So today was to be the first official day of the festival. The big word on the street, of course, has been “Will the gay networks squash interest in LGBT film festivals?” I oft hear talk of QUEER AS FOLK and THE L WORD really killing gay film, since you can now see it on tv. Well folks, let me tell you it has actually had a different affect: the gay films are getting better! I know, I know, you probably just dropped your martini glass in shock, but it’s true. I had the chance to sample this year’s offerings at Frameline, and let me tell you, the bar is raised and people are stepping up.
So I had a few hours free before the festival so I decided to edit a video for Dennis Hensley’s Home Video Gong Show event at the festival on Saturday. My good friend Doria Biddle (you may know her from her rapper name, D Biddle) co-hosts an absolutely hysterical show on Sirius’s gay channel OutQ – The Frank Decaro Show. If you guys don’t know, SIRIUS has a gay channel with 24/7 gay gay gay programming. www.siriusoutq.com If you don’t have it, get it, because that’s the way the gay mafia works, folks, we support our own!
So we made this video for the Gong Show since Frank was going to be a guest judge:
That may or may not be Jody Foster sitting with Doria at Rage – I will never tell.
After I completed my latest opus (because having the Centerpiece film at the festival wasn’t enough for me, I actually also had to have a video in the Gong Show) I headed off to see a lovely film, SPIDER LILIES at the Barnsdall. I had never been to this venue and because of the name, I was sure our gay brothers had banished the dykes off somewhere down a dark, dirt path at some barn stables, but nay… the venue is actually fantastic! And you have a great view of the entire city up there.
SPIDER LILIES is a lesbian film about an internet sex show girl and her relationship with an emotionally damaged tattoo artist with whom she shares a secret past.
The film was presented by, amongst other groups, AQUA (Asian/Pacific Islander Queers United for Action) – started by one of the hardest working women in gay activism, Doreena Wong. I was delighted to see her there, in her bright orange shirt, forever fighting for social change. If you ever wonder, as I have, where all the activists from the 1960’s have gone and why we don’t have that sort of grassroots political fight in us, then you haven’t met Doreena and her partner Jenny Pizer, from LAMBDA Legal. For the last 25 years, they have both been committed to creating social change for us ‘mo’s.
If you want to see more of the work she’s done, you can watch this video I did for the LGBT Center when Doreena was honored with an award (I got an education!) Otherwise, just keep sipping your apple martinis and read on for the dish. No, no, really sip your cocktail AND watch this video, she is very inspirational!
Stay tuned for Saturday’s post, also known as “WHAT THE FUCK TIME DO I HAVE TO BE UP TO SEE BOY’S SHORTS!?”
No comments:
Post a Comment