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From the "Biz" Archives:
by Eugene Hernandez/indieWIRE, with a report from Carl Russo
>> San Francisco Announces Lineup for 24th Lesbian and Gay Film Festival
(indieWIRE/6.1.00) -- The 24th San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay
Film Festival is bracing for a lineup of 270 works with more US premieres
than ever, killer lesbians, gay caballeros, and a mascara showdown between
Tammy Faye and local drag queens.
The fest opens June 15 with Patrik-Ian Polk's "Punks" (Edmonds
Entertainment), a musical adventure focusing on the lives of
African-American men in Los Angeles, and closes June 25 with Jamie Babbit's
"But I'm a Cheerleader" (Lions Gate) a portrait of teen angst starring
Natasha Lyonne. SF's Castro, Roxie and Victoria theaters are hosting.
Four US films will see world premieres, including two set in SF's Latino
Mission District: Mary Guzman's debut feature "Desi's Looking for a New
Girl" and James Bolton's "Eban and Charley." Several European titles --
three are part of a wild Spanish feature sidebar -- make up the US preems,
among them Miguel Garcia Borda's "Everything Happens to Me" (Spain), Jochen Hick's "No One Sleeps" (Germany), Vincent Dieutre's "Tenebrae Lessons" (France), and Aisling Walsh's "Forgive and Forget" (UK).
The hotly anticipated second season of "Queer as Folk" -- Russell T. Davies'
racy gay soap that shocked British TV audiences -- will screen along with a
repeat of the original eight episodes. "QAF2" continues the misadventures of
Vince and Stuart in 90-minute feature form, directed by Menhaj Huda.
Celebrated critic B. Ruby Rich will offer an evening of film clips and
commentary on June 19 titled "Killer Lesbians," exploring the filmic world
of "bad butches, vixens, femme fatales, school girls and vampires." The
theme will be scattered throughout the fest with screenings running the
gamut from "Heavenly Creatures" to "Bound" to "Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!"
A lack of A-list stars this year won't dampen the excitement.
Ex-televangelist Jim Bakker's onetime sidekick Tammy Faye Bakker Messner
will doubtless receive a heroine's welcome in the Castro District when she
rides in with "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" on June 17. Filmmakers Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey are also expected to be on hand to discuss their
documentary. Homegirl Margaret Cho will take the stage June 23 to present
her filmed stage show "I'm the One That I Want." And edgy French director
Francois Ozon ("Sitcom") will introduce his two latest features, "Criminal
Lovers" and "Water Drops on Burning Rocks," along with a number of his
shorts.
Experimental filmmaker Barbara Hammer will receive this year's Frameline
Award for "outstanding achievement in lesbian and gay media arts." A
retrospective of Hammer's films will include the world premiere of the final
chapter of her lesbian trilogy, "History Lessons," on June 21.
Competing for the $10,000 Dockers Khakis First Feature Award are 17 films,
including Esther Bell's "Godass" (US), Panos H. Koutras' "The Attack of the Giant Moussaka" (Greece), Jorge Manzano's "Johnnie Greyeyes" (Canada), and Samantha Lang's "The Well" (Australia). [Carl Russo]
[For information call (415) 703-8663 or visit http://www.frameline.org.]
>> Lot 47 Nabs Two More Cannes Competition Entries; Sony Classics Takes Two Too
(indieWIRE/6.1.00) -- Lot 47 Films, the new distribution outfit headed by
Jeff Lipsky, was apparently pretty busy at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival,
the company has acquired two more movies from the event. The company bought
the North American rights to Amos Kollek's "Fast Food, Fast Women," which screened in competition, and Im Kwon Taek's Korean competition entry,
"Chunhyang."
Kollek's "Fast," an American submission starring Anna Thompson, is a
romantic comedy that, while not well-received by American critics at Cannes,
was endorsed by Euro attendees probably due to Thompson's popularity with
French and European audiences. She gained popularity in France from
Kollek's "Sue" and also starred in his other feature, "Fiona."
Im Kwon Taek's Korean competition entry, "Chunhyang," written by Kim Myoung
Kon, was a well-receieved entry that was among the more accessible Asian
festival entries. Im Kwon Taek has been heralded as a leader of a new
generation of Korean filmmakers.
"Chunhyang is an instant classic," commented Lot 47 President Jeff Lipsky.
"It conveys the emotions of, emulates the grandeur of, and is as accessible a story as
'Romeo & Juliet.'"
Meanwhile, Sony Classics has reportedly also grabbed two Cannes movies, Anh Hung Tran's Un Certain Regard film, "A La Verticale De L'Ete," from Vietnam and Marleen Gorris' "The Luzhin Defense." ScreenDaily reported that the company is close to a deal on "V,erticale" a movie that was considered beautiful, but inaccessible by some Cannes attendees. Additionally, Gorris'
"Defense," which screened in the Market, was poorly received at the
Festival. The director is best known in America for her Oscar-winner,
"Antonia's Line" and "A Question of Silence." [Eugene Hernandez]
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