22nd connecticut gay and lesbian film festival

Showgirls, Provincetown, MA

C. Fitz, 2009, USA, 72 min

This giddily entertaining overview of Provincetown's annual stage review scales the heights and plumbs the depths of that bucolic seaside town's legendary Monday night show, which takes place under the auspices of drag guru Ryan Landry, along with a number of his perennial drag cohorts.

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PROGRAM

The Beirut Apartment

Daniele Salaris, 2007, England/Italy/Lebanon, 50 min

(In English & Arabic with English subtitles)

The small spaces of an apartment contain issues of international scale in this intimate documentary. Lebanese law criminalises LGBT people, making them vulnerable to blackmail and attack – sometimes from state police – and preventing the report of hate crime. With safety and concern an apartment was hired where interviewees could speak freely. What emerges is a snapshot of queer life in urban Lebanon, described by Arab people from a variety of faiths and cultural backgrounds. From growing up in a war zone to the rise of Hezbollah and the shock of renewed conflict with Israel, issues of identity, safety and freedom combine with issues of sexuality and gender. Despite differing backgrounds and opinions these eloquent men and women share the struggle to live authentically in a culture that denies their existence.

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Shorts Program: Testimonials & Turmoil

575 Castro St.

Jenni Olson, 2008, USA, 7 min

Shot on the set of Focus Features MILK, director Jenni Olson effectively employs archival recordings of Harvey Milk describing the events he would like to take place in the event of his assassination.