Out Film CT line up announced
Out Film CT is pleased to announce the line-up of the 21st Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. Festival Director Shane Engstrom stated, "This year's line-up of 50 feature films, documentaries and shorts is one of the best collections of films we have ever brought to the big screen in Connecticut. Our audiences are in for a treat with some outstanding new features that include a 2007 Academy Award submission and even a World Premiere of a bold new drama."
The festival opens on Friday, May 30th, with an explosion of the senses with the visually and musically spectacular Were the World Mine, a modern-day, gay Midsummer Night’s Dream. Vice President Suzanne Shayer points out, "This year, the festival's programming committee reached abroad to bring in a number of international films that normally wouldn't make it to Hartford. We'll be featuring films from France (The Witnesses, The New World), Argentina (XXY), South Africa (The World Unseen), and our Closing Night film is set in the breathtaking countryside of China (The Chinese Botanist's Daughters)."
The 2008 festival will also include several films that focus on gender identity, including: Manuela & Manuel; Risk, Stretch and Die; XXY; and She’s A Boy I Knew. States Engstrom, “It’s refreshing to see that independent filmmaking has moved way beyond documentaries that focus exclusively on the transitioning process. Films that we’ve shown in the past like Audience Award winner Beautiful Boxer and Another Woman have paved the way for the wave of transgender comedies, dramas and refreshing documentaries that are included in this year’s festival.”
Other documentaries explore a wide variety of LGBT topics, from the history of the gay rights movement through the eyes of the founder of Metropolitan Community Church (Call Me Troy), to the personal struggles and political challenges of Connecticut’s same-sex couples fighting for the freedom to marry (Marriage Makes A Word of Difference), and an entertaining view into the world of international gay rugby (Walk Like A Man).
The full festival schedule and online ticket sales are available at www.OutFilmCT.org, but below are a few of this year’s highlights:
• Were the World Mine (Tom Gustafson, USA, 2008) – Opening Night. Armed with a magical love-potion and empowered by dazzling musical fantasies, a struggling teen turns his narrow-minded town gay and captures the rugby jock of his dreams, making them walk a mile in his musical shoes.
• The New World (Etienne Dhaene, France, 2006) – In this fresh and sly take on lesbian parenthood, things go awry right from the beginning. Lucie accidentally announces her need to have kids with her girlfriend Marion... via microphone to a karaoke club. When Marion agrees, they go through one train-wreck of a sperm donor after another. And when they tell their families, the real fun begins.
• XXY (Lucía Puenzo, Argentina, 2007) – Centerpiece Film. For just about everybody, adolescence means having to confront a number of choices and life decisions, but rarely any as monumental as the one facing 15 year-old Alex, who was born a hermaphrodite. You won’t want to miss this beautifully filmed and superbly acted 2007 Academy Award submission from Argentina.
• Watercolors (David Oliveras, USA, 2008) – World Premiere! When a gifted, young artist arrives at the opening of his first New York exhibition, his erotic paintings trigger memories of his first love, a troubled high school swimmer (whose coach is played by Olympic Champion Greg Louganis).
• The Chinese Botanist’s Daughters (Daï Sijie, France/Canada, 2006) – Closing Night. In the China of the 1980s, not all taboos have fallen. When Min, an orphan girl goes to study with a renowned botanist, she meets his daughter, An, who is thrilled to have a newcomer break the solitude of her life. The girls quickly become friends and find that their attraction to each other grows into a sensual and forbidden relationship. Exquisitely shot and beautifully realized, the loveliness of the gardens and the enduring nature of the women’s love lingers in our imagination.
The 21st annual film festival takes place at Cinestudio on the campus of Trinity College, 300 Summit Street, in Hartford, CT from May 30th through June 7th, with a special sneak preview on May 29th. Films are shown nightly at 7:30 p.m., with matinees on May 31st and June 1st at 3:00 p.m. A Cinema Café is offered on Friday and Saturday evenings starting at 6:30 p.m., featuring gourmet salads and sandwiches and assorted soft drinks from the amazing new Trinity Restaurant. The Opening and Closing night admission price of $15 general admission / $12 students and seniors includes entry to gala post-screening receptions. Weeknight general admission is $8 and $6 for students and seniors, while weekend evening screenings cost $9 for general admission and $7 for students and seniors. Adding to the festivities, a silent auction is offered throughout the duration of the film festival. Movie buffs can bid on a wide range of items that include exotic travel, fine dining, artwork, spa packages, and superior wines
