Richard Hankins graduated from VCU and designed sets for Richmond theatre before heading to New York, where he won 2 Emmys for his work on daytime dramas. Afterward, he moved to LA, where he continued to be a production designer for primtime shows like “NYPD Blue” (10 years). That includes:
– His Richmond theatre experience
– Breaking design ground for Guiding Light (and winning an Emmy)
– The challenges of daytime dramas
– Working with Holly Hunter on Saving Grace
– Making LA look like New York City for NYPD Blue
– Designing for 2 seasons of Private Practice
– Creating how own art & painting graffiti for fun
– His personal cinema in Wilmington, NC

LINKS
Richard Hankins’ website
Virginia Film Festival

“Hunky Jesus” is the name of an event and a documentary about an Easter celebration that’s been taking place in San Francisco since 1995. The film looks at the legacy of the event’s founders, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a global, secular order of queer and trans “nuns” who combat guilt, shame, and exclusion through joy, humor, activism, and irreverence. It’ll be playing at this year’s Virginia Queer Film Festival (Oct 2 – 4 at the University Theatre on the campus of ODU). Director Jennifer Kroop and I had a lively conversion (as you might imagine), including:
– The inspiration for the opening animation
– Her other docs on “gay geezers” like Armistead Maupin and George Takei
– A background on the Sisters
– Since they’ve been around since the 70s, why a doc now?
– There’s not much about the Sisters’ personal lives
– Shooting the big event and in churches
– When and why Foxy Mary was added
– Using “Do Lord” and “The Vatican Rag”

LINKS
Virginia Queer Film Festival
Hunky Jesus doc website

RIFF podcasts
Edward Burns “Beneath the Blue Suburban Skies”
“Last Shot”
Heather Waters before RIFF
Andy Edmunds talks about “The Cashier”

“Last Shot” is about a 12-year-old basketball prodigy who lives in LA (Dylan Freedman). His life is upended with his father dies (Michael Rappaport) and he has to go live with his estranged mother in Nashville (Jamie Presley). This film will be featured at this year’s Richmond International Film Festival 7pm 9/26 at the Byrd Theatre. This discussion includes the film’s director Andy Palmer & producer Warner Davis:
– Where the film originated and and how you got involved
– Casting Laraine Newman
– Michael Rappaport’s challenge as the dad
– Working with the kids for acting AND basketball
– What NBA all-star Baron Davis brought to the film
– Jamie Presley’s contribution as a producer
– Shooting haze in the gym
– Making each game look different
– Using only one visual effect

LINKS
Richmond International Film Festival (RIFF)
RIFF Screening of LAST SHOT (7:30, 9/26 at the Byrd Theatre)
“Last Shot” website
My podcast with the creator of Swagger