Plot

James Broughton's remarkable story spans a lifetime of acclaim for his joyous experimental films and poetry celebrating the human body, finding his soulmate at age 61 and finally, his ascendancy as a revered bard of sexual liberation.

What or who is Big Joy? Big Joy is James Broughton, pioneer of experimental cinema in the 1940s, and trickster poet who was a precursor to the beat movement in San Francisco. BIG JOY is a documentary that explores the twists and turns in the life of a very colorful character, plus how art has the power to save lives and make the world a better place. Broughton is a role model of living one's life to the fullest, or "follow your own weird" as he called it. BIG JOY features interviews with experts, colleagues, friends and lovers, plus images from his films, and the words of many of his kooky poems.

Big Joy: The Adventures of James Broughton chronicles the idiosyncratic life and groundbreaking work of this influential poet and filmmaker. Like a gay, hippie version of Zelig, this Renaissance man lived many lives through many decades- a playwright in post-war San Francisco, a filmmaking career that culminated in a special prize at Cannes and an academic life that fostered his experimental work of the 1960s through 1980s. "The Bed," with its liberal use of nudity, broke new ground in U.S. cinema and censorship. Although Broughton's personal life included a marriage and three children, it wasn't till he met a male student 35 years his junior that he found the way to live the transcendent life he espoused. This film will inspire you to do the same!