Synopsis

Donna Deitch’s swooning and sensual first film, Desert Hearts, was groundbreaking upon its 1986 release: a love story about two women, produced and directed by a woman. In the 1959-set film, an adaptation of a beloved novel by Jane Rule, straitlaced East Coast professor Vivian Bell (Helen Shaver) arrives in Reno to file for divorce, but winds up catching the eye of someone new, the younger free spirit Cay (Patricia Charbonneau), touching off a slow seduction that unfolds against the breathtaking desert landscape. With smouldering chemistry between its two leads, an evocative jukebox soundtrack, and vivid cinematography by Robert Elswit, Desert Hearts beautifully exudes a sense of tender yearning and emotional candour.

Director’s bio

Donna Produced and Directed Desert Hearts, the landmark award-winning lesbian love story and hit of the 1985 -86 Sundance, Berlin, Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals. Oprah Winfrey, after seeing the film, hired Donna to direct the Emmy nominated 4-hour mini-series The Women of Brewster Place. This was the beginning of 35 years and counting directing in television—ranging from 5 Network Pilots to Cable and Network films: HBO’s Prison Stories, Women on the Inside, ABC’s sexual harassment themed Sexual Advances, and holocaust themed Devil’s Arithmetic starring Kirsten Dunst and Brittany Murphy for which she won an Emmy for Directing. She has directed many hours of episodic television drama including numerous episodes of NYPD Blue, ER, Heroes, Law and Order: SVU, Private Practice, and Gray’s Anatomy, and many others.

Beginning as a still photographer, she won first prize in a photo contest in Mademoiselle Magazine. The judge was Diane Arbus. She’s currently working on Desert Hearts An Unconventional Sequel, Strange Piece of Paradise, The Catcher, Donna’s script adapted from the book Stella – the hushed up, untold, tragic, true story of a young, Jewish woman who in WW11 Berlin, caught Jews so she and her parents could survive. And she’s developing a TV series to end all war.

Awards

Winner: Special Jury Prize (Dramatic) (Sundance Film Festival)

Nomination: Grand Jury Prize (Dramatic) (Sundance Film Festival)

Logline

Wrth aros am ei phapurau ysgariad, mae athro llenyddiaeth dan ormes yn cael ei hudo’n annisgwyl gan lesbiad ifanc egnïol a di-bryder.

Crynodeb

Roedd ffilm gyntaf Donna Deitch, Desert Hearts, yn arloesol pan gafodd ei rhyddhau ym 1986: stori garu am ddwy fenyw, wedi’i chynhyrchu a’i chyfarwyddo gan fenyw. Yn y ffilm a osodwyd ym 1959, addasiad o nofel annwyl gan Jane Rule, mae’r athro Vivian Bell (Helen Shaver) o Arfordir y Dwyrain, sydd â phroblemau difrifol, yn cyrraedd Reno i wneud cais am ysgariad, ond mae’n denu sylw rhywun newydd, yr ysbryd rhydd iau Cay (Patricia Charbonneau), gan gyffwrdd â hudo araf sy’n datblygu yn erbyn tirwedd anialwch syfrdanol. Gyda chemeg fudlosgi rhwng ei dau brif actor, trac sain jukebox atgofus, a sinematograffeg fywiog gan Robert Elswit, mae Desert Hearts yn allyrru ymdeimlad hyfryd o hiraeth tyner a didwylledd emosiynol.

Bywgraffiad y Cyfarwyddwr

Cynhyrchodd a Chyfarwyddodd Donna Desert Hearts, y stori garu lesbiaidd nodedig arobryn a llwyddiant Gwyliau Ffilm Sundance, Berlin, Telluride a Toronto 1985-86. Ar ôl gweld y ffilm, cyflogodd Oprah Winfrey Donna i gyfarwyddo’r gyfres fer 4 awr o hyd, The Women of Brewster Place, a enwebwyd am Emmy. Dyma ddechrau 35 mlynedd a mwy o gyfarwyddo ym myd teledu—yn amrywio o 5 Rhaglen Beilot Rhwydwaith i ffilmiau Cebl a Rhwydwaith: Prison Stories HBO, Women on the Inside, Sexual Advances ABC ar thema aflonyddu rhywiol, a Devil’s Arithmetic ar thema’r holocost gyda Kirsten Dunst a Brittany Murphy, ac enillodd Emmy am Gyfarwyddo amdani. Mae hi wedi cyfarwyddo oriau lawer o ddramâu teledu episodig gan gynnwys nifer o benodau o NYPD Blue, ER, Heroes, Law and Order: SVU, Private Practice, a Gray’s Anatomy, a llawer o rai eraill. Gan ddechrau fel ffotograffydd lluniau llonydd, enillodd y wobr gyntaf mewn cystadleuaeth ffotograffiaeth yng Nghylchgrawn Mademoiselle. Y beirniad oedd Diane Arbus. Ar hyn o bryd mae hi’n gweithio ar Desert Hearts An Unconventional Sequel, Strange Piece of Paradise, The Catcher, sgript Donna wedi’i haddasu o’r llyfr Stella – stori dawel, drasig, wir am fenyw ifanc, Iddewig a ddaliodd Iddewon yn ystod y Rhyfel Byd Cyntaf yn Berlin er mwyn iddi hi a’i rhieni oroesi. Ac mae hi’n datblygu cyfres deledu i ddod â phob rhyfel i ben.

Gwobrau

Enillydd: Gwobr Arbennig y Rheithgor (Dramatig) (Gŵyl Ffilm Sundance)

Enwebiad: Gwobr Fawr y Rheithgor (Dramatig) (Gŵyl Ffilm Sundance)