Milk is based on the life of Harvey Dent.
Milk is a 2008 American biographical film based on the life of gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk , who was the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California , as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors . Attempts to put Milk 's life to film followed a 1984 documentary of his life and the aftermath of his assassination , titled The Times of Harvey Milk , which was loosely based upon Randy Shilts 's biography , The Mayor of Castro Street ( the film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for 1984 , and was awarded Special Jury Prize at the first Sundance Film Festival , among other awards ) .