Fiction and Other Truths: A Film About Jane Rule (1995)

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Profiles the life and work of lesbian novelist, essayist, teacher and political activist Jane Rule. Blending interviews with archival footage and dramatic evocation's of Rule's writings, the documentary examines the author's lifelong interest in the intricacies and complexities of human relationships and communities, her continuing involvement in the struggle against censorship, and her conviction that we must all be able to live and love truthfully. Writer/teacher/political activist Jane Rule taught in Massachusetts during the McCarthy era until homophobic pressures caused her and companion Helen Sonthoff to emigrate to British Columbia, where they have flourished ever since. There she published her first novel, Desert of the Heart (adapted to film as Donna Deitch's Desert Hearts. During the years since, she has written more novels and been active in political causes which reflect her opposition to both pornography and censorship. Notable are her support of the gay liberation magazine and news journal Body Politic's right to publish a serious analysis of pedophilic relationships (which she refers to as "transgenerational") and her testimony at a trial related to the government seizure of materials for a gay and lesbian bookstore. This artfully photographed, lovingly produced, intelligent and humorous profile won an award as Best Documentary at the San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.