One of the few openly gay directors in Hollywood, Paul Bartel is a visual satirist who has directed a range of bawdy, violent, sophisticated and nearly always controversial films. His work is distinguished primarily by its subject matter rather than by its style.Bartel's interest in film began at the age of nine. He went to the movies often, frequently at a film club which showed 16mm prints of silent and classic works. By the age of 11, animation had captured his imagination. Influenced by Disney's "Pinocchio" and "Fantasia", Bartel decided that he wanted to direct animated films. At age 13,
