Haynes ' feature directorial debut , '' Poison '' ( 1991 ) , a provocative , three-part exploration of AIDS-era queer perceptions and subversions , established him as a formidable talent and figure of a new transgressive cinema . '' Poison '' won the Sundance Film Festival 's Grand Jury Prize and is regarded as a seminal work of New Queer Cinema . Haynes received further acclaim for his second feature film '' Safe '' ( 1995 ) , a symbolic portrait of a housewife who develops extreme allergic reactions to her suburban life . '' Safe '' was later voted the best film of the 1990s by '' The Village Voice '' Film Poll . Haynes ' next feature , '' Velvet Goldmine '' ( 1998 ) , is a tribute to the 1970s glam rock era , drawing heavily on the rock histories and mythologies of David Bowie , Iggy Pop , and Lou Reed . The film received the Special Jury Prize for Best Artistic Contribution at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival and an Academy Award nomination for Best Costume Design
1998 Cannes Film Festival
1998 Cannes Film Festival
Todd Haynes