ABSTRACT
Desert Hearts was at once representationally groundbreaking and formally traditional. Although the film’s director, Donna Deitch, investigated working with established production companies, she was unable to find the support she needed in Hollywood. Instead, she worked tirelessly for years to assemble the film’s production budget through grassroots fundraising methods. Desert Hearts had to follow an independent filmmaking approach because of the subject matter – two women falling in love in 1950s Reno. Deitch’s efforts paid off and the film achieved cult status for portraying a lesbian love story that pulled from conventions of the romance genre. While some audiences had hesitations over the film’s artistic value, it became a clear financial and representational success story and furthered the development of LGBTQ filmmaking.
