CT Gay & Lesbian Film Festival 2003 Home Page

Tipping the Velvet
(2002, UK, video, 174 min. Geoff Sax.)
An erotic lesbian romp through the 1890s Victorian England underworld, with prostitution, cross-dressing, music halls, and rich society women who keep love slaves. Find yourself cheering for our heroine Nan as she stumbles on the way from village oyster girl to London's unsavory West End. Will she ultimately find her own identity--and true love to boot? Not to be missed! http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/tipping/

---Two 58 min episodes, Intermission, then the final 58 min episode---

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Beso Nocturno

The Moment After

The Gift

Saturday May 31
Matinee 2:00 pm

Changing Room
(2001 US Courtenay Singer & Melanie Wood 17 min)
A revealing look at the women behind the drag king personas Johnny Kat and Duncan -- and the gender identity issues raised by “boy drag”.

Beso Nocturno (Night Kiss)
(2000 Mexico/Canada Boris Rodriguez 14 min)
A young man witnesses the horrible death of his girlfriend. He then sells his sexual services to a woman who brings him home to her dying husband.

Canada: Sperm Bank of Satan
(2002 Canada Graham Hollings 12 min)
This queer road movie has fun exploring Canadian identity and the way it is shaped by Canada's relationship with the United States.

The Moment After
(US 2002 35mm, Gerald McCullouch, 13min)
A poignant longing for what could have been permeates The Moment After, in which Tracey marks his birthday by making a terrifying choice from which there's no turning back. Written and directed by Gerald McCullouch of TV's C.S.I. www.themomentafter.net

Target Audience
(2002 US David Kittredge 12 min)
His parents are away. He's had a few too many beers. His best friend just passed out at the foot of the sofa. And he's about to find out that the most dangerous part of a Saturday night...could be a late-night infomercial. www.triplefire.com/ta

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The Gift
(2002 US Louise Hogarth 75 min)
Controversial even before its release, this compelling piece investigates the phenomenon of 'bug chasing', where HIV-negative men deliberately seek 'gift givers' to become infected with the HIV virus. Unbelievable and shocking but true, this is essential viewing. "People need to see this movie." Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times. www.thegiftdocumentary.com

Saturday May 31
7:30 pm

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Clay Pride

Dildo Diaries

Cock & Bull Story

Clay Pride: Being Clay in America
(2001 US David Karlsberg/ Jonathan Watts 4 min)
Tender and sensitive: one boy’s story of growing up clay. www.claypride.com

Dildo Diaries
(2002 US Laura Barton and Judy Wilder 63 min)
A lighthearted but “probing” approach to exploring the development of Texas Penal Code that outlaws dildos except for "educational purposes." Texas is suddenly filled with safer sex educators. Combining historical documentation, personal stories, and interviews with noted experts, including Molly Ivins and Annie Sprinkle, and legislators, this documentary honors the dildo's fight for legitimacy and its many admirers. www.dildodiaries.com

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Cock & Bull Story
(2002 US Billy Hayes. 102 min)
Directed by Billy Hayes whose experiences in a Turkish prison inspired Midnight Express, Cock and Bull Story is a compelling and violent tale of repressed sexuality in the dangerous streets of downtown Chicago. It's a story of the ambiguously close relationship between a wannabe boxing champ (Bret Roberts) and his lifelong friend (Briane Austin Green of Beverly Hills 90210 fame), as they desperately try to escape their dead-end, violence-riddled, inner-city lives. It's also the story of the brutal reality and consequences of internalized homophobia in our society. www.pantheonent.com/cock_bull.htm

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The Revelation

Gaydar

Body: A Women's Definition

Georgie Girl

Sunday June 1
Matinee 2:00 pm

The Revelation
(2001 Norway Jan Otto Wiig 4 min)
Delightfully recounts a boy's blinding recognition that marriage doesn't always mean a man and a woman.

Gaydar
(2002 US Larry LaFond 20 min)
Randy has a huge crush on hunky coworker Jack, but he doesn't know if Jack is gay until he discovers a gaydar gun that could change everything. www.gaydarthemovie.com

Body: A Women's Definition
(2002 US Sharon Pellerin 41 min)
Deftly explores the rigorous and sometimes self-contradictory discipline of women’s bodybuilding. The film follows eight lesbian bodybuilders to the Gay Games in Amsterdam. In their own voices, these articulate, driven women explore issues of muscularity, femininity, body image, and self-empowerment. www.bodyawomensdefinition.com

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Georgie Girl
(2002 New Zealand Annie Goldson and Peter Wells 70 min)
This is the fascinating profile of Georgina Beyer, a Maori ex-sex worker who became the world's first transgender person to be elected to national office. Artfully combines interviews and sensual images of Beyer's nightclub and film performances with footage from a day in the life of the Minister of Parliament for an amazing and inspiring story. www.wmm.com/catalog/pages/c576.htm

Sunday June 1
7:30 pm

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No Dumb Questions

Sex, Politics & Cocktails

No Dumb Questions
(2001 US Melissa Regan 24 min)
This award-winning documentary profiles three adorable sisters, aged 6, 9 and 11, struggling to understand why and how their Uncle Bill is becoming Aunt Barbara. Recently featured on Oprah. www.nodumbquestions.com

21
(2002 US Erin Greenwell 53 min)
The Afterschool Special we all wished for as a kid. 15-year old Leigh has problems. Her family’s a mess – her jock brother torments her, her mother has money problems, and her beloved dad is moving away, leaving her without anyone to play blackjack with. But her biggest problem is the upcoming school band seat play-offs – if she loses, she won’t be able to sit next to her crush Jen anymore! 21 is beautifully reminiscent of Todd Solondz' paean to teenage angst, and brings a much needed dose of reality to the current spate of teen lesbian films. www.smithyproductions.com

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Intersex Exposition: Full Monty
(2002 Australia Shorona Se Mbessankwini 7 min)
A Jewish Australian has nothing to hide when appearing at a lesbian strip club in Sydney and 'comes out' as Intersex. www.geocities.com/greenpiratequeen

Sex, Politics & Cocktails
(2002 US Julien Hernandez 55 min)
Sebastian is a young film maker who has just arrived in L.A. His first assignment, making a gay documentary, takes him to people and places that he’d never dreamed existed! Sex & the City meets Queer as Folk in this entertaining drama that's better than Prozac and cheaper than therapy. www.sexpoliticsandcocktails.com

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LTR

Peanuts & Pumps

Repodyke

Going Down

This Car Up

Group

Monday June 2
7:30 pm

LTR
(2002 US Phillip Bartell 16 min)
Two boys have found soulmates in each other, or have they?

Peanuts & Pumps
(2001 US Lyter 16mm 4 min)
In a bar, a tough drag queen retaliates when a biker gets on her nerves.

Repodyke
(2003 Canada Tucker C Doherty 4 min)
After a sudden break up with her girlfriend, Laura hires REPODYKE, the lesbian repossession experts, to retrieve her vacuum cleaner.

Going Down
(2002 US Dominic Inzana 4 min)
The elevator doors close, and suddenly our neurotic friend finds himself trapped with a raging stranger (played by former NFL player Jimmy Lee Gary Jr.). Running out of time and options, our victim makes a desperate offer that can't be refused. Going Down offers a glimpse of his personal hell with a wickedly funny twist. www.goingdownthefilm.com

This Car Up
(2002 US Eric Mueller 16 min)
Timing is everything in this split screen film that follows the synchronized lives of two unlikely lovers.

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Group
(2002 US Marilyn Freeman 106 min)
Take a fast and funny, deep and bumpy ride into consciousness in this highly improvisational, mock documentary. Queer punk amputee; born-again Christian; hypochondriac; lesbian sex-rocker; enigma; tramp; bigot; binger; and their therapist--these 8 women simply try to find a little more happiness in group therapy. Unforgettably funny at times, and riveting to the final moment, Group delivers a fresh, powerful view of cinema and humanity. www.groupthemovie.com

Tuesday June 3
7:30 pm

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Blue Tuesday

Precious Moments

A.K.A.

Blue Tuesday
(2001 Canada Lisa G 3 min)
America’s favorite blond doll, shows what happens when memories get in the way of self-love and moving on.

Precious Moments
(2003 Norway Lars Daniel Krutzkoff Jacobsen 16 min)
The true incident in Norway of a 15 yr old who answers an ad by a 30 year old gay man. www.dalchowsverden.no/ftenglish.html

This Car Up
(2002 US Eric Mueller 16 min)
Timing is everything in this split screen film that follows the synchronized lives of two unlikely lovers.

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A.K.A.
(2002 UK Duncan Roy 120 min)
A British 6 Degrees of Separation like film based on a true story. Sexy, stunning and technically groundbreaking, AKA traces a young man's right of passage in a world where privilege, love, and power are all for sale. With fleeting references to the Pygmalion and The Talented Mr. Ripley, a bold and intelligent feature that will have you hooked from beginning to end. www.akamovie.com

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No Secret Anymore

Gasoline

Wednesday June 4
7:30 pm

No Secret Anymore
(2003 US Joan E Birren 55 min)
The inspiring story of Del Martin & Phyllis Lyon, founders of the modern lesbian civil rights movement and partners in love and political struggle for half a century. A breathtaking personal/political history narrated by Kate Clinton. Delightful and illuminating! www.woman-vision.org/nosecret

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Gasoline
(2002 Italy Monica Stambrini. 90 min)
In Italian with English subtitles
Twenty year-old lovers Lenni and Stella live in blissful isolation in Stella’s tiny petrol station, with Stella manning the pump and Lenni tending the bar... What was already a bad day becomes ‘the night from hell’, when a group of homophobic hoodlums decides to target them for a little late night fun. As the film opens, hard-bitten mechanic Stella (Sansa) has accidentally murdered her girlfriend Lenni's overbearing mother, so the two set out in hopes of disposing the body. But, in the great Hitchcock tradition, the corpse proves difficult to shake, and what's more, it's taken to chatting with its increasingly guilty and desperate daughter. www.strandrel.com/in_theaters/gasoline.html

Thursday June 5
7:30 pm

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Masturbation

Hooked

Act of Faith

Yossi and Jagger

Masturbation: Putting the Fun Into
Self-Loving

(2002 US J.T. Tepnapa 8 min)

If you believe those old wives tales about masturbation, then laugh before we all go blind in this hilarious lesson in self loving presented by Dr Sigmund Winston and his youthful sidekick Billy. Masturbation can be fun; just don't be late for school. www.skyangelfilms.com/masturbation

Hooked

(2002 US Todd Ahlberg 60 min)

Investigates the phenomenon of on-line cruising by gay men and how the internet has revolutionized the way gay men seek sex. Anonymity, the thrill of the chase, danger, excitement, you can be whoever you want online… www.hookedmovie.com

Special appearance planned by one of the documentary's subjects, Brian Hayes

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Act of Faith

( 2002 US Dan Bree 7 min)

The conflict between traditional Islam and non-traditional sexuality is laid bare and the struggle of gay Muslims is brought into the open for the first time. www.nosh.org/faith

Yossi and Jagger

(2002 Israel Etyan Fox with Yehuda Levi/Ohad Knoller 65 min) In Hebrew with English subtitles
This beautifully tender film paints a warm, sexy picture of love in the Israeli army. Yossi and Jagger are stationed in Lebanon--and they are secretly in love. Firstly a love story this gripping drama delves into defining masculinity in a difficult and painful environment. www.strandrel.com/in_theaters/yossi_and_jagger.html

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Dress Code

Interviews....

Ladies Tea

Ten Rules

Friday June 6
7:30 pm

Lesbian Fashion?

(2001 US Mary Jo Godges & Renee Sotile 3 min)

An oxymoron?! Interviews with dazzling, celebrity lesbians about their attitudes towards accessorizing.

Dress Code

(2001 Canada Martha Newbigging 3 min)

The stick figure girl on the ladies' room sign is mad and she's not gonna take it anymore.

Interviews With My Next Girlfriend

(2001 Canada Cassandra Nicolaou 13 min)

This parade of potential girlfriends hilariously exposes an array of lesbian stereotypes.

Ladies Tea

(2001 US Paula Durette 3 min)

Hilarious lesbian dance floor drama deconstructed – who gathers where.

The Ten Rules

(2002 US Lee Friedlander 28 min)

10 rules to being a lesbian described by a woman attending a party, this hysterical short has it the dyke drama you could imagine…what to do when your friends are also your dating pool! www.sharkskinproductions.com

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Radical Harmonies

(2002 US Dee Mosbacher 90 min)

From Holly Near to Ani DiFranco, from Sweet Honey in the Rock to the Indigo Girls, this breathtaking tour of women's music takes us from the early 1970's - when lesbian folk singers were kicked off stage for being too "out" - right up to the present, when women-rockers win Grammys. Winner of Audience Award for Best Doc: 2002 San Francisco Int'l Lesbian & Gay Film Festival. www.woman-vision.org

***June Millington of the 70's band "Fanny" (and currently with the "Slammin' Babes") will be making a special guest appearance at the screening - and she's bringing her guitar, so don't miss it!***

Saturday June 7
Matinee 2:00 pm

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Lipstick

Fenced Out

Backseat Detour

O Beautiful

Prom Fight

** Youth Program **

Co-sponsored by True Colors and RainbowRoom

True Colors, Inc. Sexual Minority Youth & Family Services is a non-profit organization created to ensure that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender (LGBT) people are welcomed, valued and affirmed. We organize the largest LGBT youth conference in the country; offer CT's only LGBT youth mentoring program; recruit safe and affirming foster homes for LGBT youth; and provide education and advocacy regarding LGBT youth and families across Connecticut and nationally. Tel. 860-649-7386.

RainbowRoom is the Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective's new youth drop-in center! Formerly known as Your Turf, RainbowRoom is open Sunday afternoons from 3 to 6 PM at the Project 100 Community Center, 1841 Broad Street, in Hartford, Connecticut.

Check out the details of RainbowRoom's Film Fest After-Party

That Thing We Do

(2002 Canada Andrew Hull 16 min)

While visiting his family at the cottage, Kevin meets up with his younger cousin and sparks a sweet and inspiring connection.

Lipstick

(2002 US Michael Apted 10 min )

Emily is your average teenage girl or is she? She hangs with her girlfriends and her GIRLfriend. A cherry red kiss for teen girls struggling with who they are and why they're here. www.scenariosusa.com/movies/lipstick.html

Fenced Out

(2001 US New Neutral Zone, Fierce & Paper Tiger TV 20 min)

Made by queer youth through the venerable Paper Tiger TV, is a powerful look at the fight to save the Christopher Street Pier, one of the only places in New York City where a diverse queer youth community, including homeless youth, can gather and be themselves. www.papertiger.org/index.php?name=Fenced-Out

Backseat Detour

(2001 US Allie Sultan 12 min)

College freshman Catie goes home for Thanksgiving and finds herself trapped in the back of the family station wagon faced with her parents’ probing questions.

O Beautiful

(2002 US Alan Brown 30 min)

Loosely inspired by the murder of Matthew Shepard, a young man left beaten and half-naked in a cornfield in O Beautiful, doesn’t know what to think when one of his attackers returns and says he has come back to help him. But as he and his would-be rescuer confront the meaning of the night’s events and their own feelings, their relationship begins to change.

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Prom Fight: The Mark Hall Story

(2002 Canada Larry Peloso 62 min)

In this story of activism, Marc Hall fights his Catholic school in Toronto all the way to the Canadian Supreme Court to bring his boyfriend to the Prom. Refusing to back down in the face of daunting pressure, this film candidly and sensitively allows us into the world of this extraordinary and brave teen who, without shame or apology, takes on his school, his community, and his religion.

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Spike

Tango Para Dos

Bar Talk

Sexy

Celebration

Leaving Metropolis

Saturday June 7
7:30 pm

Spike

(2002 US Evie Leder, Dan Janos & Gretchen Lee 4 min)

Spikey has two mommies. A lighthearted look at the joys and anxieties of lesbian parenting. www.willfullyperverse.com/films/spike

Tango Para Dos

(2001 US J.T. O’Neal 5 min)

A male aerobics instructor and one of his female students vie for the attention of a weight lifter with their sexy dancing.

Bar Talk

(2002 US Cheryl Furjanic 8 min)

Me-oww! Find out what that cute girl in the bar is really thinking when you try to take her home. www.comingoutsoon.com

Cherries In The Snow

(2002 Canada Melissa Levin 5 min)

Dare to display and celebrate what's underneath, in this ode to Joan Nestle and all fabulous femmes and their sexy lingerie.

D.E.B.S.

(2002 US Angela Robinson 11 min)

This crew of sexy gun-slinging-elite trained chicks is seeking adventure, don't mess with them or they'll shoot ya!
www.power-up.net/debs.html

Sexy

(2001 US Tom Whitman & Dustin Woehrmann 10 min)

Through a kaleidoscope of rainbow-hued cutouts, five friends argue, wax poetic and get nasty when they try to answer the question, “What is SEXY?” www.studioprometheus.com/SEXY

Celebration

(2002 US Daniel Stedman 5 min)

A six-year-old boy makes an astonishing announcement. www.celebrationthemovie.com

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Leaving Metropolis

(2002 Canada Brad Fraser 89 min)

David is a painter with painter's block who takes a job as a waiter to get some inspiration. He falls for hunky diner owner Matt, who falls just as hard back. But Violet, Matt's wife is a complicating factor! While bedding the hot macho straight guy may be a near-universal gay male fantasy, Leaving Metropolis explores the ache of those messy, uncontrollable feelings that take over after the heat-of-the-moment libidinous instincts have been satisfied.

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