Montreal – Two filmmakers with an avid interest in the city’s cultural history are creating a documentary about one of its largely forgotten photographers.

In What Stone Saw, a TV hour currently in post, Philip Lewis and Jean-François Monette examine the legacy and life of Alan B. Stone, a pioneering photographer who shot hundreds of male-physique photos in the ’50s and ’60s. Lewis, a film publicist, came across Stone’s work while doing research at the Quebec Gay Archives.

‘I was extremely impressed with the sheer volume of Stone’s work, not to mention how artfully done his shots were,’ he says. The archives acquired the entire Stone collection after his death in 1992.

Lewis learned that Montreal had been a center for male-physique photography in the ’50s and ’60s. He and archives cofounder Ross Higgins began to discuss the idea of a documentary, and approached Monette (Anatomy of Desire, Take Out) about being co-director.

Aside from the male-physique photography, Stone captured a broad spectrum of other subjects in his work. ‘Stone also did extensive travel and landscape photography,’ notes Monette. ‘We were impressed with the scope and choice of his subjects. And Stone seemed to have a sense of humor in much of his nude work – the photos themselves are great fun.’

While Higgins authored the script, Monette and Lewis managed to track down some subjects from Stone’s photos, including a number of his models and Stone’s sister.

‘One of the male-physique models is married now, with children, and works for a bank in Montreal,’ says Monette. ‘But he was very happy to be interviewed about doing the photography all those years ago. Back then, most of this erotica had to be done entirely under the radar.’

‘We’re extremely thrilled with the material we’ve found on Stone,’ adds Lewis. ‘He was a true pioneer in his field and added a great deal to the art of photography in Canada and internationally.’

Produced by Lisa Cochrane of Amérimage-Spectra, What Stone Saw will air in the spring on Bravo! and on Canal D in a French version.