The 2004 Audience Award Winners Were...

Feature Films:
1st Place - Latter Days
2nd Place - Goldfish Memory
3rd Place - You'll Get Over It

Documentary Films:
1st Place - Dangerous Living: Coming Out in the Developing World
2nd Place - Laughing Matters
3rd Place - Tying the Knot

Image by Bill Riordan

Printer Friendly Schedule          2004 Sponsors          Friends of the Festival     

Photos from Opening Night

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Ambiguously Gay Duo

Short, White & Pleated

Powerplay

Hummer

The Fair & The Weak

Goldfish Memory

Ambiguously Gay Duo #10: The Third Leg of Justice
(Dir. J.J. Sedelmaier, 2002, USA, video, 3 min)
Holy gaytime! Yes, another intriguing, queer superheroes episode from the wacky zany ambiguously gay dynamic duo!

Short, White & Pleated
 (Dir. Georgina Lock, 2002, UK, 35mm, 10 min)
Two men bond over a female friend's tennis skirt during a game of squash. They form an obsessive relationship which leads to tension both on and off the court.

Powerplay
 (Dir. Greg Lawson, 2003, Netherlands, 35mm, 4 min)
A classic animated story of business and passion, violence and eroticism, Laurel and Hardy. Two businessmen-turned-leathermen have fun together, beating each other to pulp. A lighthearted safe sex message for the young and young at heart.  www.whats.nl

Hummer
 (Dir. Guinevere Turner, 2004, USA, video, 9 min)
A racy story retold by Casey's gender-bending date enthralls her dinner guests. If you know some slang then you get top marks in this directorial debut from Guinevere Turner (L Word, Go Fish, American Psycho).

The Delicious
 (Dir. Scott Pendergast, 2002, USA, video, 16 min)
A married man, a red pants-suit, and a lovely discovery from the back of the closet.

The Fair & The Weak
 (Dir. Lauren Cook, 2002, USA, video, 8 min)
THE FAIR AND THE WEAK cleverly adapts 1950s educational films to provide a comedic lesson in the art of unattainable love.

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Goldfish Memory
 (Dir. Liz Gill, 2003, Ireland, 35mm, 85 min)
In Dublin’s fair city, where the girls (and boys!) are so pretty, Tom, a lecherous university lecturer, charms his students with a metaphor comparing a goldfish’s three-second memory with our own—each experience is a new thrill.  This philosophy launches some fast-paced short-sighted bed hopping.  When Tom’s lover Clara sees him kissing Isolde, she turns to TV reporter Angie, and when things go wrong between those two, Angie seeks comfort from her best pal Red, a horny gay bike messenger.  Commitment-phobic Red, meanwhile, finds love with waiter David, while David’s girlfriend is swept off her feet by one of Tom’s colleagues… and is that Isolde with Clara?  A saucy, sassy, romantic comedy about lonely hearts, happy couples, and all the folks who ride the relationship roundabout, Goldfish Memory proves, in the sexiest possible way, that what goes around comes around—again and again and again…
                   www.goldfishmemory.com    

--Opening Night Reception to follow screening--

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Straight Sex 

A Bear's Story 

Baker's Men

Tying the Knot

Straight Sex
(Dir. Mouncey Ferguson III, 2002, USA, 16mm, 8 min)
When two old friends, a gay man and a lesbian, decide to conceive a child the “old-fashioned way,” things get complicated.

A Bear’s Story
(Dir. Vincent Mtzplck, 2003, USA, video, 21 min) 
If you’re looking for a chunky hunk then you’ve got to know where they hunt.  The story of a gay man breaking out of his shell and finding love in the bear community. www.abearsstory.com

Baker's Men 
(Dir. Harriette Yahr, 2002, USA, 35mm, 5 min) 
Two precocious little girls on a playground deconstruct a nursery rhyme.

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Tying the Knot 
(Dir. Jim de Sève, 2003, USA, video, 81 min) 
Documents the political war between gay people who want to marry and the people determined to stop them. As politicians and social scientists debate today's most explosive issue, we see the evolution of the institution, from its murky ancient roots through its many surprising transformations. Crisscrossing states and countries, and going ringside for emotional courtroom dramas, it's the film that demands that love never be taken for granted again.  www.1049films.com   

Saturday, June 5
7:30 pm

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When Paris Was Burning...

The Mezzos

Latter Days

While Paris Was Burning, Hartford Sizzled
(Dir. Liesegang, Smith and Stillson, 2004, USA , video, 40 min)
This first-of-its-kind documentary takes an in-depth look at Hartford's “houses” of the ‘90s.  Contains rare footage of drag competitions between the houses and interviews with house members.  Don’t miss this little gem of Hartford’s queer history.

The Mezzos
(Dir. Joe Dietl, Michael Irpino, 2002, USA, video, 13 min)
It's “The Sopranos,” only gayer. A day in the life of two West Hollywood hit men.

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Latter Days
(Dir. C. Jay Cox, 2002, USA, 35mm, 110 min)
Christian, a hunky, 20-something, West Hollywood party boy gets more than he bargains for when he tries to seduce 19-year-old Elder Aaron Davis, a sexually confused Mormon missionary who moves into his apartment complex. This provocative drama about the young Mormon missionary tempted to defy his church and family when he meets the sexy circuit boy is a charming, sexy, and moving tale that will leave you believing in the transformational power of love. www.latterdaysmovie.com

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Little Black Boot

A Different War

Give or Take an Inch

Same Difference

Jim In Bold

** Youth Program **
Student admission $5 with school ID.  This matinee only.

Co-sponsored by GLSEN, True Colors and RainbowRoom

The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, or GLSEN, works to ensure safe and effective schools for all students.

True Colors, Inc. Sexual Minority Youth & Family Services is a non-profit organization created to ensure that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender (LGBT) people are welcomed, valued and affirmed.  We organize the largest LGBT youth conference in the country; offer CT's only LGBT youth mentoring program; recruit safe and affirming foster homes for LGBT youth; and provide education and advocacy regarding LGBT youth and families across Connecticut and nationally. Tel. 860-649-7386.

RainbowRoom is the Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective's youth drop-in center!  RainbowRoom is open Sunday afternoons from 3 to 6 PM at the Project 100 Community Center, 1841 Broad Street, in Hartford, Connecticut.

Little Black Boot 
(Dir. Colette Burson, 2003, USA, video, 16 min)
Appearances are not all they seem as the tale of Cinderella is given a make-over in this lesbian coming-of-age prom story.  www.power-up.net/boot.html 

A Different War 
(Dir. Nadav Gal, 2003, Israel, video, 14 min) In Hebrew with English subtitles.
Jerusalem grade-school student Nuni has been chosen to play King David in the end-of-year School Play, to be attended by the Israeli Prime Minister. Yet deep down Nuni longs to play the role of Princess instead.

Give or Take an Inch 
(Dir. Lee Friedlander, 2003, USA, video, 14 min)
Southern siblings are forced to expand their views when their lesbian sister announces she is going to have a sex change.  www.power-up.net/take_an_inch.html 

Same Difference 
(Dir. Harry Richards, 2002, UK, video, 12 min) 
Two identical twins are faced with the fact on their 18th birthday that they may not be so identical.  www.harryrichards.com 

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Jim In Bold 
(Dir. Glenn Holsten, 2003, USA, video, 78 min)
A documentary tribute to Jim Wheeler, a bright and talented youth, whose family and friends reflect back at his inspirational life.  Inspired by his short life that burst with creativity, the three creators of Young Gay America website venture out on an incredible road trip to explore the state of America ’s queer youth.  www.jiminbold.com 

Sunday, June 6
7:30 pm

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Club Q

Nina

Prey for Rock & Roll

Club Q: The Legendary Dance Party for Women
 (Dir. Kristen Wolf, 2003, USA, video, 34 min)
This documentary traces the history of Club Q, a fabulous “multi-culti” dance event.  See how it started as a grass roots production put on by Page Hodel and a small group of friends and how it became a monthly event attended and relished by thousands of women.  www.clubQthemovie.com 

Nina
 (Dir. Rolmar Baldonado, 2002, Australia, video, 10 min)
NINA tackles what it means to be an Asian migrant transgender person in Australia.

------------ Intermission ------------

Prey for Rock & Roll
(Dir. Alex Steyermark, 2003, USA, 35mm, 100 min)
Gina Gershon (Bound) rocks as Jacki, the bisexual, tattooed lead singer of an all-woman mostly lesbian punk band, Clamdaddy, whose other members are Drea de Matteo (Sopranos), Lori Petty, and Shelly Cole.  Both funny and poignant, this film gives a fresh take on the struggles of women in the music industry all while providing an array of sensual treats. "Ms. Gershon's hot-wired performance infuses ''Prey for Rock and Roll'' with a bracing charge of authenticity." Steven Holden NY Times www.preyforrockandroll.net

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Two Minutes After Midnight
  

Gay Cops

Fotostar

Proteus

Two Minutes After Midnight 
(Dir. Seamus Rea, 2002, UK, 35mm, 11 min)
TWO MINUTES AFTER MIDNIGHT sees clubbing angst transformed with a twist of a magical ring.

Gay Cops: Pride Behind the Badge 
(Dir. Charley Lang, 2003, USA, video, 26 min)
Men and women of law enforcement recount their experiences being “out” on the beat.

Fotostar 
(Dir. Michele Andina, 2002, Switzerland, 35mm, 14 min) In German with English subtitles.
A closeted photo shop employee has hot imaginary affairs with beautiful men in pictures.

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Proteus 
(Dir. John Greyson, Canada/Netherlands/South Africa, 2003, 35mm, 100 min)
Greyson's (Lillies) latest is set in a 1700s penal colony in South Africa where same-sex, interracial love is a crime worse than murder. The lust of swarthy, imprisoned Dutch sailor, Rijkhaart Jacobsz is immediately awakened when Claas Blank, a young Kohe herder, unjustly convicted of thieving cattle from white colonizers, arrives in the hard labor camp of Robbins Island . We see between them a love that grows against all odds, much like the beautiful native South African flower, the proteus, that flourishes in the harsh growing conditions of the rocky island cliffs.  Official website
 

Tuesday, June 8
7:30 pm

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Master Libation

Firepussy

Mango Kiss

On the Outs
(Dir. Courtney Rowe, 2002, USA, video, 24 min)
After receiving an ultimatum from her girlfriend to "come out" or "get out," Paige begins a comical journey to discover what everyone else in her life already knows.

Master Libation
 (Dir. Dayna McLeod, 2002, USA, video, 5 min)
A lusty naked lady is frustrated by her limited cable offering so she searches for something else to service her needs.

Sink or Swim
(Dir. Amalie Atkins, 2003, Canada, video, 6 min)
Six sassy synchronized swimmers demonstrate their technique. Arms up, legs out, you'll soon learn, from the comfort of your seat.

Firepussy
(Dir. Laurel Almerinda, 2002, USA, 35mm, 19 min)
FIREPUSSY is an erotic narrative that uses poetry, montage, and imagery to explore the mind of Maria, a volatile Latina poet/pyromaniac who returns to Mexico and her Mayan roots.
www.firepussyfilm.com 

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Mango Kiss
 (Dir. Sascha Rice & Sarah Brown, 2003, USA, Video/Beta SP, 80 min)
A good old romantic comedy of errors, only this time of the role-playing, non-monogamous, S/M dyke variety.  Our lovers, Captain Daddy Lou and Princess Sassafras search for new forms of erotic and kinky games featuring, among other things, a dominatrix and the full on wetness of a mango kiss.  Lesbian kink-farce at its best and most delicious!
www.mangokiss.com 

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Becoming Donna

Wild Side

Reception at 6:30 p.m. hosted by the National Lesbian & Gay Journalist Association (NLGJA)  www.nlgjane.org

The Connecticut TransAdvocacy Coalition [CTAC] is a proud sponsor of this evening's film dealing with the Trans community.  CTAC's mission is to make Connecticut a Safe and Tolerant place for the Trans-identified individual and community, through Political and Social Advocacy.

Becoming Donna  
(Dir. John D. Allen & Tim Dagradi, 2004, USA, video, 40 min)  
Written and produced by John Allen, founder of the Rainbow Support Group, “Becoming Donna” is a 40-minute piece on an unprecedented subject. The film chronicles the life of Paul, 36, a pre-operational male-to-female transsexual who also experiences mild mental retardation. Through a first-hand account, the audience learns of the first part of Paul’s life as a heterosexually identified man and by the end of the film, experiences his transformation into Donna through wardrobe and attitude.

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Wild Side 
(Dir. Sébastien Lifshitz, 2003, France, 35mm, 94 min) In French with English subtitles.  
Transexual Stephanie returns home to care for her dying mother.  Having run away to the big city over 15 years ago, Stephanie is reminded of another life back in the desolate rural landscape of her childhood.  The countryside provokes a flood of emotions and memories.  Not only for Stephanie, but also for Mikhail and Jarnel, the two young men who share her affections and her bed.  Young Russian man Mikhail lives illegally hand to mouth in a country where he hardly speaks the language.  Jarnel is a young Arab who makes ends meet through prostitution.  Their future is uncertain.  Others may not understand them.  But the threee unliekely friens have found comfort and passion in one anohter's arms.  Winner of the Teddy Award at the 2004 Berlin International Film Festival.  www.wellspring.com/wildside 

Thursday, June 10
7:30 pm

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Casting Couch

Click

The Male Nude

Running Without Sound



You'll Get Over It

Casting Couch
  (Dir. J.T. O’Neal, 2002, USA, BetaSP, 8 min)
A nervous first-time director got confused during auditions and turned the camera off instead of on.

Click
(Dir. Ilo Orleans, 2003, USA, video, 6 min)
Fantasies of meeting that young hot thing online turn over when the time comes to finally meet in person.

The Male Nude
(Dir. Andrew Delaplaine, 2002, USA, video, 28 min)
A sexy documentary chronicling the male nude from the beginning of photography to present day beefcakes.  Website 1 Website 2

Running Without Sound
(Dir. Judd King, 2003, USA, video, 10 min)
Sean, a deaf high school student, discovers camaraderie and attraction to one of his cross-country teammates.  As they open themselves up to feelings that they don’t quite understand, both struggle to define their friendship and sexuality.

------------ Intermission ------------

You’ll Get Over It
(Dir. Fabrice Cazeneuve, 2002, France, 35mm, 90 min)
In French with English subtitles.
Take the plunge.  This film, a refreshing and entertaining look at teenage sexual exploration can nudge you in.  17year old Vincent, handsome, girl having, normal (appearing) jock teenager, finds his world upside down when he is force to confront his own true sexuality.   Ostracized and shunned; Vincent with the help of his coach and best friend, finds he can get over it, and still maintain that swimmer’s build.  Plunge into this sexually charged movie and experience youthful tribulation and emergence.  Official Website

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Cucumber Chronicles

Where the Girls Are

Boygirl

Laughing Matters

Friday, June 11
7:30 pm

Cucumber Chronicles 
(Dir. Bryan McHenry, 2000, USA , BetaSP, 20 min)
These animated shorts, somewhat in the Southpark visual style, analyze the word salad of a typical “personals” ad, word by word, with all the ambiguities in such concepts as “queer,” “bisexual,” down to the last “no fats or fems.”

Where the Girls Are 
(Dir. Tricia Cooke, Jennifer Arnold, 2003, USA, video, 32 min)
It's the annual Dinah Shore weekend, and thousands of lesbians are in Palm Springs. The women are sexy, the parties are wild, but what do the locals think?

Boygirl 
(Dir. Aurora Reinhard, 2002, Finland, video, 12 min) In Finnish with English subtitles.
BOYGIRL is a film that addresses the daily experience of feeling different. Interviews with people who fall in between the gender spectrum provide revelations about what it’s like to not feel 100% male or female.

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Laughing Matters 
(Dir. Andrea Meyerson, 2003, USA, video, 60 min)
Follows four celebrated and wickedly funny (and out!) stand-up comedians: Kate Clinton, Marga Gomez, Suzanne Westernhoefer and Karen Williams. Skillfully cutting between one-on-one interviews and hilarious on-stage performances, we get a glimpse of the personal stories, struggles, and successes of each of these fabulous and pioneering women.

Saturday, June 12
Matinee  2:00 pm

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XX to XY

 A Woman Reported

Nathalie

Star-Crossed

Dangerous Living

XX to XY: Fighting to be Jake
(Dir. Emily Atef, 2002, Germany, video, 20 min)
Portrait of Jake who fights to become the man he has always wanted to be.

A Woman Reported
(Dir. Chris Russo, 2004, USA, video, 5 min)
In the brief moments before a hate crime, a young woman's will to survive leaves her imagining her escape. www.cjrusso.com 

 Nathalie
(Dir. Diana Knezevic, 2002, Germany, video, 25 min)
In German with English subtitles.
Lesbian pop star Charlotte must change her wandering ways to get the girl of her dreams.

Star-Crossed
(Dir. Lorene Machado, 2003, USA, BetaSP, 21 min)
To woo her astrology-obsessed co-worker, Sophie secretly takes a job as a horoscope writer. www.starcrossedmovie.com

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Dangerous Living:  Coming Out in the Developing World
(Dir. John Scagliotti, 2003, USA, video, 70 min)
The gripping documentary about the burgeoning, but precarious, gay culture in the developing world, Dangerous Living examines the struggles and triumphs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the Global South. Dangerous Living tells the stories of activists in Africa, India , Latin America and the Far East who struggle to live their lives with integrity and love who they want. The film centers around the trial of the 52 men arrested in Cairo for attending a boat party. With our rights enshrined in law, (for now), in the West, ponder on why people are still in the closet. Be inspired, be very inspired.  http://afterstonewall.com
Director John Scagliotti, creator of the TV show "In the Life," will be present.

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Paradisco

Looking for Mr. Right

Zoe Cadwaulder

Revolution

Paradisco 
(Dir. Stephane Ly-Cuong, 2002 , France, BetaSP, 18 min) In French with English subtitles.
A mature man takes his young lover down a musical memory lane.
www.paradisco.net 

Looking for Mr. Right 
(Dir. David Young, 2002, USA, video, 4 min)
A gay “everyman,” with rather precise criteria in men, searches a bar for his fantasy man.

Go-Go Boy (Prelude)
(Dir. Kenneth Sherman, 2002, Canada, 35mm, 12 min)
In GO-GO BOY, a young man develops a fetish for the superhero lifestyle while aspiring to overcome past and present vulnerabilities.  www.go-goboy.com

The Nearly Unadventurous Life of Zoe Cadwaulder
(Dir. Buboo Kataki, 2003, USA, video, 12 min)
Traumatized by a double death and a sequence of disasters, Zoe has to overcome her fears and phobias to find true love and adventure.

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Revolution
(Dir. Lorene Machado, 2003, USA, 35mm, 84 min)  
Revolution, Margaret Cho’s …”strongest show yet!,” says the Chicago Sun Times.  Unbridled humor that sees combat against the axis of evil, all while we travel with her through Thailand’s red district,  the explosion of child birth, sex for chores, revolutionized self-esteem, joyous bodily functions, loser ex-boyfriends, more notorious mother stuff, plus much more too unbecoming to print.  
www.margaretcho.net

---Closing Night Party to follow screening---

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