Elizabeth (the delinquent, ecumenical) (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
hermionesviolin) wrote2006-05-08 10:01 pm
hermionesviolin) wrote2006-05-08 10:01 pm
Entry tags:
I hear NHS has had a GSA for about a month and a half. Rock on.
I went through the Gay & Lesbian Film/Video Festival listings to figure out what I want to/can attend. Company always welcome.
This Friday (May 12), the 7pm film is co-presented by Dyke Night, which is hosting a party at Toast in Somerville after the screening. Thoughts on attending/accompanying me?
Wednesday, May 10 - Sunday, May 21 [yes I plan to move that weekend, but the first thing I wanna see on Saturday is at 4:30, so ... hope springs eternal? though I remind myself that anything is better than last year when I didn't end up going to any]
All the films are in Remis Auditorium at the MFA.
Ticket information: MFA members, seniors, and students $8; general admission $10.
Exceptions: Closing Night film, Bam Bam and Celeste $10, $12
[Dear Self: Remember to order a festival pass tomorrow. I'm attending 16 max, so I'm thinking 10pass.]
I added IMDb links when I could find them, but they're fairly useless.
Friday, May 12, 2006
Friday, May 12, 2006 - 7pm
Mom the Movie by Erin Greenwell (2006, 70 min.). Boston native Julie Goldman stars in this "classic buddy movie with a lesbian twist" (The Blade). The film follows the life of Kelly, an aspiring TV news reporter who is shipped off to Little Hope to gather data for her marketing firm, accompanied by Linda (Goldman), a butch, talkative cameraperson who has aspirations of her own. With no hotel rooms to be found, due to the annual chili cook-off, the two are forced to stay at the local youth hostel, where a pair of amorous dykes keeps Kelly from preparing for her big network interview. When all is said and done, Kelly and Linda learn a few things about themselves and each other that help them gain a greater perspective about life.
Julie Goldman and director present.
Co-presented by Dyke Night, which hosts a party at Toast in Somerville after the screening.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Saturday, May 13, 2006 - 1:45 pm
Gypo by Jan Dunn (UK, 2005, 98 min.). This is the first British Dogme 95 film and was made on a shoestring budget by first-time director Jan Dunn. It tells of the impact of Tasha, a Czech refugee who affects one unhappy British working-class family. The same story is told from three radically different perspectives: that of the good-hearted mother who welcomes Tasha, the teenage daughter who turns against Tasha, and the fed-up father who loathes Tasha. The bare-bones style (no music, no artificial lighting, and actual locations) gives the story a documentary realism that, combined with a determination to tackle a taboo subject head-on, makes this similar in many ways to the films of Ken Loach. Description adapted from the Borderlines Film Festival.
Saturday, May 13, 2006 - 3:45 pm
When I'm 64 by Jon Jones (UK, 2004, 87 min.). This unusual and refreshing gay romance portrays the burgeoning relationship between a retired school teacher and a gruff cabbie. Jim has spent almost his entire life at a boy's school: first as a pupil, then a teacher. Ray is a widower, a former football hooligan with two grown children and a crop of grandchildren. When Jim leaves his coat in Ray's cab, Ray makes a point to return it, and there is an immediate connection. Can these two men make their love work despite objections from society and family? In this moving and very real film made for British television, we are treated to a sweet and rare romance. Description adapted from the Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.
Co-presented by the LGBT Aging Project of Massachusetts.
I'm really excited about this one.
Saturday, May 13, 2006 - 8:15 pm
A Year Without Love by Anahi Berneri (Un Año Sin Amor, Argentina, 2005, 95 min.). Winner of best queer feature film at the 2005 Berlin Film Festival, A Year Without Love is a densely layered, eloquent portrayal of Pablo, a hunky young writer and poet who is struggling to come to terms with his HIV-positive status. Desperate for affection, he cruises the gay bars of Buenos Aires, places personal ads, and haunts porn cinemas, each time documenting his search. He meets up with a tough S&M crowd, and while tenderness may be lacking, he at least finds pleasure, proof that he's still alive. A thoughtful, poignant, yet challenging look at one man's approach to loneliness and HIV. In Spanish with English subtitles. Description adapted from the Reel Affirmations Film Festival.
Co-presented by SomosLatin@s LGBT Coalition and Fenway Community Health.
I'm really excited about this one as well.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 6:30 pm
Lover Other by Barbara Hammer (2006, 55 min., video), and Hubby/Wifey by Todd Hughes (2002, 7 min., video). Experimental filmmaker Barbara Hammer illuminates the story of surrealist writer, photographer, and lesbian Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore, her lover, step-sister, and artistic collaborator. Capturing the spirit of this Jewish couple who refused to live by any standards but their own, the film masterfully employs photographs of the women and their artwork, interwoven with voiceovers and insightful interviews. Lover Other brings art, politics, and gender identity to the fore in a thought-provoking investigation of artists and resistance during WWII.
Co-presented by The Boston Jewish Film Festival and Women in Film & Video/New England.
IMDb says that Hubby/Wifey is about Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 8 pm
Guys and Balls by Sherry Horman (Männer wie wir, Germany, 2004, 106 min.). Take Bad News Bears and set it on Bend it Like Beckham's playing field, and you've got Guys and Balls, a light-hearted send-up of all the macho sports movies your straight friends forced you to see. Ecki is a sweet, closeted gay man who works in his family's bakery and plays goalie in his small town's soccer team. When he both loses the big game, and is caught flirting with another player, his homophobic teammates throw him out. He vows to return one day with an all-gay team that will grind the heteros into the dust, so he sets off to find his "dream team." The final game is a delicious clash of straight machismo and gay fabulousness that will have you both laughing and cheering down to the ultimate showdown. In German with English subtitles. Description adapted from the Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.
Co-presented by the Greater Boston Business Council.
This keeps making me think of the j-term movie mt showed, even though that's so wrong.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Thursday, May 18, 2006 - 8pm
20 Centimeters by Ramón Salazar (20 centimetros, Spain, 2005, 113 min.). With a hefty dose of Almodovar and the flamboyance of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, director Ramón Salazar's 20 Centimeters tells the story of Marieta (Mónica Cervera) a narcoleptic transsexual hooker who longs to get rid of the 20 centimeters that separate her from becoming the glamorous woman she longs to be. Though her day-to-day life is rough and wanting, Marieta's dreams are where she comes alive in full-scale musical numbers. Salazar's combination of intense drama with musical interludes creates a "wonderfully twisted" film that will haunt you for quite some time. In Spanish with English subtitles.
Co-presented by Truth Serum Productions.
Thursday is Lutheran+CSI+WaT day (hence my not even including the Men's Shorts Program on this list) but this looks so good and MLN doesn't have it. *pouts*
Friday, May 19, 2006
Friday, May 19, 2006 - 6:30 pm
Women's Shorts Program: Dani and Alice by Roberta Marie Munroe (2005, 12 min., 35mm), a story tracing the last hours of a couple's deeply tumultuous relationship; Between the Lines by Laurie Koh (2005, 14 min., video), the tale of freelance writer Jessie Cage who discovers that her editor, Meena Roy, is queer, single, and into online dating; Hi Maya by Claudia Lorenz (Switzerland, 2004, 12 min., 35mm), a portrait of two older women who rekindle a youthful romance in a beauty parlor; Hung by Guinevere Turner (2005, 13 min., video), which follows four lesbians who magically grow willies for 24 hours; A Girl Named Kai by Kai Ling Xue (Canada, 2004, 10 min., video), a brave autobiographical story about self-discovery, secrets, and passions. Also screening: Day One by Pam Doré & Dara Sklar (2005,15 min., video), Dangerous Kisses by Mary Guzman (2004, 2 min., video), and Marriage Class by Margaret Broucek (2006, 7 min.).
Run time: 84 min.
Co-presented by the Boston Dyke March.
Between the Lines sounds interesting (and inappropriately totally reminds me of a lebian short I saw somewhere else) and Hung sounds like fanfic and makes me so happy :) (so hopefully it won't disappoint). Basically I'm excited about short films generally (I have positive associations from previous film fests, what can I say?).
Friday, May 19, 2006 - 8:30 pm
Women in Love by Karen Everett (2005, 59 min., video). This riveting documentary explores one woman's journey through fifteen years of friendship and love. Filmmaker Karen Everett turns the camera on her own love life and a remarkable community of culturally significant sex radicals in San Francisco. Through home videos, candid interviews, and video diaries, Everett poses universal questions about the nature of relationships from monogamy to polyamory. Featuring Jackie Strano and Shar Rednour, leading directors of lesbian pornography, and Phyllis Christopher, one of North America's leading photographers of lesbian erotica. Discussion follows.
Of course I really wanna see this. And discussion equals bonus (though I've learned to have low expectations for audience discussions).
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Saturday, May 20, 2006 - 4:30 pm
Transgender Shorts Program: Gender Crash by Marguerite Bergel and Matt McLaughlin (2006, 6 min., video), a work-in-progress documenting more than five years of Boston's only queer/transgender/gender-queer open mic; Boquita by Carmen Oquendo-Villar and Richard E. Ruiz (2005, 10 min., video), which presents a day-in-the-life portrait of a transgender performer from the Dominican Republic who now resides in Jamaica Plain; Moustache by Vicki Sugars (2004, 14 min., video), a story that teaches why it doesn't pay to change your true self for the person you love; Jaywalking by Leigh Iacobuca and Kathy Hnang (2005, 9 min., video), a brief look at the inspirations, motivations, and implications of drag king performance; Secret Picnic by Philipe Lonestar (2004, 10 min., video), in which our gender-queer protagonists transform their violent pasts at a joyous afternoon picnic; Give or Take an Inch by Lee Friedlander (2002, 14 min., video), the story of a woman (Amanda Bearse) who must adjust when her lesbian sister announces she's going to have a sex change; and With What Shall I Wash by Maria Trenor (Spain, 2003, 10 min., video), an animated short.
Co-presented by Gender Crash, the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition, and Truth Serum Productions.
I am excited about these.
Saturday, May 20, 2006 - 6:15 pm
Eighteen by Richard Bell (Canada, 2005, 90 min.). Telling two distinctly different but related stories, sophomore filmmaker Richard Bell (Two Brothers) has crafted an accomplished drama about forgiveness, love, and a tragic family. Pip is a street kid who is meeting life head-on in the big city. On his eighteenth birthday, he receives his grandfather's WWII memoirs on cassette, a gift that awakens the ghost of the past. His grandfather relates the story of the day he turned eighteen, fleeing German forces through the woods of France. In Pip's own contemporary way, he begins to live the parallel life of his grandfather, each man lost in his own world and generation. Bell has assembled an outstanding cast of actors with queer credentials including Thea Gill (Queer as Folk), Sir Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, and Canadian actor Brendan Fletcher (The Five Senses).
This one doesn't actually deeply appeal to me, but Sir Ian McKellen & Alan Cumming? I suspect I'm not allowed to not go.
Saturday, May 20, 2006 - 8 pm
Unveiled by Angelina Maccarone (Fremde Haut, Germany, 2005, 97 min.). A heartrending drama about the status of lesbians living under religious oppression and one woman's valiant efforts to free herself. Fariba, prosecuted in Iran because of her love for a woman, flees to Germany. Trying to enter the country with forged documents, she is immediately arrested, but her prospects improve when she takes on the identity of a male detainee, Siamak, and assumes his temporary permit of sojourn. She takes an illegal job in a factory, where she meets Anne, who is very concerned about "Siamak's" wellbeing. While spending more and more time together, they become dangerously close, and Anne begins to suspect Fariba's true identity. In German and Farsi with English subtitles. "A wise uncompromising portrait of oppression in all its physical and psychological manifestations" (Scott Foundas, LA Weekly).
Co-presented by Massachusetts South Asian Lambda Association and Amnesty International OUTfront Program for LGBT Human Rights.
Mistaken identity is so not my thing [Twelfth Night is a rare exception], so I'm undecided about attending this.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Special Program: Love and Marriage
Sunday, May 21, 2006 - 1 pm
Jumpin' the Broom: The New Covenant by Debra Wilson (2005, 30 min.), and The Gay Marriage Thing by Stephanie Higgins (2005, 46 min.). Award-winning filmmaker Debra A. Wilson's (Butch Mystique) latest film highlights black lesbian and gay couples who share personal and heartfelt stories that challenge levels of intimacy between two people. Their commitment redefines and honors love, family values, politics, and religion in today's society. The film also features best-selling author Dr. Michael Eric Dyson. The Gay Marriage Thing presents the politics, piety, and people embroiled in and affected by the heated debate over same-sex marriage in Massachusetts.
Co-presented by the Freedom to Marry Coalition of MA, and the Multicultural AIDS Coalition. Both directors present.
I'm undecided as to whether I wanna go to this.
Sunday, May 21, 2006 - 3 pm
My Brother Nikhil by Onir (India, 2005, 120 min.). This emotionally powerful Bollywood film is the first Hindi movie to deal both with homosexuality and HIV. It is a testament to the power of relationships and one man's quest to regain dignity and love. Nikhil Kapoor (Sanjay Suri) was the all-around state swimming champion of Goa. Handsome, jovial, and charming, he is the idol of his peers; his friends love him and his family adores him. All this changes on August 8, 1989, when Nikhil is arrested and imprisoned in solitary confinement, because his health exam reveals he is HIV-positive. Overnight, he is abandoned by nearly everyone in his life, until all he has left are his boyfriend Nigel and his sister Anu, who defies her family and stands by her brother unconditionally to fight for his civil rights. In Hindi with English subtitles. Description adapted from the Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.
Co-presented by Massachusetts South Asian Lambda Association, MAP for Health, and Fenway Community Health.
Sunday, May 21, 2006 - 5:30 pm
Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema by Lisa Ades and Lesli Klainberg (2006, 85 min.). Fabulous! charts the evolution of independent gay and lesbian cinema from experimental filmmakers of the 1940s and 50s, to underground filmmakers of the 60s, 70s, and 80s, to the breakthrough "New Queer Cinema" of the 90s, and the cutting-edge gay filmmakers of today. The documentary features directors Todd Haynes and Jennie Livingston, as well as John Cameron Mitchell, John Waters, and Angela Robinson; actors Guinevere Turner, Alan Cumming, and Heather Matarazzo; producer Christine Vachon; and journalists Michael Musto, B. Ruby Rich, and Alonso Duralde—all waxing eloquent on the movies queer audiences are lucky to have.
Co-presented by the History Project.
Followed by a discussion on current trends in GLBT film with panelists including filmmaker Debra Wilson, Yusuf Nasrullah of MASALA, James Nadeau of MIT's Comparative Media Studies Program, and film critic Loren King. Moderated by writer and cultural critic Michael Bronski.
Okay, I admit, I'm optimistic about the discussion portion of this (and also really interested to see the documentary).
Sunday, May 21, 2006 - 8 pm
Bam Bam and Celeste by Lorene Machado (2005, 85 min.). Uproarious comic genius Margaret Cho invests everything that makes her great in this madcap road movie. The film features all of her favorite targets: freaky sex, growing up a loser, TV in every form and, of course, her glorious mother, full of kooky wisdom and breathtaking malapropisms that will leave you laughing for days. Cho is Celeste, an overweight, Korean, former goth punk, while her longtime friend and collaborator Bruce Daniels plays Bam Bam, a hyper-queeny, African American stylist. They are both stuck in a dreary midwestern city until a shot at a reality-TV makeover show puts them on the road to New York City. The film also stars Jane Lynch and Wilson Cruz. Description adapted from Noah Cowen, Toronto International Film Festival.
Star and comedian Bruce Daniels present.
Co-presented by Queer Asian Pacific Alliance and the MALE center.
This doesn't appeal to me much, though it strikes me as very much an Emma movie (and IMDb says Alan Cumming is in this as well). It's not unappealing enough for me to not be undecided, though.
This Friday (May 12), the 7pm film is co-presented by Dyke Night, which is hosting a party at Toast in Somerville after the screening. Thoughts on attending/accompanying me?
Wednesday, May 10 - Sunday, May 21 [yes I plan to move that weekend, but the first thing I wanna see on Saturday is at 4:30, so ... hope springs eternal? though I remind myself that anything is better than last year when I didn't end up going to any]
All the films are in Remis Auditorium at the MFA.
Ticket information: MFA members, seniors, and students $8; general admission $10.
Exceptions: Closing Night film, Bam Bam and Celeste $10, $12
[Dear Self: Remember to order a festival pass tomorrow. I'm attending 16 max, so I'm thinking 10pass.]
I added IMDb links when I could find them, but they're fairly useless.
Friday, May 12, 2006
Friday, May 12, 2006 - 7pm
Mom the Movie by Erin Greenwell (2006, 70 min.). Boston native Julie Goldman stars in this "classic buddy movie with a lesbian twist" (The Blade). The film follows the life of Kelly, an aspiring TV news reporter who is shipped off to Little Hope to gather data for her marketing firm, accompanied by Linda (Goldman), a butch, talkative cameraperson who has aspirations of her own. With no hotel rooms to be found, due to the annual chili cook-off, the two are forced to stay at the local youth hostel, where a pair of amorous dykes keeps Kelly from preparing for her big network interview. When all is said and done, Kelly and Linda learn a few things about themselves and each other that help them gain a greater perspective about life.
Julie Goldman and director present.
Co-presented by Dyke Night, which hosts a party at Toast in Somerville after the screening.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Saturday, May 13, 2006 - 1:45 pm
Gypo by Jan Dunn (UK, 2005, 98 min.). This is the first British Dogme 95 film and was made on a shoestring budget by first-time director Jan Dunn. It tells of the impact of Tasha, a Czech refugee who affects one unhappy British working-class family. The same story is told from three radically different perspectives: that of the good-hearted mother who welcomes Tasha, the teenage daughter who turns against Tasha, and the fed-up father who loathes Tasha. The bare-bones style (no music, no artificial lighting, and actual locations) gives the story a documentary realism that, combined with a determination to tackle a taboo subject head-on, makes this similar in many ways to the films of Ken Loach. Description adapted from the Borderlines Film Festival.
Saturday, May 13, 2006 - 3:45 pm
When I'm 64 by Jon Jones (UK, 2004, 87 min.). This unusual and refreshing gay romance portrays the burgeoning relationship between a retired school teacher and a gruff cabbie. Jim has spent almost his entire life at a boy's school: first as a pupil, then a teacher. Ray is a widower, a former football hooligan with two grown children and a crop of grandchildren. When Jim leaves his coat in Ray's cab, Ray makes a point to return it, and there is an immediate connection. Can these two men make their love work despite objections from society and family? In this moving and very real film made for British television, we are treated to a sweet and rare romance. Description adapted from the Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.
Co-presented by the LGBT Aging Project of Massachusetts.
I'm really excited about this one.
Saturday, May 13, 2006 - 8:15 pm
A Year Without Love by Anahi Berneri (Un Año Sin Amor, Argentina, 2005, 95 min.). Winner of best queer feature film at the 2005 Berlin Film Festival, A Year Without Love is a densely layered, eloquent portrayal of Pablo, a hunky young writer and poet who is struggling to come to terms with his HIV-positive status. Desperate for affection, he cruises the gay bars of Buenos Aires, places personal ads, and haunts porn cinemas, each time documenting his search. He meets up with a tough S&M crowd, and while tenderness may be lacking, he at least finds pleasure, proof that he's still alive. A thoughtful, poignant, yet challenging look at one man's approach to loneliness and HIV. In Spanish with English subtitles. Description adapted from the Reel Affirmations Film Festival.
Co-presented by SomosLatin@s LGBT Coalition and Fenway Community Health.
I'm really excited about this one as well.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 6:30 pm
Lover Other by Barbara Hammer (2006, 55 min., video), and Hubby/Wifey by Todd Hughes (2002, 7 min., video). Experimental filmmaker Barbara Hammer illuminates the story of surrealist writer, photographer, and lesbian Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore, her lover, step-sister, and artistic collaborator. Capturing the spirit of this Jewish couple who refused to live by any standards but their own, the film masterfully employs photographs of the women and their artwork, interwoven with voiceovers and insightful interviews. Lover Other brings art, politics, and gender identity to the fore in a thought-provoking investigation of artists and resistance during WWII.
Co-presented by The Boston Jewish Film Festival and Women in Film & Video/New England.
IMDb says that Hubby/Wifey is about Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 8 pm
Guys and Balls by Sherry Horman (Männer wie wir, Germany, 2004, 106 min.). Take Bad News Bears and set it on Bend it Like Beckham's playing field, and you've got Guys and Balls, a light-hearted send-up of all the macho sports movies your straight friends forced you to see. Ecki is a sweet, closeted gay man who works in his family's bakery and plays goalie in his small town's soccer team. When he both loses the big game, and is caught flirting with another player, his homophobic teammates throw him out. He vows to return one day with an all-gay team that will grind the heteros into the dust, so he sets off to find his "dream team." The final game is a delicious clash of straight machismo and gay fabulousness that will have you both laughing and cheering down to the ultimate showdown. In German with English subtitles. Description adapted from the Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.
Co-presented by the Greater Boston Business Council.
This keeps making me think of the j-term movie mt showed, even though that's so wrong.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Thursday, May 18, 2006 - 8pm
20 Centimeters by Ramón Salazar (20 centimetros, Spain, 2005, 113 min.). With a hefty dose of Almodovar and the flamboyance of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, director Ramón Salazar's 20 Centimeters tells the story of Marieta (Mónica Cervera) a narcoleptic transsexual hooker who longs to get rid of the 20 centimeters that separate her from becoming the glamorous woman she longs to be. Though her day-to-day life is rough and wanting, Marieta's dreams are where she comes alive in full-scale musical numbers. Salazar's combination of intense drama with musical interludes creates a "wonderfully twisted" film that will haunt you for quite some time. In Spanish with English subtitles.
Co-presented by Truth Serum Productions.
Thursday is Lutheran+CSI+WaT day (hence my not even including the Men's Shorts Program on this list) but this looks so good and MLN doesn't have it. *pouts*
Friday, May 19, 2006
Friday, May 19, 2006 - 6:30 pm
Women's Shorts Program: Dani and Alice by Roberta Marie Munroe (2005, 12 min., 35mm), a story tracing the last hours of a couple's deeply tumultuous relationship; Between the Lines by Laurie Koh (2005, 14 min., video), the tale of freelance writer Jessie Cage who discovers that her editor, Meena Roy, is queer, single, and into online dating; Hi Maya by Claudia Lorenz (Switzerland, 2004, 12 min., 35mm), a portrait of two older women who rekindle a youthful romance in a beauty parlor; Hung by Guinevere Turner (2005, 13 min., video), which follows four lesbians who magically grow willies for 24 hours; A Girl Named Kai by Kai Ling Xue (Canada, 2004, 10 min., video), a brave autobiographical story about self-discovery, secrets, and passions. Also screening: Day One by Pam Doré & Dara Sklar (2005,15 min., video), Dangerous Kisses by Mary Guzman (2004, 2 min., video), and Marriage Class by Margaret Broucek (2006, 7 min.).
Run time: 84 min.
Co-presented by the Boston Dyke March.
Between the Lines sounds interesting (and inappropriately totally reminds me of a lebian short I saw somewhere else) and Hung sounds like fanfic and makes me so happy :) (so hopefully it won't disappoint). Basically I'm excited about short films generally (I have positive associations from previous film fests, what can I say?).
Friday, May 19, 2006 - 8:30 pm
Women in Love by Karen Everett (2005, 59 min., video). This riveting documentary explores one woman's journey through fifteen years of friendship and love. Filmmaker Karen Everett turns the camera on her own love life and a remarkable community of culturally significant sex radicals in San Francisco. Through home videos, candid interviews, and video diaries, Everett poses universal questions about the nature of relationships from monogamy to polyamory. Featuring Jackie Strano and Shar Rednour, leading directors of lesbian pornography, and Phyllis Christopher, one of North America's leading photographers of lesbian erotica. Discussion follows.
Of course I really wanna see this. And discussion equals bonus (though I've learned to have low expectations for audience discussions).
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Saturday, May 20, 2006 - 4:30 pm
Transgender Shorts Program: Gender Crash by Marguerite Bergel and Matt McLaughlin (2006, 6 min., video), a work-in-progress documenting more than five years of Boston's only queer/transgender/gender-queer open mic; Boquita by Carmen Oquendo-Villar and Richard E. Ruiz (2005, 10 min., video), which presents a day-in-the-life portrait of a transgender performer from the Dominican Republic who now resides in Jamaica Plain; Moustache by Vicki Sugars (2004, 14 min., video), a story that teaches why it doesn't pay to change your true self for the person you love; Jaywalking by Leigh Iacobuca and Kathy Hnang (2005, 9 min., video), a brief look at the inspirations, motivations, and implications of drag king performance; Secret Picnic by Philipe Lonestar (2004, 10 min., video), in which our gender-queer protagonists transform their violent pasts at a joyous afternoon picnic; Give or Take an Inch by Lee Friedlander (2002, 14 min., video), the story of a woman (Amanda Bearse) who must adjust when her lesbian sister announces she's going to have a sex change; and With What Shall I Wash by Maria Trenor (Spain, 2003, 10 min., video), an animated short.
Co-presented by Gender Crash, the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition, and Truth Serum Productions.
I am excited about these.
Saturday, May 20, 2006 - 6:15 pm
Eighteen by Richard Bell (Canada, 2005, 90 min.). Telling two distinctly different but related stories, sophomore filmmaker Richard Bell (Two Brothers) has crafted an accomplished drama about forgiveness, love, and a tragic family. Pip is a street kid who is meeting life head-on in the big city. On his eighteenth birthday, he receives his grandfather's WWII memoirs on cassette, a gift that awakens the ghost of the past. His grandfather relates the story of the day he turned eighteen, fleeing German forces through the woods of France. In Pip's own contemporary way, he begins to live the parallel life of his grandfather, each man lost in his own world and generation. Bell has assembled an outstanding cast of actors with queer credentials including Thea Gill (Queer as Folk), Sir Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, and Canadian actor Brendan Fletcher (The Five Senses).
This one doesn't actually deeply appeal to me, but Sir Ian McKellen & Alan Cumming? I suspect I'm not allowed to not go.
Saturday, May 20, 2006 - 8 pm
Unveiled by Angelina Maccarone (Fremde Haut, Germany, 2005, 97 min.). A heartrending drama about the status of lesbians living under religious oppression and one woman's valiant efforts to free herself. Fariba, prosecuted in Iran because of her love for a woman, flees to Germany. Trying to enter the country with forged documents, she is immediately arrested, but her prospects improve when she takes on the identity of a male detainee, Siamak, and assumes his temporary permit of sojourn. She takes an illegal job in a factory, where she meets Anne, who is very concerned about "Siamak's" wellbeing. While spending more and more time together, they become dangerously close, and Anne begins to suspect Fariba's true identity. In German and Farsi with English subtitles. "A wise uncompromising portrait of oppression in all its physical and psychological manifestations" (Scott Foundas, LA Weekly).
Co-presented by Massachusetts South Asian Lambda Association and Amnesty International OUTfront Program for LGBT Human Rights.
Mistaken identity is so not my thing [Twelfth Night is a rare exception], so I'm undecided about attending this.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Special Program: Love and Marriage
Sunday, May 21, 2006 - 1 pm
Jumpin' the Broom: The New Covenant by Debra Wilson (2005, 30 min.), and The Gay Marriage Thing by Stephanie Higgins (2005, 46 min.). Award-winning filmmaker Debra A. Wilson's (Butch Mystique) latest film highlights black lesbian and gay couples who share personal and heartfelt stories that challenge levels of intimacy between two people. Their commitment redefines and honors love, family values, politics, and religion in today's society. The film also features best-selling author Dr. Michael Eric Dyson. The Gay Marriage Thing presents the politics, piety, and people embroiled in and affected by the heated debate over same-sex marriage in Massachusetts.
Co-presented by the Freedom to Marry Coalition of MA, and the Multicultural AIDS Coalition. Both directors present.
I'm undecided as to whether I wanna go to this.
Sunday, May 21, 2006 - 3 pm
My Brother Nikhil by Onir (India, 2005, 120 min.). This emotionally powerful Bollywood film is the first Hindi movie to deal both with homosexuality and HIV. It is a testament to the power of relationships and one man's quest to regain dignity and love. Nikhil Kapoor (Sanjay Suri) was the all-around state swimming champion of Goa. Handsome, jovial, and charming, he is the idol of his peers; his friends love him and his family adores him. All this changes on August 8, 1989, when Nikhil is arrested and imprisoned in solitary confinement, because his health exam reveals he is HIV-positive. Overnight, he is abandoned by nearly everyone in his life, until all he has left are his boyfriend Nigel and his sister Anu, who defies her family and stands by her brother unconditionally to fight for his civil rights. In Hindi with English subtitles. Description adapted from the Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.
Co-presented by Massachusetts South Asian Lambda Association, MAP for Health, and Fenway Community Health.
Sunday, May 21, 2006 - 5:30 pm
Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema by Lisa Ades and Lesli Klainberg (2006, 85 min.). Fabulous! charts the evolution of independent gay and lesbian cinema from experimental filmmakers of the 1940s and 50s, to underground filmmakers of the 60s, 70s, and 80s, to the breakthrough "New Queer Cinema" of the 90s, and the cutting-edge gay filmmakers of today. The documentary features directors Todd Haynes and Jennie Livingston, as well as John Cameron Mitchell, John Waters, and Angela Robinson; actors Guinevere Turner, Alan Cumming, and Heather Matarazzo; producer Christine Vachon; and journalists Michael Musto, B. Ruby Rich, and Alonso Duralde—all waxing eloquent on the movies queer audiences are lucky to have.
Co-presented by the History Project.
Followed by a discussion on current trends in GLBT film with panelists including filmmaker Debra Wilson, Yusuf Nasrullah of MASALA, James Nadeau of MIT's Comparative Media Studies Program, and film critic Loren King. Moderated by writer and cultural critic Michael Bronski.
Okay, I admit, I'm optimistic about the discussion portion of this (and also really interested to see the documentary).
Sunday, May 21, 2006 - 8 pm
Bam Bam and Celeste by Lorene Machado (2005, 85 min.). Uproarious comic genius Margaret Cho invests everything that makes her great in this madcap road movie. The film features all of her favorite targets: freaky sex, growing up a loser, TV in every form and, of course, her glorious mother, full of kooky wisdom and breathtaking malapropisms that will leave you laughing for days. Cho is Celeste, an overweight, Korean, former goth punk, while her longtime friend and collaborator Bruce Daniels plays Bam Bam, a hyper-queeny, African American stylist. They are both stuck in a dreary midwestern city until a shot at a reality-TV makeover show puts them on the road to New York City. The film also stars Jane Lynch and Wilson Cruz. Description adapted from Noah Cowen, Toronto International Film Festival.
Star and comedian Bruce Daniels present.
Co-presented by Queer Asian Pacific Alliance and the MALE center.
This doesn't appeal to me much, though it strikes me as very much an Emma movie (and IMDb says Alan Cumming is in this as well). It's not unappealing enough for me to not be undecided, though.
no subject