Fallout after Milk director Van Sant reveals next City Hall-based film project

April 2, 1:52 PMSF Education ExaminerCaroline Grannan

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Midler in the $%#*ing role of a lifetime?

Yesterday's (that's 4/1) news from Coleman Advocates for Children & Youth:

"MILK" DIRECTOR'S PLAN FOR NEW SF-BASED FILM "BRODKIN" LEADS TO BACKLASH

Gus Van Sant, Director of the critically-acclaimed documentary "Milk", publicly announced this week his plans to begin production of a new documentary, entitled "Brodkin". The new film will focus on Margaret Brodkin, the former Director of San Francisco City Hall's  Department of Children, Youth and Families, who sparked Van Sant's interest because of her work on the creation of the nationally-recognized Children's Fund. Van Sant expressed that he has been considering her a subject for several months and had been in conversation with Brodkin and others within the San Francisco political scene, as he conducted preliminary research.

An unnamed source from the Mayor's Office said that Newsom was told of Van Sant's intentions in January and was outraged, since his political consultant Eric Jaye had been lobbying Van Sant for some time to produce a film entitled, "Gavin". The source shared that while Newsom had had disagreements with Brodkin for some time, it was this news that really led to her dismissal as the Director of DCYF in early February.

"I am just so excited that the Children's Fund will finally get the respect it deserves," said Brodkin. "It is fantastic to be recognized!" She would not comment on whether the controversy around the documentary had any relationship to the Mayor dismissing her from DCYF. She did say, however, that "I know Bette Midler and Meryl Streep are both vying for the leading role, and I really hope Bette gets it, because I really admire how she cusses like a sailor."