In front of an audience at the Miami Film Festival's GEMS event, the trailblazing filmmaker reflects on helping to usher in New Queer Cinema with 'Mala Noche' and 'My Own Private Idaho'; subsequently jumping between mainstream films, like 'Good Will Hunting' and 'Milk,' and experimental works, like 'Elephant'; why he came close to directing, but did not direct, 'Brokeback Mountain,' 'Call Me by Your Name' and '50 Shades of Grey'; and returning to feature filmmaking, after seven years away, with a film that is set in the '70s but is eerily timely today.

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