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Rosa von Praunheim, provocative pioneer of gay cinema, dies aged 83
The film-maker, whose 1971 feature about queer life has been described as Germany’s ‘Stonewall moment’, married his long-term partner on Friday
TL;DR
- Rosa von Praunheim, a key figure of New German Cinema, has died at age 83.
- He was known for his films exploring queer life and for outing celebrities on live TV.
- His 1971 film, 'It Is Not the Homosexual Who Is Perverse, But the Society in Which He Lives,' is considered a landmark in queer cinema.
- Von Praunheim made over 150 films, including documentaries on Magnus Hirschfeld and Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
- He caused a scandal in 1991 by outing chatshow host Alfred Biolek and comedian Hape Kerkeling on live television.
- He recently married his long-term partner, Oliver Sechting, in Berlin.
- His birth name was Holger Radtke, and he adopted the name Rosa von Praunheim in reference to the pink triangles worn by gay men in Nazi concentration camps.