''The Joy of Life'' is a 2005 experimental landscape

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...

by filmmaker

Jenni Olson Jenni Olson (born October 6, 1962) is a writer, archivist, historian, consultant, and non-fiction filmmaker based in Berkeley, California. She co-founded the pioneering LGBT website PlanetOut.com. Her two feature-length essay films — '' The Jo ...

about the history of

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

at the

Golden Gate Bridge The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The structure links the U.S. city of San Francisco, California—the northern tip of the San Francisco Pen ...

, and the adventures of a butch

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

. Following its January 2005 premiere at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

, the film played a pivotal role in renewing debate about the need for a suicide barrier on the Golden Gate Bridge and garnered praise and awards for its unique filmmaking style. The film combines 16mm landscape cinematography with a lyrical voiceover (performed by LA-based artist/actor Harriet “Harry” Dodge) to share two San Francisco stories: the history of the Golden Gate Bridge as a suicide landmark, and the story of a lesbian in San Francisco searching for love and self-discovery. The two stories are punctuated by

Lawrence Ferlinghetti Lawrence Monsanto Ferlinghetti (March 24, 1919 – February 22, 2021) was an American poet, painter, social activist, and co-founder of City Lights Booksellers & Publishers. The author of poetry, translations, fiction, theatre, art criticism, an ...

's reading of his ode to San Francisco, "The Changing Light", and bookended by opening and closing credits music from legendary 1950s icon (and probable Golden Gate suicide)

Weldon Kees Harry Weldon Kees (February 24, 1914 – disappeared July 18, 1955) was an American poet, painter, literary critic, novelist, playwright, jazz pianist, short story writer, and filmmaker. Despite his brief career, Kees is considered an importa ...

. The film is dedicated to the memory of

Mark Finch Mark Finch (21 October 1961 – 14 January 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 p ...

, who committed suicide by jumping from the bridge in January 1995.

Reception and aftermath

The film was awarded several prizes including: the 2005

Marlon Riggs Marlon Troy Riggs (February 3, 1957 – April 5, 1994) was a Black gay filmmaker, educator, poet, and activist. He produced, wrote, and directed several documentary films, including '' Ethnic Notions'', ''Tongues Untied'', '' Color Adjustment'' ...

Award (for courage & vision in Bay Area filmmaking) by the

San Francisco Film Critics Circle The San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC), formerly known as San Francisco Film Critics Circle, was founded in 2002 as an organization of film journalists and critics from San Francisco, California based publications. Included in it ...

; the 2005 Outstanding Artistic Achievement Award by

Outfest Outfest is an LGBTQ-oriented nonprofit that produces two film festivals, operates a movie streaming platform, and runs educational services for filmmakers in Los Angeles. Outfest is one of the key partners, alongside the Frameline Film Festival ...

, the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival and the 2005 Best US Narrative Screenplay Award from

The New Festival NewFest: The New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Film Festival put on by The New Festival, Inc., is one of the most comprehensive forums of national and international LGBT film/video in the world. Founded in 1988, The New Festival, Inc ...

, New York Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. January 14, 2005 the ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...

'' published an op-ed by writer-director

(an excerpt from the script of the film) calling for a suicide barrier on the Golden Gate Bridge. The following week (on January 19) the ''Chronicle ''broke the news that filmmaker

Eric Steel Eric Steel is an American filmmaker and producer, best known for his controversial 2006 documentary '' The Bridge''. Career ''The Bridge'' Steel's directorial debut was the 2006 documentary '' The Bridge''. After reading about efforts to place ...

had been shooting suicide leaps from the bridge during the calendar year of 2004 for his film '' The Bridge'', which would be released in 2006. A week later "The Joy of Life" world premiered at the

and video copies of the film were circulated to members of the Golden Gate Bridge District board of directors (with the help of the

Psychiatric Foundation of Northern California Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psychiatry. Initial psych ...

External links

Official site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Joy Of Life, The 2005 films American LGBT-related films Documentary films about lesbians Documentary films about San Francisco Documentary films about suicide Golden Gate Bridge American avant-garde and experimental films LGBT culture in San Francisco 2000s avant-garde and experimental films 2005 LGBT-related films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films