title: Loving (2016 film)

text: The film was directed by Jeff Nichols, who also wrote the screenplay. Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton co-star as Mildred (née Jeter; July 22, 1939 – May 2, 2008) and Richard Loving (October 29, 1933 – June 29, 1975). Marton Csokas, Nick Kroll, and Michael Shannon are all featured in supporting roles. Principal photography began in Richmond, Virginia, on September 16, 2015, and ended on November 19. The locations used for "Loving" were mainly based in Richmond, also in King and Queen County, Caroline County, Central Point, and Bowling Green.


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: "Loving" began a limited release in the United States on November 4, 2016, before a wide release on November 11, 2016. The film received positive reviews, and was named one of the best films of 2016 by several media outlets. The film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, and was nominated for numerous awards, including a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor for Edgerton and Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Negga.


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: Richard Loving, a white construction worker in Caroline County, Virginia, falls in love with a local black woman and family friend, Mildred Jeter. Upon Mildred discovering that she is pregnant, they decide to marry. Knowing that interracial marriage violates Virginia's anti-miscegenation laws, they drive to Washington, D.C. to get married in 1958. Richard makes plans to build a house for Mildred less than a mile from her family home.


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: Soon afterward, sheriff's deputies raid Mildred's home and arrest the Lovings. When Richard points to the marriage license, Sheriff Brooks curtly tells him that it has no validity in Virginia and hauls them both to jail. They plead guilty to breaking the anti-miscegenation law and are sentenced to one year in prison. However, the judge suspends the sentence, provided that they do not return to Virginia together for at least 25 years. The Lovings move to Washington to stay with a friend of Mildred. They briefly return to Caroline County so their first child, Sidney, can be delivered by Richard's mother, a midwife. Arrested again, they are cleared when their lawyer informs the judge he erroneously advised them to return.


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: Mildred and Richard have two other children together, Donald and Peggy. However, Mildred grows frustrated by being away from the country, and her frustration grows when she watches the March on Washington. She writes to Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy for help. Kennedy refers them to the American Civil Liberties Union. Lawyer Bernard S. Cohen takes the case and confers with constitutional law expert Phil Hirschkop. They conclude that the Lovings' ordeal has a good chance of going all the way to the Supreme Court – and overturning similar anti-miscegenation laws across the nation.


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: After a minor auto accident involving one of their children, the Lovings decide to slip back into Virginia, settling in a remote portion of King and Queen County, while their case moves through the courts. Their case gains wide attention, and is profiled in "Life" magazine by photographer Grey Villet. The state contends that people of different races were never intended to live together, and goes as far as to suggest the Lovings' children are bastards. The state Supreme Court refuses to set aside the Lovings' conviction. Undeterred, Cohen and Hirschkop appeal to the federal Supreme Court. Before going to Washington, Cohen asks Richard if he has a message for the justices. Richard replies, "Tell the judge I love my wife."


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: Several weeks later, the Supreme Court unanimously holds that laws prohibiting interracial marriage are unconstitutional. The Lovings return to Caroline County and resume construction on their dream house. An epilogue reveals Richard died in a car accident seven years later; Mildred never remarried and continued living in the house Richard built for her until her death in 2008.


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: Additionally, Terri Abney is introduced as Garnet Jeter, the sister of Mildred; Alano Miller appears as Raymond Green, the best friend of Richard; Jon Bass appears as Phil Hirschkop, a Virginia civil rights lawyer, and associate of Bernie Cohen; Bill Camp appears as Frank Beazley, a former lawyer to the Lovings; David Jensen appears as Judge Bazile, the Caroline County judge who indicted the Lovings in 1958 for violating Virginia's Racial Integrity Act; Sharon Blackwood appears as Lola Loving, Richard's mother; Christopher Mann appears as Theoliver Jeter, Mildred's father; Winter-Lee Holland appears as Musiel Byrd-Jeter, the mother of Mildred; Michael Abbott Jr. appears as Deputy Cole, one of the law officers charged with arresting the couple; Chris Greene appears as Percy Fortune, a good friend of the Lovings, in particular, Richard; Will Dalton appears as Virgil, a very loyal friend to Richard.


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: On April 6, 2009, while filming John Doyle's "Main Street" (2010) in Durham, North Carolina, Colin Firth had stumbled upon the story of Richard and Mildred Loving, before being introduced to filmmaker Nancy Buirski. Buirski herself had recently read the obituary of Mildred Loving in "The New York Times", and spoke to Firth about her plans on making a documentary about the couple. Buirski had been in contact with Firth regarding a feature version of the story after learning of his interest in American politics and social history, to which Firth and herself began to brainstorm a narrative structure as well as beginning work on a screenplay. On January 25, 2011, Firth mentioned to Buirski that he was launching a production company, Raindog Films, with Ged Doherty, and had brought up a narrative version of "The Loving Story" (2011) to Doherty, to which Doherty remarked, "[Firth] was very taken with the simplicity of the story, with how this ordinary couple made a huge difference in the lives of other couples." In an interview with "Entertainment Weekly", Firth spoke of his surprise as to how many had not known of Richard and Mildred's story. He also stated, "So I shared the idea with my friend [Doherty], who comes from the music industry, and that's what started us off as producers." On April 29, 2011, after a successful Kickstarter campaign, Buirski's "The Loving Story" was shown at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, before a release of February 14, 2012, on HBO, to which it received universal acclaim.


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: In June 2012, after watching "Take Shelter" (2011), producers Colin Firth, Ged Doherty and Nancy Buirski approached director Jeff Nichols, as they believed him to be the perfect writer and director for the project. He had been introduced to Buirski's documentary "The Loving Story" (2011), to which Nichols himself immediately found emotional and narrative attachments to Richard and Mildred, wherein he stated, "I walked away from that documentary with a really clear idea that I wanted to make a film that followed Richard and Mildred and stayed with their point of view." Initially, Nichols was reluctant to write and direct the film, as he had never been commissioned to write a screenplay before. But he eventually agreed to write a script, which would be a strict blueprint for what he wanted to do, to which he later remarked: "This was on the heels of "The Help" (2011) ... There was a different movie to be made out of this story for sure, probably one that would be much more successful commercially." Nichols underwent extensive research for "Loving", such as meeting Peggy Loving, who is the only surviving child of the Lovings, going to all the locations relevant to the story, delving through footage including extended interviews, archival footage, and photographs from Buirski.


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: On May 16, 2013, "Screen International" reported that in conjunction with Nancy Buirski at Augusta Films, Colin Firth's Raindog Films and Silver Reel are developing a feature film on Richard Loving and Mildred Loving, inspired by Buirski's documentary.


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: On September 22, 2015, "Variety" officially reported that Michael Shannon had been cast to play Grey Villet, the "Life Magazine" photographer who shot the iconic images of the Lovings in 1965, as well as Nick Kroll in an as-of-yet unnamed role. In addition to Shannon and Kroll, on September 22, 2015, Bill Camp, Marton Csokas, and Jon Bass were cast as Frank Beazley, Sheriff Brooks, and Phil Hirschkop, respectively.


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: On May 16, 2016, Nichols, in an interview with "Vox"'s Gregory Ellwood, spoke of when development on "Loving" first began four years ago, he thought the film would help influence the Supreme Court's debate over same-sex marriage, in which Nichols stated, "[After the verdict came in] there was this idea that it was all going to be taken care of, and of course it's not ... You have religious liberty laws added and you soon realize that the Supreme Court can only do so much. The letter of the law sometimes gets it right. But it takes a long time for society to get it right, and that is what has always been surprising to me. We never got over that hurdle, and maybe we never will." Speaking at the press conference for the film in Cannes, on May 16, 2016, Negga spoke of her hopes that the issue addressed in the film will become part of a broader discussion. On May 20, 2016, during a Q&A session at Cannes when asked of the film's focus, Nichols speaks of the topics of race and marriage inequality, wherein he states, "... the conversation about racism in the US is finally starting to get serious. That made me feel good that just by making this movie people are going to talk about inequality. Had I tried to make a movie that encompasses the civil rights movement, I would feel like a fraud."


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: On September 8, 2016, "The Hollywood Reporter" reported that due to films like "The Birth of a Nation" (2016) and "Loving" (2016) dealing with issues of race at the Toronto International Film Festival, Canadian filmmakers have unveiled plans to promote better representation by 2020. On October 21, 2016, Nichols was interviewed by "The Hollywood Reporter", to which he spoke of the film being an important subject matter, as well as stating it to be a "foundational part of our American history." On November 5, 2016, in an interview with "The Chicago Sun-Times", Edgerton expressed a passion for the film, wherein he stated, "I was very emotionally connected to it ... I mean as an audience member. Usually, it's a subjective thing watching your own movies. But this was different. I was standing back, happy about the ultimate Supreme Court decision, but I did feel a very deep anger." He later concluded: "This is still happening today. Today, it's about same-sex couples getting married. What business is it of anyone but the two people involved?" On December 14, 2016, "Deadline Hollywood" reported that although Nichols' screenplay for "Loving" has been classified as an original screenplay by the Writers Guild of America, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had concluded that "Loving" should only be eligible to compete within the Best Adapted Screenplay category.


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: Governor of Virginia Terry McAuliffe announced, on May 14, 2015, that Virginia has been selected as the filming location for Jeff Nichols' "Loving". On May 14, 2015, Andy Edmunds, director of the Virginia Film Office, confirmed that filming will take place from Caroline County, Virginia to Dinwiddie County, Virginia.


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: As the piece will film in the central Virginia area, "Loving" will be eligible for a filming incentive, with the exact amount based on expenditures in Virginia and certain deliverables to promote tourism in the Commonwealth. On June 16, 2015, it was announced that Ged Doherty, Colin Firth, Nancy Buirski, Sarah Green, Marc Turtletaub and Peter Saraf were holding three casting calls open to people of all ages and ethnic backgrounds on June 25, June 27, and June 28, with over four-thousand people turning out. Principal photography was confirmed to have begun in Richmond, Virginia, with an original shooting schedule occurring from September 16 to October 27, 2015, albeit shooting was altered to finish on November 19, 2015.


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: On September 19, 2015, it was confirmed that "Loving" would film numerous scenes at Union Hill in October and early November. On September 29, 2015, the Lawrenceville–Brunswick Municipal Airport in Lawrenceville, Virginia was converted for drag strip scenes up until the period of September 30. Vintage cars from the 1950s were used and the stars and extras of the movie were dressed in period costumes for the scenes that were filmed, with over 125 people onsite during the two days of filming. On October 9, 2015, Bowling Green's Main Street had been transformed to resemble a scene from the late 1950s, with the production team blocking off Main Street and shooting in front of the original courthouse. On October 12, 2015, filming occurred outside 2201 E. Franklin Street, Richmond between the hours of 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. On October 15, 2015, vintage vehicles were spotted in the area around Venable Street in Richmond. On October 28, 2015, filming had begun in Petersburg, with the main filming location occurring along Sycamore Street from Washington Street to Bank Street from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. On November 3, 2015, with filming occurring at the Museum District, Richmond, Virginia.


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: On November 19, 2015, the final day of filming, shooting took place at Richmond Dragway in Sandston, Virginia and other locations across Virginia. Filming also took place in Ashland, Berkeley Plantation in Charles City County, Church Hill, Virginia Historical Society, Supreme Court of Virginia, Old City Hall, Crewe's Place in Charles City County, and Hopewell, Virginia, as well as scenes on private property in the localities of Ruther Glen, Prince George, Tappahannock, Hanover County and King William County. Principal photography was confirmed to have ended in Virginia on October 27, 2015, however, additional periods of shooting were added with filming being push up until November 19, 2015, while with post-production beginning subsequent to filming closure, and on April 1, 2016, still occurring during the press tour for "Midnight Special".


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: "Loving" was shot on 35 mm film with small Panavision Millennium XL2 cameras in a distributed aspect ratio of 2.35:1 by cinematographer Adam Stone. He used Panavision G-Series anamorphic lenses, to which he attributes part of the effectiveness for the high shot looking down on Richard as he proposes to Mildred in a grassy field. Stone said, "We were a modestly budgeted movie and to have people like Dave Dodson and Dan Sasaki at Panavision reserve and tweak those lenses for us – knowing they are in high demand for much bigger movies – made all the difference." He concluded, "For that scene in particular, whatever you hit was the lens' sweet spot. They are so awesome." Of the anamorphic format, Stone stated, "Anamorphic is how we shot "Shotgun Stories" (2007), it's how we shot "Mud" (2012), it's how we shot "Midnight Special" (2016), and now it's how we shot "Loving"."


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: Stone spoke of one of his favorite scenes, in which Richard smuggles Mildred back into Virginia at night, and she jumps out of one car and into another. He explained that the car headlights and moonlight would have been the only true sources of light on that road, "So we used bounced HMI's, and it balanced out nicely. We used some day-for-night driving shots at dusk, and could have benefited from an Alexa for POV's. But shooting with the actors at night [in a process car] on film was so much fun. We only had one Bebee [light]." Stone made comparisons to "Mud" (2012), for which he had at least five film stocks to choose from – 50D to 250D, 100 to 500 tungsten and a Fuji 500 Daylight, whereas "Loving" was shot with Vision 3 500T and 250D. "That's pretty much all that's left nowadays, for better or worse. Of course the Vision stock is so well put together, you could shoot everything on 500T and it would still hold up great." On why he prefers using film, as well as using it on "Loving", Stone spoke of the format having a comfortability about it, as well as it feeling "like an organic format".


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: Stone also used a J.L. Fisher 10 dolly, a J.L. Fisher 23 jib arm, and a Mo-Sys Hot Head to put the camera right over the actors, in order to get closer to them as they moved about. Stone remarked that, "It took a little adjusting to but over time we got pretty proficient shooting predominantly with that configuration." He later explained, "We had to improvise when we got into smaller areas where we couldn't easily operate the camera but the overall effect was being just that much closer to the actors [particularly Negga and Edgerton] and their performances." Stone wished for the camera to be moved, however, not wanting it to be Steadicam, as to be more online with the character. He explains that: "If an actor's moving at camera, we wanted to be straight on or [slightly] off axis. We used a dolly with a boom and a hothead for more stability."


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: Of Stone, Nichols praised his artistry and hard work on "Loving": "So many Southern-set films have an antique-y glow. We work against that. Mildred was in love with this countryside in Virginia, enough to leave her home in D.C. and live in hiding, in risk of arrest." Nichols made mention of the fact that the audience had to feel how beautiful the area of Caroline County, Virginia was, albeit didn't want the film to feel "affected or sweetened". He concluded by stating, "[Stone] has worked on all five of my films, so we communicate via osmosis. But at some point we said, "We are not setting out to make a 'beautiful' film, but a film that supports the lives of these characters.""


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: Costume designer Erin Benach, who worked with Nichols previously on "Midnight Special" (2016), explained that for "Loving" she had a large amount of historical imagery, and rich material to sift through, including Buirski's "The Loving Story" (2011). She also spoke of wanting to extend her research via a regional search of people who were in that location at that time, wherein Benach stated, "What did people living there look like? What did they wear? You find all of that by looking through images of the place and the people as they were during that time." Benach acknowledged the difficulties in portraying time passing in a naturalistic, authentic way, though remarks the subtly shift the fashion to which he adheres to as one wouldn't wish for "... the audience to be noticing the costume changes as they happen."


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: In preparation for "Loving", Benach mapped out the years in the evolution of clothing, to which she states, "I wanted to know what the fashion of the time was but also what it would be based on where the characters in "Loving" ... were at any given moment." For the design of Negga's Mildred, Benach at al pulled from a great many sources, using a photograph of the real Mildred in a black-and-white check dress and little jacket, of which Benach was determined to find, or create it, with her ultimately finding it at American Costume. On Mildred's move to Washington, D.C., Benach was mindful of the fact there would have been a sartorial shift of sorts, ergo, with her using more of the skirts and the little blouses, as opposed to the housedresses. Benach expressed that, "We made that shift because it was a natural change in her life. She went from country living to city living in a matter of a day. We thought over time, we would feel the difference between the country and the city." The eventual maternity design was difficult as Benach had to ensure that the bumps looked like the right stages of her pregnancy.


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: Regarding the costume design of Richard, Benach expressed that for finding the essence of this character, for Edgerton, it was in the pants' rise and how the pants fit him to emulate how Richard's pants fit him, and also the way Edgerton's body would move in the clothing, in which she states, "[Edgerton] started to kind of feel out Richard's stance in the way he would stand and put his head a little forward, all of that started to happen in those fittings, in those first beginning fittings." Benach spoke of her objective in creating costumes that support the story, not attempting to distract nor take the viewer out of the moment, and she further expresses this sentiment by stating, "This story is a story of friendship and love between Richard and Mildred and I'd never wanted to detract from those moments."


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: Production designer Chad Keith, who worked with Nichols previously on "Take Shelter" (2011) and "Midnight Special" (2016), commented that the greatest creative challenge was to do justice to the Lovings, while also acknowledging his interest in working on a film about actual living persons. Keith stressed the importance of the location, to which his team and himself tried to match up the locations to where and how the Lovings lived, in which he explained, "There are different sorts of income levels represented throughout their whole family that we wanted to show in the film. We bounced around all over Virginia and in D.C." Keith remarked that it was his first period piece, and from the beginning, one of the first things [Nichols] asked was whether he thought we could pull it off, to which he stated, "I was certain we could."


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: Nichols himself spoke of how both Keith and costume designer Erin Benach with keeping him "period correct." Keith spoke of Adam Stone and his experiences finding existing locations that were shootable, and once found both men spent a lot of time scouting. Keith later explained that: "Once you find the perfect location, you have to gut it, and start from scratch, and that experience is fun." He also spoke of his adamant approach of not placing anything that isn't required to be on screen: "If it doesn't make sense that the characters would have used it, then to me it makes no sense for it to be there." Some of the original locations, including the Bowling Green jail and courthouse, remained intact, though in other cases, Keith had to improvise: "Originally, we thought we could just roll into town, pull up to the perfect house and replicate everything easily." Stone re-fashioned renovated houses to resemble the Lovings' country abodes as a lot of the places were falling apart. He also stuck with the key approach of simplicity within "Loving", as he stated, "The story was about the Lovings. We did not want to draw attention to their environments. They were very simple people. I wanted to make what came across on screen as simple as possible as well."


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: Keith also noted that because Nichols and Stone always shoot on film, and because there was so little practical lighting in the time period portrayed, he worked hard to keep spaces light and bright "to reflect the light Adam could get in there", and to avoid the use of dark window coverings so Stone "could use as much natural light as possible." On the high shot looking down on Richard, as he proposes to Mildred in a grassy field, Keith described the shot as a "perfect use of anamorphic that sums up what the film is about. They just want to be together ...", while stating he's learnt a great deal from both Nichols and Stone in the designing for the anamorphic frame to which he concludes, "My goal is always to do my very best to give them a 360-degree look if the money allows."


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: The Lovings' actual house in King and Queen County was deemed too small to film in, which resulted in Stone's discovery of a stand-alone farmhouse built in the 1920s south of Richmond. Keith described the process as following, "The inside of the house was immediately stripped, the kitchen pulled out, the enclosed porch on the back taken down and rebuilt to match the original one in the photos I liked, and lots and lots of painting and wallpapering action." One of the challenges for the art department was the 1950s grocery store scene and a similar hardware store sequence, in which the stores have to be period correct, as well as the product on the shelves and aisles.


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: Will Files and Brandon Proctor were the sound engineer for "Loving", tasked with sound mixing, while Files, as a sound editor, supervised the process. Jeff Nichols spoke of sound as a narrative construct in "Loving", while mentioning the audience looking in one direction when a sound suddenly erupts from the other. Nichols made note of Files' innate understanding of perceived reality, while commenting on his great ability to compress that artifice as much as possible, and make to it resemble reality, to which he remarked afterwards that: "We spent so much time on the background crickets for the opening of the film, because we had a few iterations that were too much, and then a few iterations that weren't quite enough. Inevitably one bullfrog would jump in and then we would have to go delete it. You don't want anything to be overt or artificial." Nichols concluded by stating, "It's a dance that we do in every department and every facet of the filmmaking ... If sound is done well, no one will ever notice it. They'll just feel it."


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: The soundtrack is composed by David Wingo, who worked with Nichols previously on "Take Shelter" (2011), "Mud" (2012), and "Midnight Special" (2016). Nichols wished for the score of "Loving" to be orchestral, classical, while not contemporary sounding, whereas Wingo wanted it to feel "like it could have been from any time." He took Ennio Morricone's compositions for "Days of Heaven" (1978), "The Battle of Algiers" (1966), and "The Mission" as an influence for the score of "Loving". The score was recorded at the 12th Street Sound, with a 14-piece string ensemble of local musicians scored for the string portions. The original score for "Loving" was released by Back Lot Music on November 4, 2016, followed by a physical release on November 11.


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: Wingo remarked that the score for "Loving" needed to be "elemental and simple to a certain degree while avoiding any sentimentality to capture the grace and beauty of Richard and Mildred." He stated that all of his scores for [Nichols] in the past have had elements of an orchestral background, however, he knew that the main themes for "Loving" needed to contain a traditional orchestral score without any modern elements. He concluded by stating of Nichols that, "The other main thing that [Nichols] needed the score to accomplish was to really reflect the always-present anxiety and tension that they were living with all these years. Those pieces don't just operate in a different way than the other themes but are completely different instrumentation as well, with hardly any orchestral elements."


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: Director Jeff Nichols said that influences, such as his thoughts on his own marriage, allowed him the ability to convey the commitment that the Lovings had to one another, with Nichols stating, "It's about how you stay committed through hard times, harrowing times, like for the Lovings, but also mundane times and the daily parts of life. When I look at my own marriage, that's where the love is. That's where the real work is." Nichols spoke of influences "No Country For Old Men" (2007) afforded to him, such as giving him an answer to a question relating to a dolly, by which cinematographer Adam Stone and key grip Rocky Ford used a great rig accompanied with a jib arm and a remote head: an approach used by Roger Deakins.


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: In approaching the story, Nichols referred to Nancy Buirski's "The Loving Story" (2011), as well as a hard drive given to him by Buirski with all of the archival 16mm black-and-white footage that Hope Ryden shot in the mid-'60s, every interview the Lovings ever gave. Nichols remarked that every interview that Buirski did was all their friends and relatives and people that knew them, with Nichols being in possession of all the outtakes. To prepare for their roles, both Edgerton and Negga watched "The Loving Story" (2011), as well as Ryden's extensive footage. Grey Villet's "LIFE Magazine" photography was influential to the body language structuring by Edgerton and Negga, with Edgerton remarking that they would study the postures of the Lovings in Villet's photography. As well as notable influences from Nancy Buirski's documentary, Nichols spoke of Phyl Newbeck's "Virginia Hasn't Always Been for Lovers: Interracial Marriage Bans and the Case of Richard and Mildred Loving" (2004), in which Nichols draws upon several times in his adaptation, wherein Nichols stated, "All through that process it was a different version of that gestational thinking, because I would read a line in Newbeck's book about the Lovings' son being hit by a car, or about Richard drawing blueprints for the home he's going to build her before they get arrested, and for all these things I thought, "Well, that could be a scene," and I started lying out the structure for it." Newbeck is thanked in the film's credits.


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: Production designer Chad Keith stated that "The Color Purple" (1985) influenced "Lovings" production design: "I started researching way before we started prepping which films to watch for research or what photography to check out. I watched "The Color Purple" which is a great film. I hadn't seen it in ages, and when I watched it I was looking at the detail, but I decided I didn't want to watch anything else for reference." He concluded by stating that: "We're making our own film."


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: Cinematographer Adam Stone mentioned that Nichols and he referenced films they saw growing up, specifically that of '80s Steven Spielberg in which the characters are stacked into triangles in the wide and deep anamorphic frame, to which Stone makes a reference to the scene where Richard has been protesting for the release of Mildred at the County courthouse: "We do a massive focus rack toward the [Sheriff's voice], and our attention now shifts to the Sheriff, watching Joel over his shoulder in the same frame. I love this compounding of information that anamorphic allows, even in interior dialogue scenes; it makes the world feel more tangible." Stone spoke of the work of Grey Villet as being one of the "greatest treasure troves", while stating Villet's photography not only influenced the cinematography but the script, production design, and costume design.


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: The film is described as an apolitical film, following different emotional arcs about the human condition, including family relationships and love, as such as Nichols' "Shotgun Stories" (2007), "Take Shelter" (2011), "Mud" (2012), and "Midnight Special" (2016), wherein these themes are also explored. Nichols also mentions the themes of love, human rights, cultural and institutionalized racism, and of overcoming bigotry. Nichols remarked that both Richard and Mildred Loving represent what are important about political debates, whilst remarking that once political or religious debates are engaged then the themes or ideals come about, to which he states, "I think people just start thinking about themselves and what they're comfortable with and what they think is right and wrong in their moral compass.


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: According to Ruth Negga, a primary theme of "Loving" is hope. Negga spoke of how such a theme of the film was interconnected with Mildred: "... she was a hopeful person. You're drawn to those people as well, because they inspire hope in you, and I think she was very much the rock of her family, and for Richard. You want to orbit that."


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: Following a screening of "Loving", at the Princeton Garden Theater in Princeton, New Jersey, producer Peter Saraf held an open Q&A discussion with the audience, in which he touched on such topics as the film's historical authenticity, in which he described the film as true to life: "Richard Loving was indeed as stoic as Nichols and Edgerton portray him; the small rural Virginia community in which they lived was (and is) highly racially integrated; Mildred Loving really did write directly to Robert Kennedy, and her letter is still in the Kennedy collection; and the Lovings lawyer really did, per Richard's request, relay his words before the Supreme Court that "I love my wife.""


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: Edgerton spoke of Nichols' aim to strike a "sense of authenticity and truth" in "Loving", with the actor himself remarking his and Negga's attempt to try to look, sound, and act as close as possible to the way Richard and Mildred really were. He was intent on verisimilitude, to which Nichols began to state, "I didn't feel comfortable making things up with this story—the jail was the same jail they stayed in. The front shot of the courthouse was the same courthouse." The Lovings' surviving child, Peggy Loving, was a consultant to the production. She visited the set and was struck by how thoroughly the actors had channeled her parents – in character and in costume.


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: According to Saraf, both Bernie Cohen and Phil Hirschkop were consulted on the film, despite no longer being on speaking terms with one another. The makers of the film did change some of the details, with Nichols inventing some characters and scenes, however, he sought to stay as true to the Lovings' story as possible. Speaking to "Coverage Opinions", Hirschkop expressed his view on Jon Bass' portrayal of himself, with Hirschkop remarking that Bass was too mild mannered and nothing like himself, and while Hirschkop mentions that "Loving" served its purpose as a film, he also listed several discrepancies between the film and what actually occurred.


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: Mark Loving, the grandson to Mildred Loving, said his grandma is not African American as portrayed by Ruth Negga with Ethiopian blood, but rather Native American as Rappahannock Indian.


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: On October 23, 2015, "TheWrap" promoted "Loving" by releasing the first image of the film, featuring Edgerton's Richard Loving and Negga's Mildred Loving. On July 12, 2016, "Loving" was promoted by the release of a trailer by Focus Features, was praised by reviewers. "The Huffington Post"'s Zeba Blay described the trailer as "breathtaking", while noting it to be a beautiful testimony to the concept of love verses racial divide. "The New York Times'"s Mekado Murphy stated that the trailer "suggests the film will make a strong case for Oscar consideration a year after the Academy was the subject of blistering criticism for its all-white slate of acting nominees." "Time"'s Eliza Berman wrote that the trailer "offers a glimpse of a simple life violently interrupted by a sheriff with a flashlight in the middle of the night."


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: "Loving" premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, on May 16, 2016 in Cannes, France, where it had been selected to compete for the Palme d'Or, before screening at the Champs-Élysées Film Festival, in which it had been selected to open, on June 7, 2016. On May 16, 2015, it was announced that Mars Distribution had acquired distribution rights to the film in France. On February 13, 2016, "Deadline Hollywood" announced at the Berlin International Film Festival that Focus Features had acquired distribution rights to the film, including distribution in North America and international territories, such as the United Kingdom, Germany and Latin America.


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: "Loving" began a limited release in the United States on November 4, 2016, in four locations in New York City and Los Angeles, including ArcLight Hollywood and The Landmark, before moving to a wider release on November 23, 2016. Before opening in general release across Europe, on January 17, 2017, it expanded to Australia, ahead of a bow in the United Kingdom and Ireland on February 3. On February 9, it opened in Israel, and then in France on February 15, and Estonia and Sweden on February 17, ahead of its final bow in Germany and the Netherlands on February 23.


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: Prior to "Loving"'s public release, on September 8, 2016, the film screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it opened in the official sidebar section, Gala Presentations. "The Atlantic" hosted an early screening of "Loving" on September 28, 2016, in Washington, D.C., with a discussion of the case prior to the screening. On October 6, 2016, the film was chosen to open the Hamptons International Film Festival, followed by a private screening for students and faculty at Clark Atlanta University on October 9, and the Austin Film Festival on October 13, 2016. On October 13, an advanced screening was held at Landmark's E Street Cinema in Washington, DC, featuring a panel discussion with Philip Hirschkop. "Loving" was selected to screen at Festival do Rio in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on October 10, until October 17, 2016. The film was selected as the closing-night film of the Mill Valley Film Festival on October 16, and on October 20, it held its L.A. premiere at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, California. On October 23, the film was screened as the Sunday Morning Spotlight section of the Middleburg Film Festival in Middleburg, Virginia. Subsequent showings were held at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., on October 24, the Landmark Sunshine Cinema in downtown New York, on October 27, a private screening for the Writers Guild of America, East, at the AMC Lincoln Square, Broadway, on October 27, and on October 29, at the American Film Festival in Wrocław, Poland. Additionally, on November 2, 2016, a private screening of the film was held for the cast and crew at the Byrd Theatre in Richmond, Virginia.


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: "Loving" opened to an estimated $169,000 from four theaters for a per screen average of $42,250, the year's fifth highest PTA debut, after "Moonlight" (2016) ($100,519), "Don't Think Twice" (2016) ($92,835), the re-release of "Howards End" (1992) ($52,568), and "The Lobster" (2015) ($47,563), making it No. 1 at the indie box office in its opening weekend, with its average significantly beating "Doctor Strange" (2016). Comparatively, Focus Features debuted "The Theory of Everything" (2014) over the same weekend in 2014, where it delivered a $41,753 PTA.


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: In its second weekend, "Loving" brought in an estimated $532,000 ($11,565 PTA), at 46 theaters, making it No. 1 at the platform box office in its weekend, with its average beating "Doctor Strange" (2016), "Arrival" (2016), "Hacksaw Ridge" (2016), "Moonlight" (2016), and "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" (2016). Next weekend, it expanded to a total of approximately 100 locations, including theaters in Baltimore, Houston, Seattle, St. Louis and Denver. Additionally, its third weekend, "Loving" expanded to a total of 137 theaters, wherein it brought in an estimated $854,000 ($6,234 PTA) for a $1.7 million domestic cumulative, moving to No. 2 at the platform box office, behind "Moonlight", although above in average. On November 23, 2016, it will expand into an additional 284 theaters.


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: In its fourth weekend, "Loving" topped the limited release box office at No. 1 with an expansion to 421 locations, grossing over $1,691,000 ($4,017 average). Over the five-day holiday weekend, Focus Features stated that "Loving" grossed $2,129,000 ($5,057 average), giving it a four-week cumulative of $4,069,771. In its fifth weekend, Nichols' "Loving" was toppled, in limited release box office, by Kenneth Lonergan's "Manchester By the Sea" (2016), with the film subsequently falling by 41% to the No. 2 spot among smaller releases. It was projected to earn $623,380 on its sixth weekend, at 572 locations, while still maintaining its No. 2 spot in the limited release box office, behind "Manchester by the Sea" (2016); it earned $633,993, for a $6.8 million domestic cumulative. By its seventh weekend, "Loving" fell to the fifth-highest-grossing film for the weekend within the limited release box office. "BoxOffice" estimated that during the holiday weekend, "Loving" was expected to gross $76,930 in the three-day frame, while hitting $107,730 for the four-day weekend, where it grossed $92,919.


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: "Loving" received praise for its acting, Nichols' direction and screenplay, and the film's faithfulness to the Lovings' account. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 88%, based on 295 reviews, with an average rating of 7.60/10. The website's critical consensus reads, ""Loving" takes an understated approach to telling a painful—and still relevant—real-life tale, with sensitive performances breathing additional life into a superlative historical drama." Metacritic, another review aggregator, assigned the film a weighted average score of 79 out of 100, based on 46 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: The film received a five-minute standing ovation following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. "The Hollywood Reporter", "People", and "Essence", among others, pegged it as an Oscar contender. Ann Hornaday of "The Washington Post" heralded the film and its director, Jeff Nichols, by stating: "Rather than deliver a rote—if rousing—rehearsal of the facts of the Lovings' case, [Nichols] makes the counterintuitive decision to allow them to live in front of the camera", with Hornaday continuing by praising him as "too astute a filmmaker to be unaware of the analogies "Loving" invites regarding marriage equality, but he wisely leaves agendas and polemics behind." Stephanie Zacharek of "Time" called it "beautifully restrained" and wrote, "Nichols ... tells the Lovings' story in a way that feels immediate and modern, and not just like a history lesson." Kate Taylor of "The Globe and Mail" spoke most highly of Edgerton and Negga, with Taylor stating, "Negga and Edgerton make these noble people three-dimensional, turning a docile, unambitious couple with neither the self-knowledge nor the words to launch a social revolution into unlikely protagonists in the civil-rights movement."


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: Peter Debruge of "Variety" praised Edgarton and Negga's performances as "powerful" and "uplifts [Nichols'] sensitive portrait of a mixed-race marriage forbidden in 1958 Virginia". Richard Lawson of "Vanity Fair" felt that "Edgerton is one of the more dynamic movie actors of his generation, and brings true commitment to his zipped-up, laconic portrayal of Richard, a man whose passion for his wife and family ran deep and quiet." Michelle Dean of "The New Republic" spoke most highly of the performances, writing, "Edgerton is likely to get more attention, though it is Negga's incredible performance that makes the film so powerfully subtle." Joe Morgenstern of "The Wall Street Journal" wrote, "Loving honors its subject, its audience and the movie medium." Peter Travers of "Rolling Stone" gave the film a three and a half-star rating, and said: "The stabbing simplicity of Negga's acting is breathtaking. Jeff Nichols has given us a quietly devastating film that resonates for the here and now and marches to the cadences of history and the heart."


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: In her review for "The New York Times", Manohla Dargis wrote, "[Nichols'] most distinct aesthetic choice is the movie's quietness and the hush that envelops its first scene and that eventually defines the Lovings as much as their accents, gestures, manners and battles. Wendy Ide's four-star review for "The Guardian" stated "Nichols's understated approach to the story, devoid of dramatic grandstanding, chimes with the dignity of the Lovings who “won't bother anyone” if only they can be left alone to live their lives". Brian Tallerico's review for "RogerEbert.com" stated the film "has few twists and turns" but when the film ends, "one doesn't feel like they spent time being manipulated by awards bait or melodrama. One appreciates a story well-told and having been allowed a brief, believable window into the lives of Richard and Mildred Loving, two people who changed the country just by falling in love." Geoffrey Macnab of "The Independent" called "Loving" "a quiet film but a powerful and uplifting one – an intimate domestic drama in which the protagonists themselves hardly seem to notice their own historical role". Tim Grierson of Screen International gave a mixed review saying "the tasteful restraint doesn't lead to a greater emotional payoff".


title: Loving (2016 film)

text: "Loving" has received numerous awards and nominations. It had been selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. It received two nominations at the 74th Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor for Edgerton, and Best Actress for Negga. Negga also received a nomination for Best Actress at the 89th Academy Awards, and a nomination for BAFTA Rising Star Award at the 70th British Academy Film Awards. When the SAG-AFTRA announced the nominations honoring the best achievements in film on December 14, many media, including "The Hollywood Reporter", "Variety", "Entertainment Weekly", "USA Today", "TheWrap", and "Indiewire", slammed "Loving's" omission as a "snub." In addition to several awards and nominations, "Loving" has been named as one of the best films of 2016 by various ongoing critics, appearing on several critics' end-of-year lists.


title: Michael Jackson singles discography

text: American singer Michael Jackson released 67 singles as a lead artist, and 10 as a featured artist. One of the best-selling artists of all time, his album and single sales as of 2013 stood at 400 million. In the United States, Jackson amassed 13 "Billboard" Hot 100 number-one singles (more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era) and was the first artist to have a top-ten single in the "Billboard" Hot 100 in five different decades. In 2012, Jackson was ranked fifth best selling singles artist in the United Kingdom with 15.3 million singles sold.


title: Michael Jackson singles discography

text: Jackson's first solo entry on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 songs chart was "Got to Be There", which peaked at number four in 1971. Jackson's first number-one hit on the chart was "Ben", in 1972. Jackson continued to release singles throughout the 1970s. The album "Off the Wall" (1979) contained five singles, including the chart-topping "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Rock with You". Both are certified multi-Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in the United States for sales in excess of 6 million copies. With the following singles "Off the Wall" and "She's Out of My Life" also reaching the US top 10, Jackson became the first solo artist to have four singles from the same album reach the top 10 of the "Billboard" Hot 100.


title: Michael Jackson singles discography

text: In 1982, Jackson released his sixth studio album, "Thriller". "The Girl Is Mine", a collaboration with Paul McCartney, was released as the first single from the album. The single peaked at number two on the "Billboard" Hot 100. "Billie Jean" was the album's second single. The single topped the charts in 13 countries, including the United States. The single sold more than 10 million copies in the United States and over 1.4 million in the United Kingdom. "Beat It", released a month later, peaked at number one in nine countries and sold more than eight million copies in the US. "Thriller" was released in November 1983 and peaked at number four on the "Billboard" Hot 100. The single sold 10 million copies in the US alone, making it Jackson's best-selling single. In 1983, Jackson again collaborated with McCartney and "Say Say Say" was released as the first single from McCartney's 1983 album "Pipes of Peace". It was a number-one hit in the United States. Jackson's seventh studio album, "Bad" (1987), produced nine singles with seven charting in the United States. Five of these singles ("I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror", and "Dirty Diana") reached number one on the "Billboard" Hot 100, a record for most number-one Hot 100 singles from any one album.


title: Michael Jackson singles discography

text: In 1991, Jackson released his eighth studio album, "Dangerous", co-produced with Teddy Riley. The album produced four top-ten singles on the "Billboard" Hot 100: "Remember the Time", "In the Closet", "Will You Be There" (produced and performed by Jackson as the theme for the film "Free Willy") and the number-one hit "Black or White". In June 1995, Jackson released his ninth album, "", a double album. The first disc, "HIStory Begins", is a 15-track greatest hits album. The second disc, "HIStory Continues", contains 13 original songs and two cover versions. The album features "Scream", a duet with Jackson's youngest sister Janet; "Earth Song"; "They Don't Care About Us"; and "You Are Not Alone". "You Are Not Alone" holds the "Guinness World Record" for the first song ever to debut at number one on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart. "Earth Song" was the third single released from "HIStory", and it topped the UK Singles Chart for six weeks over Christmas 1995 and sold over 1.2 million copies, making it one of Jackson's most successful singles in the UK. Jackson worked with collaborators including Teddy Riley and Rodney Jerkins to produce his tenth solo album, "Invincible" (2001). "Invincible" spawned three singles: "You Rock My World", "Cry", and "Butterflies". Following Jackson's death in 2009, sales of his previous work soared and Jackson became the first act to sell more than 1 million song downloads in a week, with 2.6 million downloads. Following the surge in sales, in March 2010, Sony Music signed a $250 million deal with the Jackson estate to extend their distribution rights to Jackson's back catalog until at least 2017. As part of this deal, two posthumous albums of previously unreleased tracks were released. In 2017, Sony renewed its deal for $250 million, which went into effect in January 2018.


title: The Office (American season 7)

text: The seventh season of the American television comedy "The Office" premiered on September 23, 2010 and concluded on May 19, 2011 on NBC. The season consisted of 26 half-hours of material, divided into 22 half-hour episodes and two hour-long episodes. The seventh season aired on Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. (ET) as part of Comedy Night Done Right. It stars Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, B. J. Novak, and Ed Helms, with supporting performances from Leslie David Baker, Brian Baumgartner, Creed Bratton, Kate Flannery, Mindy Kaling, Ellie Kemper, Angela Kinsey, Paul Lieberstein, Oscar Nunez, Craig Robinson, Phyllis Smith, Zach Woods, and Amy Ryan. This was the last season to feature Michael Scott, played by Carell, as the lead character. The seventh season was released on DVD and Blu-ray in region 1 on September 6, 2011.


title: The Office (American season 7)

text: The seventh season of the show is produced by Reveille Productions and Deedle-Dee Productions, both in association with Universal Media Studios. The show is based upon the British series created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, both of whom are executive producers on both the U.S. and UK versions. "The Office" is produced by Greg Daniels, who is also an executive producer. Returning writers from the previous season include Mindy Kaling, B. J. Novak, Paul Lieberstein, Brent Forrester, Justin Spitzer, Aaron Shure, Charlie Grandy, Daniel Chun, Warren Lieberstein, and Halsted Sullivan. New writers in the seventh season include Peter Ocko, Jon Vitti, Steve Hely, Carrie Kemper (sister of Ellie Kemper), Robert Padnick, and Amelie Gillette. Paul Lieberstein serves as executive producer and showrunner, and Novak was promoted from co-executive producer to executive producer midseason. Kaling, Shure, Chun and Ocko are co-executive producers; Forrester and Vitti are consulting producers; Spitzer and Grandy are supervising producers; and Warren Lieberstein, Halsted Sullivan and Steve Hely are producers.


title: The Office (American season 7)

text: "The Office" was filmed on a studio set at Valley Center Studios in Van Nuys, California. Only establishing shots for the opening theme of the city of Scranton, Pennsylvania, where the show is set, were made on location there.


title: The Office (American season 7)

text: Many characters portrayed by "The Office" cast are based on the British version of the show. While these characters normally have the same attitude and perceptions as their British counterparts, the roles have been redesigned to better fit the American show. The show is known for its generally large cast size, with many of its actors and actresses known particularly for their improvisational work.


title: The Office (American season 7)

text: On June 28, 2010, it was confirmed that the seventh season would be Steve Carell's last on the show, as his contract was expiring. NBC confirmed that the series would continue after his departure, and would welcome any return appearances by Carell. Actor and writer/co-executive producer B. J. Novak renewed his contract with Universal Media Studios through an eighth season and was promoted to full executive producer halfway through the seventh season. As of this season, Zach Woods, who plays Gabe Lewis on the show, has been promoted to a series regular. Executive producer/writer/actor Paul Lieberstein confirmed that Amy Ryan, who portrays Holly Flax, would appear in eight episodes of the season. He also confirmed Kathy Bates would return as Jo Bennett in the season premiere. Melora Hardin returns as Jan Levinson. Timothy Olyphant guest starred in two episodes as rival salesman, Danny Cordray, who previously went on two dates with Pam. Jack Coleman appears in a new recurring role as Senator Robert Lipton, who is dating Angela. Amy Ryan made her first return appearance as Holly in a voice-only role in "Sex Ed", and finally returned to Dunder Mifflin in the hour-long Christmas episode; and she is now billed among the rest of the starring cast.


title: The Office (American season 7)

text: The episode titled "Threat Level Midnight", which aired February 17, 2011, revolved around the screening of Michael's film where all the office employees portray the characters in the film. The episode featured Melora Hardin as Jan, and the return of Rashida Jones as Karen and David Denman as Roy. During NBC's TCA press tour, it was confirmed that Steve Carell would depart with three episodes left to go in the season, with the remaining episodes focusing on the search for (and selection of) his replacement as office manager. Executive producer Greg Daniels, who wrote Carell's farewell, stated the top candidates are Andy, Dwight, and Darryl, or possibly a newcomer. He also stated that whoever becomes the new manager would not become the main focus of the show like Michael was, and that two new regular cast members would join the cast during the eighth season. Ricky Gervais reprised his role as David Brent from the original British series in a cameo appearance in the episode "The Seminar" that aired January 27, 2011. Will Ferrell appeared in four episodes as Deangelo Vickers, Michael Scott's temporary replacement. Ferrell's character proved to be just as inept as Michael when it came to managing a business. Steve Carell finished filming his final scenes for the show on March 4, 2011. Ricky Gervais returned as David Brent in the season finale, along with Will Arnett who played a new character. Gervais also contributed to the script for the season finale. Ray Romano, James Spader, Catherine Tate, Warren Buffett and Jim Carrey also appeared in the season finale.


title: The Office (American season 7)

text: The series aired on Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. as part of Comedy Night Done Right television block. The season premiere, "Nepotism" received a 4.4/11 percent share in the Nielsen ratings among viewers aged 18 to 49, meaning that 4.4 percent of viewers aged 18 to 49 watched the episode, and 11 percent of viewers watching television at the time watched the episode. It was viewed by 8.4 million viewers, marking a slight increase in viewers from the sixth season premiere "Gossip". The season hit a low with the 16th episode, "Todd Packer", which was viewed by only 6.12 million viewers. Conversely, the season's 22nd episode, "Goodbye, Michael", was the highest-rated episode of the season, being watched by 8.42 million viewers. The finale, "Search Committee" was viewed by 7.29 million viewers, a marked increase from the sixth-season finale "Whistleblower" which garnered only 6.6 million viewers.


title: The Office (American season 7)

text: For the 2010–2011 season, "The Office" ranked as the 53rd-most watched program, averaging a total of 7.731 million viewers. In the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, the show was the 11th-most watched television program of the broadcasting year.


title: The Office (American season 7)

text: This season received mostly positive reviews from television critics, with many claiming that it was an improvement over the sixth season. Cindy White of IGN gave the season an 8 out of 10, calling it "great." She felt that the departure of Steve Carell helped reinvigorate the series, as well to see the character of Michael evolve and mature over the course of the season naturally. She also noted that the show proved it could survive without Carell. She highlighted the episodes "Threat Level Midnight", "Garage Sale" and "Goodbye, Michael" as the best episodes of the season. Randy Miller III of DVD Talk felt that the majority of the season was "better than the sixth by a country mile" and that it was a "year that's still worth watching". He applauded the way the show was able to write-out Carell's character, noting that "Goodbye, Michael" combined "nostalgia, comedy and a little drama to get its point across". However, he was critical of several of the episodes that follow Carell's departure, and he called Ferrell's character a "full-blown psycho".


title: The Office (American season 7)

text: Phillip Maciak of "Slant Magazine" awarded the season three stars out of four, and felt that the season showcased the skills of the ensembles cast. He wrote that it "has made a convincing argument, not that Michael Scott can be replaced, but that he doesn't need to be." Myles McNutt of "The A.V. Club" commented that, while he felt that the season was uneven, it was a "distinct improvement over season six," claiming Carell's exit gave the show a "sense of focus that was absent last year." James Poniewozik of "Time" called the season "mixed at best" and that the best episodes of the season "played almost like a series of vignettes and set pieces that allowed the characters to just be." He ended with saying it was an improvement over the sixth season and that he generally enjoyed the season overall.


title: The Office (American season 7)

text: During the seventh season, "The Office" received two award nominations at the 2011 Writers Guild of America Awards. Aaron Shure was nominated in Episodic Comedy category for writing the episode, "WUPHF.com", and the series was nominated for Best Comedy Series. The series was also nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series for the 17th Screen Actors Guild Awards. Steve Carell was nominated for four comedic acting awards, at the 17th Screen Actors Guild Awards, 68th Golden Globe Awards, 37th People's Choice Awards and the 2010 Satellite Awards. At the 1st Critics' Choice Television Awards, the series was nominated for Best Comedy Series, while Steve Carell was nominated for Best Actor in a Comedy Series. For the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards, the series received four nominations—for Outstanding Comedy series, Steve Carell for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Greg Daniels for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for "Goodbye, Michael", and for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation for "Andy's Play".


title: The Office (American season 7)

text: In the following table, "U.S. viewers (million)" refers to the number of Americans who viewed the episode on the night of broadcast. Episodes are listed by the order in which they aired, and may not necessarily correspond to their production codes.


title: White Fang

text: White Fang is a novel by American author Jack London (1876–1916) — and the name of the book's eponymous character, a wild wolfdog. First serialized in "Outing" magazine between May and October 1906, it was published in book form in October 1906. The story details White Fang's journey to domestication in Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush. It is a companion novel (and a thematic mirror) to London's best-known work, "The Call of the Wild" (1903), which is about a kidnapped, domesticated dog embracing his wild ancestry to survive and thrive in the wild.


title: White Fang

text: Much of "White Fang" is written from the viewpoint of the titular canine character, enabling London to explore how animals view their world and how they view humans. "White Fang" examines the violent world of wild animals and the equally violent world of humans. The book also explores complex themes including morality and redemption.


title: White Fang

text: As early as 1925, the story was adapted to film, and it has since seen several more cinematic adaptations, including a 1991 film starring Ethan Hawke and a 2018 original film for Netflix.


title: White Fang

text: The story begins before the wolf-dog hybrid is born, with two men and their sled dog team on a journey to deliver the coffin of Lord Alfred to a remote town named Fort McGurry in the higher area of the Yukon Territory. The men, Bill and Henry, are stalked by a large pack of starving wolves over the course of several days. Finally, after all of their dogs and Bill have been eaten, more teams find Henry escaping from the wolves; the wolf pack scatters when they hear the large group of people coming.


title: White Fang

text: The story then follows the pack, which has been robbed of its last prey. When the pack finally brings down a moose, the famine is ended; they eventually split up, and the story now follows a she-wolf and her mate, One Eye. One Eye claimed her after defeating and killing a younger rival. The she-wolf gives birth to a litter of five pups by the Mackenzie River, and all but one die from hunger. One Eye is killed by a lynx while trying to rob her den for food for the she-wolf and her pup; his mate later discovers his remains near the lynx's den. The surviving pup and the she-wolf are left to fend for themselves. Shortly afterward, the she-wolf kills all the lynx's kittens to feed her pup, prompting the lynx to track her down, and a vicious fight breaks out. The she-wolf eventually kills the lynx but suffers severe injury; the lynx carcass is devoured over a period of seven days as the she-wolf recovers from her injuries.


title: White Fang

text: One day, the pup comes across five indigenous people, and the she-wolf comes to his rescue. One man, Grey Beaver, recognizes the she-wolf as his late brother's wolfdog, Kiche, who left during a famine. Grey Beaver's brother is dead, and so he takes Kiche and her pup and christens the cub "White Fang". White Fang has a harsh life in the native camp; the current puppy pack, seeing him as a wolf, immediately attacks him. The Natives protect him, but the pups never accept him, and the pups' leader, Lip-Lip, singles him out for persecution. White Fang grows to become a savage, callous, morose, solitary, and deadly fighter, "the enemy of his kind".


title: White Fang

text: It is at this time that White Fang is separated from his mother, who is sold off to another Native camp by Three Eagles. He realizes how hard life in the wild is when he runs away from camp, and earns the respect of Grey Beaver when he saves his son Mit-Sah from a group of boys seeking revenge for White Fang attacking one of them for trying to beat him for no reason. When a famine occurs, he runs away into the woods and encounters his mother Kiche, only for her to chase him away, for she has a new litter of cubs and has forgotten him. He also encounters Lip-Lip, whom he fights and kills before returning to the camp.


title: White Fang

text: When White Fang is five years old, he is taken to Fort Yukon, so that Grey Beaver can trade with the gold-hunters. There, when Grey Beaver is drunk, White Fang is bought by a dog-fighter named "Beauty" Smith. White Fang defeats all opponents pitted against him, including several wolves and a lynx, until a bulldog called Cherokee is brought in to fight him. Cherokee has the upper hand in the fight when he grips the skin and fur of White Fang's neck and begins to throttle him. White Fang nearly suffocates, but is rescued when a rich, young gold hunter, Weedon Scott, stops the fight, and forcefully buys White Fang from Beauty Smith.


title: White Fang

text: Scott attempts to tame White Fang, and after a long, patient effort, he succeeds. When Scott attempts to return to California alone, White Fang pursues him, and Scott decides to take the dog with him back home. In Sierra Vista, White Fang must adjust to the laws of the estate. At the end of the book, an escaped convict, Jim Hall, tries to kill Scott's father, Judge Scott, for sentencing him to prison for a crime he did not commit, not knowing that Hall was "railroaded". White Fang kills Hall and is nearly killed himself, but survives. As a result, the women of Scott's estate name him "The Blessed Wolf". The story ends with White Fang relaxing in the sun with the puppies he has fathered with the sheep-dog Collie.


title: White Fang

text: Critics have identified many underlying themes in the novel. Tom Feller describes the story as "an allegory of humanity's progression from nature to civilization". He also expresses that "the [story's] implication is that the metamorphosis of both the individual and society will require violence at some point." Paul Deane states that "[in the novel] society demands a conformity that undermines individualism." London himself took influence from Herbert Spencer's words: "survival of the fittest", as well as Friedrich Nietzsche's idea of a "superman" (or "superdog", in this instance) and of "the worship of power".


title: White Fang

text: The novel is partly an autobiographical allegory based on London's conversion from teenage hoodlum to married, middle-class writer. In writing it, he was influenced by the ideas of Herbert Spencer, Karl Marx, and Friedrich Nietzsche. Conditions in the US also influenced the story.


title: White Fang

text: Since the novel has been published it has been translated into over 89 different languages and released as a three-volume Braille edition.


title: White Fang

text: Upon its release, "White Fang" was an immediate success worldwide, and became especially popular among younger readers. Robert Greenwood called "White Fang" "one of London's most interesting and ambitious works." Virginia Crane claims that the novel is "generally regarded as artistically inferior to its companion piece ["The Call of the Wild"], but [that it] helped establish London as a popular American literary figure".


title: White Fang

text: Shortly after the book's publication, London became a target in what would later be called the nature fakers controversy, a literary debate highlighting the conflict between science and sentiment in popular nature writing. President Theodore Roosevelt, who first spoke out against the "sham naturalists" in 1907, specifically named London as one of the so-called "nature fakers". Citing an example from "White Fang", Roosevelt referred to the fight between the bulldog and the wolfdog "the very sublimity of absurdity." London only responded to the criticism after the controversy had ended. In a 1908 essay entitled "The Other Animals", he wrote:


title: White Fang

text: The novel has been adapted into numerous pictures and sequels, animated specials, as well as an audiobook format.


title: Sara Foster

text: Sara Foster (born February 5, 1981) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Jen Clark on "90210". She was a fashion model before moving to the film industry.


title: Sara Foster

text: Foster guest-starred as herself on the HBO series "Entourage", in which she had a romantic tryst with character Vincent Chase before appearing on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" in the episode "Talk Show". She briefly hosted "Entertainment Tonight" spin-off "ET on MTV" in 2002. Based on that she was cast as the lead femme fatale in "The Big Bounce", a remake of a movie adaptation of the same novel by Elmore Leonard. She has also appeared in the Backstreet Boys music video "Shape of My Heart", as well as music video for "Drop That Baby" by The Wondergirls.


title: Sara Foster

text: In 2004, she played crime-fighting bisexual spy Amy in Angela Robinson's film "D.E.B.S.". In 2009, she signed on to play Jen Clark, the sister of Naomi Clark, on The CW drama series "90210". Additionally, Foster starred in the 2010 science-fiction film "Psych 9", which was directed by Andrew Shortell.


title: Sara Foster

text: Foster is the daughter of music producer David Foster and former model Rebecca Dyer. Since 2010, she has been engaged to tennis player Tommy Haas. They have two daughters, Valentina and Josephine.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: Homosexuality in India has been a subject of discussion from ancient times to modern times. Hindu texts have taken various positions regarding homosexual characters and themes. The ancient Indian text "Kamasutra" written by Vātsyāyana dedicates a complete chapter on erotic homosexual behaviour. Historical literary evidence indicates that homosexuality has been prevalent across the Indian subcontinent throughout history, and that homosexuals were not necessarily considered inferior in any way until about 18th century during British colonial rule.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: However, previously under the Islamic law of Fatawa-e-Alamgiri, the Mughal Empire mandated a common set of punishments for homosexuality, which could include 50 lashes for a slave, 100 for a free infidel, or death by stoning for a Muslim.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: On 6 September 2018, a 5-judge constitutional bench of Supreme Court of India invalidated part of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, hence making homosexuality legal in India. In striking down the colonial-era law that made gay sex punishable by up to 10 years in prison, one judge said the landmark decision would "pave the way for a better future." This ruling also applied to Jammu and Kashmir state under Article 141 of the Constitution of India and Delhi Agreement 1952, as section 377 of IPC and Ranbir Penal Code is prima materia and Judicial Pronouncements were extended to Jammu and Kashmir.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: There are no official demographics for the LGBT population in India, but the government of India submitted figures to the Supreme Court in 2012, according to which, there were about 2.5 million gay people recorded in India. These figures are only based on those individuals who have self-declared to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. There may be much higher statistics for individuals who have concealed their identity, since a number of LGBTQ Indians are living in the closet due to fear of discrimination.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: Homophobia is prevalent in India. Public discussion of homosexuality in India has been inhibited by the fact that sexuality in any form is rarely discussed openly. In recent years, however, attitudes towards homosexuality have shifted slightly. In particular, there have been more depictions and discussions of homosexuality in the Indian media and cinema. Before striking down the colonial-era law several organisations have expressed support for decriminalising homosexuality in India, and pushed for tolerance and social equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer people, and others with marginalised identities traditional to India. India is among countries with a social element of a third gender. Mental, physical, emotional and economic violence against the LGBT community in India continues to be a problem. Lacking support from family, society or police, many gay rape victims do not report the crimes.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: Multinational research firm Ipsos released report on LGBT+ Pride 2021 Global Survey conducted between April 23 and May 7, 2021. The survey was conducted as a 27 market survey conducted by Ipsos on its global advisor platform through interview on a sample of 500 individuals in India. The report shows that 3% of the Indian Population identify as homosexual (Including Gay and Lesbian), 9% identify as bisexual, 1% identify as pansexual and 2% identify as asexual. Totally, 17% identify as not heterosexual (excluding 'do not know', and 'prefer not to answer').


title: Homosexuality in India

text: There are ancient Indian texts which are relevant to modern LGBT causes. Religion has played a role in shaping Indian customs and traditions. While injunctions on homosexuality's morality are not explicitly mentioned in the religious texts central to Hinduism (the largest religion in India) it has taken various positions, ranging from homosexual characters and themes in its texts to being neutral or antagonistic towards it.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: The Baudhāyana Dharmasūtra (3.7.2) says about ejaculation, "A man who ejaculates his semen in any place other than the vagina becomes equal to a thief, equal to a murderer of a Brahmin." For purification, the man should "get the hair of his head, beard, and body shaved and his nails clipped on a new-moon or a full-moon day" and observe a vow "for a year, for a month, or for twenty-four, twelve, six, or three days" not to "eat meat, engage in sex, or sit on anything above the floor, and recoil from uttering an untruth" .


title: Homosexuality in India

text: The ancient Indian text Kamasutra written by Vātsyāyana dedicates a complete chapter on erotic homosexual behaviour. Historical literary evidence indicates that homosexuality has been prevalent across the Indian subcontinent throughout history.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: The Arthashastra, an ancient Indian treatise on statecraft, mentions a wide variety of sexual practices which, whether performed with a man or a woman, were sought to be punished with the lowest grade of fine. While homosexual intercourse was not sanctioned, it was treated as a very minor offence, and several kinds of heterosexual intercourse were punished more severely.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: Sex between non-virgin women incurred a small fine, while homosexual intercourse between men could be made up for merely with a bath with one's clothes on, and a penance of "eating the five products of the cow and keeping a one-night fast".Devdutt Pattanaik summarises the place of homosexuality in Hindu literature as follows: "though not part of the mainstream, its existence was acknowledged but not approved."


title: Homosexuality in India

text: The biography of Sarmad Kashani published by caretakers of his shrine states that he had fallen for a Hindu boy named Abhai Chand whose father eventually relented and allowed them to be together.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: The Fatawa-e-Alamgiri of the Mughal Empire mandated a common set of punishments for homosexuality, which could include 50 lashes for a slave, 100 for a free infidel, or death by stoning for a Muslim.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: On 24 August 2017, India's Supreme Court gave the country's LGBT community the freedom to safely express their sexual orientation. Therefore, an individual's sexual orientation is protected under the country's Right to Privacy law. However, the Supreme Court did not directly overturn any laws criminalising same-sex relationships.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), dating back to 1861, makes sexual activities "against the order of nature" punishable by law and carries a life sentence. The law replaced the variety of punishments for Zina (unlawful intercourse) mandated in the Mughal empire's Fatawa-e-Alamgiri, these ranged from 50 lashes for a slave, 100 for a free infidel, to death by stoning for a Muslim. Similarly the Goa Inquisition once prosecuted the capital crime of sodomy in Portuguese India, but not lesbian acts.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: One leader, Akkai Padmashali was influential in the protests and demonstrations that eventually led to the repeal of Section 377 of Indian Penal Code She started the organisation "Ondede" in 2014 which envisioned a society that is non-discriminatory and gender-just. Ondede, in Kannada, means convergence and this is what she envisioned for the society of India as a whole. She wanted Ondede to be a place where people of all sexual orientations spoke openly of their concerns. Their mission statement is "To create a space for dialogue, support and strengthen action to visibilize issues of Dignity-Voice- Sexuality in relation to children, women ,and sexual minorities". They develop partnerships with community groups through social movements, engage with the state and conduct research.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: Several organisations, including the Naz Foundation (India) Trust, the National AIDS Control Organisation, Law Commission of India, Union Health Ministry, National Human Rights Commission of India and the Planning Commission of India have expressed support for decriminalizing homosexuality in India.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: In September 2006, Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, acclaimed writer Vikram Seth and other prominent Indians publicly demanded the repeal of section 377 of the IPC. The open letter demanded that "In the name of humanity and of our Constitution, this cruel and discriminatory law should be struck down." On 30 June 2008, Indian Labour Minister Oscar Fernandes backed calls for decriminalisation of consensual gay sex, and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called for greater tolerance towards homosexuals. On 23 July 2008, Bombay High Court Judge Bilal Nazki said that India's unnatural sex law should be reviewed. The Law Commission of India had historically favoured the retention of this section in its 42nd and 156th report, but in its 172nd report, delivered in 2000, it recommended its repeal.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: On 9 August 2008, then health minister, Anbumani Ramadoss began his campaign for changing Section 377 of the Indian penal code, which defines homosexuality as an unnatural act and thus illegal. At the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City, he said, "Section 377 of IPC, which criminalises men who have sex with men, must go." His ministerial portfolio had put him at odds with the Indian Home Minister Shivraj Patil and several other ministers in seeking to scrap Section 377. In late 2008, he changed his argument saying he does not want the scrapping of Section 377 but a mere modification of the law treating homosexuality as a criminal offence punishable up to life imprisonment. He said he wants Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to resolve the matter, while he wanted to avoid discord with the home ministry, who said the altered law would then result in an increase in criminal incidences of sodomy or offences involving sexual abuse of children, particularly boys. In doing so he alleged that the law even penalises health workers who treat homosexuals, while making this a cognisable and non-bailable offence.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: Various Hindu organisations, based in India and abroad have supported decriminalisation of homosexual behaviours. In 2009, the Hindu Council UK became one of the first major religious organisations to support LGBT rights when they issued a statement "Hinduism does not condemn homosexuality". Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, a prominent Hindu spiritual leader, has condemned sec 377 in a series of tweets, maintaining that "Hinduism has never considered homosexuality a crime" and "to brand a person a criminal based on sexual preference would be absurd".


title: Homosexuality in India

text: The United Nations has urged India to decriminalise homosexuality by saying it would help the fight against HIV/AIDS by allowing intervention programmes, much like the successful ones in China and Brazil. Jeffrey O'Malley, director of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on HIV/AIDS, has stated countries which protect men who have sex with men (MSM) have double the rate of coverage of HIV prevention services as much as 60%. According to him, inappropriate criminalisation hinders universal access to essential HIV, health and social services. Later talking to "The Hindu" in November 2008, he added concerns that the then in power United Progressive Alliance government was in a difficult position in regards to amending Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code because of the then upcoming elections, as such changes could be misrepresented. He further emphasised the need to change the laws, sensitise the police and judiciary. According to him, after removal of discriminatory laws, marginalised groups would have better access to treatment and prevention facilities like condoms. He warned of the urgency and stated that India had succeeded in checking the spread of AIDS through commercial sex workers but transmission through gay sex, and injectable-drug users was still an area of concern in the country.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: In July 2014, a book on LGBTQIA and genderqueer rights published by Srishti Madurai was released by Vanathi Srinivasan, the general secretary of the BJP in Tamil Nadu. The move has been considered encouraging by members of the LGBTQIA community.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: Bharatiya Janata Party senior leader Arun Jaitley stated in February 2014 that he supported decriminalisation of homosexuality. On 13 January 2015, BJP spokesperson Shaina NC, appearing on "NDTV", stated, "We BJP are for decriminalising homosexuality. That is the progressive way forward." However, the BJP government (at that time the ruling party at the Union of India) did not put forth any stand before the Supreme Court when the Navtej Johar case (which decriminalised homosexuality) was being decided and left the matter to the 'wisdom of the court'.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh spokesperson Ram Madhav in an interview with national daily Business Standard said in May 2014: "But I can say this – that while glorification of certain forms of social behaviour is not something we endorse, the penalising and criminalisation aspects need to be looked into. Whether to call homosexuality a crime and treat it as one in this day and age is questionable." This is interpreted as Sangh's support to decriminalisation of homosexuality.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: On 6 March 2016, Srishti Madurai's new website was launched by Dalit activist and Ambedkarite Ma.Venkatesan from BJP in the presence of Central Minister Pon Radhakrishnan, Vanathi Srinivasan, Aravindan Neelakandan, Joe D'Cruz and scores of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh volunteers at Chennai.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: In December 2002, Naz Foundation filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) to challenge IPC Section 377 in the Delhi High Court. On 4 July 2008, the Delhi High Court noted that there was "nothing unusual" in holding a gay rally, something which is common outside India.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: On 2 July 2009, in the case of "Naz Foundation v National Capital Territory of Delhi", the High Court of Delhi struck down much of S. 377 of the IPC as being unconstitutional. The Court held that to the extent S. 377 criminalised consensual non-vaginal sexual acts between adults, it violated an individual's fundamental rights to equality before the law, freedom from discrimination and to life and personal liberty under Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution of India. The High Court did not strike down Section 377 completely. It held the section to be valid in case of non-consensual non-vaginal intercourse or to intercourse with minors, and it expressed the hope that Parliament would legislatively address the issue.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: On 11 December 2013, on responding an appeal filed by an astrologer Suresh Kumar Koushal and others, the Supreme Court of India upheld the constitutionality of Section 377 of the IPC, and stated that the Court was instead deferring to Indian legislators to provide the sought-after clarity. The Delhi High Court judgement was as follows:


title: Homosexuality in India

text: On 28 January 2014, Supreme Court dismissed the review petition filed by Central Government, Naz Foundation and several others, against its 11 December verdict on Section 377 of IPC.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: In January 2015, National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) said that according to data collected, 778 cases were filed under Section 377 of IPC and 587 arrests were made in 2014 until October after the Supreme Court verdict. Some states are yet to submit their full data.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: On 18 December 2015 Shashi Tharoor, a member of the Indian National Congress, introduced a Private Members Bill for the decriminalisation of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code in the Lok Sabha, but the motion was rejected by house by a vote of 71–24 with one abstention.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: On 12 March 2016, Tharoor once again introduced a Private Members Bill for the decriminilsation of Section 377. However, the motion for introduction was yet again defeated by a division of 58–14 with one abstention.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: On 2 February 2016, the Supreme Court agreed to reconsider its 2013 judgment; it said it would refer petitions to abolish Section 377 to a five-member constitutional bench, which would conduct a comprehensive hearing of the issue.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: On 24 August 2016 a draft law for the ban of commercial surrogacy was cleared by the Union Cabinet and announced by Sushma Swaraj, the Minister of External Affairs (India). The draft bill denied homosexuals the right to have surrogate children, with Swaraj stating "We do not recognise live-in and homosexual relationships ... this is against our ethos".


title: Homosexuality in India

text: On 24 August 2017, the Supreme Court upheld that the right to individual privacy is an "intrinsic" and fundamental right under the constitution. In its 547-page decision on privacy rights, the nine-judge bench also held that "sexual orientation is an essential attribute of privacy". The judgement noted, "Discrimination against an individual on the basis of sexual orientation is deeply offensive to the dignity and self-worth of the individual. Equality demands that the sexual orientation of each individual in society must be protected on an even platform. The right to privacy and the protection of sexual orientation lie at the core of the fundamental rights guaranteed by Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution."


title: Homosexuality in India

text: On 10 July 2018, the Supreme Court upheld the importance of the rights of the LGBT community. Justice D. Y. Chandrachud, in the proceedings of the court, held that choosing a partner was every person's fundamental right.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: On 6 September 2018, the Supreme Court struck down the part of section 377, a British-era provision, criminalising consensual homosexual activities. The court upheld that other aspects of section 377 criminalising unnatural sex with minors and animals will remain in force.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: In February 2017, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare unveiled resource material relating to health issues to be used as a part of a nationwide adolescent peer-education plan called "Saathiya". Among other subjects, the material discusses homosexuality. The material states, "Yes, adolescents frequently fall in love. They can feel attraction for a friend or any individual of the same or opposite sex. It is normal to have special feelings for someone. It is important for adolescents to understand that such relationships are based on mutual consent, trust, transparency, and respect. It is alright to talk about such feelings to the person for whom you have them but always in a respectful manner."


title: Homosexuality in India

text: In February 2014, the Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS) issued a statement in which it stated that there is no evidence to prove that homosexuality is unnatural: "Based on existing scientific evidence and good practice guidelines from the field of psychiatry, the Indian Psychiatric Society would like to state that there is no evidence to substantiate the belief that homosexuality is a mental illness or a disease." In June 2018, IPS reiterated its stance on homosexuality saying: "Certain people are not cut out to be heterosexual and we don't need to castigate them, we don't need to punish them, to ostracize them".


title: Homosexuality in India

text: Despite this statement from the IPS, conversion therapies are still performed in India. These practices usually involve electroconvulsive therapy (which may lead to memory loss), hypnosis, the administration of nausea-inducing drugs, or more commonly talk therapy where the individual is told that homosexuality is caused by "insufficient male affirmation in childhood" or "an uncaring father and an overbearing mother". Conversion therapy can lead to depression, anxiety, seizures, drug use and suicidal tendencies for the individuals involved.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: On April 28, 2021, Madras High Court Justice N Anand Venkatesh passed an interim orders in response to a petition filed by two young women with same sex orientation. According to the order, in an unprecedented move, he decided to undergo psycho-education before penning a judgment on same sex relationships.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: Justice N Anand Venkatesh said that psyhco-educative counseling on queer issues helped him shed his personal ignorance and prejudices. He clearly stated in the judgment that the responsibility to change, the burden of unlearning stigma, and learning about the lived experience of the queer community lies on the society and not the queer individuals.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: The court recognized that there's an absence of a specific law to protect the interests of queer people and acknowledged it is the responsibility of the constitutional courts to fill this vacuum with necessary directions to ensure the protection of such couples from harassment sourced from stigma and prejudices.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: On 7 June 2021, in delivering the verdict on this case, Justice N Anand Venkatesh prohibited Conversion Therapy in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. He suggested comprehensive measures to sensitise the society and various branches of the State including the Police and judiciary to remove prejudices against the LGBTQIA+ community. He suggested that changes be made to the curricula of schools and universities to educate students on understanding the LGBTQIA+ community.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: The 11 December 2013 judgment of the Supreme Court, upholding Section 377, was met with support from religious leaders. The main petitioner in the plea was an astrologer, Suresh Kumar Koushal, and other petitioners were religious organisations like All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Trust God Missionaries, Krantikari Manuwadi Morcha, Apostolic Churches Alliance, and Utkal Christian Council. The "Daily News and Analysis" called it "the univocal unity of religious leaders in expressing their homophobic attitude. Usually divisive and almost always seen tearing down each other's religious beliefs, leaders across sections came forward in decrying homosexuality and expressing their solidarity with the judgment." The article added that Baba Ramdev India's well-known yoga guru, after advising that journalists interviewing him not to turn homosexual, stated he could cure homosexuality through yoga and called it a bad addiction.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad's vice-president Om Prakash Singhal said, "This is a right decision, we welcome it. Homosexuality is against Indian culture, against nature, and against science. We are regressing, going back to when we were almost like animals. The SC had protected our culture." Singhal further dismissed HIV/AIDS concerns within the LGBT community saying, "It is understood that when you try to suppress one anomaly, there will be a break-out of a few more."


title: Homosexuality in India

text: Maulana Madni, of an Islamic organisation, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, has echoed similar sentiments by stating that "Homosexuality is a crime according to scriptures and is unnatural. People cannot consider themselves to be exclusive of a society... In a society, a family is made up of a man and a woman, not a woman and a woman, or a man and a man. If these same-sex couples adopt children, the child will grow up with a skewed version of a family. Society will disintegrate. If we are to look at countries in the West who have allowed same-sex marriages, you will find the mental tensions they suffer from."


title: Homosexuality in India

text: Rabbi Ezekiel Isaac Malekar, honorary secretary of the Judah Hyam Synagogue, in upholding the judgement, was also quoted as saying "In Judaism, our scriptures do not permit homosexuality." Reverend Paul Swarup of the Cathedral Church of the Redemption in Delhi in stating his views on what he believes to be the unnaturalness of homosexuality, stated "Spiritually, human sexual relations are identified as those shared by a man and a woman. The Supreme Court's view is an endorsement of our scriptures."


title: Homosexuality in India

text: In 2005, Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil, who hails from Manimala in Kerala, publicly came out as gay. He was disinherited as an immediate reaction by the royal family, though they eventually reconciled. He appeared on the American talk show "The Oprah Winfrey Show" on 24 October 2007, and on BBC Three's "Undercover Princes". In 2008, Zoltan Parag, a competitor at the Mr. Gay International contest said that he was apprehensive about returning to India. He said, "Indian media has exposed me so much that now when I call my friends back home, their parents do not let them talk to me".


title: Homosexuality in India

text: On 29 June 2008, five Indian cities (Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Indore and Pondicherry) celebrated gay pride parades. About 2,000 people turned out in these nationwide parades. Mumbai held its pride march on 16 August 2008, with Bollywood actress Celina Jaitley flagged off the festivities. On 4 July 2008, the Delhi High Court, while hearing the case to decriminalise homosexuality, opined that there was nothing unusual in holding a gay rally, something which is common outside India.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: Days after the 2 July 2009 Delhi High Court verdict legalising homosexuality, Pink Pages, India's first online LGBT magazine was released. On 16 April 2009, India's first gay magazine "Bombay Dost" originally launched in 1990, was re-launched by Celina Jaitley in Mumbai.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: On 27 June 2009, Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha, saw its first gay pride parade. A day later, Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily announced that the Union Home Minister has convened a meeting with the Union Law Ministers, Union Health Ministers and Home Ministers of all states to evolve a consensus on decriminalising homosexuality in India. On 28 June 2009, Delhi and Bangalore held their second gay pride parades, and Chennai, generally considered to be a very conservative city, held its first.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: Mumbai has one of its own pride events, like Kashish Mumbai Queer Film Festival which was first held in 2010 from 22 to 25 April and in the next year 2011 from 25 to 29 May. It was the first queer film festival in India and is held in a mainstream multiplex theater which screens LGBT films from all over the world. It has been recognised by Interpride as a pride event in India.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: Madurai celebrated city's first LGBTQ Rainbow festival on 29 July 2012, Anjali Gopalan inaugurated Alan Turing Rainbow festival and flagged off the Asia's first Gender queer pride parade as a part of Turing Rainbow festival organised by Srishti Madurai, a literary and resource circle for alternative gender and sexualities. It was established by Gopi Shankar a student of The American College in Madurai to eradicate social discrimination faced by the LGBT and Genderqueer community. The objective of the organisation in to highlight 20 different types of Genders.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: On 1 May 2011, Kolkata Rainbow Pride Festival (KRPF) was formed to take the initiative of organising Pride Walk in Kolkata. Since then the initiative of Queer Pride Parade in Kolkata is being taken by KRPF. The 11th Kolkata Rainbow Pride Walk, held on 15 July 2012, was attended by more than 1500 people. Kolkata hosted South Asia's first pride walk in 1999.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: Chandigarh held its first LGBT pride parade on 15 March 2013 and it has been held annually ever since.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: In 2013, India was represented by Nolan Lewis, a model, at the Mr Gay World 2013 contest. He had trouble finding sponsors. Previously, India had been represented at the Mr Gay World by Zoltan Parag Bhaindarkar in the 2008. He did not return to India and reportedly sought asylum in the United States.


title: Homosexuality in India

text: Sushant Divgikar, the winner of Mr Gay India 2014, was a contestant on the Bigg Boss reality show. On 26 July 2014, at Kochi the 5th All-Kerala Queer Pride Parade was held. It was organised by Queerala (a support group for the LGBT community) and Sahayathrika (a rights organisation for lesbian and bisexual women in Kerala).