OBIT - RICHARD GLATZER

One of the unsung stars of the American LGBT filmmaking scene has died. Richard Glatzer will be known to most as one half of the writing and directing team that comprised himself and his husband Wash Westmoreland; they collaborated on four films together, including cult hit The Fluffer, Sundance hit Quinceanera (it won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award for US Dramatic films there) and The Last of Robin Hood, starring Kevin Kline, Dakota Fanning and Susan Sarandon. It was 2014's Still Alice, though, that ended his short film career (it began in 1993 with his solo directorial offering Grief) with the most acclaim, as Julianne Moore won many accolades, including an Academy Award, for her leading part in the Alzheimer's drama. Glatzer died due to complications from ALS - he was diagnosed with the disease in 2011, but chose to continue to make films and serve as a consultant on TV's America's Next Top Model (a personal favourite of mine) despite his increasingly disabled physical state. He was only 63 when he passed on Tuesday the 10th of March. His presence in the filmmaking community will be much missed by audiences who have appreciated his work for years now, and of course by his friends and family.