F i l m I n f o r m a t i o n
We would like to acknowledge the Austin Gay and Lesbian Film Festival and Image Out: The Rochester Gay and Lesbian Film Festival for assistance in sourcing films and for film descriptions.
Session 1: Thursday, March 2, 7pm
Wakefield Recital Hall, Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam
Feature:
Unveiled
Angelina Maccarone, Germany, 2005, 35mm, 97
min.
visit the official website:
http://www.unveiledthemovie.com/
A commercial airplane departs from Tehran, and for several minutes the female passengers must keep their hair covered beneath traditional Muslim scarves. Only after the plane leaves Iranian airspace are the women finally free to unveil themselves. Emerging from behind a pair of large sunglasses and black headscarf is Fariba, a Muslim translator fleeing Iran under threat of death because the Tehran vice squad has learned of her lesbianism. Frightened and disoriented on arrival in Frankfurt, Germany, Fariba makes the mistake of lying during an intake interview about her reasons for seeking asylum in the West. The authorities refuse her suspiciously nervous request and prepare to return Fariba to Iran and certain death.
Bold in her desperation, Fariba cuts her hair, dons male clothing, and adopts the identity of a deceased man. With little more than a far-reaching hope, Fariba plans to maintain the masquerade until she can earn enough money to buy her own German passport on the black market.
As director Maccarone puts it, “the fact that Fariba is forced to assume a different identity, to transform herself into a foreign body, adds even more gravity to the condition of exile. She has to submit, not only to an external exile, but also to an internal one. She offers herself as a projection surface for prejudices, but against all expectancy, she rises above all the rules of prohibition; she is the bearer of a secret, a personality with a mind of its own concealed beneath a prescribed mask.”
Unveiled emerges as a surprisingly entertaining and universal tale about the determination to survive in an increasingly globalized, yet not always tolerant, new world. Grounding itself in the everyday life of a sympathetic and admirable protagonist (played, in an award-winning worthy performance, by Persian-German recording star Jasmin Tabatabai), Unveiled deserves comparison to such acclaimed films about human survival and dignity as El Norte and Boys Don’t Cry.
In German and Farsi with English Subtitles.
Odd Sock
Colette Cullen, Ireland, 2000, Video, 16 min.
Eileen worries about coming out to Stephen, her teenage son. But Stephen has his own surprise for mom!
Brooklyn’s Bridge to
Jordan
Tina Mabry, USA, 2005, Video, 20min.
Brooklyn’s long-term partner, Leilani, is critically injured in an accident. Jordan, their teenage son, has an already strained relationship with Brooklyn, and the family’s crisis only serv3s to intensify this rift. Can Brooklyn find a way to connect with Jordan at a time when they need each other the most?
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Session 2: Friday, March 3, 7pm
Wakefield Recital Hall, Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam
SUNY Potsdam
Feature:
Special Sneak Preview!: Adam & Steve
Craig Chester, USA, 2005, 35mm, 100 min.
visit the official website:
http://www.adamandstevemovie.com/
Back in 1987, goth kids Adam Bernstein and pal Rhonda hit the legendary Manhattan club Danceateria in search of fellow Bauhaus fans--only to find it way too glammed out. Unimpressed by the crowd and the Human League music, they keep busy by making bitchy comments and, in overweight Rhonda’s case, downing a purse full of barbecued ribs.
Despite his apathy, Adam becomes smitten with one of the stage performers, a Dazzle Dancer named Steve. After some conversations and a few bumps of coke, they are off to have a wonderful night of love and passion. At least that’s how things appear as they dance across the Brooklyn Bridge at sunrise. But when they reach Adam’s apartment--things go terribly, embarrassingly wrong.
Flash forward to the present. Adam, now in his late 30s, gives bird tours of Central Park and is in recovery for what turned into a serious drug problem, stemming from that one crazy cocaine night. One evening, lonely Adam is celebrating his beloved dog Bert’s birthday and accidentally stabs him with a cake knife. Panicking, he rushes Bert to a nearby hospital. Despite the fact that Bert is a dog, a kind staff psychiatrist offers to stitch him up. Although they feel an immediate bond, little do Adam and the doctor, Steve, realize that they share a past. Before long the two are dating and soon realize that despite their personal neuroses, they are falling in love.
Adam and Steve remain oblivious to their past encounter until a certain afternoon when they return to the Brooklyn Bridge for a romantic moment--and everything spills out. Steve is mortified at the memory of their horrible first-meeting and flees the scene. Can their love survive?
Adam & Steve is a comedy where the gags never stop, and neither does its heart.
Official Selection of the Tribeca International Film Festival
Who’s the Top?
Jennie Livingston, USA, 2005, 35mm, 22 min.
The most recent work from Jennie Livingston, acclaimed director of the queer megahit Paris Is Burning, this is the story of Alixe, a struggling young poet bored with the vanilla sex life she shares with her long-term girlfriend. Alixe lives out some of her kink fantasies in Busby Berkeley-esque musical numbers, complete with dancing girls. Eventually, more than Alixe’s mind wanders.
Homo Heroes
Dan Lewis, USA, 2005, Video, 10min.
Mega Guy is convinced that none of the other superheroes know that he’s gay. But when he is spotted out and about with Pretty Boi, rumors start to fly...like a bird, like a plane, like a gay superhero!
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Session 3: Saturday, March 4, 2pm
SLU Griffiths Art Center, Rm 123
St. Lawrence University, Canton
Feature:
I Look Up to the Sky Now
Barbara M. Bickart, USA, 2003, Video, 64 min.
visit the official website:
http://www.ilookuptotheskynow.org/
***Guest Speaker: Director, Barbara Bickart
I Look Up to the Sky Now is a compilation of eleven self-portraits co-directed by youths involved in YES, the Youth Enrichment Services, a New York City program for queer youth, founded in 1989.
The film’s self-portraits highlight the youth in their own words, with their own imagery and art, providing a canvas for self-definition and self-representation. Covering a wide range of perspectives, I Look Up to the Sky Now demonstrates the personal hardships, triumphs, loves, losses, and livelihoods that queer youth experience. The diverse format of the documentary mixes interviews, stop-motion photography, experimental animation, and independent short films.
Blending the powers of art and activism, I Look Up to the Sky Now celebrates the lives of everyday queer youth, each one different, each with a story to tell.
Straight Hike for the Butch Dyke
Robyn Patterson, New Zealand, 2004, Video, 24
min.
Join the Femme 4 as they answer the call to help Libby, a Gay Games gold medalist with hottie potential, get ready for a special date. Can these straight girls help the hapless Libby stop washing her brushcut with soap, find a chic way to organize her sex toy collection, move away from the rainbow-flag influenced decor, and whip up dinner sure to melt a gal’s heart? This takeoff of the queer TV phenomenon, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, is a light-hearted treat from Down Under.
Homo
High School
Jonathon Rivait, Canada, 2005, Video, 15 min.
Daniel’s parents send him away to a special high school, a place where you can learn to be gay.
Woman (Babae)
Sigrid Andrea P. Bernardo, Philippines, 2004, Video, 20min.
In Tagalog with English Subtitles
Two women meet in poverty at age eight and grow up together, sharing home, life, and love.
Session 4: Saturday, March 4, 7pm
SLU Student Center, Winston Room
St. Lawrence University, Canton
Feature:
The Journey (Sancharram)
Ligy J. Pullappally, India, 2004, 35mm, 107
min.
In Malayalam with English Subtitles
view trailer from Wolfe Releasing website:
http://www.wolfereleasing.com/
Set amidst a lush, rural village in Southern India, The Journey is a gentle and dramatic tale of two young women in love.
Kiran’s family returns to their ancestral country home when she is a child. For a little girl used to life in the city, making a place for herself in a traditional close-knit rural village proves difficult. When Kiran is befriended by Delilah, the charming and outgoing girl-next-door, her isolation is ended and the two find solace in their close friendship.
As they grow together from childhood through adolescence, their youthful friendship blossoms into love. Kiran feels her world spiral out of control as she wrestles with the pressures of conformity and her growing romantic, sexual feelings for her beautiful best friend.
Eventually, the two begin a clandestine affair. But when the relationship is exposed, the girls are painfully separated, and a hasty marriage is arranged to avoid public scandal and shame in the traditional community. Desperate, Kiran questions whether she wants to live, if it means living without Delilah.
As the title suggest, The Journey is a sensitive coming of age tale for women, The subtle performances of both young leads are exceptional, capturing the universal awkward self-awareness, struggle, confusion, pain, and joy of adolescence.
Such open discussion of this universal journey is rare in the Southern Indian community. In fact, the problem of teenage suicide among young lesbians is so high that a watchdog organizations has been formed to track this epidemic.
These tragic, true stories inspired first-time director, Pullappally to make this moving and lyrical film. It is her wish both to change attitudes and, perhaps, to save lives in her home country.
Ultimately, The Journey is not a tragic story, but a triumphant vision, where Indian women are allowed to follow their loves and desires, no matter what the views of their traditional society.
AWARDS:
Best Film, Chicago International Film Festival
Best Debut Director, Lankesh Award, Bangalore, India
Film Completion Award, Frameline, San Francisco
dare
Adam Salky, USA, 2005, Video, 17min.
Ben secretly lusts for high school heartthrob, Johnny. In reality, he is way out of his league. Then one lucky night, Ben gets the perfect opportunity to find out what the sexy bad boy is all about.
Starcrossed
Lorene Machado, USA, 2003, Video, 21 min.
In English/French with English Subtitles
Writer Sophie is behind in her bills and needs a way to make a little extra cash. When the horoscope columnist at her newspaper suddenly dies, Sophie reluctantly becomes the new Madame Star. In walks Ginger, the captivating and smart new music writer, who announces that she believes in fate and follows astrology religiously. When they broach the topic of dating, Ginger announces that their signs are not compatible. To find a way into Ginger’s heart, Sophie must take a little creative license to align the stars--her own way!
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Session 5: Sunday, March 5, 2pm
Kingston Theatre
SUNY Canton
Feature:
Dorian
Blues
Tennyson Bardwell, USA, 2004, Video, 88min.
visit the official website:
http://www.dorianblues.com/
Bright, charming, and closeted, Dorian finds himself at a crossroads. Harassed as a probable “fag” at high school and overlooked by his family (especially his overbearing, right-wing father), Dorian is ready for his getaway to New York City and college. But something uncontrollable stirs in him, and suddenly he’s talking back to his father, making out with another guy for the first time, and admitting his gay feelings to his sports-star brother.
Ricocheted this way and that by his inner voice, Dorian finds himself in one absurd and awkward situation after another, as he seeks enlightenment and happiness with the help of a cute therapist, a well meaning priest, and a first boyfriend. Along the way, life rewards Dorian’s haplessness with the chance to see that he can be as strong as others as he’s had to be for himself.
Dorian Blues shows that each of us is eminently loveable, even at our most geeky.
AWARDS:
Emerging Maverick and Audience Choice, Cinequest, San Jose Film Festival
Best Feature Film, Long Island International Film Expo
Best First Feature, OutFest, Los Angeles
Audience Award, Lake Placid Film Festival
Best Screenplay Award, NewFest, New York Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
Audience Award, Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
Special Jury Award, Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival
Torchlight Best Screenplay Award, Bahamas International Film Festival
twenty gay stereotypes confirmed
Jason Bolicki, USA, 2003, Video, 10 min.
Ever wonder how many stereotypes you match? See how many you can confirm.
Getting to Know You
Liz Lachman, USA, 2004, Video, 20 min.
Tenny Bell is a very successful cartoonist with a very unsuccessful love life. When she meets her dream woman, Tenny vows to finally do things right.
Session 6: Sunday, March 5, 7pm
Kingston Theatre
SUNY Canton
Feature:
When I’m 64
Jon Jones, UK, 2004, Video, 90 min.
The BBC film When I’m 64 is a gay romance proving that you’re never too old to find the right person and fall in love.
Jim is retiring from his job as a Latin teacher at an all-boys school. He’s spent almost his entire life at this school, first as a pupil and then as a teacher; therefore, he has never experienced life in the world. As he reaches retirement, Jim decides to make a list of the things that he now wants to do. He comes up with two: travel the world and fall in love.
Ray is a widower and a cab driver. He loves spending time with his grown children and their families, but on his own he seems lost and is looking for something more in his life.
Jim and Ray’s paths cross when Jim rides in Ray’s cab. Despite their class differences the two men immediately connect and a friendship develops until Jim confesses that he is gay and makes a pass at Ray, who reacts strongly and negatively.
The two men eventually patch things up and take their relationship to an even stronger place. But pressure from Ray’s children begins to threaten everything Jim and Ray are striving to create.
Will Jim get to fulfill the two items on his list of dreams? Will Jim and Ray make their relationship work despite outside forces?
When I’m 64 gracefully handles the profound issues of age, family loyalties, and the ultimate power of love.
AWARDS:
Best Feature, Jury Award, Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.
100% Woman
Karen Duthie, Canada, 2004, Video, 59 min.
100% Woman tells the story of Michelle Dumaresq, who has fought an uphill battle to pursue her dream of becoming number one in the world of women’s downhill mountain biking. A professional racer from Vancouver, Michelle decides to undergo a sex change after many years of living in a physical body that didn’t match her inner gender.
AWARDS:
Edith Lando Peace Prize, Vancouver International Film Festival For Youth
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Session 7: Monday, March 6, 7:15pm
Cinema 10, Roxy Theatre, Potsdam
Feature:
Loggerheads
Tim Kirkman, USA,
2005, 35mm,
93 min.
visit the official
website:
http://www.loggerheadsmovie.com/
Shot in scenic locations across North Carolina, Loggerheads traces three tales of searching and survival: a beautiful drifter’s attempt to find meaning in his life, and the efforts of two mothers to find lost sons.
Lost soul Mark comes to Kure Beach to pursue his fascination with the endangered loggerhead turtles and soon becomes friends with George, who spots the striking blond sleeping on the beach. George runs a tourist hotel and soon takes in the mysterious traveler. As their friendship deepens and becomes sexual, both men begin to reveal the baggage they carry within their hearts.
Meanwhile, Grace has recently moved back home to live with her mother after a personal crisis. Trying to get her life back together, Grace cannot shake the desire to look for the baby boy she gave up for adoption many years ago. Frustrated by the officially closed records, Grace enlists the help of a social adoption detective to try to unearth her son’s identity.
The third story revolves around Beth, the wife of a small-town minister, who wants to search for her runaway son. But her husband wants nothing to do with the past.
Loggerheads’ subtle and elegant script allows these three stories to intertwine as they unfold across time and geography. With entrancing cinematography, knockout performances, and a haunting soundtrack, Loggerheads will take the viewer on a poignant journey of connection.
AWARDS:
Grand Jury Prize, Best Feature Film, OutFest: Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
Audience Award, Best Feature Film, Nashville Film Festival
Audience Award, Best Feature Film, Florida Film Festival
Official Selection, Sundance Film Festival
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Session 8: Tuesday, March 7 & Wednesday March 8, 7 and 9:30pm
SLU Student Center, Winston Room
St. Lawrence University, Canton
Feature:
Brokeback Mountain
Ang Lee, USA, 2005, 134 min.
Early one morning in Signal, Wyoming, Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist meet while lining up for employment with local rancher Joe Aguirre. The world which Ennis and Jack have been born into is, at once, changing rapidly and yet scarcely evolving. Both young men seem certain of their set places in the heartland--obtaining steady work, marrying, and raising a family--and yet they hunger for something beyond what they can articulate.
When Aguirre dispatches them to work as sheepherders up on the majestic Brokeback Mountain, they gravitate towards camaraderie and then a deeper intimacy. At summer’s end, the two must come down from Brokeback and part ways.
Remaining in Wyoming, Ennis weds his sweetheart, Alma with whom he will have two daughters as he ekes out a living. Jack, in Texas, catches the eye of rodeo queen Lureen Newsome. Their courtship and marriage result in a son as well as a job in her father’s business.
Four years pass. One day, Alma brings Ennis a postcard from Jack, who is en route to visit Wyoming. Ennis waits expectantly for his friend, and when Jack at last arrives, in just one moment it is clear that the passage of time has only strengthened the men’s attachment.
In the years that follow, Ennis and Jack struggle to keep their secret bond alive. They meet up several times annually. Even when they are apart, they face the eternal questions of fidelity, commitment, and trust. Ultimately, the one constant in their lives is a force of nature--love.
AWARDS: (as of this writing)
Golden Globes: Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Original Song
Boston Society of Film Critics: Best Picture and Best Director
Chicago Film Critics Association: Best Cinematography and Best original Score
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association: Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Picture
Los Angeles Film Critics Association: Best Director and Best Picture
National Board of Review: Best Director and Best Supporting Actor
NY Film Critics Circle: Best Actor, Best Director, Best Film
Online Film Critics Society: Best Original Score, Best Adapted Screenplay
San Francisco Film Critics Circle: Best Actor, Best Director, Best Picture
Satellite Awards: Outstanding Motion Picture, Drama
Southeastern Film Critics Association: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay
Venice Film Festival: Golden Lion