Film Festivals

  • Roman Polanski’s VENUS IN FUR to Kick Off Paris Cinema IFF

    [caption id="attachment_4053" align="alignnone" width="550"]VENUS IN FUR[/caption]

    Director Roman Polanski along with Mathieu Amalric and Emmanuelle Seigner will kick off the 2013 Paris Cinema International Film Festival with their new movie, the comedy VENUS IN FUR, from this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The festival will close with Felix van Groeningen’s latest film, the drama, THE BROKEN CIRCLE BREAKDOWN.

    9 movies from all around the world are competing this year: The Battle of Solferino (Age of Panic) by Justine Triet, one we leave (The Moving creatures) by Brazilian Caetano Gotardo;Ilo Ilo by Singaporean Anthony Chen, Eka & Natia Chronicle of a Georgian youth , a Georgian movie codirected by Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Groß, Kid by Fien Troch, All which Will compete for Belgium; Lifelong from Turkish filmmaker Asli Özge, Youth , by Isreali director Tom Shoval and from North America, Prince Avalanche by American director David Gordon Green and Vic + Flo saw a bear (Vic + Flo saw a bear) by French Canadian Denis Côté.

    The festival will also honor Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, (A separation) whose last movie The Past won this year’s Best Actress award for Berenice Bejo at Cannes Film Festival 

    The Paris Cinema IFF will run 28 July – 9 July 2013.

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  • WATCH Trailers for Films in Utah’s Damn These Heels! LGBT Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_3936" align="alignnone" width="550"]G.B.F.[/caption]

    The Damn These Heels! (DTH!) LGBT Film Festival in Utah which celebrates its 10th Anniversary, will be held this year during the weekend of July 12-14, 2013. In celebration of the 10th year, DTH! will feature expanded programming with 21 feature films from 9 countries – more than double the films at last year’s festival. The festival opens with G.B.F. and closes with I AM DIVINE.

    Below is the complete list of the 10th Annual Damn These Heels! LGBT Film Festival titles along with trailers:

    ANIMALS
    Directed by Marçal Forés
    Not rated | 94 min | 2012 | Spain
    Catalan w/English subtitles
    This thriller is a very unconventional coming-of-age tale and an intoxicating blend of fantasy and cold reality as it follows a shy teenager’s perilous period when exciting but troubling sexuality enters into his formerly innocent world.
    San Sebastian International Film Festival 2012; BFI London Lesbian + Gay Film Festival

    http://youtu.be/8k4zn6GHD8c

     

    BALLROOM RULES
    Directed by Nickolas Bird + Eleanor Sharpe
    Not rated | 77 min | 2012 | Australia/Germany
    A passionate group of Australian same-sex ballroom dancers battle homophobia, injury and personal drama as they pursue their dream of competing at the Gay Games in Germany.

    http://youtu.be/kivoyFOZ1ck

     

    BRUNO AND EARLENE GO TO VEGAS
    Directed by Simon Savory
    Not rated | 97 min | 2013 | UK/USA/France
    Earlene arrives at Venice Beach after running from a desperate situation, only to become fast friends with an Australian skater who is also lost. Together, they set out into the desert to find themselves.

     

    CHASTITY BITES
    Directed by John V. Knowles
    Not rated | 95 min | 2013 | USA
    In the early 1600’s, Countess Elizabeth Bathory slaughtered more than 600 young women, believing if she bathed in the blood of virgins that she would stay young and beautiful forever. Still alive today, she’s found a perfect hunting ground.

    http://youtu.be/wwoE2howJPk

     

    CONTINENTAL
    Directed by Malcolm Ingram
    Not Rated | 95 min | 2013 | USA
    The story of Continental Baths, a well-known New York City establishment for gays during the late ’60 to 1974.
    South by Southwest Film Festival 2013; Frameline Film Festival 2013; BAMcinemaFest 2013

    FIVE DANCES
    Directed by Alan Brown
    Not rated | 83 min | 2013 | USA
    FIVE DANCES is a creatively adventurous narrative feature film set in the New York ‘downtown’ modern dance world.
    Opening Night, Dance On Camera – Film Society of Lincoln Center 2013

    http://youtu.be/ZwpI3NzKeZc

     

    FRAUENSEE (Women’s Lake)
    Directed by Zoltan Paul
    Not rated | 86 min | 2012 | Germany
    German w/English subtitles
    A middle-aged couple in the German countryside has unexpected visitors that cause trouble in their already tenuous relationship.
    Toronto InsideOut Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival 2012; Frameline San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival 2012

    http://youtu.be/yO32CRL0iqA

     

    FREE FALL (Frier Fall)
    Directed by Stephen Lacant
    Not rated | 100 min | 2013 | Germany
    German w/English subtitles
    A promising career with the police, a baby on the way – Marc’s life seems to be right on track. Then he meets fellow policeman, Kay.
    Opening Night, New Film! MOMA 2013; Berlin International Film Festival 2013

    http://youtu.be/Nx-hQkDIkyA

     

    G.B.F. – Opening Night
    Directed by Darren Stein
    Not rated | 92 min | 2013 | USA
    What happens after Tanner is outed by his classmates and becomes the title “gay best friend” for three high school queen bees?
    Tribeca Film Festival 2013; Frameline Film Festival 2013; Closing Night – Outfest 2013

    http://youtu.be/Z6DJSGrfNbk

     

    GOEGRAPHY CLUB
    Directed by Gary Entin
    PG-13 | 85 min | 2013 | USA
    At Goodkind High School, a group of students of varying sexual orientation form an after-school club as a discrete way to share their feelings and experiences. 
    Toronto InsideOut Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival 2013

    http://youtu.be/oQb2-a685sw

     

    GORE VIDAL: United States of Amnesia
    Directed by­ Nicholas D. Wrathall
    Not rated | 83 min | 2013 | USA/Italy
    This is an unashamedly opinionated film. In Gore Vidal’s America, the political coup has already happened. 
    Tribeca Film Festival 2013 – Framline Film Festival 2013

    http://youtu.be/wCJlpvPhIPs

     

    HOT GUYS WITH GUNS
    Directed by Doug Spearman
    Not Rated | 103 min | USA | 2013
     Imagine Lethal Weapon if Mel Gibson and Danny Glover were ex-boyfriends.
     Frameline Film Festival 2013

     

    I AM A WOMAN NOW
    Directed by Michiel van Erp
    Not rated | 80 min | 2011 | Netherlands
    Dutch, German, French w/English subtitles
    The first generation of transsexuals who had their sex change in Casablanca back in the mid-1950s to 1960s take stock of their lives. 

    http://youtu.be/pXYs3PFUD9s
     

    I AM DIVINE – Closing Night
    Directed by Jeffrey Schwarz
    Not rated | 90 min | 2013 | USA
    How Divine, aka Harris Glenn Milstead, became John Waters’ cinematic muse and an international drag icon.
    South by Southwest Film Festival 2013; Frameline Film Festival 2013

    http://youtu.be/AUiX5Llrb58

     

    IN BLOOM
    Directed by Chris Michael Birkmeier
    Not rated | 87 min | 2013 | USA
    The relationship of a young couple disintegrates in the dog days of Chicago summer as the neighborhood is being terrorized by a serial killer.
    Toronto InsideOut Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival

    http://youtu.be/xOH-JUP4k4Y

     

    LAURENCE ANYWAYS – Centerpiece Screening
    Directed by Xavier Dolan
    Not rated | 168 min | 2012 | Canada/France
    French w/English subtitles
    An astonishingly crafted exploration of the 10-year relationship of a male-to-female transsexual with her lover.
    Opening Night, Un Certain Regard; Winner, Best Actress; Winner, Queer Palm – Festival De Cannes 2013

    http://youtu.be/1YjIWEky81M

     

    MARGARITA
    Directed by Dominique Cardona + Laurie Colbert
    Not rated | 90 min | 2012 | USA
    When cash-strapped yuppies fire their teen-aged daughter’s lesbian Mexican nanny, Margarita, they set off a chain of events that lead to her deportation.

     

    PEACHES DOES HERSELF
    Directed by Peaches
    Not rated | 80 min | 2012 | Germany
    Peaches herself likes to describe it as “The Jukebox Musical that got a Sex Change!”
    Toronto International Film Festival 2013, Sundance London 2013, BAMcinemaFest 2013

    http://youtu.be/KhNhrKNYvSo

     

    THE RUGBY PLAYER
    Directed by Scott Gracheff
    Not rated | 90 min | 2013 | USA
    The film explores the life of Mark Bingham, one of the passengers of United Flight 93 on 9/11.
    Winner, HBO Audience Award Best Documentary – Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival 2013
    Toronto InsideOut LGBT Film Festival 2013

     

    SUBMERGE
    Directed by Sophie O’Connor
    Not rated | 97 min | 2013 | USA
    A Gen Y love story presented as a fetish sex drama, submerge explores the need of Gen Y for constant stimulation and instant gratification underpinned by a sense of entitlement.
    Frameline Film Festival 2013

    http://youtu.be/OCizTM7bnik 

     

    WHO’S AFRAID OF VAGINA WOLF
    Directed by Anna Margarita Albelo
    Not rated | 83 min | 2013 | USA
    The day after her fortieth birthday, Anna comes to the conclusion that it’s time for the madness to stop. She lives in her friend’s back yard tool shed, her career as a filmmaker isn’t paying her bills and worst of all it’s been ten years since she’s had a girlfriend.
    Frameline Film Festival 2013

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  • Pedro Almodóvar’s Hilarious New Comedy I’M SO EXCITED to Open Australia’s Melbourne Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_4110" align="alignnone" width="550"]I’M SO EXCITED![/caption]

    The 62nd Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) will open with the Australian Premiere of Pedro Almodóvar’s hilarious comedy, I’M SO EXCITED! (Los Amantes Pasajeros).

    With cameo appearances by Penélope Cruz (Volver) and Antonio Banderas (The Skin I Live In), I’M SO EXCITED! features a top-notch cast of Spain, Mexico and Argentina’s finest acting talent, including previous Almodóvar collaborators Antonio de la Torre (Volver), Javier Cámara (Talk To Her, Bad Education) and Lola Dueñas (Volver, Talk To Her).  I’M SO EXCITED! opens in the US in late June 2013.

    I’M SO EXCITED! is the story of a Mexico-bound flight that runs into trouble when its landing gear malfunctions, and is put in a holding pattern. On board, the flamboyant cabin crew deal with the situation by drugging economy class to sleep and breaking out the tequila and mescaline in business class, where the passengers include a virgin psychic, a dominatrix, a soap star and a corrupt banker.

    I’M SO EXCITED! marks the first of 18 days for MIFF, which includes well over 300 films from around the world.

    http://youtu.be/gZW68fmlaMI

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  • Films Featuring Jason Ritter, Lee Meriwether, Brooke Shields among Lineup for Palm Springs International ShortFest

    The 2013 Palm Springs International ShortFest & Short Film Market will showcase 330 films including 70 World Premieres, 55 North American Premieres and 14 U.S. Premieres from June 18-24, at the Camelot Theatres in Palm Springs.  

    This year’s star-studded shorts feature Academy Award winners and nominees, as well as film and television stars.  Jason Ritter in Boats Against the Current (USA); the voice of Rachel Griffiths in Butterflies (Australia); the voice of Cate Blanchett in the North American Premiere of A Cautionary Tale (Australia); Tom Sizemore in The Charlatan (USA); Christopher Lloyd in the World Premiere of The Coin (USA); Shannyn Sossamon in The Cyclist (USA); Yvan Attal and Anne Parillaud in the North American Premiere of Delicate Gravity (France); Alan Rickman in Dust (UK); Ian McKellen in the World Premiere of The Egg Trick (UK); Christopher Eccleston and Felicity Jones in the World Premiere of Emily (UK); Gerard Depardieu in Frank-Etienne (France); the voice of Bill Nighy in the North American Premiere of The Hungry Corpse (UK); Missi Pyle in Killing Vivian (USA); Brenda Blethyn and Tom Jones in the World Premiere of King of the Teds (UK); Anson Mount directs Last Time We Checked(USA); Elle Fanning in Likeness (USA); Nick Cassavetes in the World Premiere of Love and Skin  (USA) directed by Virgina Cassavetes; voices of Hugh Bonneville and Andy Serkis in the North American Premiere of The Magnificent Lion Boy (UK); Nastassja Kinski and Julian Sands in The Nightshift Belongs to the Stars (Italy) directed by Edoardo Ponti; Hugo Weaving in No Budget (Australia); David Lyons marks his directorial debut in the North American Premiere of Record (USA); Lee Meriwether in Remember to Breathe (USA); Lauren Ambrose and Adam Driver in The River (USA); Frances Conroy in Sequin Raze (USA); Shohreh Aghdashloo in Silk (USA) directed by Catherine Dent;Jordana Spiro directs Skin (USA); Denis Lavant in the North American Premiere of Spring Tides(France); Lisa Edelstein and James Le Gros in the World Premiere of Three Hours Between Planes(USA); Emma Thompson in Walking the Dogs (UK); Brooke Shields and Mireille Enos in the World Premiere of Wild Horses (USA); and Camilla Belle in Zero Hour (Mexico/USA).

    Sydney Netter (Founder, SND Films), Missi Pyle (actress) and Betsy Sharkey (Film Critic, Los Angeles Times) will serve on the ShortFest jury and  a total of $110,000 in prizes, including $16,000 in cash awards, will be given out in 19 categories to this year’s short films in competition.  First place winners in four categories will automatically become eligible for consideration by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for a possible Academy Award nomination.  

    Eleven films have been chosen to play online at the ShortFest Online Film Festival, starting a week prior to the festival and continue to play online for two months after the end of the festival.  

    Amstel (Netherlands) – It’s early Sunday morning, and Maarten has just met the girl of his dreams. Unfortunately he’s still drunk, and still with his date from the night before.  Director: Jaap van Eyck.  Cast: Tjebbo Gerritsma, Nyncke Beekhuyzen, IIke Paddenburg.

    Bad Cars (USA) – An exploration of the difficulty of finding love in Los Angeles, particularly when you have a crappy car.  Director: Anthony Deptula.

    Bubble Boy (USA) – Love makes everything look better (and bigger)!  Director: Tang Tao.

    Bouddhi Bouddha (France) – Just back from a trip to Nepal, two friends let the mysteries of meditation and the allure of exotic lands blur the lines of their relationship. Director: Sophie Galibert.

    The Mrs. (USA) – In one man’s world, it’s a good thing his wife gets up before he does. The Mrs. is one of five different films from the same script.  As part of Bombay Sapphire’s Imagination Series, Oscar winner Geoffrey Fletcher wrote a script stripped of any stage direction and asked people to imagine their film.  Director: Matt Smukler.  Cast: Paul Messinger, Bonnie Burroughs, Sean Miller.

    Naptime! (USA) – Naptime! might just be that revolutionary new product that could save your life (or at least your sanity).  Play this video to learn all about it!  Director: Chris Capel.  Cast: Mallory Moye, Asif Ali, Taylor Orci.

    Shelved (New Zealand) – Two industrial robots, Craig and Beano, figure they’re too cool for school until a plague starts hitting the warehouse floor: robot workers are being replaced by humans!  Can Craig and Beano survive the gathering storm?  Director: James Cunningham.  Cast: Simon McKinney, Stephen Papps, Lara Fischel-Chisholm, Penny Ashton, Peter Rowley.

    Sleddin’ (USA) – A daring little boy goes on a mini winter adventure, though not all is as it seems in beautifully crafted animated short.  Director: John Pettingill.

    Start the Engine and Reverse (Russian Federation) – A first date, illicit enough, but made all the more so since the couple are driving her father’s car, turns quickly into a showdown of morals and conscience on a snowy road.  Director: Andrey Zagidullin.  Cast: Lubov Novikova, Egor Kharlamov.

    [caption id="attachment_4108" align="alignnone" width="550"]Sweet Crude Man Camp [/caption]

    Sweet Crude Man Camp (USA) – A haunting look at the complicated realities surrounding the ongoing oil boom in the Bakken region of North Dakota.  Director: Isaac Gale.

    Whateverest (Denmark/Norway) – Enter the strange world of Marius Solum Hohansen, a young failed musician who cares for his father, manages the family’s tanning salon business and posts “drug recipes” on the Internet.  Director: Kristoffer Borgli.  Cast: Marius Solem Johansen, Jan Thomsen.

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  • “LOVELACE” to Open and “EMANUEL AND THE TRUTH ABOUT FISHES” to Close the 15th Provincetown International Film Festival

    The 15th Anniversary of the Provincetown International Film Festival (PIFF) will take place in Provincetown, Massachusetts from June 19th through June 23rd, 2013.  The festival will open with Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman’s LOVELACE (pictured above), and close with EMANUEL AND THE TRUTH ABOUT FISHES, directed by Francesca Gregorini.  The Friday Night Spotlight selection is I AM DIVINE, directed by Jeffrey Schwartz and the Saturday Night Spotlight Selection is I’M SO EXCITED!, directed by Pedro Almodovar.

    The 2013 Filmmaker on the Edge Award will be awarded to writer/director Harmony Korine (SPRINGBREAKERS, GUMMO, MISTER LONELY, KIDS) in conversation with John Waters at Provincetown’s Town Hall on Saturday, June 22nd.

    The Festival will close on June 23rd with a block party and the presentation of the HBO Audience Awards.

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  • SAW Director, James Wan, to World Premiere New Film, “THE CONJURING” at Los Angeles Film Festival

     

    THE CONJURING directed by James Wan (Saw, Insidious) will World Premiere at the 2013 Los Angeles Film Festival on June 21. The film, which stars Academy Award® nominee Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air, Bates Motel), Patrick Wilson (Insidious), Ron Livingston (Office Space, Adaptation) and Lili Taylor (Hemlock Grove), is set for release on July 19.

    Before there was Amityville, there was Harrisville. Based on the true-life story, THE CONJURING tells the tale of how world-renowned paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren were called upon to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in a secluded farmhouse. Forced to confront a powerful demonic entity, the Warrens find themselves caught in the most horrifying case of their lives.

    http://youtu.be/Gb-jRz7HWqs

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  • “SOMEWHERE SLOW” and “WITHOUT SHEPHERDS” Win Brooklyn Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_4031" align="alignnone" width="550"]SOMEWHERE SLOW[/caption]

    The Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF) under the theme MAGNETIC which ran from May 31 through June 9, 2013 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NYC, at indieScreen and for the first time at Windmill Studios NYC came to a close last night with a ceremony honoring the winning films.  SOMEWHERE SLOW directed by Jeremy O’Keefe won the award for Best Narrative Feature, and WITHOUT SHEPHERDS directed by Cary McClelland won the award for Best Documentary. The prizes for Best Narrative Feature and Best Documentary Feature award winners include a seven-day theatrical release at indieScreen in Brooklyn, New York.

    GRAND CHAMELEON AWARD:

    [caption id="attachment_4100" align="alignnone" width="550"]Without Shepherds[/caption]

    Cary McClelland for Without Shepherds

    BEST IN CATEGORY:

    Narrative Feature – Jeremy O’Keefe for Somewhere Slow
    Documentary – Cary McClelland for Without Shepherds
    Short Subject – David Figueroa García for Scoundrels (Ratitas)
    Animation –  Tomasz Popakul for Ziegenort
    Experimental – Eduardo Menz for A Film Portrait on Reconstructing 12 Possibilities that Preceded the Disappearance of Zoe Dean Drum

    AUDIENCE AWARDS:

    Documentary – Amy Finkel for Furever
    Narrative Feature – Dan Eberle for Cut to Black
    Animation – Rachel Salomon O’Meara for The Course
    Experimental – Timothy Ziegler For Baldr
    Short Subject – Max Sherwood for Nervous Person

    CERTIFICATES OF ACHIEVEMENT:

    Best New Director – Nicole Gomez Fisher for Sleeping With The Fishes
    Best Producer – James E. Duff & Julia Morrison for Hank And Asha
    Best Screenplay – Adam Weirbianski for HairBrained
    Best Cinematography – Polly Morgan for Emanuel and The Truth About Fishes
    Best Editing – Lindsay Lindenbaum & Nadav Kurtz for Scattered
    Best Original Score – Slavomir Kowalewski for Sado Tempest
    Best Actor (Female) – Sheila Etxeberría for Soft In The Head
    Best Actor (Male) – Alex Wolff for HairBrained

    SPIRIT AWARDS:

    Narrative Feature – Enrique Alvarez for Giraffes
    Documentary – Inigo Westmeier for Dragon Girls
    Short Subject – Connor Hurley for The Naturalist
    Experimental – Carlo Sampietro for Tambourine Buttocks
    Animation – Susanna Nicchiarelli for Live Bait

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  • World Premiere of “THE BIG MELT” at 20th Sheffield Doc/Fest

    [caption id="attachment_4098" align="alignnone" width="550"]THE BIG MELT directed by Martin Wallace[/caption]

    The world premiere of the “THE BIG MELT” directed by Martin Wallace will help kick off the 20th edition of Sheffield Doc/Fest and also celebrate the 100 Years of Stainless Steel in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK, the home of the festival, on Wednesday, June 12, 2013. In an interesting collaboration, leading Sheffield musicians – including The City of Sheffield Brass Band, Richard Hawley and band members, Pulp band members, The Forgemasters, a string quartet and a youth choir – will perform live to the world premiere of the film.

    THE BIG MELT is described as “A lyrical film for the contemporary age, The Big Melt uses footage from the BFI National Archive to tell the story of steel, the story of the men in the steelworks and the story of Sheffield. The score directed by Jarvis Cocker takes us on musical journey into the soul of a nation, bringing to life the ghosts of our past, leading us into the belly of the furnaces and showing how our national characters have been stamped from the mighty presses of our industrial heritage. Jarvis Cocker has gathered a group of leading Sheffield musicians to create a phenomenal music score for the film – a new kind of Sheffield heavy metal, with pictures.”

    Says Martin Wallace, Director: We wanted to tell a story about steel that opened-out the basic social history and facts about the process itself. There are some awesome BFI archive films that already paint a vivid picture of the real story, so we wanted to drag this archive into the present, re-imagine and invigorate it, turn it into something more fantastical, more playful and, at the same time, more challenging. 

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  • “OUR NIXON” “C.O.G.” Among Top Winning Films at 39th Seattle International Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_4092" align="alignnone" width="550"]C.O.G.[/caption]

    The 39th Seattle International Film Festival announced the winners of the SIFF 2013 Competition and Golden Space Needle Audience Awards – OUR NIXON, directed by Penny Lane won the GRAND JURY PRIZE for Best Documentary and C.O.G., directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez won the GRAND JURY PRIZE for Best New American Cinema. OUR NIXON is described as an “all-archival documentary, constructed from Super8 footage shot by three White House aides (Watergate conspirators Ehrlichman, Haldeman, and Chapin), creates an intimate and complex portrait of the Nixon presidency, as it has never been seen before.”  C.O.G. is described as the “first film adaptation of David Sedaris’ work .. a funny and poignant portrait of a lost soul and the amusing characters he meets as he pursues his Steinbeckian dream—to spend his summer working on an apple farm in Oregon.”

    SIFF 2013 COMPETITION AWARDS

    SIFF 2013 BEST NEW DIRECTOR

    GRAND JURY PRIZE 
    Harmony Lessons, directed by Emir Baigazin (2013, Kazakhstan)

    JURY STATEMENT: Emir Baigazin’s astounding debut feature Harmony Lessons set the bar for all the films that the Narrative Jury watched before and after. On one level, it’s the simple tale of a bullied Muslim boy in rural Kazakhstan. But as no single child’s life is ever as simple as adults believe, from the moment we meet the dark-eyed, pimply hero chasing down a family sheep to slaughter with his aging babushka, to his ultimate act of vengeance in his struggle for survival, his confrontation with bullies at his local school spirals into a larger tale of societal dominance and submission. Power relations based on intimidation and violence flow from boy to sheep, alpha boy to beta, local police to accused criminals, and ultimately an entire society defined by a hierarchy of male bullying male. Visually exact, transparently acted by a mostly juvenile cast, and quietly terrifying, this Kazakhstan/Germany/France co-production is a hard-won lesson in how brutal life can be that is told with spellbinding assurance by a visionary young talent. 

    SIFF 2013 BEST DOCUMENTARY

    GRAND JURY PRIZE 
    Our Nixon, directed by Penny Lane (2013, USA)

    JURY STATEMENT: For Best Documentary the prize goes to Penny Lane for Our Nixon. For this original telling of the unraveling of the Nixon presidency, Lane poured over a mountain of archival Super 8 home movie footage and audio to take a story that we think we already know and give it a fresh and human perspective.

     SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
    The Crash Reel, directed by Lucy Walker (2013, USA

    JURY STATEMENT: We’re giving a Special Jury Prize to Lucy Walker for The Crash Reel, a deeply emotional and nuanced look at snowboarder and Olympic hopeful Kevin Pearce, his inspiring journey back from traumatic brain injury, and the healing power of family.

     

    SIFF 2013 BEST NEW AMERICAN CINEMA

    GRAND JURY PRIZE 
    C.O.G., directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez (USA, 2013)

    JURY STATEMENT: We, the members of FIPRESCI, are very pleased to award the International Critics Prize for Best New American Film to C.O.G., written and directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez. Unsentimental yet openhearted, Alvarez’s adaptation of David Sedaris’ essay tells a compelling story of youthful self-actualization, of defining encounters with class, sex and religion, that refuses to succumb to the dictates of fashionable identity politics. Its narrative trajectory is fundamentally wayward, yet its clipped, idiosyncratic pacing, its evocative visualization of the fecund landscapes and overcast light of the Pacific Northwest, and its use of the percussive music of Steve Reich converge to immerse us in a very particular world, and to create a film of unlikely momentum, unnerving humour and subtle emotional resonance.

     

    SIFF 2013 GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AUDIENCE AWARDS

    BEST FILM GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD
    Fanie Fourie’s Lobola, directed by Henk Pretorius (South Africa, 2013)

    First runner-up: The Rocket, directed by Kim Mordaunt (Australia, 2013)
    Second runner-up: Monsters University, directed by Dan Scanlon (USA, 2013)
    Third runner-up: Decoding Annie Parker, directed by Steven Bernstein (USA, 2013)
    Fourth runner-up: Still Mine, directed by Michael McGowan (Canada, 2013) 
    Rounding out the top ten: Short Term 12, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (USA, 2013); Horses of God, directed by Nabil Ayouch (Morocco, 2013); Circles, directed by Srdan Golubovic (Serbia, 2013); The Forgotten Kingdom, directed by Andrew Mudge (USA, 2013); Unfinished Song, directed by Paul Andrew Williams (United Kingdom, 2012); Populaire, directed by Régis Roinsard (France, 2012).

     

    BEST DOCUMENTARY GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD
    Twenty Feet from Stardom, directed by Morgan Neville (USA, 2013)

    First runner-up: The Punk Singer, directed by Sini Anderson (USA, 2013)
    Second runner-up: Harana, directed by Benito Bautista (Philippines, 2012)
    Third runner-up: Alive and Well, directed by Josh Taft (USA, 2013)
    Fourth runner-up: Blackfish, directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite (USA, 2013)
    Rounding out the top ten: Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth, directed by Pratibha Parmar (USA, 2013); Finding Hillywood, directed by Leah Warshawski, Chris Towey (USA, 2013); Evergreen: The Road to Legalization in Washington, directed by Riley Morton (USA, 2013); SOMM, directed by Jason Wise (USA, 2012); The Otherside, directed by Daniel Torok (USA, 2013); Inequality for All, directed by Jacob Kornbluth (USA, 2013).

     

    BEST DIRECTOR GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD
    Nabil Ayouch, Horses of God, (Morocco, 2012)

    First runner-up: David Ondříček, In the Shadow, (Czech Republic, 2012)
    Second runner-up: Joss Whedon, Much Ado About Nothing, (USA, 2012)
    Third runner-up: Thomas Vinterberg, The Hunt, (Denmark, 2012)
    Fourth runner-up: Andrew Mudge, The Forgotten Kingdom, (USA, 2013)
    Rounding out the top ten: Sarah Polley, Stories We Tell, (Canada, 2012); Brady Hall, Scrapper, (USA, 2013);Juan Carlos Maneglia,Tana Schémbori, 7 Boxes, (Paraguay, 2012); Reha Erdem, Jin, (Turkey, 2012); Michael Mayer, Out in the Dark, (Israel, 2012);Destin Daniel Cretton, Short Term 12, (USA, 2013).

     

    BEST ACTOR GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD
    James Cromwell, Still Mine, (Canada, 2012)

    First runner-up: Mads Mikkelsen, The Hunt, (Denmark, 2012)
    Second runner-up: Terence Stamp, Unfinished Song (United Kingdom, 2012)
    Third runner-up: Ivan Trejon, In the Shadow, (Czech Republic, 2012)
    Fourth runner-up: Sabin Tambrea, Ludwig II, (Germany, 2013) 
    Rounding out the top ten: Michael Beach, Scrapper, (USA, 2013);Niels Arestrup, You Will Be My Son, (France, 2012); Edward Hogg, Imagine, (Poland, 2012); Ali Suliman, The Attack, (Lebanon, 2012); Casey Affleck, Ain’t Them Bodies Saints (USA, 2013); Paul Eenhoorn, This is Martin Bonner, (USA, 2013).

     

    BEST ACTRESS GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD
    Samantha Morton, Decoding Annie Parker, (USA, 2013)

    First runner-up: Onata Aprile, What Maisie Knew, (USA, 2012)
    Second runner-up: Greta Gerwig, Frances Ha, (USA, 2012)
    Third runner-up: Juliane Köhler, Two Lives, (Germany, 2012)
    Fourth runner-up: Martina Gedeck, The Wall, (Austria, 2012)
    Rounding out the top ten: Brie Larson, Short Term 12, (USA, 2013); Robin Weigert, Concussion, (USA, 2013); Lisa Tomaschewsky, The Girl With Nine Wigs, (Germany, 2013); Anna Giles, Scrapper, (USA, 2013); Jeanne Moreau, A Lady in Paris, (Estonia, 2012); Alma Prica, Halima’s Path, (Croatia, 2012).  

     

    BEST SHORT FILM GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD
    Spooners, directed by Bryan Horch (USA, 2012)

    First runner-up: My Right Eye (The Apple of My Eye), directed by Josecho de Linares (Spain, 2012)
    Second runner-up: Malaria, directed by Edson Oda (Brazil, 2013)
    Third runner-up: Fora, directed by Ayuub Kasasa Mago (Rwanda, 2012)
    Fourth runner-up: While You Weren’t Looking, directed by Jeremy Mackie (USA, 2012)
    Rounding out the top ten: Good Karma $1, directed by Jason Berger, Amy Laslett (USA, 2012); Noodle Fish, directed by Jin-man Kim (South Korea, 2012); Walking the Dogs, directed by Jeremy Brock (United Kingdom, 2012); The Roper, directed by Ewan McNichol, Anna Sandilands (USA, 2012); Macropolis, directed by Joel Simon (United Kingdom, 2012); Penny Dreadful, directed by Shane Atkinson (USA, 2012).   

     

    LENA SHARPE AWARD FOR PERSISTENCE OF VISION, PRESENTED BY WOMEN IN FILM/SEATTLE
    The Punk Singer, directed by Sini Anderson (USA, 2013)

      

    REEL NW AWARD, PRESENTED BY KCTS 9     

    REEL NW AWARD
    GRAND JURY PRIZE  Big Joy, directed by Eric Slade and Stephen Silha (USA)

    JURY STATEMENT: The Seattle International Film Festival assembled an impressive array of Northwest Connection films in 2013, with stories ranging from heart-breaking illness to life-affirming music, from the ballot box to the scrap yard, from Northwest noir to volatile blends of fact and fiction, and many places in between.  Quality was very high across the board, great news for local film fans and a difficult challenge for the jurors.  In a very close decision, the 2013 Reel NW Award goes to a beautifully constructed film that personifies the essence of independent creative spirit and re-discovers a great American story, which has been largely forgotten. 

     

    SIFF 2013 FUTUREWAVE AND YOUTH JURY AWARDS 

    YOUTH JURY AWARD FOR BEST FUTUREWAVE FEATURE

    GRAND JURY PRIZE 
    The Spectacular Now, directed by James Ponsoldt (USA)

    JURY STATEMENT: For its relatable story that embodies the teenage struggle in a realistic manner and for its powerful ensemble of actors, the Youth Jury Award for Best FutureWave Feature goes to The Spectacular Now.

     

    SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
    Blackbird, directed by Jason Buxton (Canada)

    The FutureWave Jury would also like to give a Special Jury Prize toBlackbird for its subtly powerful and original story featuring compelling performances.

     

    YOUTH JURY AWARD FOR BEST FILMS4FAMILIES FEATURE

    GRAND JURY PRIZE 
    Ernest & Celestine, directed by Benjamin Renner, Stephane Aubier, and Vincent Patar (France)

    JURY STATEMENT: The film we chose told a fascinating story about characters from two different worlds learning to be friends. Through their friendship we learned that even though two worlds may seem completely different, in many ways they are the same. 

     

    WAVEMAKER AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN YOUTH FILMMAKING

    GRAND JURY PRIZE 
    The Painted Girl, directed by Ben Kadie (USA, 2013)

    FUTUREWAVE SHORTS AUDIENCE AWARD
    Piece of Cake, directed by Susan Procopio and Katherine Procopio (Canada, 2012)

     

    THEFILMSCHOOL PRODIGY CAMP SCHOLARSHIPS
    A Quest for Peace: Nonviolence Among Religions, directed by Matthew Evans (USA, 2013)

    Runner up: Laser Rabbit, directed by Matt Wells (USA, 2013)   

     

    SIFF 2013 SHORT FILM JURY AWARDS

    As a qualifying festival of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, short films that received the Grand Jury Prize for Best Live Action, Animated, and Documentary Short at SIFF may qualify to enter the Short Films category of the Academy Awards® for the concurrent season without the standard theatrical run, provided the film complies with the Academy rules. Winners received a $1,000 cash prize.

     

    LIVE ACTION

    GRAND JURY PRIZE
    My Right Eye (The Apple of My Eye), directed by Josecho de Linares (Spain, 2012)

    JURY STATEMENT: For its beautifully crafted and profound exploration of love and loss told through touching performances that depict a young man’s authentic journey of rediscovery, the jury awards Best Narrative Short to The Apple of My Eye, written and directed by Josecho de Linares.

     

    SPECIAL JURY PRIZES 
    Penny Dreadful, directed by Shane Atkinson (USA, 2012) 
    Mobile Homes, directed by Vladimir de Fontenay (USA/France, 2012) 
    Decimation, directed by Wade Jackson (USA, 2013)

    JURY STATEMENT: For its stylish direction and a terrific performance by Oona Laurence as a young kidnap victim who turns the tables on her abductors, the jury would like to give a Special Jury Mention to the short film Penny Dreadful.   The jury would also like to award a Special Jury Mention to Mobile Homes, a suspenseful, moving narrative with where the main characters stumble upon a most unexpected mean of escape. The jury awards a Special Jury Mention for outstanding ensemble filmmaking supported by the Northwest filmmaking community to the cast and crew of Decimation, written and directed by Wade Jackson.

     

    DOCUMENTARY 

    GRAND JURY PRIZE 
    Keep a Modest Head, directed by Deco Dawson (Canada, 2012)

    JURY STATEMENT: Although there were many great films to discuss and debate, ultimately there was one film that the jury unanimously felt was particularly worthy of receiving the Best Documentary Short award. For its brilliantly surrealistic imagining of the life of the last of the surrealists, the jury gives its award to Keep A Modest Head, directed by Deco Dawson.

     

    SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
    Today, directed by Philip Montgomery (USA, 2013)
    JURY STATEMENT: For its touching and inspiring story about a man who learns to find meaning in his life’s work even after a tragic accident, the jury awards a Special Jury Mention to Today, directed by Phillip Montgomery.  

     

    ANIMATION

    GRAND JURY PRIZE
    Woody, directed by Stuart Bowen (Australia) 

    JURY STATEMENT: For the award for Best Animated Short, the jury has unanimously decided upon a film that told a lovely story about a guy who was just like everyone else, but wanted deeply to be something different than what he was. The filmmakers took the art of film as a visual medium to heart – with no dialogue and without facial expressions, they crafted a complete story that evoked compassion for the character. The jury awards Best Animated Short to Woody, directed by Stuart Bowen.  

     

    SPECIAL JURY PRIZE 
    Malaria, directed by Edson Oda (Brazil, 2013) 
    The Hunter, directed by Marieka Walsh (Australia, 2012)   
    JURY STATEMENT: For its intriguing and original visual storytelling, combined with the tautness of an old-school Western, the jury awards a Special Jury Mention to Malaria, directed by Edson Shundl Oda.   We had a very difficult time making a final decision between two films. After much discussion, the jury has decided to award a Special Jury Mention to The Hunter, directed by Marieka Walsh, for its beautifully simple, yet deeply emotional illustrations integrated into a folk-tale of a story.    

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  • “THE SPECTACULAR NOW” and “OUT OF PRINT” Win Top Awards at 2013 deadCENTER Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_3372" align="alignnone" width="550"]THE SPECTACULAR NOW[/caption]

    THE SPECTACULAR NOW,” directed by James Ponsoldt, won the Grand Jury Feature category, and Vivienne Roumani’s “OUT OF PRINT” won top honors in the Grand Jury Documentary category at the 2013 deadCENTER Film Festival. THE SPECTACULAR NOW is a “sharply witty coming-of-age story” of youth confronting the funny, thrilling and perilous business of modern love and adulthood. OUT OF PRINT is “a thoughtful look into the impact of the digital revolution” with testimonials from authors, entrepreneurs, and educators alike highlighting how the digital revolution is changing every aspect of the printed word – and how it’s changing us.

    Winners also included:

    Special Jury Feature: “WORM”

    Special Jury Short: “Running Deer”

    Okie Feature: “Home, James”

    Okie Short: “Sherman & Pacifico”

    Narrative Short: “Black Metal”

    Documentary Short: “This is Normal”

    Screenplay: “Uterus Chat”

    Student Film: “The Treehouse”

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  • Amy Finkel Explores Handling the Loss of A Pet in FUREVER at the Brooklyn Film Festival

    Amy Finkel’s documentary film “FUREVER” is an official selection at the 2013 Brooklyn Film Festival. FUREVER explores the dimensions of grief people experience over the loss of a pet. The film features interviews from grieving pet owners, veterinarians, psychologists, sociologists, religious scholars, neuroscientists, and the many professionals who preserve a pet’s body or re-purpose a pet’s remains in unique ways  including taxidermy, cloning, mummification, and freeze-drying. Considering that Amy made a documentary about four-string jazz banjo culture entitled “Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart: The Banjomaniacs of Guthrie,”  we wanted to know how did she end up making a documentary about a pet’s last rites.

    We connected with Amy at the Brooklyn Film Festivals in her hometown, Brooklyn, New York, with lots of questions and she provided us with lots of answers.  

    VIMOOZ: First, congratulations on FUREVER being an official selection in the 2013 Brooklyn International Film Festival? How does it feel?

    Amy Finkel: Thanks! It’s wonderful! The FUREVER screenings thus far have all been in other faraway cities, so I’d been hoping for a great hometown screening, and this is, of course, it. I was really excited for my friends to get to see the film; many have helped me so much on it over the years. And I just adore all of the people who run the Brooklyn Film Festival, so it’s been fantastic.

    VIMOOZ: Am I correct – you are a New Yorker…and live in Brooklyn?

    Amy Finkel: I do indeed. In Boerum Hill — the same apartment for 15 years now!

    VIMOOZ: Tell us about the film?

    Amy Finkel: It’s called FUREVER and it’s a feature-length documentary about pet loss, the dimensions of grief people experience when they lose a pet, the sociological evolution of pets in our culture, and the myriad ways we choose to memorialize our pets when they pass away.

    FUREVER features interviews with grieving pet owners, veterinarians, psychologists, sociologists, religious scholars, neuroscientists, and the many professionals who preserve a pet’s body for their devastated clientele, or re-purpose a pet’s cremains in unique ways (taxidermy, cloning, mummification, freeze-drying, and many more), FUREVER confronts contemporary trends, perspectives, and relevant cultural assumptions regarding attachment, religion, ritual, grief, and death, and studies the bonds that form between humans and animals, both psychological and physiological.

    VIMOOZ: What was in your opinion, the most outlandish (if I dare use that word) pet memorial you’ve seen while filming the documentary or in general?

    Amy Finkel: Hmmm…at this point I’m pretty desensitized to it all. I think dog cloning is the most extreme, because it’s the most expensive ($100,000) and you can only do it in South Korea (fewer animal welfare organizations there). Plus many people who choose that option truly believe they’re cheating death. It’s also the most technologically advanced. But it’s funny to me what people think of as extreme. I did an interview with someone in the film who freeze-dried his pet, and he finds the idea of having a pet’s ashes on a mantelpiece unbelievably distasteful. As far as actual physical memorials go, for me, the most outlandish were always those that were the most kitsch. I adored one that was an elaborate silver memorial of a dog urinating on a fire hydrant. While it wasn’t working when we were there, after speaking with the pet cemetery where I found it, they said it’s usually a working fountain.

    VIMOOZ: How did you come up with the idea for FUREVER?

    Amy Finkel: We had many types of animals growing up and I became very attached to them over the years. My parents were huge advocates of animal rescue, so we ended up with all sorts: anoles, rats, dogs, budgies, gerbils, etc.  And no matter what the species, I found that I became unbelievably attached to each of them. As a result, I had a very tough time letting go. So when I read the article about people freeze-drying their pets several years ago, I was fascinated by what it was about keeping the body of a dead animal in a lively-looking state that was offering so much comfort to the devastated pet owners. How was it not a constant reminder that their pet was gone? Where did they think the soul had gone, if they believed in that (which I suspected they did)? That was not a discussion in my atheist household growing up. But—and I should mention that I’m not particularly judgmental in general—I never assumed they were crazy, as many do. I totally understood their level of attachment and their inability to let go; I simply didn’t understand why it would offer them comfort. I thought it was peculiar, and potentially destructive psychologically if there were a disconnect there (feeling as though their pet was still alive), but I tried to go into it with an open mind. Freeze-drying certainly would not have offered comfort to me. But I’d often wondered why I was getting so attached to my animals; whether it was projection or perhaps being less tolerant of humans than animals (I did have a lot of human friends growing up too). I figured there had to be some physiological component, which is why I put a whole segment in the film about the biology of the human-animal bond. But yes, for some reason freeze-drying was the perfect jumping off point for an inquiry of all of these questions, and an exploration of grief in general, so I set off to investigate.

    VIMOOZ: Are you a pet owner? If yes, what pets do you own? If not, why not?

    Amy Finkel: I’m afraid that my (rent-controlled) apartment doesn’t allow pets, so I don’t have one. But I’m huge animal lover. If I could have a dog now, I would in a heartbeat. Luckily, I have numerous surrogate dogs in the neighborhood, so I do get my fix here and there.

    That said, I do, actually, have some freeze-dried and taxidermied animals: Chompers, my groundhog, Fleischesser, my armadillo, and angel, my wild boar. One of my subjects, Mac, gave them to me as thank you gifts for making his website. I feel a bit uneasy knowing that they, likely, did not die of natural causes, nor, unlike the boar, did anyone eat their meat, so it makes me feel better to treat them in death with the dignity and respect they never received in life. They get frequent positive affirmations and simulated food offerings. You know, for that extra dose of anthropomorphic affection (with a chaser of projection). Chompers and Angel spend time with me in my living room, and Fleischesser lives in my office, positioned so that he may stare in perpetuity at a gorgeous old mannequin whose arms frequently fall off, as an homage to his species’ leprotic leanings.

    VIMOOZ: Would you/have you ever created a pet memorial? Would you consider it?

    Amy Finkel: We always buried our small animals in the backyard or cremated our larger ones (I keep their ashes now). At this point, I’ve of course, seen all that can be done with a deceased pet. Most of the memorials would be cost prohibitive for me and wouldn’t offer me much comfort, but I love Jessica Joslin’s articulated skeleton work (not sure I’d be able to do that with a pet, but I do think her work is beautiful). I can absolutely imagine pressing the ashes of a pet into a vinyl record (“And Vinyly”). I love that option. I love a lot of the options — I vetted all of the businesses in the film; all of the company owners are really great people who mean well and are by no means simply trying to exploit pet owners at a time when they’re most vulnerable.  

    VIMOOZ: What do you want viewers to take away from watching the documentary?

    Amy Finkel: I’m hoping that the stigma attached to grieving the loss of a pet can be removed.

    VIMOOZ: By the way who came up with the name for the film?

    Amy Finkel: My friend, Laura Pence! I told her that I wanted to call it “Forever” (I’m pretty sure we were pretty tipsy at the time), and she cracked up and said, “FUR-ever!” She thought she was making a joke, but I knew immediately that there was no other title but that.

    VIMOOZ: What’s next for Furever?

    Amy Finkel: We’re currently working out our distribution plans — check the fureverfilm.com website in the next few weeks for details about that. And we’re doing the film festival route for the next year (we started two months ago).

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  • Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival Unveils 2013 Lineup of Films

    [caption id="attachment_4083" align="alignnone" width="550"]REACHING FOR THE MOON[/caption]

    The 31st Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival, to be held July 11 to 21, 2013, announced the complete film lineup for this years festival, including Kyle Patrick Alvarez’s “C.O.G.,” as Opening Night film and Darren Stein’s comedy “G.B.F.,” as closing night film.

    In addition to opening and closing night, other gala screenings include: “Pit Stop” (U.S. Dramatic Centerpiece), Yen Tan’s quietly powerful Sundance darling, in which the Outfest alum provides an evocative glimpse into the lives of two Southern gay men; veteran Brazilian filmmaker Bruno Barreto returns with “Reaching for the Moon” (International Dramatic Centerpiece), a steamy tale of an unlikely romance between two extraordinary lesbian artists, set against the backdrop of political upheaval and a clash of cultures; ”God Loves Uganda” (Documentary Centerpiece), in which Academy Award–winner Roger Ross Williams provides powerful insight into the ignorance (cloaked in religion) exported by the United States to the rest of the world; and Pratibha Parmar‘s “Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth” (Fusion Centerpiece), a compelling and inspirational documentary about Alice Walker’s extraordinary journey from sharecropper’s daughter to activist, journalist, poet and Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist of The Color Purple.

    Other films in this year’s festival include Travis Mathews and James Franco’s “Interior. Leather Bar.”, a provocative re-imagining of the lost 40 minutes of “Cruising”; the James Franco-produced  documentary “Kink,” in which director Christina Voros takes us into the painful but oh-so-pleasurable world of five San Francisco–based BDSM workers; Linda Bloodworth Thomason’s award-winning “Bridegroom,” a powerful and poignant feature about love, loss and the courage of one young man to stand up for same-sex equality; Jeffrey Schwarz’s “I Am Divine,” a documentary about the legendary drag performer Divine; “The Battle of amFAR,” a triumphant short film by Outfest Achievement Award winners Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, which focuses on the landmark AIDS advocacy group; and world premieres of “Igloo,” the feature film directorial debut by Chilean actor Diego Ruiz, and Del Shores’ hilarious and heartbreaking screen adaptation of his hit play “Southern Baptist Sissies”.

    OUTFEST LOS ANGLES 2013 LINE-UP

    GALA FILMS

    C.O.G. – OPENING NIGHT GALA
    Dir/Scr: Kyle Patrick Alvarez, 2013, USA, 88 min.

    PIT STOP – US DRAMATIC CENTERPIECE
    Dir: Yen Tan, Scr: Yen Tan, David Lowery, 2013, USA, 80 min.

    REACHING FOR THE MOON – INTERNATIONAL CENTERPIECE
    Dir: Bruno Barreto, Scr: Carolina Kotscho, Julie Sayres, Matthew Chapman, 2013, Brazil, subtitled, 116 min.

    GOD LOVES UGANDA- DOCUMENTARY CENTERPIECE
    Dir: Roger Ross Williams, 2013, USA, subtitled, 83 min.

    ALICE WALKER: BEAUTY IN TRUTH – FUSION CENTERPIECE
    Dir/Scr: Pratibha Parmar, 2013, UK/USA, 82 min.

    G.B.F. – CLOSING NIGHT GALA
    Dir: Darren Stein, Scr: George Northy, 2013, USA, 98 min.

    U.S. DRAMATIC FEATURES

    ASS BACKWARDS
    Dir: Chris Nelson, Scr: June Diane Raphael, Casey Wilson, 2013, USA, 83 min.

    BIG GAY LOVE
    Dir/Scr: Ringo Le, 2013, USA, 85 min.

    BREAKING THE GIRLS
    Dir: Jamie Babbit, Scr: Mark Distefano, Guinevere Turner, 2012, USA, 98 min.

    BRUNO & EARLENE GO TO VEGAS
    Dir/Scr: Simon Savory, 2013, USA/UK, 97 min.

    CONCUSSION
    Dir/Scr: Stacie Passon, 2012, USA, 97 min.

    GEOGRAPHY CLUB
    Dir: Gary Entin, Scr: Edmund Entin, 2012, USA, 83 min.

    THE GO DOC PROJECT
    Dir/Scr: Cory Krueckeberg, 2013, USA, 91 min.

    THE HAPPY SAD
    Dir: Rodney Evans, Scr: Ken Urban, 2013, USA, 126 min.

    HOT GUYS WITH GUNS
    Dir/Scr: Doug Spearman, 2013, USA, 110 min.

    IN BLOOM
    Dir/Scr: Chris Michael Birkmeier, 2013, USA, 87 min.

    LAST SUMMER
    Dir/Scr: Mark Thiedeman, 2013, USA, 73 min.

    THE MOST FUN I’VE EVER HAD WITH MY PANTS ON
    Dir/Scr: Drew Denny, 2012, USA, 95 min.

    SOUTHERN BAPTIST SISSIES
    Dir/Scr: Del Shores, 2013, USA, 135 min.

    TEST
    Dir/Scr: Chris Mason Johnson, 2013, USA, 90 min.

    VALENCIA
    Dir: Hilary Goldberg, Silas Howard, Cheryl Dunye, Aubree Bernier-Clarke, Lares Feliciano, Dia Felix, Alexa Inkeles, Jerry Lee, Peter Anthony, Sharon Barnes, Cary Cronenwett, Bug Davidson, Samuael Topiary, Olivia Parriott, Jill Soloway, Courtney Trouble, Michelle Lawler, Sara St. Martin Lynne, Chris Vargas, Greg Youmans, 2012, USA, 106 min.

    WHO’S AFRAID OF VAGINA WOLF?
    Dir: Anna Margarita Albelo, Scr: Anna Margarita Albelo, Michael Urban, 2013, USA, 83 min.

    INTERNATIONAL DRAMATIC FEATURES

    ANIMALS
    Dir: Marçal Forés, Scr: Marçal Forés, Enric Pardo, Aintza Serra, 2013, Spain, subtitled, 91 min.

    BEYOND THE WALLS
    Dir/Scr: David Lambert, 2012, Belgium, subtitled, 98 min.

    BWAKAW
    Dir/Scr: Jun Robles Lana, 2012, Philippines, subtitled, 110 min.

    EVERYBODY’S GOT SOMEBODY…NOT ME
    Dir/Scr: Raúl Fuentes, 2012, Mexico, subtitled, 95 min.

    FREE FALL
    Dir: Stephan Lacant, Scr: Stephan Lacant, Karsten Dahlem, 2013, Germany, subtitled, 100 min.

    IGLOO
    Dir: Diego Ruiz, Scr: Diego Ruiz, Shawn Garry, 2013, Chile, subtitled, 86 min.

    IN THE NAME OF…
    Dir: Malgoska Szumowska, Scr: Malgoska Szumowska, Michal Englert, 2013, Poland, subtitled, 102 min.

    IT’S ALL SO QUIET
    Dir/Scr: Nanouk Leopold, 2013, Germany/ Netherlands, subtitled, 93 min.

    THE LAST MATCH
    Dir: Antonio Hens, Scr: Abel González Melo, Antonio Hens, 2012, Cuba, subtitled, 94 min.

    LOVE ME NOT
    Dir: Gilitte Leung, Scr: Gilitte Leung, Hedy Yau, 2012, China, subtitled, 92 min.

    OUT IN THE DARK
    Dir: Michael Mayer, Scr: Michael Mayer, Yael Shafrir, 2012, Israel/Palestine/USA, subtitled, 96 min.

    SOONGAVA: DANCE OF THE ORCHIDS
    Dir/Scr: Subarna Thapa, 2012, Nepal/France, subtitled, 85 min.

    SUDDENLY, LAST SUMMER / GOING SOUTH
    SUDDENLY, LAST SUMMER Dir: Leesong Hee-il, 2012, South Korea, subtitled, 37 min.
    GOING SOUTH Dir: Leesong Hee-il, 2012, South Korea, subtitled, 45 min.

    TO HEAVEN
    Dir: Diego Prado, Scr: María Eugenia Cortajerena, 2012, Argentina, subtitled, 82 min.

    DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

    AFTER TILLER
    Dir: Martha Shane, Lana Wilson, Scr: Greg O’Toole, Martha Shane, Lana Wilson, 2012, USA, 87 min.

    BAYOU MAHARAJAH: THE TRAGIC GENIUS OF JAMES BOOKER
    Dir: Lily Keber, 2013, USA, 93 min.

    BEFORE YOU KNOW IT
    Dir: PJ Raval, 2013, USA, 110 min..

    BIG JOY: THE ADVENTURES OF JAMES BROUGHTON
    Dir: Eric Slade, Stephen Silha, Dawn Logsdon, 2012, USA, 83 min.

    BORN THIS WAY
    Dir: Shaun Kadlec and Deb Tullman, 2013, USA, subtitled, 82 min.

    BRIDEGROOM
    Dir: Linda Bloodworth Thomason, 2013, USA, 80 min.

    CONTINENTAL
    Dir: Malcolm Ingram, 2012, USA/Canada, 95 min.

    DEEPSOUTH
    Dir: Lisa Biagiotti, 2012, USA, 72 min.

    GORE VIDAL: THE UNITED STATES OF AMNESIA
    Dir/Scr: Nicholas Wrathall, 2013, USA, 89 min.

    I AM DIVINE
    Dir: Jeffrey Schwarz, 2013, USA, 86 min.

    IAN HARVIE SUPERHERO
    Dir: Liam Sullivan, Scr: Ian Harvie, 2013, USA, 71 min.

    KINK
    Dir: Christina Voros, Scr: Christina Voros, Ian Olds, 2012, USA, 79 min.

    LESBIANA: A PARALLEL REVOLUTION
    Dir/Scr: Myriam Fougère, 2012, Canada, 63 min.

    MAMA RAINBOW
    Dir: Fan Popo, 2012, China, subtitled, 80 min.

    THE OTHER SHORE
    Dir: Timothy Wheeler, 2013, USA, 96 min.

    TRANSVISIBLE: THE BAMBY SALCEDO STORY
    Dir: Dante Alencastre, 2013, USA, subtitled, 60 min.

    TWO: THE STORY OF ROMAN & NYRO
    Dir: Heather Winters, Scr: Curtis Shaw Child, Heather Winters, Desmond Child, 2013, USA, 71 min.

    PLATINUM SECTION

    PLATINUM SHOWCASE

    HARD Dir: Vanessa Roveto, 6 min.

    PASSIONS OF ST. AQUEDUCT Dir: Tony Stinkmetal, 2 min.

    SHE GONE ROGUE Dir: Zackary Drucker, Rhys Ernst, 22 min.

    THE BASKET Dir: Narcissister, Josef Kraska, 5 min.

    THE ASSUMPTION Dir: Navid Sinaki, 6 min.

    INVISIBLE Dir: Brian Bress, 6 min.

    SHAPING UP Dir: William E. Jones, 2 min.

    FOR FLO Dir:Cary Cronenwett, 11 min.

    SHELLEY WINTERS Dir: Luther Price, 11 min.

    OUT OF THE STRONG COME FORTH WITH A SWEETNESS WEAKNESS Dir: Jonesy, 15 min.

    SAN DIEGO SURF
    Dir: Andy Warhol, 1968/1996, USA, 90 min.

    TOUCH
    Dir/Scr: Shelly Silver, 2013, USA, subtitled, 68 min.

    CRIMINAL QUEERS
    Dir: Chris E. Vargas, Eric A. Stanley, 2013, USA, 70 min.

    THE TRANSPARENT TRAP: A POWER POINTLESS PRESENTATION BY DYNASTY HANDBAG
    Dir: Ben Walters, Gavin Butt, 2012, UK, 118 min.

    LAST DANCE: QUEER TAKES ON THE END OF DAYS

    HEALING Dir: Stephanie Barber, 12 min. IPSE DIXIT Dir: Harry Dodge, 4 min.

    A DAY FOR CAKE AND ACCIDENTS Dir: Steve Reinke, Jessie Mott, 4 min.

    LAST MEN Dir: Adam Shecter, 6 min.

    IF THERE BE THORNS Dir: Michael Robinson, 13 min.

    INSIDE VELVET K Dir: Luther Price, 10 min.

    TABLEAU Dir: Nao Bustamante, 18 min.

    EARTHSHIP 2013 Dir: A.K. Burns, 8 min.

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