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 May 9, 2008 NEWFEST '08 | 20th Anniversary Marked With 250 Films, New Additions
The New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Film Festival (NewFest) announced the program of films and events for its 20th annual edition. The line-up features nearly 250 films, representing over 30 countries, and including 49 New York Premieres, 14 U.S. Premieres and 8 World Premieres. "Each year we try to make NewFest bigger and better than the last one," Basil Tsiokos, Artistic Director of NewFest in a statement. Among the new additions is NewDraft Screenplay Competition & Reading Series, which is discovering and fostering LGBT features screenwriters and their screenplays. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Festival News, Lineups, Queer Cinema ] May 6, 2008 iW NEWS | "Tru Loved" and "World" to Bookend 20th NewFest
Stewart Wade's romantic comedy "Tru Loved" will open the 20th NewFest: The New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Film Festival, taking place June 5 - 15. Closing the event is Tom Gustafson's "Were the World Mine." "Especially in a milestone year such as this, we want to bring NYC an even better LGBT film festival than the year before," commented NewFest artistic director Basil Tsiokos in a statement. "Along with an extremely strong lineup of films and panels, we're offering a few brand new special additions to our programming. This year introduces the John Outcalt NewFest Lounge where audiences and filmmakers alike can relax between screenings." The NewFest Lounge will be located at the HK Lounge on Ninth Avenue at 39th Street in Manhattan. [Brian Brooks]  [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Queer Cinema ] iW NEWS | "Heaven," "Chris & Don" Top Miami Gay & Lesbian Winners
The 10th Annual Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival closed for business, announcing a series of juried and audience awards presented at the Gala Closing night party at the Miami Art Space. Fatih Akin's "The Edge of Heaven" won the jury's fiction feature award, while Guido Santi and Tina Mascara's "Chris & Don: A Love Story" won the juried documentary award. Audience awards were handed out to Shamim Sarifis's "The World Unseen" for favorite feature, Scott Bloom's "Call Me Troy" for documentary, and Jesse Peretz's "Who I Am" for short. [Peter Knegt] [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Honors, Queer Cinema ] May 1, 2008 DISPATCH FROM MIAMI | Miami Gay Fest Tosses on the Go-Go Boots and Throws a Bash
It's hard to believe that it's only the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival's 10th anniversary. In only a decade, it has established itself as the first major stop on the annual U.S. gay and lesbian festival circuit. Filmmakers, sponsors and audiences alike have jumped at the invitation to spend time amongst Miami's famed art deco facades, shirtless rollerbladers, and endless parade of girls pulling at their short skirts and falling over their heels. It's a distinctly Miami affair. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Festival Dispatches, Lead Story, Queer Cinema ] April 27, 2008iW NEWS | "La Leon" Tops Torino GLBT Fest's Awards
The Torino GLBT Film Festival wrapped up its 23rd year Sunday with the jury announcing the festival's winners. Argentinean film "La Leon," directed by Santiago Otheguy, won best feature film. Special jury prizes for feature filmmaking also went to Julia von Heinz's "Was Am Ende Zaehit" and Christophe Honore's "Les Chansons d'Amour." The best short film prize went to Brazillian Esmir Filho's "Alguma Coisa Assim," while the best documentary winner was Parvez Sharma's "A Jihad For Love." Tom Gustafson's "Were The World Wine" won the feature film audience award and"Darling! The Pieter-Dirk Uys Story," directed by Julian Shaw, won the documentary audience award. The festival screened more than 270 films over 9 days and saw a 15% increase in attendance over 2007. [Peter Knegt] [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Queer Cinema ] March 27, 2008iW NEWS | Verzaubert Fest Set for German Tour
The Verzaubert International Queer Film Festival, the largest queer film festival in Germany -- touring Munich, Frankfurt, Cologne and Berlin -- will kick-off on April 2nd with Tom Kalin's "Savage Grace." The fest's closing night film is Christophe Honore's "Love Songs" (Les Chansons D'Amour) and the director's spotlight selection is Lee Friedlander's "Out At The Wedding." The festival continues through April 23rd in Germany. For more information, please visit the festival website. [Eugene Hernandez] [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Queer Cinema ] March 26, 2008 indieWIRE INTERVIEW | "A Four Letter Word" Director Casper Andreas
Director Casper Andreas' second feature film, "A Four Letter Word," stars Jesse Archer (who co-wrote the film with Andreas) as Luke, a gay man whose promiscuous ways are challenged when he falls for Luke (Charlie David). The film is Andreas' follow-up to 2004's "Slutty Summer," won best feature film at the Fort Worth Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, and a special jury prize for best screenplay at Outfest. indieWIRE talked to Andreas about the film, which is being self-released by the director on March 28 in New York City and April 11 in Los Angeles. [ read more in People ] [ 1 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, Lead Story, Queer Cinema ] March 24, 2008iW NEWS | Miami Gay & Lesbian Fest Celebrates 10
The 10th Annual Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival unveiled their lineup of gay, lesbian and transgender films to be featured in the 10 day event from April 25-May 4, 2008. In addition, the Miami fest will launch a supplementary Fort Lauderdale Gay & Lesbian Film Festival running May 1-4, 2009. "This year's festival, on the occasion of our 10th anniversary includes 95 films from 22 different countries, with screenings held across ten days at five different venues throughout Miami, South Beach, and Fort Lauderdale with over 100 filmmakers already confirmed to attend," said Festival Director Carol Coombes in a statement. "I am truly grateful to all the filmmakers and distributors who have worked with me to enable us to present a truly fabulous line-up for 2008." The Miami fest will open with Laurie Lynd's "Breakfast with Scot and close with Thomas Gustafson's "Were the World Mine," while the Fort Lauderdale event will bookend with two documentaries, Johnny Symon's "Ask Not" and Scott Bloom's "Call Me Troy." Producer Christine Vachon will be honored with the MGLFF Career Achievement Award, and her latest work, Tom Kalin's "Savage Grace" will have its Florida premiere as part of the festival. For a full schedule, including panels and special events, check out the festival's website. [Peter Knegt] [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Queer Cinema ] February 12, 2008iW NEWS | here! Acquires "Trevor"
here! Films, the theatrical distribution and worldwide sales division of here! Networks, has announced that it has acquired the United States and Canadian distribution rights to the film "Holding Trevor" from Stray Films LLC. The film, the directorial debut of Rosser Goodman, has so far has played at the gay film festivals Outfest 2007, Frameline 2007, and the 2007 Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. It will be released theatrically in May 2008. [Peter Knegt] [permalink] [ filed under Acquisitions, Queer Cinema ] January 30, 2008 REVIEW | Caught in the Middle: Andre Techine's "The Witnesses"
[An indieWIRE review from Reverse Shot.] Once again, with his new film "The Witnesses," great French filmmaker Andre Techine surveys the intersections of sexuality and politics, while offering up a compelling study in human strength and weakness. Instructive without ever falling into cheap bromides, dramatic without ever veering into overzealous melodrama, "The Witnesses" is a penetrating, even essential narrative. Techine is fascinated by the ways in which lives interact, personalities cross-pollinate, wounds are compounded, exacerbated, or even healed, yet never in that increasingly mundane American style of overlapping stories that prize fate or coincidence; he paints specifically, creating not vague character sketches but full lives, however defined by enigma or contradiction. Here, as in his superlative (and admittedly more vivid) "Wild Reeds," Techine introduces complicated people who may evolve throughout the course of the narrative but who are also unavoidably wedded to their specific time and place in history. [ read more in Movies ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Queer Cinema, Reviews, World Cinema ] SF Chronicle: Picturing Harvey Milk
"Milk," which stars Sean Penn as the groundbreaking gay politician, won't be in theaters until some time next year. But the making of the film on the streets of San Francisco excavates a potent piece of the city's history. Steven Winn reports. [permalink] [ filed under Production, Queer Cinema ] January 24, 2008 PARK CITY '08 DISPATCH | Queer Cinema Then and Now at Sundance '08
Park City coverage sponsored by BE KIND REWIND. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 1 comments ] [ filed under Festival Dispatches, Lead Story, Park City, Queer Cinema ] January 21, 2008iW NEWS | GLAAD Announces Media Award Nominees
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) announced the nominees and honorees for its 19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards at a press conference held at Queer Lounge in Park City, Utah. The three nominees for best film in wide release were "Across The Universe," "The Jane Austen Book Club" and "Stardust," while nominees for best film in limited release were "The Bubble," "Dirty Laundry," "Itty Bitty Titty Committee," "Nina's Heavenly Delights" and "Whole New Thing." The documentary nominees were "Camp Out," "Cruel and Unusual: Transgender Women in Prison," "For The Bible Tells Me So," "Freddie Mercury: Magic Remixed" and "Small Town Gay Bar." "This year's extraordinary nominees exemplify the important strides we have made as a community toward creating a truly inclusive society," said GLAAD President Neil G. Giuliano in a statement. The GLAAD Media Awards ceremonies will be held in New York on March 17, 2008 at the Marriott Marquis; in South Florida at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on April 12; in Los Angeles on April 26 at the Kodak Theatre; and in San Francisco on May 10 at the San Francisco Marriott. For a complete list of nominees, please go to GLAAD's wesbite. [Peter Knegt] [permalink] [ filed under Honors, Queer Cinema ] January 20, 2008  PARK CITY '08 | Araki, La Bruce, Kalin and Julien
Park City coverage sponsored by BE KIND REWIND. At a dinner Saturday night hosted by Frameline, IFC Films, and Strand Releasing, filmmakers Gregg Araki ("The Living End"), Bruce La Bruce ("Otto or Up With Dead People", Tom Kalin ("Savage Grace") and Isaac Julien ("Derek") pose for iPOP.[ read more in iPOP ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Park City, Queer Cinema, Sundance Film Festival ] January 18, 2008iW NEWS | Diego Luna Joins "Milk"
Mexican actor Diego Luna has joined the cast of Gus Van Sant's Harvey Milk biopic, "Milk." The Focus Features projects previously announced cast members Sean Penn, James Franco, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch and Victor Garber. Luna last appeared as a Michael Jackson impersonator in Harmony Korine's "Mister Lonely." [Peter Knegt] [permalink] [ filed under Biz, Queer Cinema ] iW NEWS | "The Living End: Remixed and Remastered" at Sundance and Berlin
Strand Releasing and Fortissimo Films will team to present Greg Araki's "The Living End: Remixed and Remastered" at both the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and the Berlin International Film Festival. The two companies are collaborating to restore and present Araki's 1992 film, which will be presented tonight as part of Sundance's Collection Series and then again on February 8th in Berlin. Araki will present the film at both festivals. [Peter Knegt] [permalink] [ filed under Events, Queer Cinema ] November 15, 2007iW NEWS | image+nation Celebrates 20
Canada's oldest and largest LBGT film festival, image+nation, kicks off its twentieth anniversary tonight in Montreal. Among the highlights are screenings of Eytan Fox's "The Bubble," Duncan Roy's "The Picture of Dorian Gray," Martin Weisz's "Butterfly: A Grimm Love Story," "Alan Cumming's "Suffering Man's Charity", Laurie Lynd's "Breakfast With Scot," Teddy Award winner "Spider Lillies" and Leesong Hee-il's "No Regret," the first South Korean feature by an openly queer director. The festival will be supplemented by an international workshop focusing on "the past, present and future of LGBT culture and film," with speakers including John Greyson, Patricia White, B. Ruby Rich, Barbara Hammer, Wieland Speck and Frameline's Michael Lumpkin. The festival runs until Sunday, November 25. [Peter Knegt] [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Queer Cinema ] November 1, 2007 indieWIRE INTERVIEW | "Fat Girls" Director Ash Christian
Actor/director Ash Christian's "Fat Girls" center on Rodney (Christian) and his Rubenesque friend Sabrina (Ashley Fink) are valiantly suffering through the indignity known as high school. Both are outcasts; he's gay and she's overweight. Trapped in a small Texas town and having come to accept his "fat girl" within, Rodney is an aspiring Broadway star who musters up the energy to confront his fears and take life -- and the hot new student from England -- by the horns. "Fat Girls" won best feature at the North Carolina, Birmingham and Indianapolis gay fests as well as the "Coup de Coeur" at the Image + Nation Montreal gay fest. Regent Releasing opens the film in limited release Friday, November 2. [ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, Queer Cinema ] October 2, 2007 iW REVIEW | Gays and the Good Book: Daniel Karslake's "For the Bible Tells Me So"
EDITORS NOTE: This review was originally published during the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. Smorgasbord moviemaking means director and co-writer Daniel Karslake can tell the stories of five conservative families grappling with gay children in his sprawling social message film "For the Bible Tells Me So." The fact that the religious right uses a literal, and arguably incorrect, interpretation of the Bible is nothing new and Karslake (working with screenwriter Nancy Kennedy) offers no additional insights into the culture war between evangelicals and the gay community. [ read more in Movies ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Documentary, Lead Story, Queer Cinema, Reviews ] September 20, 2007 REVIEW | Morning Glory: Zabou Breitman's "The Man of My Life"
[An indieWIRE review from Reverse Shot.] Ebbing and flowing on the buzz of one all-night conversation, French director Zabou Breitman's "The Man of My Life" sketches the blossoming relationship between two fortysomething men: the happily married Frederic and his unattached, gay neighbor Hugo. And though occasionally its strength is sapped by heavy-handed symbolic gestures, "The Man of My Life" is a surprisingly unsentimental take on somewhat dubious character types. Just when it seems like Breitman's made another case study in how much the free-spirited homo can teach the sheltered hetero, the director actually manages to free her two main men from the burden of most cliches. [ read more in Movies ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Queer Cinema, Reviews, World Cinema ] September 4, 2007 REVIEW | Return of the Repressed: William Friedkin's "Cruising"
[An indieWIRE Review from Reverse Shot.] There are untold artistic benefits to living in a culture of critical reassessment--otherwise, what would current generations think of "Vertigo?" But if the glut of superfluous "special edition" DVD packages over the past ten years is any indicator, then there are also some sorry side effects. Falling somewhere between the enshrined camp package ("Mommie Dearest"'s Hollywood Royalty Edition, complete with John Waters commentary track!) and the sober-minded resurrection of the long unavailable and disenfranchised as crucial artifact (the recent "Films of Alejandro Jodorowsky" box set, featuring "El Topo") will surely be Warner Home Video's imminent deluxe edition of William Friedkin's 1980 film maudit, "Cruising." [ read more in Movies ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Queer Cinema, Reviews ] September 3, 2007 REVIEW | Love Among the Ruins: Eytan Fox's "The Bubble"
[An indieWIRE Review from Reverse Shot.] Of course, it would follow that an Israeli filmmaker would center his films mostly around dichotomies, doubles, and impasses. Popular gay filmmaker Eytan Fox, whose previous two films, "Yossi and Jagger" and "Walk on Water," enjoyed healthy limited-run success in the U.S., returns with "The Bubble," and again proves that his strengths lie in establishing tender, fraught human relationships within volatile settings. Fox has a sharp ear and an open heart, and his characters' interactions are never less than believable, their struggles plainspoken and heartrending. Yet in shuttling these fragile souls through stock tragic frameworks, he sometimes undermines them, both personally and politically; though "The Bubble" makes for a mostly impassioned liberal plea, Fox's need to spin its central gay romance into a star-crossed present-day "West Bank Story" leads him to fall into some unnecessary stereotyping. Which is unfortunate since there's so much loveliness in "The Bubble." [ read more in Movies ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Queer Cinema, Reviews ] July 26, 2007iW NEWS | "Titty" and "Sickness" Among Top Philadelphia Gay Fest Winners
The 13th Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival cloed Tuesday with Jamie Babbit's "Itty Bitty Titty Committee" winning best feature and "In Sickness and in Health" taking best documentary. In other prizes, best male short went to "The Saddest Boy in the World," while the prize in the female category went to "Peace Talk." Eytan Fox's "The Bubble" won best feature in the audience category, while "Life of Reilly" by Frank L. Anderson and Barry Poltermann took best doc. The festival, which took place July 12 - 24 closed with C. Jay Cox's "Kiss The Bride." [Brian Brooks] [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Queer Cinema ] July 24, 2007Outfest Celebrates Silver with Films, a Legacy and a New Boom
It was a big year for Outfest, one of the nation's preeminent gay & lesbian film festivals, which concluded its 25th run on Monday in Los Angeles. To celebrate its silver anniversary festival organizers honored the history of queer cinema, publishing the "25 Films That Changed Our Lives," a list compiled from over 1,000 responses to their inquiries, and held special screenings for four of those films including "High Art," "I've Heard the Mermaids Singing," "Longtime Companion," and "Poison," the last accompanied by a tribute to actor and editor Jim Lyons. The big news, however, was the world premiere of Outfest's restoration of Bill Sherwood's landmark 1986 film "Parting Glances," one of the pioneer gay films from the early years of the AIDS epidemic. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Queer Cinema, Wrap Ups ] July 22, 2007 God Bless Tammy Faye Messner
[From the iPOP Archive.] ...it's EDT Saturday night, and we just heard Tammy Faye Messner has died... To break it down, she found--perhaps--a whole new crowd at Sundance when she was the 'belle of the ball' at an 'ice cream social' in support of her doc The Eyes of Tammy Faye by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato. Fast forward a few years later, and we will always remember when Ms. Messner and her family spent an afternoon with the gays and friends at the DGA in L.A. for an Outfest event... it was so full of fun laughs........ And she and her family were all about hanging out afterward giving hugs and kisses for all... it was kind of unbelievable... So, God bless you Tammy Faye...! God's coolest fan is there now... We love you... more from CNN/. [ read more in iPOP ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under People, Queer Cinema ] July 19, 2007iW NEWS | Short Slate Set for 2nd Faigele Film Fest
A joint effort between the Jewish Community Center of Manhattan and NewFest will mark the return of the Faigele Film Festival, New York's second annual Jewish LGBTQ film event. Set for screenings at the Upper West Side Jewish Community Center on July 30 and 31, screenings will include Barbara Hammer's "Lover Other," Dan Wolman's "Tied Hands," Xeth Feinberg's "Queer Duck: The Movie," and Craig Chester's "Adam & Steve." For more information, visit the JCC website. [Eugene Hernandez] [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Queer Cinema ] July 16, 2007iW NEWS | Here! Gets "Fat Girls"
Here! Films has acquired North American rights to Ash Christian's "Fat Girls," which debuted the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. The film is described (in an announcement) as a coming-of-age comedy about "the trials and tribulations of Rodney Miller (Christian), a gay theater-obsessed high school senior who has his heart set on becoming a Broadway star. With his overweight best friend and fellow social outcast Sabrina (Ashley Fink) by his side, the pair tries to find dates for their high school graduation dance sending them on a journey of self-discovery." It will be released theatrically by Here's sister company, Regent Releasing. Here! EVP Mark Reinhart negotiated the deal with Ronna Wallace representing the film. "We are thrilled to help bring Mr. Christian's debut project to theaters across the country," said Reinhart in a statement. "Fat Girls explores the angst and social isolation so many teenagers face as they struggle to fit in during the tough high school years. We hope audiences will fall in love with these characters." [Eugene Hernandez] [permalink] [ filed under Acquisitions, Queer Cinema ] July 14, 2007LAT: Outfest to lead a Bible study
"The struggles of queer Christians are uniquely dramatic and a large part of the drama stems from the fact that queer Christians are people that often find themselves ostracized from both their religious communities and the gay community at large," Outfest co-director of programming David Courier tell the LA Times, in a profile about the festival's five-film Queers in Christ, sidebar. Films in the section include Todd Holland's "The Believers," Daniel Karslake's festival centerpiece "For The Bible Tells Me So," David Lewis' "Rock Haven," Robert Cary's opening night film "Save Me," and Robert Nunez' "We're All Angels." The festival opened on Thursday and continues through July 23rd. [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Queer Cinema ] July 11, 2007Philadelphia Gay Fest to Fete Barbara Gittings
The Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival will fete LGBT equal rights advocate Barbara Gittings on July 14th, organizers announced. The event marks the announcement of a new award which the Philadelphia Film Society will present annually to a recipient in the entertainment industry who "stands for the gay/lesbian principles to which Gittings dedicated her life." In conjunction with the award, The Philadelphia Film Society will present a check for $1000 to the Barbara Gittings' Collection at the Free Library of Philadelphia, Independence Branch. [Brian Brooks] [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Queer Cinema ] June 27, 2007SF360: "Glue" and "Red Without Blue" Among Top Frameline Winners
Frameline31, the 31st San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival, closed Sunday, June 24, with a gala screening of Jamie Babbit's "Itty Bitty Titty Committee," produced by 2007 Frameline Award Winner Andrea Sperling. At Sunday night's Closing Night Party, Frameline31 organizers announced the Audience Award for Best Feature was given to Chris Kraus' "Four Minutes," a German drama that follows the volatile relationship between a convicted killer and the older piano teacher who takes her on as a pupil. Vince DiPersio's "Semper Fi: One Marine's Journey" took home the Audience Award for Best Documentary. Frameline Completion Fund winner "Pariah" (Dir. Dee Rees) took home the Audience Award for Best Short Film. The juried Frameline First Feature Award recognized "Glue," Argentine director Alexis Dos Santos' ode to budding adolescent sexuality. The Michael J. Berg Documentary Award, a $10,000 juried award recognizing the best documentary feature having its Bay Area premiere at the festival, was given to "Red Without Blue," Brooke Sebold, Benita Sills and Todd Sills' moving portrait of Mark and Clair, identical twins whose relationship must adapt when one of them transitions from male to female. SF360 reports. [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Queer Cinema ] June 22, 2007SFC: Frameline31
As Frameline31 irrefutably proves, it's a gay world after all, not to mention lesbian, bisexual and transgender. From a documentary about a twin boy who wants to be a girl to a film about a lesbian couple whose relationship is turned upside down by a teenage stowaway, to African American men living proudly on the down low, the LGBT film festival offers enough variety to spin heads, not to mention attitudes. David Wiegand reports. [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Queer Cinema ] June 19, 2007 FESTIVALS | Taking a Survey of Queer Film Screening at Frameline31
[Editor's Note: Dennis Harvey surveyed some of the films screening at Frameline in San Francisco ahead of the festival's opening on June 14 in indieWIRE's SF-based sister publication SF360. Frameline continues through June 24.] Once upon a time, the San Francisco International Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Film Festival--back when it was just plain SF Gay Film Fest--had trouble coming up with even enough titles to fill out one whole weekend. Gay cinema was not exactly plentiful, from any nation; arthouse distributors (let alone Hollywood studios) were loath to let their few relevant titles suffer the taint of playing an explicitly gay event. Now past its third-decade anniversary, SFILGBTFF--the producing organization keeps trying to change its public-recognition name to something more manageable, which this annum would be Frameline31--now has filmmakers and distributors banging on its door. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Festival Dispatches, Lead Story, Queer Cinema ] June 13, 2007iW NEWS | "A Four Letter Word" to Open 13th Philadelphia Gay Fest; Close with "Kiss the Bride"
Comedies "A Four Letter Word" by Casper Andreas and C. Jay Cox's "Kiss The Bride" will bookend the upcoming 13th Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, the Philadelphia Film Society, which organizes the event, has announced. Also joining this year's line up are 200 films from 28 countries in addition to guests Farley Granger, RuPaul, Charlie David, Craig Lucas, Tori Spelling and Lady Bunny. For more information, visit the festival's website. [Brian Brooks] [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Queer Cinema ] June 12, 2007 DISPATCH FROM NY | Riley" Wins NewFest Prize; "Save Me" Closes Event While Eyeing U.S. Release
A tender love story set within an ex-gay ministry in the Southwestern United States closed the 19th annual New Fest: The New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Film Festival on Sunday night in Midtown Manhattan. Robert Cary's "Save Me," starring Chad Allen, Judith Light and Robert Gant, drew a large crowd to the event's closing night, even as the annual Tony Awards were being presented at the same time across town. The film, a 2007 Sundance premiere, is set for an Autumn U.S. release from Roadside Attractions, according to those involved with the film, although Roadside said on Monday that an official deal announcement is premature. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Festival Dispatches, Lead Story, Queer Cinema ] May 7, 2007 FESTIVALS | Orange is the New Pink: The Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
The stars shone brightly on the ceiling of The Olympia Theater last week, while a Wurlitzer played to an excited audience for the opening of the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, which this year celebrated its 9th year of being one of the first stops in the country for LGBT films. Festival director Carol Coombes drew gasps in a ruffled orange skirt and sequined orange halter as she took to the stage to introduce British director Duncan Roy (previous MGLFF jury winner with 2002's "AKA") for his opening night film "The Picture of Dorian Gray" with the warning that just as Oscar Wilde's novel had drawn both praise and scathing criticism, so too might Roy's queer-themed update of the novel, set in 1980s New York. The titular portrait is modified with the ravages of age replaced with AIDS--which strongly divided its audience. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Queer Cinema, Wrap Ups ] May 2, 2007iW NEWS | 19th NewFest Stays Young With "Dorian Gray" Opener; "Save Me" To Close
NewFest: The 19th Annual New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Film Festival will kick off this year's event with Duncan Roy 's latest version of the classic Oscar Wilde novel, the "Picture of Dorian Gray," starring "7th Heaven"'s David Gallagher. Closing the fest will be the New York City premiere of Robert Cary 's drama "Save Me," which stars Chad Allen, Robert Gant and Judith Light. In a prepared statement, NewFest Artistic Director Basil Tsiokos remarked on the pleasures of bringing the festival's films to New York audiences for the first time, adding "as we approach the second decade of the festival, I am thrilled to present one of our best line-ups to date." Centerpiece films of the event will include Jamie Babbit 's "Itty Bitty Titty Committee" which stars Melonie Diaz, Nicole Vicius, Carly Pope, Daniela Sea, Melanie Mayron, and Leslie Grossman and Caspar Andreas ' "A Four Letter Word." NewFest will take place from May 31 - June 10 and will be hosted at the AMC Loews 34th Street Theater. The full program, schedule, and ticketing information will be available soon on the NewFest website. [Mark Rabinowitz] [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Queer Cinema ] December 12, 2006Fusion LGBT Fest Names Winners
Ray Yeung's "Cut Sleeve Boys" won the best feature prize at the recent 4th annual Fusion: the Los Angeles LGBT People of Color Film Festival, with the prize for best narrative short going to Quincy LeNear and Deondray Gossett's "The DL Chronicles, Episode: Robert." Best doc short went to "I'm Still Here: Becoming Legendary" by Reach LA. "We are proud to celebrate the winning directors and their films, and have been fortunate to share their talent and diverse visions," commented Kim Yutani, Outfest's Associate director of programming. "Their compelling stories and quality filmmaking have resonated with enthusiastic audiences this year." OUtfest programs the annual event. [Brian Brooks] [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Queer Cinema ] November 28, 2006"Good Boys" and "Love Sick" share image+nation LGBT Prizes
Israeli director Yair Hochner's "Good Boys" and Tudor Giurgiu's "Love Sick" shared the grand jury prize at the just completed 19th edition of the image+nation, Montreal's LGBT Film Festival. American Ash Christian won the "Coup de Coeur" prize for "Fat Girls," while Frederic Moffet's "Jean Genet in Chicago" took the grand jury prize in the shorts category. "Loving Annabelle" by Katherine Brooks won the audience prize for best feature, while Larry Grimaldi and Kirk Marcolina's "Camp Out" and Nancy Nicol's "La Politique du Coeur" shared the best doc nod. Sebastien Gauthier's "Vaguement Romantique" won best short in the audience category. [Brian Brooks] [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Queer Cinema ] July 26, 2006"Saint of 9/11" and "Boy Culture" Take Top Prizes at 12th Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
The 12th Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival ended Monday (July 24) with closing night films "Will You..." (world premiere) by Erin Greenwall and the Philadelphia debut of "Quinceanera" by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland. "Saint of 9/11" won both the audience and juried prizes in the documentary section, and is the second in PIGLFF's history to win both awards in the category. The juried prize for best feature film went to "Boy Culture" by Q. Allan Brocka and the audience nod in the category went to "A Love to Hide" by Christian Faure. Other prizes went to "Eye on the Guy: Alan B. Stone & the Age of Beefcake" (jury award for best short film - male) and "Rape for Who I Am" (jury award for best short film - female). The fest's audience award for best first feature, meanwhile, went to Ned Farr's "The Gymnast." The festival took place July 13 - 25. [Brian Brooks] [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Queer Cinema ] July 21, 2006Picture This Gets Award-Winning "A Love To Hide"
Picture This! Entertainment has acquired North American rights to the Outfest 2006 award winner, "A Love To Hide" (Un Amour A Taire). Christian Faure's film, described by the company as a "heart-wrenching gay drama set during the Nazi occupation of France in 1942," will be releases in the U.S. and Canada in November. The film shared the audience award for best feature and also won the jury and audience prizes at the 2006 Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, among numerous other fest awards. The deal was negotiated by Douglas Witkins, President of Picture This! Entertainment, and Dimitri Stephanides of TF1 International. "This picture depicts an important yet terrifying period in the history of gay people and all others who suffered under hatred and intolerance," Witkins said in a statement. "It should be a permanent and prominent component of everyone’s film collection, so as we celebrate our personal freedoms we never forget the not-to-distant past." [Eugene Hernandez] [permalink] [ filed under Acquisitions, Queer Cinema ] July 17, 2006 "Gymnast" Flies to Two Outfest Prizes
Ned Farr's "The Gymnast" took two prizes at the recently concluded Outfest: Los Angeles Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, including the event's juried OUTstanding American Narrative Feature award and the HBO OUTstanding First Narrative Feature nod, which is an audience prize. Also sharing fest honors were Amnon Buchbinder's "Whole New Thing" (OUTstanding International Narrative Feature) and Malcolm Ingram's Sundance 2006 film, "Small Town Gay Bar" (OUTstanding Documentary Feature). [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Queer Cinema, Winners ] July 14, 2006Herwitz Selling "Laundry"
The Film Sales Company has nabbed worldwide sales rights to Maurice Jamal's "Dirty Laundry. The film is the second feature from the filmmaker and recently screened at the Urbanworld Film Festival in New York and Frameline in San Francisco. Starring Loretta Devine, the film is the story of a Southern black family rocked by the news that their son is living under a pseudonym and with a white boyfriend. The film will screen this weekend at Outfest in Los Angeles and has secured the support of the Human Rights Campaign (the largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender political organization), which has been hosting additional screenings of the film. Announcing his organization's support of the film, HRC president Joe Solmonese said in a statement, "At the end of the day, this film will spark more conversations that will lead to the changing of hearts and minds.” [Eugene Hernandez] [permalink] [ filed under Movies, Queer Cinema ] July 12, 2006 "Another Gay Movie" Ushers In 12th Philadelphia Gay Fest
Todd Stephens' "Another Gay Movie" will open the 12th Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival Thursday night. The event, one of the largest gay fests on the east coast, continues through July 25 and will screen five world, one North American, three U.S. and six east coast debuts. The comedy is about four gay high school graduates who make a pact to lose their virginity before heading to college. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Festival News, Lead Story, Queer Cinema ] July 7, 2006Darryl Stephens to Receive Philadelphia Gay Fest Honor
Actor Darryl Stephens will be honored at the 12th Philadelphia Gay & Lesbian Film Festival taking place July 13 - 25. Stephens, best known as Noah Nicholson on Logo network's "Noah's Arc," will accept the fest's inaugural Rising Star Award on Saturday, July 15. From television to the big screen, Stephens began making a name for himself in the film industry with 2001's "Circuit" (Dirk Shafer) a PGLFF feature. This year, Stephens is back at the festival with two new films, "Another Gay Movie" (Todd Stephens) and "Boy Culture" (Q. Allan Brocka). [Brian Brooks] [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Queer Cinema ] July 6, 2006 Outfest Gears Up for 24th Edition and a Heavy Film/Party Line up
Los Angeles is gearing up for another large festival with the opening of the 24th edition of Outfest in downtown LA Thursday night. Outfest, the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Film Festival will debut at the historic Orpheum Theatre with Maria Maggenti's Sundance 2006 romantic comedy "Puccini for Beginners." The film centers on a New York writer who has recently become single, but finds herself enveloped in complicated relationships. The film will usher in a festival line up of 207 narrative and documentary shorts and features from 25 countries. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Lineups, Queer Cinema ] June 29, 2006 Frameline30: Mature and Still Hot
In some of life's occupations (and preoccupations), turning 30 is a point many would prefer to defer. Supermodels, acrobats, and San Francisco gay men among them. Yes, "maturity" is "nice" in theory -- but facial lines, thinning hair and a body-fat percentage that no longer stays low all by itself can seriously cramp a boy's lifestyle. Though not, of course, a bear's. On the other hand, longevity in gay institutions is always a plus, since our communities' public histories have been so short, as well as so often embattled by oppression, the AIDS epidemic, and other impediments to survival. Thus the 30th anniversary marked by this year's S.F. International LGBT Film Festival represents more than just a healthy and well-loved cultural treasure's long-term success story -- it offers a forum for the LGBT community to celebrate its own hard-won survival and progress. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 1 comments ] [ filed under Festival Dispatches, Queer Cinema ] June 20, 2006SF360: Tuesday: Julian Hernandez's "Broken Sky" and Joao Pedro Rodrigues's "Two Drifters" at the SF LGBT Film Festival
Two of the more ambitious movies at this year's San Francisco International LGBT Film Festivalprove that the handy (perhaps overly so) critical phrase "sophomore slump" is never entirely true. If even true at all: Joao Pedro Rodrigues's "Two Drifters," a follow-up to his 2000 debut feature "O Fantasma," is magnificent, and reflective of a formidable talent in bloom -- it's still not fully clear what more Rodrigues has to offer, because he's added twisted humor and unique spirituality to the carnal urban exploration of his first movie. Johnny Ray Huston reports. [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Queer Cinema ]  "Strangers with Candy" Do Apple
NewFest and indieWIRE hosted a conversation with "Strangers with Candy" director Paul Dinello and star Amy Sedaris at the Apple Store in New York's SoHo. The room was packed with loyal "Strangers" fans and Amy and Paul had them all rolling. NewFest executive director Basil Tsiokos (left) lead the Q&A with Sedaris and Dinello during the 90 minute program spotlighting the film which opened this year's NewFest. indieWIRE hosts monthly conversations with filmmakers and others at the Apple Store in downtown Manhattan. [ read more in iPOP ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Queer Cinema, indieWIRE Parties & Pics ]  "Gymnast" at Closing Night
Ned Farr, director of "The Gymnast," producer/star, Dreya Weber with producer Michael Carp last week at the closing night party for NewFest, New York's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Film Festival. "The Gymnast" won NewFest's best U.S. narrative feature prize. [ read more in iPOP ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under New York City Parties, Queer Cinema ]  "Available Men" at the Empire State
Hanging at a NewFest party at the Empire State Building last week, Cameron Yates (NewFest shorts programmer) and actor Brian Gattas, who starred in NewFest film, "Available Men," which won the audience award for short. [ read more in iPOP ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under New York City Parties, Queer Cinema ]  NewFest Closing
"Trembling Before G-d" director Sandi Simcha Dubowski, "Transamerica" producer Sebastian Dungan and Parvez Sharma at the closing night party for NewFest last week. Sharma is currently filming doc "In the Name of Allah" (working title), which takes a look at gay, lesbians and transgendered Muslims both in the West and in predominately Muslim countries. Dubowski is producing. [ read more in iPOP ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under New York City Parties, Queer Cinema ] June 15, 2006 NewFest Wraps of '06 Fest With Kudos for "Camp Out" and "The Gymnast"
NewFest, the New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Film Festival wrapped up Sunday, giving Larry Grimaldi and Kirk Marcolina the Showtime Vanguard Award. The doc, which premiered at the Cleveland International Film Festival, spotlights the first overnight camp for gay Christian youth, following the campers as they experience the "requisite gossip, crushes, and interpersonal conflicts of summer camp, as well as more serious discussions with camp staff on how to be true to both one's spirituality and one's sexuality." "Camp Out" also won the best documentary award at the festival. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Festival News, Lead Story, Queer Cinema ] June 7, 2006Frameline Turns 30 with "Puccini" and "Queens" and a Little XXX
The look is Little Red Book, and the contents of the bright red catalogue with an "XXX" on the cover for the 30th edition of Frameline's San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival are meant to evoke the cultural revolution this particular festival helped to build beginning in 1976. At age 30, however, the festival is the oldest and the largest on the now international circuit of lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender film festivals, and faces something of a repositioning task in a world where the highest profile films with queer themes reach all the way up to Oscar. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Lineups, Queer Cinema ] May 14, 2006 "Candy" and "Centimeters" Bookend 18th NewFest Queer Line up
NewFest, New York's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Film Festival has unveiled its 18th edition lineup featuring 230 films, including 45 features, 40 docs and 145 shorts. As previously announced the festival, taking place June 1 - 11, will open with the New York premiere of Paul Dinello's "Strangers with Candy," starring Amy Sedaris and Stephen Colbert, while the New York debut of "20 Centimeters," by Ramon Salazar will close out the event. In all, NewFest will screen 25 world premieres as well as ten U.S. and 36 New York debuts. Screenings will take place at the AMC Loews 34th St. Theater in Manhattan. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Lineups, Queer Cinema ] May 2, 2006"A Love To Hide" Sweeps Top Prizes At Miami Gay & Lesbian Fest
Christian Faure's "A Love To Hide," about a gay couple in Nazi occupied Europe who offer protection to a Jewish refugee during the war, took two top prizes at the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, which closed on April 30. The film won both the juried and audience awards for best fiction feature. The award for best juried documentary went to Malcolm Ingram's "Small Town Gay Bar," about two gay bars trying to survive in the homophobic bible belt of North East Mississippi. Other festival prizes include the audience favorite short, which was awarded to Shay Sellers for "The Black Box," a personal account of the filmmaker's transition from teen to womanhood, and the audience favorite documentary award for "Laughing Matters...More!", directed by Andrea Meyerson about four lesbian comedians. Ramon Salazar received the special jury award for Originality of Vision for his film "20 Centimeters." [Tamara Schweitzer] [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Queer Cinema ] April 20, 2006POWER UP Gets First Look Deal
The non profit, volunteer run gay studio Power Up has entered into a one year first look deal with the LOGO network for the acquisition of short films. Maureen Guthman, Vice-president of Acquisitions and Co-Productions at LOGO said they were "extremely impressed with the quality and talent of the POWER UP filmmakers." Guthman has already acquired many of the shorts from POWER UP that will play over the next month on The Click List: Best in Short Films which airs every Thursday at 10pm est. [Helen Silfven] [permalink] [ filed under Biz, Queer Cinema, Shorts ] April 6, 2006 "Queens" Reigns at 8th Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
The 2006 Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival has announced its eighth annual line up of galas, screenings, tributes and panels for its event taking place April 21 - 30. The festival will open with the East Coast premiere of Manuel Gomez Pereira's "Reinas (Queens) at the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Miami, ushering in the ten day event. The Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival will screen 83 films from around the world in its competition. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Lineups, Queer Cinema ] March 29, 2006AP: 'Brokeback' Takes Top Film at Gay Awards
"Brokeback Mountain" lost out in the best-picture Oscar race, but the film about the troubled love affair between two cowboys has taken the top film prize from a leading gay organization that monitors the media. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation presented the award Monday at a ceremony recognizing mainstream media for "fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community," the group said in a statement. Associated Press reports [permalink] [ filed under Queer Cinema ] March 13, 2006 Out to Sea: Marco Kreuzpaintner's "Summer Storm"
[indieWIRE's weekly reviews are written by critics from Reverse Shot.] Independent cinema was once regarded as the cinema of the disenfranchised. It's common knowledge now that the parameters of what was once defined as "indie" have been dissolved, and pat, mainstream, easy-to-swallow do-gooder liberal fantasies like "Good Will Hunting," "Chocolat," and "Crash," still labeled as independent, have all but replaced the films of the true trailblazers in the public eye. Likewise, the indie subsets, films made by those even further outside of the white straight male hegemony, films by African-Americans, gays, Hispanics, and other voices kept out of the mainstream except when propped up as comic relief stage right, have also descended into their own form of staleness. [ read more in Movies ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Queer Cinema, Reviews ] January 12, 2006TLA Gets Paige's "Uncle"
TLA Releasing has announced a deal for Queer As Folk star Peter Paige's "Say Uncle, acquiring the North American theatrical and home entertainment rights to the film. The company is planning a theatrical release this June and a DVD release this Fall. Paige wrote and directed the film and he also stars as a gay painter in the movie with Kathy Najimy who plays a a neurotic supermom. She co-stars with Anthony Clark, Lisa Edelstein, Melanie Lynskey, Jim Ortleib and Gabrielle Union. The film had its world premiere at Outfest and later played at multiple fests. [Eugene Hernandez] [permalink] [ filed under Acquisitions, Queer Cinema ] December 1, 2005 Thessaloniki Sees a Regime Change; Spotlights Newcomers
"I don't believe in God, but I believe in John Huston," Patrice Chereau noted last Tuesday in Thessaloniki, a northeastern port-city in Greece at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival. At the modest honorary ceremony celebrating Chereau's career and spotlighting his latest effort, "Gabrielle"--a mostly entertaining talkathon about a wife (Isabelle Huppert) who nearly cheats on her priggish spouse (Pascal Greggory) in 1912 Paris--the renowned director succinctly formulated a slogan suitable for the 46th rendition of Greece's main movie festival. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Queer Cinema, World Cinema, Wrap Ups ] November 26, 2005 Dispatch from Brazil: Mix Brasil Celebrates Record Attendance With Innovative Programming
It is one of Brazil's greatest contradictions that a deeply religious country is also one of the most sexually liberal societies in the developing world. Despite the influence of Catholicism and other fastly growing religions (Brazil is home to the world's largest number of Catholics), sexual minorities have a visibility in Brazil that makes it an anomaly among Latin countries. In such a unique context, the growing success of the Mix Brasil Film and Video Festival of Sexual Diversity - which celebrated its 13th year with record attendance in Sao Paulo from November 10-20 (and will tour abridged programs to Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia) - is an important exploration of film and sexuality in a pluralistic world. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 1 comments ] [ filed under Festival Dispatches, Lead Story, Queer Cinema, World Cinema ] November 10, 2005 Outfest Focuses on Diversity with 3rd Fusion Fest
Outfest is spotlighting diversity again this year with its third edition of Fusion: The Los Angeles LGBT People of Color Film Festival. Fusion, which bills itself as "the only multicultural, gender-inclusive film festival of its kind," will run November 11-13 in Los Angeles. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Festival News, Lead Story, Queer Cinema ] October 21, 2005 5 Questions for Susan Kaplan, director of "Three of Hearts"
For more than a year now, Susan Kaplan's "Three of Hearts" -- the story of a 'trinogomous' relationship between two men and a woman -- has been receiving overwhelming acclaim on the film festival circuit. Kaplan explores what might seem like a sensational subject in "Three of Hearts: A Postmodern Family," delving deeply into the lives of the three subjects and offering a distinctive portrait of a unique family, told over many years. The film shows what can be achieved through the patience and persistence of a talented filmmaker, editing hours and hours of footage into a compelling story. [ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Documentary, Interviews, Lead Story, Queer Cinema ] October 13, 2005 5 Questions for Tim Kirkman, Directors of "Loggerheads"
When we last checked in with Tim Kirkman, back at Sundance this year, he was anticipating his first trip to the Park City festival. At his first screening, he clutched a small camera and snapped a shot of the audience. At age 38, after making a pair of feature docs and even working for years at Miramax, Kirkman was thrilled to be in Utah as a Sundance virgin. Ten months later, his first narrative feature "Loggerheads," is about to open in theaters. Earlier this week we shared a few questions with Kirkman and he offered some answers. [ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Interviews, Queer Cinema ] September 13, 2005Filmmaker Thom Fitzgerald and the "AIDS THING"
Filmmaker Thom Fitzgerald is keeping a diary that is being published in CTV.ca about his experience at the Toronto International Film Festival with his feature, "3 Needles." He laments how a bout of the flu causes some concerns that his illness is far more severe due to his two past films featuring characters with AIDS: Even with the first film, The Event, which was about the right to die with dignity, I was often asked by journalists and fans if I was HIV-positive. Often with a furrowed brow, they demand "Wha |