I think I had the best seat in the, er, house. (Images by Matthew Rettenmund)

I was fortunate to be invited to a special screening of actor Russell Tovey's documentary directorial debut, Life Is Excellent. The film is his love letter to the late queer artist David Robilliard, whose career burned brightly, but briefly, in the '80s before he was cut down by AIDS in 1988.

The movie communicates why Robilliard's fans admire his offbeat, poetic, heartbreaking, word-driven paintings, and asks questions about why he isn't honored in his hometown when his work is in the collections of such institutions as the MoMA and the Tate.

After, Tovey spoke at length about his drive to complete the film, and kindly signed my poster. Charming guy, and quite funny — he pointed out all his own different looks throughout the movie, which came about because he made it over two years and through several roles of his own.

Watch the whole Q&A ...