The biopic Tom of Finland directed by Dome Karukoski has been selected as Finland’s submission for best foreign film at the 2018 Oscars.
LGBTQ
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2017 Reeling LGBTQ Film Festival Unveils Lineup, Opens with HELLO AGAIN, Closes with SATURDAY CHURCH
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Nolan Gerard Funk in Hello Again[/caption]
Reeling, the second-oldest LGBTQ film festival in the world, celebrates its 35th anniversary edition from September 21 to 28 at Landmark Theatres’ Century Centre Cinema in Chicago. The 2017 Reeling will present 30 feature films and 10 programs of shorts, coming from 22 countries.
The festival kicks off Thursday, September 21 at Music Box Theatre with the Chicago premiere of Northwestern alum Tom Gustafson’s HELLO AGAIN. The sex-fueled all-star screen adaptation of the 1994 Off-Broadway musical stars Cheyenne Jackson, Audra McDonald, Martha Plimpton, Tyler Blackburn and Rumer Willis. Reeling 2017 closes Thursday, September 28 with SATURDAY CHURCH, the coming-of-age story of a young Black teen exploring gender expression and finding acceptance in the Harlem Ball scene, which stars Golden Globe- and Emmy-nominated actor and Goodman Theatre playwright Regina Taylor.
From Trudie Styler’s hotly anticipated directorial debut, the outrageous dramedy FREAK SHOW, about the fictional high school “transvisionary” Billy Bloom, starring Alex Lawther ( The Imitation Game ), Bette Midler and Laverne Cox; and writer-director Vincent Gagliostro’s intergenerational gay romantic drama AFTER LOUIE, starring Alan Cumming in a career-defining performance; to the crackling energy and entertaining story of the rise of YouTube musical superstar Todrick Hall in the documentary BEHIND THE CURTAIN; to the inspiring story of the long road to acceptance for Brooke Guinan, New York’s first out transgender firefighter in WOMAN ON FIRE; to Looking actor Russell Tovey’s stunning performance in THE PASS, the story of two football players whose reactions to the homoerotic tension between them as young men shape their divergent futures; the 35th edition of Reeling Film Festival has something to satisfy every film taste!
Reeling launches its eight-day festival with the Opening Night Gala presentation of the sensual musical HELLO AGAIN, Northwestern alumni Tom Gustafson’s ( Were the World Mine, Mariachi Gringo ) red hot film adaptation of Michael John LaChiusa’s acclaimed 1994 Off-Broadway musical. The film follows ten lovestruck souls who pair off in an erotic daisy chain of sex and song, looking for meaning beyond their steamy hookups. Jack ( Tyler Blackburn, Pretty Little Liars ) sexes up Robert ( Cheyenne Jackson, American Horror Story ) who pleasures Sally ( six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald ) who revels in her tryst with Ruth ( Martha Plimpton, The Real O’Neals ). Along for the sexy hijinks are T.R. Knight ( Grey’s Anatomy ), Rumer Willis ( Empire, Dancing with the Stars ), Jenna Ushkowitz ( Glee ), Sam Underwood ( Fear the Walking Dead ), vocalist Al Calderon and Nolan Gerard Funk ( Glee and former Calvin Klein model ). The musical numbers — everything from pop to operetta to Broadway to swing to searing torch ballads — are as fluid as the sexual proclivities of the characters. Prepare to indulge your senses with this visually stylish, ultra-sensual musical extravaganza.
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Saturday Church[/caption]
Reeling closes on Thursday, September 28 with an advance screening of SATURDAY CHURCH. This audacious hybrid — part drama, part comedy, part musical — is pulled off with aplomb by debuting writer-director Damon Cardasis and his young cast of newcomers. After the recent death of his father, Ulysses ( Luka Kain ) has begun experimenting with his sexuality and gender expression; his nights are full of stolen nylons and high heels. But Aunt Rose — played by acclaimed actor, playwright and Chicago resident Regina Taylor — is having none of this, so Ulysses flees the Bronx, finding himself enthralled by a new group of colorful, streetwise friends who introduce him to the Ball community. This thrilling, genre-busting film, soulful and heartfelt, has received raves on the film festival circuit and is a superlative and tender, coming-of-age story.
Reeling will present the premieres of two locally made features: Chicago based writer-director Wendell Etherly’s MARKET VALUE is a compelling child custody courtroom drama focused on a lesbian couple fighting to keep their adopted son; and On the Down Low writer-director Tadeo Garcia returns to Reeling with EN ALGUN LUGAR, a gay romantic drama set against the backdrop of the controversial U.S. immigration system.
Other festival highlights include the World Premiere of writer-director Rob Williams’ ( Role/Play, Shared Rooms, Make the Yuletide Gay ) ninth feature film, HAPPINESS ADJACENT, a bisexual love triangle set aboard a cruise ship; the critically acclaimed Sundance hit, I DREAM IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE, Mexican director Ernest Contreras’ drama about two elderly men who are the last living people able to speak a dying language but who refuse to talk to each other; SEBASTIAN, writer-director-actor James Fanizza’s romantic drama about a fling between two men living in different countries who unexpectedly fall in love; the eccentric Scottish film SEAT IN SHADOW, director Henry Coombes’ film about an aging free-spirited artist who plays therapist for the young gay grandson of a friend; APRICOT GROVES, Pouria Heidary Oureh’s beautifully realized story about an Iranian Armenian transman living in the U.S. who visits Armenia to ask his girlfriend’s father for her hand in marriage; THE RING THING, about a lesbian couple facing the pressures of getting married now that it’s legal, directed by William Sullivan, whose That’s Not Us screened at Reeling 2015; and EASTSIDERS SEASON 3: GO WEST, all new episodes from the Emmy-nominated gay web series that went viral on YouTube and was later picked up by Netflix.
Young love is explored in UK director Daniel Grasskamp’s CAT SKIN, in which a shy photography student captures the attention of a popular girl whose boyfriend refuses to leave the picture; David Berry’s SOMETHING LIKE SUMMER, a film adaptation of a popular novel series focusing on a young gay couple that includes Glee-like musical numbers; and Jakob M. Erwa’s CENTER OF MY WORLD, a gay coming of age romance from Germany.
Thrills, excitement, mayhem and various kinds of trouble can be found in two British and two Australian films. In the British crime thriller B&B, two men who successfully sued a small inn for gay discrimination return to gloat and find their triumph is short-lived, and in PALACE OF FUN, a rich young British woman’s calculating gay brother plays sinister games with her love interest. The Australian BOYS IN THE TREES is an eerie surrealist coming of age drama that takes place on Halloween night; and in BAD GIRL, a rebellious teenager is single-white-femaled by a doe-eyed beauty whom her parents are convinced is a good role model for her.
Comic relief is offered by SENSITIVITY TRAINING, in which an abrasive microbiologist finds herself attracted to the woman hired by her company to be her sensitivity coach; DATING MY MOTHER, about an aimless recent college graduate who moves back in with his widowed mom and finds that they are both trying to find Mr. Right; and PROM KING, 2010, which chronicles the failed attempts of an awkward 20-year-old college freshman in New York to find the man of his dreams.
The lives of women of color are explored in two web series: 195 LEWIS, set in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn; and the locally produced, Emmy nominated BROWN GIRLS, set in Chicago. The latter series was funded in part by Chicago Filmmakers’ Chicago Digital Media Production Fund, and creators Samantha Bailey and Fatimah Asghar were recently signed to a development deal to adapt the series for HBO.
Documentaries, as always, are an important part of the Reeling lineup. Documentaries include CHAVELA, an affectionate portrait of the legendary lesbian Costa Rican Ranchera singer who counted Pedro Almodóvar among her friends and Frida Kahlo among her lovers; THE DEATH AND LIFE OF MARSHA P. JOHNSON, Oscar nominated David France’s follow-up to How to Survive a Plague which focuses on the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of the trans activist as well as her close friendship with Sylvia Rivera; BONES OF CONTENTION, an historical documentary focusing on the repression of gays and lesbians under the Franco regime during the Spanish Civil War which weaves in the life of murdered queer poet Federico Garcia Lorca; and AGAINST THE LAW, a docudrama about the punitive life for gay men in conservative England in the 1950s.
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TOM OF FINLAND, Biopic on LGBTQ Icon, Sets Fall Release Date | Trailer
Award-winning filmmaker Dome Karukoski brings to screen the life and work of one of the most influential and celebrated figures of twentieth century LGBTQ culture in Tom of Finland starring Pekka Strang, Lauri Tilkanen, Werner Daehn and Jessica Grabowsky. The film, an official selection of the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival will open Friday, October 13 in New York at The Quad and on Friday, October 20 in Los Angeles at the Nuart Theater with a national release to follow.
Touko Laaksonen, a decorated officer, returns home after a harrowing and heroic experience serving his country in World War II. But life in Finland during peacetime proves equally distressing. He finds post-war Helsinki rampant with homophobic persecution, and gay men around him are being pressured to marry women and have children. Touko finds refuge in his liberating art: homoerotic drawings of muscular men, free of inhibitions.
But it is only when an American publisher sees them and invites Tuoko over to the West Coast that his life really takes a turn. Finally being able to walk free and proud in Los Angeles, Tuoko dives head first into the sexual revolution, becoming an icon and a rallying point. His work – made famous by his signature ‘Tom of Finland’ – became the emblem of a generation of men and fanned the flames of the worldwide gay revolution.
One of Finland’s most acclaimed directors, Dome Karukoski has been named one of “Variety’s” Top 10 Directors to Watch and his films have gathered numerous international awards. Winner of several Finnish National Film Awards, and Best Director for Dark Butterflies and Lapland Odyssey, Karukoski’s films are as successful abroad as they are at home. Karukoskihas recently been set to direct The Starling starring Keanu Reeves and Tolkien, a biopic of J.R.R.Tolkien, who wrote The Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6v3w9yfyVY
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Cecilia Aldarondo Delves into the Secrecy Her Uncle’s Death In MEMORIES OF A PENITENT HEART | Trailer
Twenty-five years after her uncle died of AIDS, filmmaker Cecilia Aldarondo delves into the secrecy surrounding his death in the documentary Memories of a Penitent Heart.
Memories of a Penitent Heart, which premiered at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival, will have its national broadcast premiere on the PBS documentary series POV (Point of View) on July 31, 2017.
Like many gay men in the 1980s, Miguel moved to New York City in search of a life out of the closet; he found a career in theater and a rewarding relationship. Yet in the midst of the AIDS crisis, his devout Catholic mother pressured him to repent for his homosexuality on his deathbed. Twenty-five years later, his niece Cecilia Aldarondo breaks the silence surrounding her uncle’s death, sifting through conflicting memories of a man she never really knew. She locates Miguel’s estranged partner and begins to unlock long-dormant family secrets.
Through home movies, audio recordings, family photos, letters and interviews, Cecilia Aldarondo’s Memories of a Penitent Heart reconstructs her uncle Miguel’s New York life, one he lived far from his family, especially his religious mother. Along the way, her investigation untangles a knot of family secrets, denials and repressed conflicts.
Born and raised in the 1970s in Puerto Rico, Miguel Dieppa was a gay man eager to leave the island in search of Broadway fame in New York City.
Aldarondo’s investigation begins with a two-year search for Miguel’s long-time partner, Bob, who disappeared after Miguel’s funeral. When she eventually finds him, he is living in Pasadena, California, as Father Aquin, a Franciscan monk. Through the reminiscences of Aquin and others who knew him, Miguel emerges as a charismatic and vivacious actor and playwright, struggling to live comfortably in his own skin.
We see glimpses into Miguel’s restlessness in his autobiographical play, Island Fever: “I guess that’s a diagnosis for my case. It’s that feeling that creeps on up on those who have known wide spaces, or long to do so.”
Miguel seems eternally torn between two identities. His New York friends know him as Michael, a freedom-loving gay thespian, while to his family in Puerto Rico he remains Miguel, the obedient son who downplays his sexuality.
Unexpectedly, Miguel begins to get sick, and although he refuses to be tested, telltale skin lesions on his legs indicate AIDS as the underlying illness.
Miguel’s illness places Bob on a collision course with Miguel’s mother, Carmen, as the two come to represent opposing faces of faith. Fearing that her son is not yet “dead to life but dead to grace,” Carmen feels Miguel can only find redemption if he repents.
Delving into her family’s trove of secrets, Aldarondo’s Memories of a Penitent Heart examines the light and dark sides of faith and how we fight over the memories of those we love. In the director’s intensely personal film, Miguel’s friends and family reflect on their imperfect relationships. Considering her own flaws, Miguel’s sister (Aldarondo’s mother) Nylda reflects, “The bottom line is that we all need to survive and we use different ways of surviving, according to our gifts, our limitations and our circumstances.” That prompts her daughter to ask, “Can’t we survive and look out for others as well?”
Memories of a Penitent Heart is a brave and honest exhumation of buried resentments that ultimately reveals how reflections on grief, betrayal and love bring us closer to reconciliation.
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South African Film THE WOUND (INXEDBA) Wins Awards at Durban Film Festival
The Wound (Inxeba), which had its African premiere in competition at the Durban International Film Festival, won both Best Director for John Trengrove and Best Actor for Nakhane Touré at the festival. This is a latest in the film’s award-winning streak, which has seen it pick up a number of accolades from all around the world.
“From the very beginning, the process of making Inxeba was characterized by intense collaboration and risk taking. This film demanded everything from those who came on board”, says director John Trengrove. “I am so grateful to the incredible cast and crew who put their faith and trust in this journey. This film is a testament to their efforts. I want to dedicate this award to the silent and faceless queers throughout the African continent who face insurmountable obstacles every day in a struggle for identity and dignity”.
‘The Wound’, which premiered internationally at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and later opened Berlinale Panorama, was a 2014 Durban FilmMart project.
‘The Wound’ will open nationwide in South Africa on February 2, 2018.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubSlj-G4P6I&t=3s
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The LGBT Documentary THE LIFE AND DEATH OF MARSHA P JOHNSON to Debut on Netflix | Trailer
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THE DEATH AND LIFE OF MARSHA P. JOHNSON[/caption]
David France’s The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson, a deeply compelling look at the murder of a transgender legend, known as “the Rosa Parks of the LGBT movement” has been acquired by Netflix, for release later this year. The powerful, haunting film is France’s follow-up to his Academy Award(R) nominated How to Survive a Plague.
When Marsha P. Johnson, the beloved, self-described “street queen” of NYC’s gay ghetto, was found floating in the Hudson River in 1992, the NYPD refused to investigate. Instead, they chalked it up to suicide, a widely dismissed conclusion, and left the mystery to fester for decades. Having played a pivotal role in the Stonewall Riots of 1969, Marsha and fellow icon Sylvia Rivera went on to form the world’s first trans-rights organization, STAR (Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries) in 1970. And despite their many challenges over the years – harassment, homelessness, alcoholism – Marsha and Sylvia ignited a powerful and lasting civil rights movement for gender nonconforming people.
Now, 25 years after her untimely death, at a time of unprecedented visibility for, and escalating violence against, the transgender community, veteran crime-victim advocate Victoria Cruz has taken it upon herself to reexamine what happened to Marsha and measure the challenges that still face the community. The film follows as this intrepid champion pursues leads, mobilizes officials, and raises troubling new questions about a famous cold case. Along the way she burnishes the political legacy of a celebrated historical figure.
“Almost single-handedly, Marsha P. Johnson and her best friend Sylvia Rivera touched off a revolution in the way we talk about gender today,” said David France. “Their names should be household words. But Marsha’s life was cut tragically short and Sylvia died shortly thereafter, the victim of a broken heart. Getting to know their story through the investigation undertaken by Victoria Cruz, a seminal activist in her own right, has been one of the great honors of my career. Now, with Netflix as our distribution partner, I am confident the legacy of these tremendous women will never be forgotten.”
“We are honored to bring much deserved recognition to the dynamic life of Marsha P Johnson,” said Netflix VP of Original Documentary Programming Lisa Nishimura. “Her effervescent spirit and pioneering leadership of the LGBT movement is illuminated with an eloquent force by director David France and is a true testament to the power of documentary films.”
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Award-winning LGBT Documentary POLITICAL ANIMALS will be Released on DVD and VOD on June 6th | Trailer
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Political Animals[/caption]
The award-winning LGBT documentary Political Animals, directed by Jonah Markowitz (Shelter), and co-directed by Tracy Wares (DP: Bomb It, Gay Republicans), will be released on DVD and VOD on June 6th in the U.S. and Canada via Gravitas Ventures.
Documentary Political Animals is an inspiring portrait of four defiant California politicians – all out women – who bravely fought hatred and homophobia through pioneering legislative efforts in California to make political history, paving the way for success in the fight for Equality, and to create lasting and significant social change.
Political Animals celebrates the legendary civil rights victories of the first four openly gay elected California state politicians – who were all women: Carole Migden, Sheila Kuehl, Jackie Goldberg, and Christine Kehoe. An inspiring portrait of four defiant politicians who refused to let hatred and homophobia stop them from making history and achieving legal recognition for LGBT people throughout California and the United States.
Political Animals documents the tough struggles they endured together, and celebrates their pioneering success in the fight for Equality and the sweet victories these unforgettable women created to pave the way for lasting and significant social change.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ9jikA5Ip4
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Civil Rights Doc THE FREEDOM TO MARRY will be Released Digitally on June 6th
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THE FREEDOM TO MARRY[/caption]
THE FREEDOM TO MARRY, the untold story of how same-sex marriage became law of the land, will be released digitally on June 6th via Ro*Co Films in the U.S. and Canada.
THE FREEDOM TO MARRY follows Evan Wolfson, the architect of the marriage movement, attorney Mary Bonauto, and their team through their decades long battle, culminating in a dramatic fight at the United States Supreme Court. More than the saga of one of the most importnant civil rights stories of our time, this is an inspiring tale of how a real change occurs, even against the biggest odds.
Directed by veteran doc filmmaker Eddie Rosenstein, produced by Jenni Olson & Amie Segal. After a successful national theatrical run this spring, THE FREEDOM TO MARRY will now be available digitally in June, timed to national LGBT pride celebrations this summer.
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2017 QDoc, Portland’s LGBTQ Doc Fest, to Open with THE UNTOLD TALES OF ARMISTEAD MAUPIN
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THE UNTOLD TALES OF ARMISTEAD MAUPIN[/caption]
QDoc, the only film festival in the United States (and one of only two in the world) devoted exclusively to LGBTQ documentaries kicks of Thursday, May 18 at the historic Hollywood Theatre in Portland, Oregon with THE UNTOLD TALES OF ARMISTEAD MAUPIN and continues through May 21 with 11 additional films, broadly exploring LGBTQ history, culture and politics.
Thursday, May 18 at 7:30pm: THE UNTOLD TALES OF ARMISTEAD MAUPIN
The Untold Tales Of Armistead Maupin examines the life and work of one of the world’s most beloved storytellers. The film follows Armistead Maupin’s evolution from a son of the Old South — at one time even a staffer for arch-conservative Senator Jesse Helms — into a gay rights pioneer whose novels (Tales of the City) have inspired millions to claim their own truth. Filmmaker and two-time QDoc alum Jennifer Kroot captures the playful, poignant and laugh-out-loud funny perspective of a literary legend. Subject Armistead Maupin, director Jennifer Kroot and co-director/editor Bill Weber will be in attendance.
Friday, May 19 at 6:30pm: JEWEL’S CATCH ONE
Jewel Thais-Williams helped changed laws, save lives and influence communities across Los Angeles at her legendary nightclub, a home for LGBTQ people of color for 42 years. Through interviews with clubgoers Sharon Stone, Sandra Bernhard and Bonnie Pointer, among others, director C. Fitz draws a portrait of a determined entrepreneur who overcame the challenges of being black, female, poor and lesbian to create a lasting legacy in the community. Subject Jewel Thais-Williams and director C. Fitz will be in attendance.
Friday, May 19 at 8:45pm: BAYARD & ME (short)
Iconic U.S. civil rights leader Bayard Rustin and his longtime partner, Walter Naegle, wanted to legally marry in the 1980s, but that was not possible. Still wanting legal protection for their union, Bayard adopted Naegle, who was 30 years his junior. In this intimate love story, Naegle remembers Bayard and a time when same-sex marriage was inconceivable. He reflects on the little-known phenomena of intergenerational gay adoption and its connection to the civil rights movement.
Friday, May 19 at 8:45pm A GIANT’S LOVE (immediately following Bayard & Me) Leonardo Munoz was born in 1943 in Argentina. At the age of 14, Leonardo became Mariela. Being transgender under a right-wing military dictator was not without complication. A loved and loving woman, Mariela welcomed, fostered and raised 17 abandoned children in her lifetime, and became the first transgender person ever to obtain legal documents, thus setting a precedent in Argentina. Through the testimonies of her children and others close to her, A Giant’s Love traces the fight for the recognition of Mariela’s identity in a country under military junta and highlights her commitment to the protection of the oppressed. Director Maria Audras will be in attendance.
Saturday, May 20 at 1pm: MY WONDERFUL WEST BERLIN
My Wonderful West Berlin offers a brilliant homage to hedonism, the story of 1960s West Berlin and the righteous freedom of the gay community of the era. Weaving archival material with contemporary footage, director Jochen Hick offers a bittersweet tribute to a city whose bars, cruising, radical bookstores and left-wing politics paved the way for new German attitudes toward liberation. Director Jochen Hick will be in attendance.
Saturday, May 20 at 3:30pm: THE DEATH AND LIFE OF MARSHA P. JOHNSON Who killed Marsha P. Johnson? When the beloved, self-described “street queen” of New York’s Christopher Street was found floating in the Hudson River in 1992, the NYPD called her death a suicide. Protests erupted, but the police remained impassive and refused to investigate. Now, 25 years on, Oscar-nominated director and journalist David France (How to Survive a Plague) re-examines the death of a beloved icon of the trans world while celebrating the story of two landmark pioneers of the trans rights movement.
Saturday, May 20 at 6:30pm: CHAVELA
According to The Guardian, legendary Mexican singer Chavela Vargas is “probably Donald Trump’s ultimate nightmare: a Mexican lesbian diva who can wring your very soul.” The Hollywood Reporter calls her “a trailblazing free spirit whose appetite for tequila and women was as legendary as her soul-stirring vocals.” Through its lyrical structure, Chavela takes viewers on an evocative, thought-provoking journey through the life of this iconoclastic, game-changing artist. Director/producer Catherine Gund will be in attendance.
Saturday, May 20 at 9pm: THE FABULOUS ALLAN CARR
For someone who spent most of his Hollywood career behind the scenes, Allan Carr lived a lavish lifestyle that was made for the spotlight. A producer, manager and marketing genius, Carr built his bombastic reputation amid a series of successes including the mega-hit musical film Grease, until it all came crashing down when he produced the 1989 Academy Awards, a notorious debacle. Directed by Jeffrey Schwarz (past QDoc favorites I Am Divine, Tab Hunter Confidential, Vito), The Fabulous Allan Carr brings this complex character to life through cheeky animated sequences and heartfelt interviews. Director Jeffrey Schwarz in attendance.
Sunday, May 21 at noon: CONVERSATIONS WITH GAY ELDERS
QDoc co-founder and filmmaker David Weissman (The Cockettes and We Were Here) returns with a recently completed Conversation featuring Portland resident Kerby Lauderdale, who has been active in Portland’s LGBT community since the early 1980s. The father of Pink Martini founder Thomas Lauderdale, Kerby’s story differs from others in the series because he was in a heterosexual marriage for many years. The editor of this piece is Michiel Thomas, who directed the 2015 QDoc opening night film, Game Face. Director David Weissman, subject Kerby Lauderdale, and editor Michiel Thomas will be in attendance.
Sunday, May 21 at 2:30pm SMALL TALK
In Taiwanese culture, questioning a mother’s love is taboo. But as filmmaker Hui-chen Huang sets out on a journey with her mother, such an inquiry forms the basis for an intimate exploration of a complex and nuanced relationship. Huang seeks to understand her mother, Anu, who took the radical step in the 1970s of leaving her violent husband and raising her two children alone, forging an unusual path in which her female lovers have all shared her profession as a Taoist priestess and professional mourner. Through often-unresolved conversations with her mother, as well as interviews with her mother’s siblings and ex- lovers, Huang reveals the complex and changing landscape for Taiwanese women. Teddy Award winner for Best Documentary at the Berlinale film festival.
Sunday, May 21 at 4:30pm THE LAVENDER SCARE
With the United States gripped in the panic of the Cold War, President Dwight D. Eisenhower deemed homosexuals to be “security risks” and ordered the immediate firing of any government employee discovered to be gay or lesbian. It triggered a vicious witch-hunt that lasted for 40 years and ruined thousands of lives, while thrusting an unlikely hero into the forefront of what would become the modern LGBT rights movement. The Lavender Scare is a compelling story of one man’s fight for justice — and a chilling reminder of how easy it can be, during a time of fear and uncertainty, to trample the rights of an entire class of people in the name of patriotism and national security. Josh Howard, 24-time Emmy- winning producer and director of the film, will be in attendance.
Sunday, May 21 at 7:30pm REBELS ON POINTE
Exploring universal themes of identity, dreams, family, loss and love, filmmaker Bobbi Jo Hart’s Rebels on Pointe is the first-ever documentary celebrating the world-famous Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo. The notorious all-male, comic ballet troupe was founded more than 40 years ago in New York City on the heels of the Stonewall riots, and has a passionate cult following around the world. The film blends intimate, behind-the- scenes access with rich archives and history, engaging character-driven stories and live performances. Rebels on Pointe is a creative mix of gender-bending artistic expression, diversity, passion and purpose. A story that ultimately proves that a ballerina is not only a woman dancing — but an act of revolution in a tutu. Subject Bobby Carter will be in attendance.
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Stephen Cone’s Coming-of-Age Lesbian Drama PRINCESS CYD to Be Released in US in Late 2017
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Princess Cyd[/caption]
The Chicago-set coming-of-age drama Princess Cyd, starring Rebecca Spence (Joe Swanberg’s “Easy”) and Jessie Pinnick (“Shameless”), which world premiered at the 2017 Maryland Film Festival will be released in the US later this year by Wolfe Releasing.
Princess Cyd follows 16-year-old athlete Cyd Loughlin (Pinnick) while visiting her novelist aunt (Spence) in Chicago over the summer. Eager to escape life with her depressive single father, Cyd falls for a girl in the neighborhood, while she and her aunt gently challenge each other in the realms of sex and spirit.
Princess Cyd marks an ongoing relationship between director Stephen Cone and Wolfe, following their release of his acclaimed dramas Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party (which also had its world premiere at the Maryland Film Festival) and The Wise Kids. The film was produced by Grace Hahn, Madison Ginsberg and Stephen Cone.
“It is impossible to overstate how important the faith and support from Wolfe Releasing has been to my development as a filmmaker over the past several years,” Cone said. “This kind of partnership is a dream and a pleasure.”
Stephens commented, “We are thrilled to work with Stephen again. He is a wonderfully talented filmmaker and has a unique voice in a crowded field of independent cinema.”
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Watch Trailer for Steamy Lesbian Drama BELOW HER MOUTH Opening April 28th
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Below Her Mouth[/caption]
April Mullen’s Below Her Mouth tells the story of an unexpected romance between two women. The film, an official selection of the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival, will be released theatrically in NY and LA, along with VOD on April 28th.
Jasmine (Natalie Krill) is a successful fashion editor living with her fiancé, Rile (Sebastian Pigott). On a night out in the city with her best friend, she meets Dallas (Erika Linder), a roofer recently out of a relationship. Jasmine is taken by surprise when Dallas confidently hits on her; she turns Dallas down, but can’t get her out of her head.
Dallas continues her cool, self-assured advances. In a matter of days, Jasmine succumbs and the two women embark on a steamy affair. It feels like a fantasy world compared to Jasmine’s life and plans with Rile, but soon reality rears its head, and she will have to face the profound changes their sudden romance has wrought in her.
Stephanie Fabrizi’s screenplay powerfully and honestly explores what happens when two women fall hard for each other, and Mullen brings the story to the screen with uninhibited flair and assurance, showing us how love can arise from some of the messiest times in our lives.
You may recognize star Erika Linder, the androgynous supermodel famous for starring in Katy Perry’s video “Unconditionally” and being famously booked to model for men’s campaigns, which made headline news. At the time, she was one of the first female models in the mainstream eye to be cast as a male model. Below Her Mouth is her first starring role.
Below Her Mouth is a rarity in more than one way: it’s a narrative shot with an entirely female crew, and it’s an uncommonly frank look at the all-encompassing nature of attraction — the good, the bad, the ugly, and the transcendent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWLnMX5ZfOw
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TRIBECA 2017: Kino Lorber to Release TOM OF FINLAND Biopic in the US
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Tom of Finland[/caption]
TOM OF FINLAND, Dome Karukoski’s biopic about the life and work of Finnish artist and gay icon Touko Laaksonen, best known by his pseudonym Tom of Finland, has been acquired by Kino Lorber for release in the US.
Dome Karukoski’s Tom Of Finland is set to have its North American premiere at the upcoming Tribeca Film Festival, after a world premiere at the Goteborg Film Festival in February. It’s also in high demand among LGBTQ U.S. festivals. The film’s world premiere was followed by a release in its home territory, whereTom Of Finland has taken close to $1m at the local box office.
A trailblazing figure in post-World War II erotic art, Touko Laaksonen drew thousands of fantasy-filled, homoerotic images of intensely masculine (and muscular) men, often liberated from the moral codes of their times. Quickly spreading throughout the world, these images went on to play a significant role in the transnational gay liberation movement that continues to make strides to this day, also becoming iconic symbols for generations of LGBT people worldwide.
Director Dome Karukoski is an acclaimed Finnish filmmaker with six features to his credit including The Grump (2014), Heart Of A Lion (2013) and Lapland Odyssey (2010).
The film was produced by Finnish production outfit Helsinki Film, with a screenplay by Aleksi Bardy. The cast includes Pekka Strang, Lauri Tilkanen, Jessica Grabowsky, Taisto Oksanen, Seumas Sargent, Jakob Oftebro and Niklas Hogner.