Sundance 2008 - Queer Brunch, Black House, Glaad and SHELTER trailer unveiled

Certainly at this point a staple in every gay person's Sundance visit is the Queer Brunch, always held on the first Sunday of the festival at Grub Steak on Sidewinder.

Everyone from Sundance programmers, studio people, filmmakers, actors, writers, LGBT film festival executives from around the world, distributors and

journalists are there.

This year, a nice surprise.... since the gay pay cable channel here! was sponsoring the brunch

with OUTFEST, they took that opportunity to push their new feature...which happens to be the film I produced, SHELTER.

So of course, I ran around and had my picture taken with a few of the posters! Then after the presentations from here! and OUTFEST, they showed the trailer!

If you want to feel like you were there, set your AC to 45, make yourself some wonderful food (the food here is always STELLAR!!), pour yourself a stiff bloody mary or mimosa and click play below to watch the trailer for SHELTER.

Here's some of the folks I got to talk to whilst there. If I look happy in the photos it's because it really does thrill me to be around fantastic out, proud, creative and talented LGBT folks.

This is David Courier, who is a Sundance Film Festival Programmer. I got to know David when he was a programmer at Outfest.



These are two lesbian filmmakers from San Fran who are my "myspace friends". I try to connect with LGBT folks around the world on myspace who are interested in LGBT filmmaking and political issues related to our cause. It always makes me so happy to meet them in person! Every festival I go to, I always get at least 3 myspace friends coming up and saying "hi".


Next photo is of a man no one ever seems to see or know, but he is the co-founder and co-ceo of here! and Regent, Mr Stephen P Jarchow.

Stephen is a very serious, super genius Republican STRAIGHT businessman from Texas. He and Paul Colichman run the companies and Paul always comments on how great it is that a Republican straight man is forging the way for LGBT folks out there.




Ah, Ms Jane Clark. Dear me, where do I begin with this one!? Jane was the star of a play I was hired to direct way back when at the Coast Playhouse (BURN THIS, by Lanford Wilson).

Suffice it to say, she is an alpha she wolf, like myself and all the positioning that went on in the first few weeks was hysterical to say the least (I mighta been the director, but she was also one of the producers. If she didn't like something I was doing, man she let me know).

The play went on to glorious reviews and even a standing ovation one night! The team was certainly magic.

These days Jane is a prolific film maker, recently having made several shorts - including a lesbian one. She is currently developing a lesbian tv show and feature. The lesson here is - for all you alpha she wolves out there in the business - two powerful women can make a powerful team working together!!











Outfest and Sundance programmer Kim Yutani takes a brief moment from her busy schedule to smile for my camera.





Filmmaker, star/writer/director Ash Christian from FAT GIRLS.




One of my favorite documentary filmmakers is Leslie Klainberg, pictures here on the right pointing (like all good lesbian film directors should!).

We got to know each other a few years back when she was on the board of OUTFEST and I was doing a stint as the Festival Manager there.












Here's a fellow I've just recently gotten to know a bit and I just adore him, Reichen Lehmkuhl . He is so adorable I don't know whether to adopt him or eat him for breakfast.

I just read his book, Here's What We'll Say, and his whole experience of being a gay cadet at The Air Force Academy was so moving. He is a true gay hero for coming out and sharing his experiences with the world, and for being such an advocate to overturn the horrible "don't ask, don't tell" policies of our US Military.