Eikenberry & Tucker Win MGLFF Award for Documentary

Emile Norman - by his own design, a new documentary co-produced by theatre stars Jill Eikenberry and Michael Tucker, has won the Audience Award for Best Documentary, sponsored by HBO, at the 9th Annual Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.

The 9th Annual Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, which began on April 27th, ran in Florida through May 6th of this year.

The documentary is co-produced by Eikenberry, Tucker and director Will Parrinello.  "In Emile Norman-by his own design we are introduced to the genius of a brilliant artist, a hidden treasure in the pantheon of openly gay artists. From his humble beginnings on a ranch in the San Gabriel Valley, Emile quickly progressed into designing window displays for department stores and creating headdresses for movie musicals. Along the way, he met Brooks Clement, his repairman, and fell passionately in love. They shared their lives for 30 years thereafter, living together as an openly gay couple in the 1940's and 50's in the picturesque town of Big Sur," according to the MGLFF website.

"His intricate wood-inlay art technique and murals led Emile to New York City, where success was short lived with the arrival of abstract expressionism and the likes of Jackson Pollock. Though relatively unknown today outside of his native California, the artist's famous neighbors Jill Eikenberry and Michael Tucker (of television's "LA Law" fame) decided that Norman's work and extraordinary life merited being documented. Director Will Parrinello does a superb job of showcasing the exceptional artistry of Norman and the tender love he shared with the man who told him to 'do the artwork and I'll show the world what you're doing.'"

Eikenberry has appeared on Broadway in Onward Victoria, Watch on the Rhine and Summer Brave, among others.  Off-Broadway credits include A Picasso, Lemon Sky and Uncommon Women and Others.  Tucker's Broadway credits include The Goodbye People and Trelawney of the 'Wells.'  Off-Broadway, he has appeared in such plays as Based on a Totally True Story, I'm Not Rappaport and Measure for Measure.  Together, the actors (who are married) have been seen on Broadway in Moonchildren and on the popular series "L.A. Law."

Other documentaries by Parrinello include Dreaming of Tibet, Global Focus - The New Environmentalists, Little Italy and Kerouac.

Visit www.miamigaylesbianfilm.com for more information.  Visit www.tuckerberry.com for more on Tucker and Eikenberry.