his home in Portland in 2017 and has since traveled around the United States and in Europe for a few weeks to a few months at t time, with frequent returns to the San Francisco Bay Area and Portland.
Since the 1980s, Weissman has taught filmmaking at several institutions. He also has introduced his own films and presented talks about his work for universities, museums, cultural organizations and community groups in the U.S. and Europe. In 2019, he gave the George Mosse Lecture at the University of Amsterdam.
Material documenting family relationships, childhood and youth, religious upbringing, and schooling, along with family correspondence. Also includes documentation on Weissman's father, Bernard, as well as material collected by Weissman's father on his son.
Further significant materials include Weissman's miscellaneous journals and writings; files documenting San Francisco LGBTQ culture, Weissman's losses to AIDS, and memorial practices in response to the pandemic; Weissman's correspondence with his longtime lover and friend Jono Weiss; and documents on the death of Weissman's friend the noted gay film programmer Mark Finch.
Documents about David Weissman's childhood and teen years kept by his father: notes and sketches from David to his parents, report cards, school event and graduation programs, reports on school club activities, clippings.
David Weissman's school papers, letters to the editor and one short film proposal plus articles on David's work kept by his father.
Incoming and outgoing correspondence between David and his father; includes material documenting David's work as an aide to San Francisco Supervisor Harry Britt (1938–2020) and an 11-page text by David recounting the loss of his former lover and dear friend Jonathan "Jono" Weiss (1953–2000) to AIDS.
Letters received by Bernard Weissman at end of life; condolences received by David Weissman on his father's death. Mostly photocopies, some originals.
Notes for Passover and Seder remarks by Bernard Weissman.
Copies of published and unpublished articles by David's father; some include manuscript annotations by Bernard Weissman and by David Weissman; David Weissman served as informal copy editor of the column from age 15 on.
Clippings of articles sent by Bernard Weissman to David Weissman, many dealing with Jewish history and culture; includes one short article from 2006 by Bernard Weissman. Mostly photocopies, some originals.
Documentation by Bernard Weissman and other Weissman family members on Weissman family history and genealogy. Mostly photocopies.
Documentation on David Weissman's father; uncle Jacob Weissman and aunt Nikki Weissman; and sister Joan Weissman; unpublished short play (1992) by David's father.
Occasional poems by Bernard Weissman written to celebrate family birthdays, David's bar mitzvah and other events; one celebrates the release of David's film The Cockettes, plus brief notes from David's father to David. Some photocopies, some originals.
Memorial service announcements and programs; clippings of obituaries; "My AIDSList" (David Weissman's handwritten list of names of all the friends, colleagues and acquaintances he lost to AIDS). Includes memorial programs for major LGBTQ cultural, political and healthcare figures, mainly in San Francisco, among whom are: Writer Sam D'Allesandro (1956–1988), Punk singer Tomata Du Plenty (né David Xavier Harrigan, 1948–2000), Drag performer Doris Fish (né Philip Mills, 1952–1991), Gay historian Eric Garber (1954–1995), Gay and AIDS activist and political aide Bill Kraus (1947–1986), Psychologist, AIDS researcher and writer Leon McKusick (1950–1993), Gay activist and elected official Harvey Milk (1930–1978), Gay activist and political aide Dick Pabich (1955–2000), Journalist Randy Shilts (1951–1994), Transgender drag performer Tippi (1952–1991), Gay and AIDS activist Hank Wilson (1947–2008), Cockettes members John Flowers (1949–2005); Michael Kalmen (1943–2003); and Kreemah Ritz (né Daryl Simmonds, 1947–2005).
Writing by David Weissman including some letters, one of them offering an "insiders perspective on the gay political history of San Francisco" (1987); letters to the editor; proposal for a short film, "Breakfast Stories" (1985); nonsense poems; typescripts of book and film reviews including a long review of The Times of Harvey Milk (1985); two typescript short stories by Aaron Shurin.
Journal entries providing reflections on personal experiences, emotions and dreams; one small journal volume, one small pocket notebook plus leaves torn from a spiral notebook; two sewn gatherings; and pages written on the back of copies of David Weissman's 1990 résumé. Includes a travel journal from a visit to Mexico in 1978 which contains David's reactions to the news of the assassinations of Harvey Milk and George Moscone. Also includes a travel journal from a trip to Europe in 1981.
Documentation of David Weissman's involvement in cultural and social activities, largely LGBTQ-related and largely in San Francisco. Also includes ephemera and publications from Burning Man (Nevada); Venice (California); and New York City.
Documentation of David Weissman's involvement in cultural, social and political activities, largely LGBTQ-related and largely in San Francisco; includes ephemera from the drag shows "Nightclub of the Living Dead" with Doris Fish, Miss X, Tippi, Silvana Nova and Tommy Pace; "Naked Brunch: The Final Chapter" with Doris Fish, Miss X, Ann Block, Arturo Galster, Silvana Nova and Tommy Pace; and "Dixie McCall's Patterns for Living" with Justin Bond. Also includes a tract for the No on Proposition 6—Briggs Initiative campaign (1978) and for Cleve Jones's campaign for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
Clipping of a newspaper photo showing David Weissman (1959); annotated list of home-room assignments addressed to David Weissman's mother (1968); Hubert Humphrey for President campaign tract (1968).
Street-art graphics by the San Francisco queer activist group Q Think.
Invitations, announcements and cards from San Francisco queer artists Michael Brown and Rex Ray, including invitations for the annual Frameline party hosted by Brown and David Weissman; some include handwritten notes.
Invitations to annual party hosted in conjunction with Frameline by David Weissman and Michael Brown. The invitations are works of art by Brown: two vintage glass slides with etched invitation text; one film strip with plastic magnifier for viewing.
Invitations to queer social engagements and activities in San Francisco, some hosted by or honoring David Weissman, some involving drag. Also includes one invitation to a party in Berlin hosted by gay filmmaker Rosa von Praunheim.
Photocopies of photo-booth images of David Weissman and friends in his hippie period with drawing and coloring added by hand; hand-drawn birthday card for David; prinout of a digital photo of a friend.
Documents from David Weissman's bar mitzvah: text of David's allocution, seating chart, matchbook, engraved thank-you note.
Junior and senior high school transcript; course enrollment materials from San Francisco State University (1978); four papers by David Weissman for SFSU journalism courses.
Wet-process photocopies of photos and graphics, including photos of David Weissman.
Incoming and outgoing correspondence between David Weissman and his lover and friend Jono Weiss; death certificate for Weiss; program from Weiss's memorial service; clipping of Weiss's obituary; cards and letters of condolence received by David.
Clippings of local media coverage of David Weissman when he moved to Portland, Ore., in 2004.
Humorous news stories and press cartoons, plus letters to the editor by David Weissman and a San Francisco Chronicle feature from 2003 in which David is interviewed about changing styles in Levis jeans.
Documentation of the death of Mark Finch (1961–1995), former British Film Institute staffer who in his final years was programmer for the Frameline International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival in San Francisco. Finch died by suicide, leaving his friends, the film community and the San Francisco LGBTQ community in shock. Included here is a comic collage calendar for 1995 created in an edition of 12 by Finch; news coverage and a Frameline media release about his disappearance; programs for his memorial services in London, obituaries, copies of letters from David Weissman informing contacts about the death; and a copy of Finch's final letter.
David Weissman's notes and journal entries on therapy and psychological issues. Items: Two bound journals, one largely full, one only 20 percent full; 24 pages torn from a spiral notebook.
Weissman's correspondence from the 1970s to the 2000s, largely personal but also some professional; hundreds of incoming letters as well as copies of dozens of outgoing letters. Topics addressed include the counterculture, LGBTQ culture, LGBTQ activism and politics, the impact of the AIDS crisis, filmmaking, film festivals, travel, professional collaborations, family relationships, love relationships and friendships. Among the correspondents are figures in film, performance, culture, politics and activism.
Correspondence from Aaron Shurin to David Weissman from the United States, the United Kingdom, Greece. Bio Note: Aaron Shurin is an American poet, essayist and educator. He is the former director of the MFA in Writing Program at the University of San Francisco, where he is now professor emeritus. His work has dealt extensively with themes of gay liberation, gender and AIDS.
Correspondence from Anna Sanders to David Weissman mainly from the U.K. but also from France and Italy. One photocopy of a letter from David to Anna. Bio Note: Anna Sanders is a British friend whom David met on vacation in Venice, Italy, in 1981; they have remained friends and correspondents ever since.
Letters from Armen Sanasarian to David Weissman from Madrid and London. Carbon copies of two letters from David to Armen. Bio Note: Armen Sanasarian is a longtime friend of David's; their correspondence includes conversations pertaining to AIDS epidemic.
Correspondence including faxes from Barbara Bloom to David Weissman from New York City and Berlin. Five copies of letters and faxes from David to Barbara. Bio Note: Barbara Bloom is the older sister of David's lifelong friend Carol Bloom. Barbara is a highly acclaimed conceptual artist best known for her multimedia installation works.
Correspondence from David Weissman's father to David. Photocopies of four letters from David to his father. Bio Note: David's father, Bernard Weissman, was a nonpracticing attorney who for many years wrote a syndicated newspaper column for the American Bar Association called "The Family Lawyer" under the pen name Will Bernard. David and his father had a remarkably close connection which is reflected in the correspondence.
Correspondence from Bigs Mosca to David Weissman. Includes collaged and hand-modified photos, poetry. One letter from David to Bigs. Bio Note: Bigs Mosca is a friend who was a housemate of David's at 1677 Haight St. A dancer and occasional performer with San Francisco's Angels of Light theater troupe, Bigs moved to New York in the early 1980s.
One postcard and one letter from Bill Kraus to David Weissman; postcard is from Rome. Letter from Bill Kraus Memorial Fund thanking David for support and announcing unveiling of Bill Kraus Memorial Bench in Bill Kraus Meadow near Museum Way in San Francisco. Bio Note: Bill Kraus (1947–1986) was an influential San Francisco gay activist who served as an aide to Supervisor Harry Britt (1938–2020) and to United States Congress members Phillip Burton (1926–1983) and Sala Burton (1925–1987). A major figure in LGBT and AIDS politics, Kraus died from AIDS in 1986.
Correspondence from Carla Weber to David Weissman from Los Angeles plus circular for Weber's 1986 photo exhibition "Mothers and Daughters," printed invitations, photos, one color-photocopy booklet. Photocopy of one letter from David to Carla. Bio Note: Carla Weber has been a friend of David's since their late teens. According to David, Weber is an "artist, filmmaker and all-around creative spirit."
35 letters from Carol Bloom to David Weissman. Photocopies of three letters from David to Carol. Brochure for Vrouwenplaten, a company Carol started in Amsterdam in the 1970s to distribute U.S. women's music. Bio Note: Carol Bloom is David's oldest friend, since nursery school. According to David, "An adventuress!"
Correspondence from Christoph Eichorn to David Weissman from the United States, Austria, Bali, Germany, Portugal, Thailand; includes wet-process faxes. Eleven letters and faxes from David to Christoph. Bio Note: Berlin resident Christoph Eichorn is a well-known German film and TV actor who became a director. When Eichorn was very young, he worked with gay director Rainer Werner Fassbinder (1945–1982). Christoph, David and Michael Lumpkin organized the first specifically gay party for the Berlin Film Festival in 1988.
One letter from Cleve Jones to David Weissman. Bio Note: San Francisco gay and labor activist and author; founder of the Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt.
Correspondence from Anton Dunigan, Rumi Missabu, Dusty Ocean and Goldie Glitters to David Weissman. Bio Note: Members of the Cockettes.
Correspondence, poetry and short fiction from Cynthia Wooley to David Weissman from the United States, Mexico and Spain. Carbon copies and photocopies of five letters from David to Cynthia. Bio Note: Writer and teacher of creating writing Cynthia Wooley has been a friend of David's since high school.
Correspondence from David Gershan (1947–2022) to David Weissman from the United Kingdom and the United States, plus one manuscript mailgram from Gershan to Aaron Shurin from the U.K. Carbon copies and photocopies of seven letters from David Weissman to David Gershan. Bio Note: David Gershan was a longtime member of David's San Francisco circle of friends. In his mid-30s, he went to medical school in Grenada and returned to San Francisco to work in HIV/ AIDS primary care.
Correspondence from David Hjül to David Weissman from the United States. Bio Note: According to David, "a brief fling. Died of AIDS in the late 1980s."
Correspondence from Dirk Kummer to David Weissman from Germany. Bio Note: Dirk Kummer is German actor, director and screenwriter who starred in the first gay themed film from East Germany, Coming Out (1989). A friend and long distance romance of David's.
Correspondence from Doug Denton to David Weissman from the United States and Germany; includes a one-page fiction text. Bio Note: Doug Denton was a friend of David's in San Francisco mostly in the late 1980s. Now known as Douglas Graham, he still lives in San Francisco.
Comic notes and drawings from David Weissman faxed to Eva Parkinson. Bio Note: According to David, Eva Parkinson is a friend since high school with whom he "took lots of psychedelics."
Correspondence from Hank Tusinski to David Weissman from the United States and France. Bio Note: According to David, "Hank and David had a hot romance in Venice, Italy, where David was visiting in 1981 and Hank was living temporarily. Hank is an artist in Arizona now. Also friends with Anna Sanders (see above) from that same Venice trip."
Correspondence from David Weissman in Amsterdam to Jantien and Rochelle (last name unknown). Bio Note: David's housemates when he lived in Amsterdam in 1984–1985. Jantien Loder is Dutch, Rochelle is American.
Correspondence from David Weissman's sister Joan Weissman to David from France, India, Japan, Singapore and Thailand; includes photocopies of numerous letters to David's father but addressed to be shared with the rest of the family. Some letters cosignedor signed by Joan's partner, Aroop Mangalik. Correspondence from David Weissman to Joan Weissman.
Correspondence from John Ross to David Weissman from Los Angeles. Bio Note: According to David, "A brief romantic friendship while David was doing his Mark Silverman Fellowship on the Coen Brothers film Barton Fink in Los Angeles in 1990."
Correspondence from Jonathan "Jono" Weiss to David Weissman from the United States; includes unpublished poem by Weiss about the death of San Francisco transgender drag performer Tippi (1952–1991). Also includes five letters from David to Jono. Bio Note: Jonathan "Jono" Weiss (1953–2000) and David were each other's first boyfriends in the early-1970s to mid-1970s. They'd known each other since high school and remained best friends until Jono's death from AIDS in 2000. David is still close with Jono's sister, Wendy, and brother, Tim (aka Teo).
Correspondence from Judith Williamson to David Weissman from the United States. Bio Note: Judith Williamson is British journalist, academic and public intellectual. Judith has been a big fan of David's work. They met through Mark Finch of the British Film Institute (subsequently program director at Frameline).
Correspondence from Marjan Sax to David Weissman from the Netherlands, Hungary, Mexico, Thailand. Six letters from David Weissman to Marjan Sax, including one from 1986 referring to the death of Bill Kraus and other friends due to AIDS. Bio Note: Marjan Sax is a dear longtime friend of David. They met through Carol Bloom when Carol was living in Amsterdam. Marjan is Dutch. David lived in Marjan's house in Amsterdam for a year 1984–1985, and their lives have been intertwined in many ways.
Correspondence from Mark Finch to David Weissman from the United Kingdom (some on British Film Institute letterhead) and Greece. Three letters from David Weissman to Mark Finch (with discussion of film projects, losses to AIDS in San Francisco). Bio Note: Mark Finch (1961–1995) was an English promoter of LGBT cinema. Having founded and expanded several international film festivals, he created the first LGBT film market for distributors, sales agents and independent film producers. He was an influential staffer at the British Film Institute in London and was festival programmer at Frameline in San Francisco in the last years of his life. Mark died from suicide in 1995.
Correspondence from Mark Valen (Scala Cinema) to David Weissman from London. Bio Note: Mark Valen was a longtime film programmer first in London at the Scala Cinema, then for Landmark Theaters in Los Angeles.
Correspondence from Norm Halm to David Weissman from the United States. Bio Note: Norm Halm was briefly romantically involved with David in 2001; subsequently they became close friends. Halm is a photographer who interned with noted gay photographer Daniel Nicoletta and served as a printer for famed lesbian photographer Ruth Bernhard (1905–2006).
Correspondence from Paola Casanova to David Weissman from Italy and the United States. Bio Note: Paola Casanova is a longtime Italian friend of David's.
Correspondence from Paul Burston to David Weissman from the United Kingdom. Bio Note: Paul Burston is a Welsh journalist and author based in London. He worked for the London gay policing group GALOP and was an activist with ACT UP/London before moving into journalism. For a number of years, he edited the LGBT section of Time Out. He founded the Polari Prize.
Correspondence from Ron Zerby to David Weissman from the United States. Bio Note: Ron Zerby is a romantic friend of David's going back to 1976 when David first arrived in San Francisco. He is a longtime AIDS survivor.
Correspondence from Silvana Nova to David Weissman from United States and Vatican City; mailgram from Nova to David in France. Bio Note: Silvana Nova is a longtime friend of David's from the 1970s in San Francisco. A performance artist and trailblazing gender rebel, Nova later moved to New York with husband, author and social critic Craig Seligman.
Correspondence from Steve Wells to David Weissman from Seattle. Includes flyers designed by Wells for Seattle protests against the film Cruising. Bio Note: David Weissman initially met Steve Wells at a gay bar in the 1970sy. According to David, the "had a fling, then became longtime friends." Wells is the creator of the celebrated Re-Bar in Seattle, which was both a queer gathering place and a venue for cutting-edge performance and music, including Nirvana and Dina Martina.
Correspondence from Tim Veness to David Weissman from the United States, Italy, Morocco. Bio Note: Tim Veness has been a friend of David's since 1976. He is a hand weaver and clothing designer who occasionally performed with the Angels of Light. He lives in Berkeley, Calif., with his husband Michael Baum.
Correspondence from David Weissman to Tina Brown: three letters from David, two responses from Brown. Also includes annotated photocopies of two of David's letters. Bio Note: British journalist and author who served as editor of The New Yorker.
Correspondence to David Weissman from friends affected by or discussing AIDS, including a card from former Angels of Light member Rodney Price, star of David's short Song From an Angel (1988). Also includes a 1995 fax from David regarding his proposed prevention graphics targeting HIV-negative gay men.
Correspondence to David Weissman.
Correspondence to David Weissman from novelist Bruce Benderson; San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen; actor Craig Chester; President Bill Clinton; Sundance Festival director John Cooper, filmmaker Rob Epstein; filmmaker Marc Huestis; documentary filmmakers Irving Saraf and Allie Light; filmmaker Jennie Livingston; actor, playwright and director John Cameron Mitchell; photographer Daniel Nicoletta; film historian and activist Vito Russo; writer Steve Silberman; Dutch actor and theater impresario Ritsaert ten Cate. One letter from David to Ritsaert ten Cate.
Correspondence from David Weissman, largely professional including film festival contacts but some personal. Also includes copies of letters sent as letters to the editor.
Correspondence from David Weissman, largely professional including letter to Frameline offering feedback on the documentary The Celluloid Closet (1995). Also includes copies of letters sent as letters to the editor and constituent letters to Senator Dianne Feinstein and President Bill Clinton.
Faxed personal and professional correspondence from David Weissman to various individuals, in some cases written on verso of a received fax. Correspondents include Paola Casanova, Christoph Eichorn, artist Rex Ray, Marjan Sax, Bernard Weissman, Joan Weissman cinematographer Fawn Yacker. Numerous wet-process faxes, some faded.
Correspondence from David Weissman to his father from Penland, a famed craft school in North Carolina where David attended two summer sessions in 1972 and 1973 taking woodworking workshops.
Correspondence from David Weissman to his father and stepmother from Mexico.
Correspondence sent by David Weissman to his father during travels in Europe, along with a few letters from David's father sent to him in Europe.
Correspondence sent by David Weissman to his father and his stepmother, Rita, and to his maternal grandfather, Majer Rubin, during travels in Europe; also includes a few from David's father and stepmother sent to him in Europe.
Correspondence sent by David Weissman to his father and his stepmother, Rita, during travels in Europe; also includes a few from David's father and stepmother sent to him in Europe. One letter typed on the back of an unrelated letter from David Weissman to Frans Rasker in Amsterdam requesting contacts in the Dutch film industry.
Correspondence sent by David Weissman to his father and his stepmother, Rita, during travels in Europe.
Correspondence sent by David Weissman to his father and his sister Joan during travels in Europe. Some originals, some photocopies.
Correspondence sent to David Weissman when he was living in Amsterdam. Correspondents include father and sisters, Tim Veness, Carla Weber, Jono Weiss, David Gershan, Aaron Shurin, Bigs Mosca, Beth Taboh, Z Potter (including a letter reflecting on the death of Harvey Milk) and May Levesque.
Correspondence sent to David Weissman when he was living in Amsterdam. Correspondents include father and sisters, Tim Veness, Carla Weber, David Gershan, Sam D'Allesandro, Ron Zerby, Debbie Miller, Aaron Shurin, Silvana Nova, Anna Sanders.
Correspondence from Mattijs van de Port to David Weissman from the Netherlands.
Correspondence from Mattijs van de Port to David Weissman from the Netherlands plus a few letters from David to Mattijs.
Mostly photocopies.
Correspondence from Tim S. to David Weissman from Oregon. One letter from Tim's mother, Linda S., to David. One letter from David to Tim.
Correspondence from Nicolaus Gaier to David Weissman from Berlin. Two letters from David to Nicolaus from Rome. Includes hand-drawn and collaged cards and postcards by Nicolaus. Bio Note: Nicolaus Gaier and David Weissman were boyfriends in the early 1980s just as AIDS was dawning. Nicolaus was living in San Francisco at the time, studying filmmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute. They remained friends for many years.
Correspondence from Elmar Kirsch to David Weissman from Berlin and Vietnam. Includes copies of several letters from David to Elmar, with one describing David's reactions to the death of Mark Finch.
Correspondence to David Weissman from Greg Johansen from Seattle. Correspondence to David Weissman from Dirk Kummer from Germany and Australia.
Film treatments, scenarios, screenplays, correspondence, historical research files, grant applications, production files, financial documents, legal files including contracts and licensing agreements, publicity and promotional materials, clippings and other documentation on the creation, distribution, use and reception of Weissman's short films and feature documentaries from the 1980s through the 2010s. Also includes promotional posters for film-festival and theatrical releases of The Cockettes and We Were Here in the U.S. and the U.K.
Business correspondence (incoming and outgoing): letters to and from film festivals, broadcasters, distributors proposing showings of Weissman's short films; pitching Weissman's services; and promoting Weissman's films to critics and journalists. Correspondents include: American Film Institute (Los Angeles), British Film Institute (London), Film Arts Foundation (San Francisco), HBO/Comedy Central (New York City), Museum of Modern Art (New York City), Telluride Film Festival, Whitney Museum (New York City).
Documentation of Weissman's short films & professional activities. Includes Weissman's badges for the Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin (1988) and the Homofilmfestival Amsterdam (n.d.).; two-page synopsis for an unproduced feature with Richard Glatzer, Varleena's Hideaway; unpublished three-page interview with Weissman (1990); ephemera and clippings; postcard for David Weissman's Frameline trailer The Short, Short Trailer (1995).
Documentation of showings of Weissman's films in festivals. Includes programs, one magazine and one clipping.
Documentation of Weissman's successful application for a Sundance Festival Mark Silverman Fellowship for New Producers. Includes Weissman's application statement, letters of recommendation, media coverage of award.
Treatments for an unproduced feature film, The Senator's Son, by David Weissman and David Hardy.
Screenplay for an unproduced fictional short by David Weissman.
Screenplays for unproduced fictional shorts by David Weissman, some in variant versions and with manuscript corrections; one treatment for story dealing with AIDS with note on first page "Don't know who wrote this. DW".
Screenplays for two unproduced fictional shorts; one in two apparently variant versions portrays a "pre-op transsexual."
Screenplay for an unproduced fictional feature plus six pages of related manuscript notes.
Treatments for Coast to Coast, an unproduced fictional road movie set in Germany by David Weissman and Christoph Eichorn; related incoming and outgoing correspondence to develop project; notes on plot and production.
Treatment, budgets, film program application for an unproduced short, The Word; filmmaker's bio for David Weissman.
Proposal for an unproduced fictional "eight-minute television opera" about a teenager whose mother dies of cancer to be created with producer Vivian Kleiman in response to a call for proposals from the Banff Centre for the Arts (Banff, Canada); application, outline, notes and correspondence related to the project, including a background statement from Weissman linking the project to family memories of the Holocaust and personal experiences of AIDS.
Documentation of miscellaneous film proposals and ideas including treatments, draft screenplays, rough notes; correspondence (incoming and outgoing) with novelist Bruce Benderson about possible collaboration on a film.
Treatment for a fictional short, Mothers; application to the Film Arts Foundation for funding; completed audience ballots from the San Francisco International Film Festival (1989).
Documentation of Weissman's 1990 nonfiction short Complaints: grant application, script, credits, budget, forms submitted by individuals describing their pet peeves, distribution notes, invoices for film production and distribution expenses.
Documentation on licensing of Complaints to Broadway Video Enterprises and the Learning Channel.
Documentation on David Weissman's fictional short Beauties Without a Cause (1986): preliminary treatment, shot list, cast and crew list, storyboard; promotional circulars and flyers for showings; clippings of reviews; promotional flexi-disc of soundtrack. Includes ephemera from showings in the United Kingdom at the Metro Cinema and the Scala Cinema (London) and the Ritzy Cinema (Brixton).
Documentation on showings of David Weissman's short Beauties Without a Cause (1982) in the "Gay Lives 2" presentation in the National Film Programme of the British Film Institute: letter from Mark Finch of BFI; program of the series; 10 clippings.
Documentation on dispute over unlicensed use of footage from Weissman's short 976-DISH as part of compilation program distributed by Canal Plus (France); correspondence and notes on licensing agreement.
Documentation David Weissman's series of public service announcement videos HIV: Uninfected = Un-Affected for the San Francisco Department of Public Health promoting HIV prevention and self-care among HIV negative men; series was nominated for a Bay Area local Emmy award. Includes the shooting schedule, a media release from the San Francisco Department of Public Health, correspondence with New York Times journalist Jesse Green and clippings of news coverage on the series. Among those filmed for the series: Ron Lanza (Valencia Rose and Josie's Juice Joint) and Terence Alan Smith (Joan Jett Blakk).
Incoming and outgoing correspondence on sale of national distribution rights for HIV: Uninfected = Un-Affected to the United States Centers for Disease Control.
Incoming and outgoing correspondence regarding national and international distribution, rentals and broadcast for David Weissman's five-minute short Song From an Angel (1989) starring Rodney Price of the Angels of Light performing a dance in a wheelchair shortly before his death from AIDS. Among the correspondents: British Film Institute (London), Film Fest Berlin, San Francisco AIDS Foundation, San Francisco International Film Festival, PBS (Alexandria, Va.), Wellington Film Festival (New Zealand), Whitney Museum of American Art (New York City).
Documentation on David Weissman's short Song From an Angel (1988): synopsis, filmmaker's bio, music licensing, media releases, festival programs, press coverage. Includes programs for the National Film Theatre (London, 1988) and the fourth Rassegna di Film Internazionali con Tematische Omosessuali (Turin, 1989); completed audience ballots from the San Francisco International Film Festival (1989).
Thirty-four page single-spaced transcript of an interview with filmmaker Gus van Sant by David Weissman; contracts for articles based on extracts of the interview in The Oregonian and Salon; issue of the Bay Area Reporter with article by Weissman drawing on the interview; clippings of reprints of Weissman articles in other publications.
Long letter of advice to Lynn Hanke of Polaris Arts Ltd. (New York City) offering feedback on a rough cut of a documentary about British gay artists Gilbert and George by filmmaker Julian Cole.
Clippings (original and photocopy) of a David Weissman interview with filmmaker John Waters for The Oregonian.
Bound photocopy of unproduced original screenplay for Varleena's Hideaway (1991), a fictional feature film by Richard Glatzer and David Weissman.
Documentation of delivery requirements for distributors, including releases for archival footage and photographs, music licensing, interview releases, releases and contracts with musicians. Prepared by pro-bono law firm representing David Weissman's production of The Cockettes.
Photocopy of "Midnight Masquerade: The Popular Spectacle of the Cockettes," a dissertation proposal submitted by Martin Worman (1945–1993) to the Department of Performance Studies, New York University. Worman was a member of the Cockettes.
Documentation of grants, sponsorships, fundraisers and individual donations to support production of The Cockettes; includes tracking reports, notes by David Weissman, individual donor forms and scattered letters from grant makers, organizations and individuals stating why the support the project. Supporters include the Film Arts Foundation (San Francisco), Frameline (San Francisco), Horizons Foundation (San Francisco), San Francisco Historical Society (San Francisco). Wells Fargo Foundation (San Francisco).
Two folders: Nowonmedia (Tokyo) and Tartan Video (London); contracts for Japan theatrical and video sales and U.K. DVD sales for The Cockettes.
Contract for legal restructuring through asset transfer of ownership of production company for The Cockettes from Grandelusion Partnership to Grandelusion LLC.
Materials relating to contract engaging Tomorrow Film Corp (Beverly Hills) as sales agent for The Cockettes.
Documentation on distribution of The Cockettes by Strand Releasing (New York City), including the distribution agreement, delivery schedule, box office reports and correspondence from attorney's for Grandelusion regarding disputes over Stand Releasing's failure to fulfill the terms for promotion of the film set in the contract.
Faxes documenting production of the duplicate negative for The Cockettes.
Correspondence and forms documenting the copyright registration for The Cockettes and legal clearance for use of the film title.
Contract with Strand Releasing for U.S. theatrical distribution of The Cockettes.
Billing statements from Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard LLP (New York City) for services related to The Cockettes.
Memo on copyright registration procedures from Fenick & West LLP, completed copyright information forms, forms documenting work contributed by outside consultants.
Original and photocopy clippings from magazines, newspapers and newsletters of U.S. (and largely Bay Area) coverage of The Cockettes from the outset of the project through festival release.
Photocopies of advertisements in the Berkeley Tribe for Cockettes shows.
Correspondence to David Weissman from members and associates of the Cockettes recounting their memories and commenting on the film project as well as letters from film festival staff and viewers of the film. Among the correspondents: actor Sylvia Miles, Cockettes member Fayette Hauser, Ann Block and Wendy Dallas, Robert Freeman (Beatles photographer), Larry Flynt, Cockettes member Rumi Missabu, photographer Clay Geerdes.
Correspondence and related materials to David Weissman from Angel Jack. Includes vintage photos and photocopies from the 1970s, with one clipping in French. Bio Note: New York City performance artist Angel Jack was the last lover of Cockettes founder Hibiscus (né George Edgerly Harris III, 1949–1982).
Letters from Ann Harris to David Weissman and Bill Weber. Bio Note: Ann Harris is a trailblazing actress of the New York off-off-Broadway scene in the 1960s and beyond. She is the mother of George Harris, known as Hibiscus, who founded The Cockettes. She appears in the documentary The Cockettes.
Correspondence to David Weissman from Cockettes member Goldie Glitters (né Michael Heesy). Bio Note: Goldie Glitters is an original Cockette. Goldie and David knew each other in Venice Beach, Calif., in the mid-1970s before David moved to San Francisco. Goldie appears in the documentary The Cockettes.
Letters to David Weissman from James Paltridge and Michael Kalmen (1943–2003), underground filmmaker, director of Elevator Girls in Bondage (1972), plus a photocopied excerpt from a vintage screenplay. Bio Note: Longtime partners Michael Kalmen and James Paltridge were part of the extended Cockettes family. Michael directed one of the Cockettes stage shows, Hollywood Babylon. He also directed the short film Elevator Girls in Bondage (1972), for which James wrote the musical score.
Correspondence to David Weissman from Cockettes member Kreemah Ritz (né Daryl Simmonds, 1947–2005), plus one color copy of a photo of Kreemah. Bio Note: Kreemah Ritz (né Daryl Simmonds, 1947–2005) was a founding member of The Cockettes who remained active throughout the duration of the troupe.
Correspondence sent to David Weissman and Bill Weber by audience members in response to the world premiere of The Cockettes at the Frameline Festival at the Castro Theatre in 2001; also includes photocopies of eight Frameline audience award ballots, some with high praise, some with snippy comments ("Very informative but also touching and entertaining"; "Great story told poorly").
Fax and letters from musician Peter Mintun including a list of his recordings from 1970 to 1972, plus captioned laser copies of five Cockettes-related snapshots from 1970–1972 and transcriptions of two 1971 letters from Mintun to Tom Nieze mentioning the Cockettes; two clippings of newspaper features about Mintun. Bio Note: Peter Mintun is an American pianist and historian of popular music of the 1920s–1930s. Mintun served as accompanist for performances by the Cockettes and has accompanied numerous other performers including disco diva Sylvester (1947–1988).
Photocopies (including wet-process copies) of historic contracts for performances and projects related to the Cockettes including New York City shows with Sylvester and His Hot Band and the films Luminous Procuress and Tricia's Wedding.
Draft and final contracts for services, rights and licenses for production of The Cockettes. Among the signatories are photographer Daniel Nicoletta and filmmaker Kenneth Anger (photocopy of permission note).
One source music tracking report plus 13 signed "Musician Engagement Agreement" forms authorizing use of recordings in the soundtrack of The Cockettes.
Signed "Motion Picture Contribution Agreement" forms authorizing use of miscellaneous work in The Cockettes. About half are wet-process faxes.
Signed "Appearance Release" forms for individuals whose likeness, image, voice, interview or performance in The Cockettes. Several provide the legal names of Cockettes and other performers best known by their stage names. Among the signatories: Cockette Goldie Glitters (né Michael Heesy), actor Sylvia Miles, musician Peter Mintun, Cockette Rumi Misabu (né James Bartlett), Cockette Scumbly (né Richard Koldewyn), director John Waters, actor Holly Woodlawn.
Signed license agreements and related correspondence for use of photographs in The Cockettes—originals, photocopies, wet-process faxes (quite faded). Among the photographers: Robert Altman, Fayette Hauser, Peter Hujar (estate), Annie Liebowitz.
Sequenced and annotated outlines of archival film footage, photos and documents for use in shots in The Cockettes; flyer on use of archival material in trailers; notes on sources of archival television footage.
Contracts, correspondence and sequencing outlines related to music supervision and licensing for The Cockettes; includes some hand-annotated materials; includes some wet-process faxes (somewhat faded).
Miscellaneous documents related to The Cockettes, including preliminary concept and research notes; contact lists; outgoing request letters to possible interview sources including novelist Gore Vidal; manuscript task lists for production and postproduction; "fest strategy" notes; credits list; profit-and-loss statement; course materials for a class on documentary production.
Copy of one outgoing letter from David Weissman to Roger Klorese (San Francisco) for his donation of $100,000 to the project via the Film Arts Foundation. Bio Note: Roger Klorese works in tech. He was the largest individual financial supporter by far to any of David's films, with a $100,000 donation for The Cockettes. Roger is listed as co-producer on the film in recognition of his support.
Unpublished typescript by Clay Geerdes, "The Cockettes" (1997); photocopies of articles on the Cockettes from publications including Rolling Stone (1970), the Chicago Tribune (1971), Ramparts (1973), Village Voice (1982), and the Harvard Gay & Lesbian Review (1999). Folder title: "Memorabilia."
Notes from Cockettes impresario and Nocturnal Dream Show programmer Sebastian (né Milton Miron) on video and audio recordings lent to David Weissman and Kreemah Ritz (1997–1998); clippings (photocopies and originals) of early 1970s articles on the Cockettes.
Receipts for production expenses for We Were Here including equipment, travel, meals, shipping, licensing of images and film, duplication and editing.
Receipts for travel, meals, publicity and communications, video duplication and other expenses related to festival showings of We Were Here. Expenses for production of broadcast version for PBS.
License agreement for broadcast of We Were Here on Pink TV (France).
License agreement for distribution of We Were Here in the Independent Lens series from Independent Television Service (San Francisco); clippings packet with stories on the film in English and German.
License agreements for broadcast of We Were Here in Germany, Mexico and the Netherlands.
License agreements for broadcast of We Were Here by Australian Broadcasting Corporation (Adelaide/Sydney/) and ABC Distribution Rights BV (Amsterdam).
Agreements for cinema, cable and satellite distribution of We Were Here in Canada, Israel and the United States, including contract with New Yorker Films (New York City).
License agreements with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (Toronto) for television distribution for We Were Here.
License agreement with Vagrant Films Releasing and Publicity for cinema distribution of We Were Here in Canada.
Vendor change form for Canadian Broadcasting Corporation agreement.
License agreement with Canais Globostat (Rio de Janiero) and related correspondence, reproduction and shipping receipts for broadcast of We Were Here in Brazil.
Revenue and reconciliation reports for video-on-demand and DVD sales of We Were Here in the United States; some reports annotated by hand.
Revenue and expense reports for nontheatrical rentals of We Were Here in the United States handled by New Yorker Films (New York City).
Correspondence related to foundation and private donor funding of We Were Here. Funders include the California Endowment (Los Angeles), the Silva Watson Moonwalk Fund (Greenbrae, Calif.) and the Small Change Foundation (San Francisco).
Signed Interview Consent and Release forms for interview subjects in We Were Here.
Grant award letter from the California Healthcare Foundation (Oakland) to the San Francisco Film Society to support production of We Were Here.
Application for liability insurance from Hiscox Insurance Co. Inc. for production of We Were Here.
Grant award letter from the Nathan Cummings Foundation (New York City) to the San Francisco Film Society to support production of We Were Here.
Signed agreements and related correspondence from photographers, filmmakers, archives, music producers and other rights holders licensing use of materials in We Were Here; contract for pro-bono legal representation of production by Fenwick & West (San Francisco); handwritten notes by David Weissman.
Letter from Fenwick & West (San Francisco) informing David Weissman about principles of fair use of copyrighted materials; photocopy of a booklet on fair use for filmmakers from the Center for Social Media (Washington, D.C., 2005).
Documents establishing David Weissman's LLC for production of We Were Here.
Annotated lists of archival photographs and television footage for possible use in We Were Here; sources: Bay Area Television Archive, KQED, KPIX, San Francisco Public Library.
Receipts for travel related to production and festival showings of We Were Here.
Project sponsorship agreement with the San Francisco Film Society for sponsorship of We Were Here (at this point tentatively titled Heartbreak and Heroism).
Award letters and grant agreement from the San Francisco Foundation for support of We Were Here (at this point referred to as "the San Francisco AIDS Documentary Project").
Award letters and grant agreement from the California Council for the Humanities for support of We Were Here.
Two promotional postcards; one manuscript letter sending support for production of We Were Here; catalog for cast member Daniel Goldstein's exhibition Reliquaries (New York City, 1993).
Award letter and grant agreement from the Frameline Completion Fund for support of We Were Here (at this point tentatively titled Heartbreak and Heroism).
Grant agreement from the San Francisco Film Society/Film Arts Foundation for support of We Were Here.
Receipts for production expenses for We Were Here including equipment, travel, meals, professional services and editing.
Full periodical copies and clippings of international newspaper and magazine coverage of The Cockettes, and We Were Here. Also includes pages excised from international film festival catalog for the initial festival releases of both films, as well as festival catalogs and cinema calendars from other showings. Media materials include press from the period of each film's commercial release, reviews and magazine articles dealing with the subsequent impact of the films — particularly The Cockettes, with articles about the influence on fashion including designers Marc Jacobs and John Galliano as well as other cultural influence. Also includes some photographs, promotional material and memorabilia, including small versions of posters from the Japanese release of The Cockettes and the Los Angeles Film Critics Awards event program.
Posters for the film-festival and theatrical releases of David's feature-length documentaries: The Cockettes (Strand Releasing — U.S. theatrical release) — unsigned copy; We Were Here (Sundance Film Festival; designed by Stevee Postman) — unsigned copy & autographed copy; We Were Here (Red Flag Releasing — U.S. theatrical release) — unsigned copy & autographed copy; We Were Here (Pecadillo Pictures — U.K. theatrical release; designed by Sam Ashby) — unsigned copy.
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More than 35 hours of audio and video interviews with David Weissman as well video recordings of his public talks.
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Stills from the productions of David Weissman's short films Beauties Without a Cause (1985); 976- (1987); Song From an Angel (1988) by photographer Daniel Nicoletta; Mothers (1989); and The Short Short Trailer (Frameline, 1995). Proofsheets and prints from headshots of David Weissman by photographers Daniel Nicoletta and Teena Albert (1990s). About 200 prints, plus many negatives.
About 350 photographs, including: photos of Castro Theatre sneak preview at Frameline for The Cockettes (2001); production photos; Cockettes Halloween party and reunion in San Francisco (1999); The Cockettes Paper Doll Book (San Francisco: Last Gasp, 1971).
Approximately 3,000 photographic prints of Weissman's personal and professional life from childhood through the 2000s. The photographs portray significant people in Wiessman's life as well as events related to film, performance, culture, politics and activism. Examples include the Frameline film festival, film screenings, Gay Pride, European travels, family photos, and Weissman's bar mitzvah.
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David Weissman provided this photograph inventory for most of the photographic prints in this collection.