UA film student's "Desert Hate" to be screened with other progressive short films

A documentary concerning the February stabbing of a gay UA student will be exhibited as part of an upcoming film screening of national and local progressive video makers.

However, the attack is not the focus of the eight-minute "Desert Hate," said filmmaker Robert Luna, a University of Arizona media arts senior.

"The stabbing itself is a metaphor for what's going on," Luna said. "To do something like that is not that typical, but what it represents is extremely typical."

Luna said he wants his audience to come away from the movie with a message of hope - the documentary, Luna said, is an illustration of how the gay community comes together and supports itself, especially at times of crisis.