In 2020, two men, Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell, released a giant photo book titled LOVING: A Photographic History of Men in Love. The book was a collection of historical photographs that Nini and Treadwell had acquired over the years. All of them depicted men who seemed to be in love. Some held each other in a loving embrace, some looked longingly into the other’s eyes, and in one very special photo, two men are even seen holding a sign that reads, “Not Married But Willing To Be”.
Nini and Treadwell call their unique photo collection an “accident”, meaning they never meant to become curators of a massive collection of LGBTQ photographs that hold significant historical importance. Instead, the photos were all found in flea markets, shoe boxes, family archives, estate sales, and old suitcases. After LOVING‘s release, the story of the book and how it came to be went viral, with articles appearing everywhere from CNN to RollingStone, The Washington Post, and more.
Now, Nini and Treadwell’s personal story, as well as the story of the photo collection has been turned into an hour-long documentary titled 100 Years of Men in Love: The Accidental Collection. The film will be making its world premiere in Los Angeles on March 23rd at the Los Angeles LGBT Center in Hollywood.
After its premiere in LA, the movie will begin streaming exclusively on the LGBTQ-themed network and streaming service, Here TV on March 25th.
Neal Treadwell stated, “Having our accidental collection take the form of a documentary is not something we could have ever imagined. When David Millbern, with HERETV, approached us with the idea in December of 2020 our initial reaction was, “surely we are the most boring subjects for a documentary ever.” But David and his production team saw what we couldn’t see. They produced a beautiful and sensitive telling of the story of our collection and the mostly-nameless couples that make it up. This documentary amplifies the message they sent to the future so many decades and centuries ago. Now, with 100 Years of Men in Love, these couples will tell their own story.”
100 Years of Men in Love will premiere on Here TV on March 25th.
