Connecticut
Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
May
31-June 8, 2002
Schedule
in Brief
Do
You Take This Man?
(Pamela
S. Busch, USA 2001, 12 min)
This camp send-up of The Graduate
follows dykes on bikes as they race to stop a wedding.
(Leslie
Satterfield, USA 2000, 6 min) An
imagined imperfection leads to a woman’s intimate examination of her lover’s
body.
(Christine
J. Russo, USA 2001, 15 min)
Julie Brown and Stella Stevens co-star in this light-hearted tale of a
teen jock’s reluctant search for her first bra.
(Julian
Cautherley, USA 2000, 15 min) Two
skateboarders scour Los Angeles for the perfect skating venue. $40,000 and a sex
change later, they may find true love instead.
(Miles
Swain, USA 2002, 95 min) The 1970s
and 1980s witnessed the resurgence of political and legal discrimination against
homosexuality in America, encouraging tremendous activism within the gay
community. This film artfully interweaves footage of Anita Bryant’s anti-gay
crusade and Ronald Reagan’s neglect of the AIDS epidemic into the story of a
romance between two politically active young men. Jill St. John as an
ex-showgirl mom and a fey and funny Alexis Arquette are on hand as a closeted
conservative commentator reluctantly falls for a handsome gay activist.
Opening Night Reception to follow.
(Ryan
Butler, USA 2000, 28 min)
This powerful film documents the national controversy that erupted when a
loving lesbian couple decided to hold a commitment ceremony in a chapel at Wake
Forest University.
(Wenona Byrne, Australia 2000, 26 min) A personal odyssey of remembering, grief, and reconciliation unfolds as a young man and his boyfriend return home to care for his dying dad.
(Arthur Dong, USA 2002, 75 min, www.deepfocusproductions.com) This compelling documentary examines the intriguing family situations where parents have a history of actively opposing gay rights, despite having gay kids themselves.
Evening Program
7:30 pm
(Jonathan
Gann, USA 2001, 9 min, www.cyberslutmovie.com)
A wry, risqué look at the budding romance between gay man and machine,
this film accompanies a lonely cyber geek on a virtual tour of on-line
personals, chat rooms and porn sites.
(Kara
Herold, USA 2000, 18 min) Hilarious
spoofs of 1950s educational films set the stage for this celebration of
"girl zines," alternative magazines created by women.
(Antonio Hens, Spain 2000, 17 min, www.picturethisent.com) A teenager with too much time on his hands frequents the men’s room at the local shopping mall. (Spanish with English subtitles)
(Susan
Seidelman, Spain/USA 2001, 93 min, www.lolafilms.com)
From the director of Desperately Seeking Susan comes a quirky and fast-paced comedy based
on the mystery novel by Barbara Wilson. Judy Davis stars as Cassandra Reilly, an
expatriate American who works as a translator in Barcelona. Desperate for funds,
she turns detective when the beguiling Marcia Gay Harden. (Oscar winner for
Pollack), offers her a ridiculous sum of money to track down an estranged
husband. Cassandra quickly becomes enmeshed in a web of mistaken identities,
alternative families, double-crossings, kidnappings and a host of other
intrigues.
(Please
Note: the Sunday Matinee screening will be held at the Wadsworth
Atheneum, 600 Main Street, Hartford.
Tel: 860.278.2670)
(Brian
To, USA 2001, 28 min) An unusual
tax audit sets the stage for this biting satire of the Hollywood closet,
featuring offbeat performances by Sally Kirkland and Alexis Arquette.
(Li
Yu, China 2001, 106 min)
Xiao Qun, an elephant keeper at the Beijing Zoo, has a complicated love
life. Enjoying her passionate new romance with a local clothing designer, Qun
encounters more than an few obstacles on the road to happiness: her traditional
mother aggressively arranges blind dates for her unmarried daughter and a
desperate ex-girlfriend reappears after murdering an abusive father. Humor and
insight mark our heroine’s hapless meetings with would-be male suitors, and
her moving coming-out tale unfolds with warmth and conviction. (Chinese with
English subtitles)
Evening Program
7:30 pm
(Back at Cinestudio)
(Rikki
Beadle-Blair, UK 2001, 145 min) In
the wake of their smash success, Queer as
Folk, Channel 4 Productions offers this multi-racial, hip-hop filled vision
of mary-old England. Max is a gay-divorcée dad in the midst of a mid-life
crisis. Joint custody of Kwame, his teenage son, reunites Max with his handsome
ex-husband Jordan, enflaming old desires. The travails of Max’s lesbian sister
and sister-in-law, the escapades of Kwame’s two gay best mates, and the
romantic entanglements of their poly-amorous friends contribute to this fresh,
funny interpretation of the twenty-first-century family.
(Jay
Sennett, USA 2000, 3 min, www.mrfancyproductions.com)
Double-exposed, sepia-toned film sets the mood for this brief chronicle of the
evolving identities that are claimed by a female-to-male transsexual.
(Sam
Zolten, USA 2001, 26 min) This
candid and moving documentary looks at a fourteen-year-old youth’s transition
from female to male. Sponsored by Aetna.
(Katherine
Brooks, USA 2001, 7 min) Remembering
the drama of her senior year, an older Sara finally comes to terms with her
past.
(Claudia
Morgando-Escanilla, Canada 2000, 19 min) A
deranged and domineering father threatens the romance between a trapeze artist
and the nurse of her disabled twin-sister in this stylish, mysterious film.
(Shari Carpenter, USA 2001, 92 min) This bold bisexual coming-out story comes complete with an African American cast and a very unusual premise. Kali discovers that her girlfriend Crystal is cheating on her, and the tarot cards reveal that her happiness requires releasing everything that she finds familiar. This may even include her lesbian identity as Kali reluctantly confronts her feelings for the charming and handsome Reese. Fortunately, two lesbian aunts offer sage wisdom that guides Kali’s rediscovery of herself and her sexuality.
(Ann
Lippert, USA 2001, 8 min) Featuring
comic Suzanne Westenhoefer, this satirical film tells the beautiful but
ill-fated story of two women, four cats, and a six-month relationship.
(Sue
Maluwa Bruce, Germany 2000, 30 min) The
courageous filmmaker overcame political repression in order to create this
entrancing folk tale of lesbian love in rural Zimbabwe.
(Eva
Saks, USA 2001, 24 min) A nice
lesbian couple’s wholesome family business proves that crime really does pay.
(Gerry
Rogers, Canada 2000, 57 min, www.myleftbreast.com)
This intimate and frank documentary chronicles the filmmaker’s own
struggle with breast cancer. Following her mastectomy, Rogers takes an
unflinching look at the sickness, the vulnerability, and the fears that
accompany chemotherapy, radiation, and an uncertain future. With courage and
wit, she offers a testament to the power of a partner’s love, the support of a
community, and our ability to reach out and touch the lives of others.
(Charlie
Adler, USA 2001, 26 min, www.nopromforcindy.com)
Cow and Chicken voice actor Charlie Adler stars in this story of a
popular teenager whose reputation is ruined by the rumor that she is a lesbian.
(Katrina
del Mar, USA 1999, 27 min, www.katrinadelmar.com The celebrated photographer of New York’s underground
freaks and rockers brings her aggressively sexual images to life on screen,
presenting a lesbian rumble in the tradition of Hollywood’s best b-movie bad
girls.
(Yolanda
Garcia Serrano and Juan Luis Iborra, Spain 2000, 102 min.)
Winner of the Audience Award at the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival,
this film presents a fairy tale in the tradition of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
On a steamy summer afternoon in the Puerto del Sol, the very center of Madrid,
fourteen strangers meet in pairs by arrangement, chance, or mistake. A
delightful farce ensues, and the resolution of mistaken identities and the
discovery of lost love promise at least a few happy endings. (Spanish with
English subtitles)
Hope along the Wind: The
Life of Harry Hay
(Eric
Slade, USA 2001, 57 min) A
significant contribution to the recovery of our queer past, this fascinating
documentary recounts the extraordinary life of Harry Hay, labor organizer,
Marxist teacher, and founding member of the Mattachine Society.
(Yongyooth
Thongkongtoon, Thailand 2000, 104 min, www.strandrel.com)
Selected for audience awards at several major queer film festivals, this
raucous and endearing comedy tells the improbable but true tale of a
championship volleyball team composed primarily of gay and transgender players.
Under the guidance of their lesbian coach, Bee, the "queen team" sets
out to beat the odds, qualifying for the Thai national championships despite
prejudiced volleyball officials, fans and competitors. Delivering nail-biting
action and non-stop fun, the Ladies are an inspiration and a delight. (Thai with
English subtitles)
(Ernesto
M. Foronda, USA 2001, 5 min)
What are best friends for? A straight teenager attempts to buy a porn
magazine for his gay friend.
(Clare
Charles Cornell and Rodney Buxton, USA 2001, 18 min) The complex maze of an underground sex club becomes a
metaphor for the psychological state of desire, exposing the issues of class,
body image, rejection, and age that shape the pursuit of sex.
(Jorge
Ameer, USA 2002, 4 min) The moral
of this men’s room romance seems clear: in the search for love, one’s aim
needn’t always be true.
(Dirk
Shafer, USA 2001, 121 min, www.circuitmovie.com)
With chiseled chests, throbbing music, and designer drugs, this film
takes a non-stop tour of the circuit party scene, from the first beating dance
mix to the morning-after withdrawal. John, a naïve, small-town cop arrives in
West Hollywood, and he’s quickly caught up in the circuit world, leaving his
job to manhandle customers as the bouncer at a gay club. The filmmaker’s
steamy homage to the glamour and glistening flesh of the circuit scene comes
with a warning label attached: men who party this hard also party at their own
risk.
(Maureen
Bradley, Canada 2001, 14 min) Interviews
of a young woman and her various ex-girlfriends are interspersed throughout this
astute and comic depiction of a lesbian’s return home for a family wedding.
(Johnny
Symons, USA 2002, 64 min, www.daddyandpapa.com)
This honest, humorous, and very human story explores how four gay
couples’ decisions to raise children affect their lives and the larger
society. The film traces the daily challenges as well as the broader issues that
inevitably inform these private decisions. Such issues include the ambiguous
place of interracial families in the United States, the risks and rewards of
surrogate pregnancy and adoption, and the complexities of gay marriage and
divorce. The film furnishes a fresh and heartwarming look at the changing face
of the American family.
Filmmaker will be present.
(Sheila
J. Wise, USA 2000, 8 min)
Successful, black gay men talk frankly about sexuality, masculinity, and
their perceived place within the black community.
(Hoang
A. Duong, USA 2001, 17 min)
This erotically charged tale offers three different perspectives on a
casual sexual encounter.
(Glenn
Gaylord, USA 2001, 12 min)
An imaginary teen pop star plays fairy godmother to a shy Jewish teenager
in this bubble-gum pop musical extravaganza.
(Bob Goose, USA 2000, 92 min) Lili Taylor and Courtney Love star in this charming comedy about a New Jersey housewife’s search for love and personal fulfillment. Revealing her passion for physics and math is almost as tough for Julie as confessing her feelings for Claire. An adult education course gives her the courage to do both, and she succeeds beyond her wildest dreams. Julie’s continuing quest for self-improvement ultimately threatens her newfound love, but this entertaining film never wavers from its injunction to follow one’s heart, whatever the risks.
Closing Night Reception to follow