The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin at QFest St. Louis

QFest veteran director Jennifer Kroot (“To Be Takei”) returns with this intimate portrait of American gay writer Armistead Maupin, best known for his ground-breaking “Tales of the City.” This remarkable doc follows the renowned author’s journey from an intolerant conservative to a writer known for his outrageous wit and open heart. The film examines the life and work of one of the world’s most beloved storytellers, following his evolution from a conservative son of the Old South into a gay-rights pioneer whose novels have inspired millions to claim their own truth. It moves nimbly between playful and poignant and laugh-out-loud funny. With help from his friends (including Neil Gaiman, Laura Linney, Olympia Dukakis, Sir Ian McKellen, and Amy Tan), Maupin offers a disarmingly frank look at the path that took him from the jungles of Vietnam to the bathhouses of ’70s San Francisco to the front lines of the American culture war. The world premiere of the film was held at the 2017 SXSW Film Festival. (Jennifer Kroot, 2017, U.S., 90 min.)