i'm gonna make you love me

- Premiering at DOC NYC 2019
Fellini meets Motown in I’m Gonna Make You Love Me, the tragi-comedic tale of one man’s search for self-acceptance, a journey that included tabloid celebrity, Tupperware parties, and two coming outs – first as a straight woman, then as the gay man he was born to be.
I’m Going to Make You Love Me is a full-length documentary about the life of Brian Belovitch, who in the 1980s, as a transgendered woman named Tish, was one of New York’s most famous downtown divas. “Tish was a glamorous busty lusty Fellini-esque beauty, cabaret chanteuse, party and good time girl,” says journalist Michael Musto, in the film. Then, after more than a decade as Tish, she transitioned back to Brian. Now in his sixties, Brian’s iterations include army wife and loving husband; sex worker; club performer; actor; author; AIDS survivor and playwright. Today, he’s a substance abuse counselor for the LGBTQ community. His unique odyssey is a moving and thought-provoking look at gender identity. It’s also a love story, a tale of survival and a colorful hearkening back to a gritty Manhattan and the glory days of access TV. That Brian considers his initial transition a mistake will likely cause a stir among certain progressive circles and wrongly appeal to right wing narratives. While such a response points to a type of conservatism worth exploring, IGTMYLM is not political or a polemic. It’s about the universal desire to feel comfortable in one’s own skin, and the reality that some of us have to work much harder to get there.
World’s premiere
Countdown
I'm Gonna Make You Love Me is premiering at DOC NYC 2019.