The Reel Goes 'Round

Wow.. the world has changed

2009-06-26T15:32:00.004-04:00

What a crazy day - first mourning Farrah Fawcett, then hearing from a crazy on MUNI that Michael Jackson had died.

And I have the flu - this has turned into one rollercoaster of a festival ride.

So I'm stuck in the apartment, unable to get off the couch - raging fever, achy joints and all - and I'm just struck at how many memories of Michael Jackson keep washing over me.

Sometimes, especially as I get older, I find it difficult to justify my lifelong love affair with pop culture - both high and low.
But watching all these Michael Jackson videos, it hits me again just how strongly pop culture affects our lives.

I mean, come on - We are the World. What a coming together of great minds for a great cause.

And just when you think that pop culture triumphs, I think of everyone in DC - all those idealistic do-gooders who are trying to achieve the same thing that MJ's videos illustrated - a beautiful world free of prejudice and full of childlike joy.

OH, and here's one more thing before I sign off because I really am sick and rambling.

Look up the word "anticipation" in the dictionary, and there should be a picture of Michael Jackson.
Every one of his videos has an incredible lead-up - often a good 2 minutes before the actions starts.

From Eddie Murphy and Magic Johnson trying to please a bored Queen Nefertiti, to the walk home from the movies in Thriller - they're a study in what he did best - teasing us with the promise of his genius. His gifts to us unveiled themselves slowly - a zombie emerging from a manhole, black panther morphing into Michael dancing. The impact of Man in the Mirror doesn't hit until halfway through - it takes him that long to transition from the personal to the global. But when he does, the devastation is profound and complete - we're left sobbing at the starving children, lost hope and broken promises that littered the 80s.
In "The Way You Make Me Feel", the sexual aggression is there, but in the most Jackson-esque way - childlike and performed at a distance. Sex isn't the object - never being alone is the holy grail.

He unveiled himself slowly, in so many ways. Even at his most shocking, he gave the world just enough to keep us coming back for more. What a performer. What an artist.
Sigh.....

THIS is what I love about film festivals!

2009-06-24T15:12:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was, in many ways, more emotional than any day at a film festival should be.
Started out with an early afternoon screening of Edie and Thea: A Very Long Engagement.
I missed the first 20 minutes, but there were already sniffles to be heard from the audience by the time I arrived.
By the end of the film, which details the 42 yr. love affair between the two women, there wasn't a dry eye anywhere.

It was like being at a matinee screening of Terms of Endearment.
They're beautiful, they dance in a wheelchair and they finally got married. I would love to blast this film into every single church in the entire world and show the haters just how full, rich and loving a gay relationship can be.

Next up was Greek Pete, a surprisingly tender tale of London rent boys. Tender yes, but pretty graphic -perfect!

And that's just the beginning of yesterday's lovefest!

One of my favorite films ever is My Left Breast, by Gerry Rodgers, in which she bravely documents her diagnosis of breast cancer, then her treatment, mascectomy and chemo sessions.
It's one of the most compelling films I've ever seen and I consider her one of my heroes.

Well, my mom is undergoing a mascectomy today and I'm a bit stressed about the whole thing. (And this does tie into the festival, I swear).

Our puppy, Barksdale, also had to be rushed to the vet yesterday after eating a takeout pizza sized hole in our bedroom quilt. Thank God our friend Hannah is with him, but it was still crazy juggling calls from my mom, the vet, and Hannah, plus trying to get the lowdown on the transtastic party, all while trying to touch base with filmmakers at the lounge yesterday afternoon.

I'd finally talked to all the vets, technicians, and family members that I needed to and headed back in to update Leesil.

Leesil, in her very quiet way, usually attracts a crowd, and true to form - there was a coterie of women hanging out when I got back to our table. One of them, a beautiful older lady with the most beatific smile I've ever seen, asked "How's your dog?" and I proceeded to tell her while simultaneously trying to get Leesil's attention so that she could learn all about intestinal blockage and the absorbent qualities of cotton.

As I'm politely fielding questions from everyone (have you seen my film, would you like a screener, what kind of puppy is he, are you going to the Swedish party tonight?) and surreptitiously trying to reach for my cocktail, it somehow registers that the woman with the beautiful smile is Gerry Rodgers, my left breast hero!

I somewhat dramatically fall into her embrace and stammered out my worries about my mom. (I'm sure she's used to this by now).
After telling me that her whole family now calls themselves "The Young and the Breastless" because they've all had mascectomies, I began to feel a bit better. (Plus I'd finally reached my drink).

Everyone eventually scattered to their respective screenings and we headed off to meet our friend KJ (former curator at NMWA), for the trans party and Trans TV program.

And then MORE love - this of the indy, DIY kind. The entire program was a cheeky mash note to SF's queer community, with dykes, dicks and enough identity politics to make your head spin!
Saw Silas Howard (By Hook or Crook, Tribe 8) and Lynn Breedlove there, and fell in love with the talent of Actor Slash Model, who sang, wrote, acted and directed one of my favorite films in the program: Queer Teen Romance.
Oh, and met Jules, director of Against A Trans Narrative, which I've been dying to see.

All in all, enough film, emotion and love to fill an entire day.

Today, we're taking the afternoon off to go hiking with some friends from Tampa, Andrew and Jessica.
But we'll be back in time for this evening's screenings - never fear.

Boys in the Band

2009-06-24T03:33:00.004-04:00

"Making the Boys" should be required viewing - for everyone. What keeps it from sliding into "where are they now" territory is that this film is such a controversial part of our history. I'd never considered that it came out at precisely the right moment to ensure it's instant vilification - directly on the heels of the Stonewall riots.
Making the Boys is a documentary on the history of Boys in the Band, in case that wasn't clear.
Sorry.. it has been an incredibly long day of film watching.

Even the toughest dykes here came out crying at the end of the screeing.
It's a must see - look for it in October!
mm

I LOVE THE KUCHAR BROTHERS!

2009-06-22T13:54:00.002-04:00

First, let's get the really important news out of the way - I did not eat a single taco yesterday.

Not sure what happened, except that by the time all of our movies ended, I didn't feel like battling the crowds for a spot in line. Instead, we ended up at a great place called the Monk's Kettle, which features organic and sustainably grown food. Okay, pretty much everyone here offers that, but this place was really good. Leesil and I split a cheese platter featuring a local cheddar and a sheep's milk cheese from Humboldt County while we reminisced about the films we'd each seen that day.

After realizing that the early bird gets the comps, I arrived in time to see a bit of the 70s kids classic, Free to Be.... You and Me.

Either a young Jermaine Jackson was in it, or the producers were gobbling up every Jackson kid look-alike they could. I didn't stick around long enough for the credits, but I haven't seen his name listed yet. The mystery remains unsolved, and frankly... I'm too overloaded on movies right now to event attempt an IMDB search.

My first film of the day was Maggots and Men, a beautifully shot experimental film based on the 1921 Kronsdadt Uprising. The black and white film lyrically melds the history of the revolution with the struggle to free gender expression from cultural norms. By evoking Eisenstein at every possible turn. Having said that, this is seriously one of the most beautiful films I've seen in quite a while and it balances its punk aesthetic with its art school high-mindedness seamlessly.

I didn't have another movie until 6:30 (I'd already seen that afternoon's selections), so I grabbed some sandwiches and we headed out to Golden Gate park for an hour or so.

Then it was back for what turned out to be my favorite film of the festival - It Came From Kuchar.

I'm not a big fan of horror films and while I'd rather see a campy, low-budget horror film than any Hollywood produced gore-fest, it's still not my thing.

BUT.. this is one of the funniest docs I've ever seen. The Kuchar bros. are twins, now in their 70s or so, and they've created literally thousands of undeground films. Unintenionally hilarious, especially when they're trying to remember if they're fraternal or identical, they are a a riot the entire time they're on screen. Add John Waters, a big fan, and you'd got the makings for 2 hours of non-stop laughter.

They received the Frameline award, and deservedly so. Tuesday night, there's a screening of Thundercrack that I may see. Who knows... maybe I'll become a fan of the horror film yet.

Meanwhile, Leesil was across town watching Light Gradient, a German flick about two boys who take off on their bikes, meet another young boy and his mom and go row-boating.

I'm sure there was more to it than that, but maybe not.

We spent the whole night watching films in two different parts of town, partly to cover as many as we could.

Leesil stayed in the Mission to watch Pronographic, which she said badly needed an editor, while I immersed myself in LA's teen mod subculture.

We are the Mods features Sadie, a young outcast, who, after a heroic attempt to join the French club fails horribly, loses her best friend.

Adrift, she falls for the beautiful Nico, a coke-snorting, boy-banging hottie with a gimpy foot and penchant for all things 60s.

Sadie falls in love, natch, and things get a bit predictable. What makes this high school story really sing is the mod culture - the clothes, the scooters, the music. It lends an edge to the story you might not find if they were just hanging out at the mall.

Apart from that, it's not breaking that much new ground.

Off to pick up tix for tomorrow's screenings - see you soon!

Bears, Christians and Shirley Knight.. oh my!

2009-06-21T11:26:00.004-04:00

Yesterday began, as I suspect most days here will, with me obsessing over where to have tacos for lunch.

Luckily, our first film of the day was at the Roxie, a crumbly old theater in the Mission District. And by crumbly, I mean magnificently seedy and run-down. The floor tilts, the lobby carpet sticks to your feet and the seating is set up church-hall utilitarian style - no swooping rows of banked seating here.

But the Roxie will always have a place in my heart as the site of one of the most moving film experiences I've ever had. This was perhaps in 20001, my first years with TIGLFF and I was anxiously awaiting the world premiere of Trembling Before G-d, the documentary about Orthodox Judaism and homosexuality. The film began and it was as stunning as anything I'd ever seen -binding rituals shot with the brutal finesse of Scorcese, shots of the Wailing Wall, prayer services in synagogues all over the world.

Perhaps 10 minutes in, something went horribly awry - the sound had been dubbed onto opposite reels. In other words, we were hearing the voices of people who wouldn't appear on screen for at least another hour, and the the dialogue on screen had nothing to do with the images being presented.

Sandi Dubowski, the young director, calmly walked to the front of the stage, explained what must have happened, and asked the projectionist to turn off the sound in the theater.

He then proceeded to narrate the entire story of his film to an astounded audience.

At the end, we all walked out knowing that we'd witnessed something truly magical. I don't think a person in that theater was surprised at the success that Trembling enjoyed, and still enjoys today.

Back to the Roxie, then. Cure for Love was a great film that I'd watched parts of before. Two members of the ex-gay community, Brian and Anna, are getting married. Each acknowledges their homosexual feelings, but seem to be the perfect postcard for the ex-gay movement as they begin their life together. It's a powerful film, notably when Anna is on-screen. Her passivity, coupled with her unintentionally hostile responses to queries about her husband, make for pretty uncomfortable viewing.

More than most films, Cure for Love, shows the personal toll on gays who are unwilling to turn their back on a hostile religion.

After that, one of the coolest documentary/porn films I've ever seen: The Butch Factor. Ostensibly a documentary about masculinity in the gay community, it was interspersed with so many shots of beefy men working out, muscle men hanging out by the pool, cops in uniform, and bars frolicking at Lazy Bear in Northern California, that I'm sure no one would have minded if the film ran toward 4 hours in length. It's definitely a must-see, and despite the eye candy factor, Butch Factor does blow the lid off some strongly entrenched stereotypes in the gay community.

Next up: Quick trip to the Castro after TACOS TACOS TACOS! Super veggie today, to atone for my meat gluttony (tongue, carne asada and chorizo tacos) the day before. It wasn't me; it was the wheel o' meat, I swear.

In the middle of the afternoon, there were probably 900 people packed into the Castro Theatre to see Little Joe, a documentary about Joe D" Allessandro of Andy Warhol fame. A big fan of all things Factory, except the rampant exploitation of artists, I'll grab a review copy of this for my own viewing pleasure. Not sure if it's got enough appeal for a festival, though. But if you're into the whole avant garde 60s film movement, it's crucial viewing for the shots of Joe in some Cinecitta films alone.

After that, it was back to the Mission for Not Fade Away. There was a line in the film that I'll use as the review and leave it at that: If you can't think of anything nice to say, sit in judgement silently.

Skipped the Tom and Jerry party AND the 10 pm screening of Greek Pete to go home and catch up on some much needed sleep.

And here we are, ready to start another stellar day.

Stay tuned for We are the Mods, Maggots and Men, and Pornography snippets tomorrow.

Hugs, kisses and tan lines from sunny San Fran,

Coming to you from sunny, windy, foggy, hot and cold San Francisco

2009-06-20T13:00:00.003-04:00

Here now - reporting from Frameline Film Festival, the oldest and largest LGBT film festival in the world.

While TIGLFF is 20 and Reel Affirmations 19, Frameline is the grand sequoia of us all - a whopping 33 years old and still one of the most cutting edge and progressive festivals out there.

Every day, I'll post snippets of news from the festival, as well as a brief tour diary of the parties, haunts and non-festival items of interest.

Here's a brief roundup of our last 72 (or possibly 96 hours) in San Francisco.

Joining me on this trip is Leesil Ainslie, the lovable grounding force in my life, who came along to make sure that I didn't defect to Petaluma to become an organic chicken farmer.

The plane ride over was primarily a 7 hour exercise in cataloging everything we forgot:

1. Chargers for both the Blackberry AND the iphone

2. Hairbrush

3. Comfortable shoes (for me). I have in my possession two pair of flimsy sandals, my brand-new running shoes (which will probably never leave my bag), and my first purchase in SF - a pair of black leather Diane von Furstenberg mules with 3 inch wedges. Needless to say, these, despite their bargain price of $17 at Buffalo Exchange, will NOT suffice for day to day travel.

4. Hair product

5. Long sleeve shirts

6. Avant Garde San Francisco guidebook

Between last-minute dog sitting instructions, turning in a grant to DCCAH, emergency room visits for Leesil's clients, and the general mayhem that is our life in DC, we barely made our flight.

But, hey.. here we are! 11 pm and ready for bed.

First day:

Wake up early for an already scheduled conference call, which is now at 6 am SF time.

Out the door and hey.. there's a coffee shop that one of the Jezzies recommended.

Fuel up and spend the day speculating on which tattoos we'd get if we moved here.

Dinner and a downtown Oakland festival with Tampa peeps Jessica and Andrew - endless sake and great conversation with old friends.

Friday:

Tacos and murals in the Mission, then we head over to the Castro to pick up our passes and tickets for the evening.

The plan is to watch "And Then Came Lola" and Clapham Junction.

Lola's sold out, so we take our consolation prize (free drink tickets) to Qbar across the street, where luck would have it, we meet Jennifer Derbin, the DP of Lola. By now, we're on our way to the Curve women's party, and are slowly losing our resolve to travel across town to see a documentary about the making of The Boys in the Band.

Fate steps in and we meet someone with two extra tickets to Lola. $20 later, we're in!

There's something about SF dykes and their support of the community that brings me to my knees. And Lola, a film shot in San Francisco by women from the area, brings it all to the front in a cheering, whistling, stomping crescendo! Leesil and I exchange glances and begin to plot our move to the West Coast.

Which screeches to a halt two hours later when we are greeted by 50 degree weather and whistling winds. We both grew up in Florida, and the thought of sunshine and cold weather all at once could easily make our brains implode.

Saturday morning:

Off to see docs about homosexuality and religions, a doc about Joe D'allasandro and some more that I can't remember at the moment. Tune in tomorrow for an update - we're headed out the door to spend the next 12 hours watching films.

Divas Outdoors - My Favorite Time of Year

2009-05-18T13:31:00.003-04:00

I don't know why I love classic film so much. Actually, yes I do.

One of my first ever "film" jobs was working at Blockbuster Video - when they first opened up. (Yes, that's how old I am:))

Anyway, me securing a job at Blockbuster video is a story unto itself - one that's best told over a few cocktails in a dimly lit bar.

Why? Because it involves chicanery, manipulation, a 125 question test, schemeng and the judicious use of my then-unlimited store of feminine wiles.

The upshot of all that drama was that I, did indeed, get a job at Blockbuster. Far beyond the perks of that long-ago job though - I walked away from the experience with the tools I needed to one day run a film festival and to knowledgeably hold forth on a number of genres - obscure and conventional - in international cinema.

The day before I started, I was given, along with instructions to purchase a blue oxford shirt, some left-over film school books and a list of over 100 films that I must watch before I die.

The list was misplaced years ago, but I can safely say that I've watched many, many times that number in my quest for film knowledge.

I've had many infatuations with various genres and directors.

For a while I was obsessed with yakuza films, then tired of them in favor of hard-boiled 40s noir.

My enduring love for Emir Kusterica will probably never wane - I've even sat through films of his that were subtitled in Dutch - just to watch his audacious images and let the waves of Goran Bregovic's music wash over me.

I keep a running list of subjects in my head that I deem documentary-worthy, and I'll probably never tire of watching the works of Pratibha Parmar, Bruce LaBruce or Lars Von Trier.

But classic American films - starrring Audrey Hepburn, Kathrine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and a host of others.. I could watch them every day. Perhaps it's because of their easy availability, or because the social mores seem so quaint. At heart I'm a fashionista - perhaps that's the draw?

Whatever it is.. I can't get enough of Technicolor, Cinemascope and cinched belts over wide skirts.

This year's Divas Outdoors - featuring once agan Doris Day, Marilyn Monroe and some newcomers to the series (Betty Grable and Laren Bacall) is themed somewhat topically - each film is tied to the economy.

In the first, That Touch of Mink, Doris Day is job-hunting (as are so many of us now). In fact, the film opens on a scene set in an unemployment office - and things haven't changed too drastically since then.

The second film, How To Marry A Millionaire, features a trio of women (Bacall, Grable and Monroe) who are all broke and trying to land rich husbands. In between furniture repossessions, cocktail parties and unpaid grocery tabs, there's a fair amount of social commentary that rings true even today.

They're both ligh-hearted fun and absolutely gorgeous to look at - I hope you can join us.

Divas Outdoors

May 29th and June 12th

Hillwood Museum

4155 Linnean Ave.
NW

for more info: http://www.reelaffirmations.org/

Interview: Capital Queer Prom founders Ebone Bell and Brianne Croteau

2009-01-28T14:32:00.023-05:00

It's cold outside. And raining. Actually, it's EXTREME raining, if I can coin a new term. Once you have to duck in order to avoid one of these frozen, yet not-quite hail raindrops, it has veered disastrously over into the EXTREME raining category.
Directly outside my office window is an expanse of gray, barren trees and brown grass- all covered in snow.
Usually, this vista is bright and sunny - a sloping flower-strewn lawn, and full, green trees shielding me from Rock Creek Parkway's northbound traffic.

So naturally I'm thinking ahead to spring, and what spring looks and feels like to me. What it does mean is brunch outside, those first few trips to the nursery for herbs and plants, and the initial burst of a months long obsession with planning trips to the beach.

But this year I have something else to look forward to - the Capital Queer Prom.
Now a strapping 3 yr. old institution in DC, the Capital Queer Prom is the brainchild of Ebone Bell and Brianne Crotreau, the two masterminds behind BOI Productions.
So.. in an effort to lead my brain down sunny, pastel-hued paths, I asked them a few questions about the prom.

MM: Thanks so much for taking time out of your day to chat with me. Before I ask my first question, I have to warn you: I actually fled high school and my hometown long before I got to prom age,so the only exposure I have ever had to a prom is through John Hughes films, and Carrie. Which might color my questions slightly (laughs).
Okay.. what was the impetus for holding the first Queer Prom? My mind goes straight to the movies I've seen... were you trying to impress a girl? Were you hoping for a revenge sequence for some long-forgotten sophomore slight? Shake your grieving father out of his depression?

Brianne: So many gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender men and women had a difficult time growing up, especially when it came to traditional rites of passages, like their prom. Ebone and I believe the entire adult community deserves the chance to "re-live" this coming-of-age milestone - only this time do it right - in an open and accepting environment, with whom and how they chose.

Ebone: I started thinking how great it would be to relive my prom again as an open gay person. I thought it would be fun to celebrate such a "coming of age" event with all of my new gay friends here in the DC Metro area. I just couldn't stop thinking about it.

MM: Okay... I can see John Hughes working with this. As a complete aside, why isn't there someone like him making huge, blockbuster films for gay kids?
Second question: How is the prom different from any other night that we spend getting dressed up for and heading out to drink with friends, flirt with strangers and listen to good music?
Ebone: I think some people are tired of the same club or bar events that continually go on in the city. We appreciate the fact that we have places to go, but it's nice to do something different every now and then. That's what the prom is...something different and unique. Who doesn't love to dress up and mix and mingle with other LGBT folks?

Brianne: It's a totally wonderful night to dress in your best, ride to the event in style (thanks to our limo partner) and dance the night away with your friends and loved ones.

Take your prom photo with your date or best friends, vote for this year's Prom King and Queen, bid on the local and national Silent Auction -- or just enjoy this year's moonlit cruise along the Potomac aboard the Spirit of Mount Vernon.

MM: That actually sounds like fun! I bet people really get into the spirit of the event - some of the photos I saw from last year were really beautiful. You got the sense that this was a defining moment for people. Which makes sense. I think that the prom historically was the stepping point for young men and women to interact with each other as adults - and to develop courtship rituals. As LGBT or questioning youth, this can be seen as such a repudiation of your desires. And really.. if you think about it.. proms are like a wedding ceremony: there's the "ask", the flowers, the dress, your parents sending you off... this can be very overwhelming (or off-putting) for someone not sure of their place on the sexual continuum.

Another part of the mythology surrounding prom is the Prom Committee. That's where ALL the shenanigans happen: the presumed prom queen is proven to have no taste in decorations, or alternately she gets tangled up in the tissue garland. Interestingly enough, in teen movies, this is always the scene where you see the quiet boy quietly making sure the decorations are hanging just... perfectly. The geeky girl gets a make-over, and the jock is usually proven to be a nice guy after all.. he's just blinded by the perky blondness of his queen. And the gym teacher gets drunk and hits on the English teacher, right?
Having thrown out every single stereotype I can think of just now... what's your favorite part of planning the Prom?

Brianne: My first time planning the Capital Queer Prom, I was overwhelmed at not only the response (in attendance) but by the overall joy. Ebone and I are involved in many, many events throughout the year - and I have never seen so many men and women from all walks of life on the dance floor together...it was just so much fun! It was an unbelievable experience and Ebone and I put our blood, sweat and tears into putting this event together.

MM: (sighs) It's obvious that my repertoire of cheesy teen movies has no place in this interview. All joking aside, you're redefining an essential, adolescent rite of passage for an entire community of LGBT folks - which is an important part of our evolution into fully realized, loving adults. So often.. it's not until we're able to come to grips with the social, cultural and political rituals denied us that we can move forward.

On your website, you have reactions and responses from various folks who've attended the Capital Queer Prom. Here's one that really leapt out at me:

"Prom night this year was the best event I've been to in DC - and not just because I won prom king. Capital Queer Prom will hold a special place in my heart as one of the most entertaining and exhilarating experiences I've had since coming out. It was better than the prom experience that my straight friends had in high school that I felt largely alienated from because I was queer...My prom date and I had a wonderful time. Thanks!" -Tate, Prom King 2008

Which I think just about sums up what the two of you are doing with this amazing event - thank you so much. Not only for this interview, but for the Capital Queer Prom.

Details:
Capital Queer Prom
Saturday, March 7th
7:30 -10:30
Aboard the Spirit of Mt. Vernon
Pier 4, 6th and Water St. SW
http://www.eventboi.com/prom.html

Afterparty at Phase One, on Capital Hill
Image of Brianne (l) and Ebone (r) courtesy of Metro Weekly. Shot by Ward Morrison.

Save Me wins Audience Award for Best Feature

2008-11-18T10:10:00.004-05:00

Save Me, starring Chad Allen, Robert Gant and Judith Light, narrowly (by 1 point) beat out Opening Night favorite Breakfast with Scot to snag the Reel Affirmations Audience Award.

The intersection of homosexuality and religion comes into sharp focus at the ex-gay ministry run by Judith and her husband. The Christian aspect of life at Genesis House is rarely played for laughs and is afforded a nobility of cause that in other scripts might have been lost. The men residing at the home, a fairly whitebread assortment of gay men in various stages of "acceptance" are treated as family members, privy to secrets and (and often quick to exploit shared confidences in moments of pique).
Chad Allen, the bad boy battling both meth and mommy issues, soon falls into an easy comraderie with Robert Gant, whose long tenure, ties to the area and affable nature has accorded him favored status among the other men, the townsfolk and Judith.

What lends Save Me its heart is the struggle both men endure as they grow closer, foregoing the "embrace, then agonize" motif expected. Alan is genuinely torn - he basks in praise earned for a scripture reading and takes to heart his role as friend and mentor to the younger men.
Inevitably, matters come to a head - in ways both gasp-inducing and laugh out-loud funny, as the two men's live become more entwined. In the end, though, the dignity and reason that seems to be so often lost on either side of the culture war prevails- imbuing the film with a profound acceptance of what can be gained - by simply adhering to a few basic commandments.
-mm

Opening Weekend - What a success!

2008-10-22T13:49:00.006-04:00

WoW! From the very first shot of Breakfast with Scot to the last cocktail being poured at town - Opening Night was amazing.

Every year, it seems that the festival gets bigger and better - and this year's was the best yet!

Just a quick rundown - Thursday was Opening Night, Friday was crazy with our Boystown party and the appearance of the devilish Matt Riddlehoover, star of our late night flick Watch Out.

Saturday kicked off our women's weekend with Steam (Kate Siegel pictured above) and our party at Jackie's! The next day was even more crazy - nearly 400 women made their way to Alero for our fabulous Women Filmmakers Brunch.

Saturday was also one of the most compelling days of the festival - SMYAL led a panel discussion on anti-gay violence after the screening of Dreams Deferred: The Sakie Gunn Story.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's Queers Rock Party sponsored by The New Gay. It's after our Pansy Division screening.
And tonight, we have more films - the indie hit Half-Life, the stellar U People, and Fabulosity (a great selection of men's shorts).

Stay tuned for more films this week!
mm

Holly Freakin' Woodlawn!

2008-09-29T22:39:00.004-04:00

Film has been pretty good to me.. I"ve traveled to incredible film festivals, met amazingly talented filmmakers, and have seen more great films than I've ever dreamed possible.

Film is such a part of my life that I don't even question it anymore... there's one great moment after another.

And every once in a while - in a life filled with cool moments - comes an opportunity to stretch emotionally, intellectually - to participate rather that just observe.

That was this Saturday, when I had the pleasure of interviewing one of my heroes - Andy Warhol Superstar Holly Woodlawn. If the name doesn't ring a bell, this might...

Holly came up from Miami, F-L-A-

Hitchhiked her way across the U-S-A

Plucked her eyebrows on the way

Shaved her legs and then he was a she

THAT Holly Woodlawn!

It was such a reat to check out mentally from preparations for Reel Affirmations and spend a few hours each evening re-watching old Warhol films like Trash, Women in Revolt, and Flesh.

And reading (again) all about that era of artists shocking audiences and audiences trying to shock the artists.. aaahh..

And Holly was amazing - so wonderfully gracious and full of nothing but positive energy and a refreshing outlook on life.

We sat on stage and she simply talked about living in the same tenement building as Miss Eva, the drag queen who inspired Dog Day Afternoon, and how Ethel Merman drank cheap wine, and what a great kisser Jim Morrison was.

This woman did it all .. she was a department store model, a silent film actress, had a successful cabaret act... did jail time for stealing from the French diplomat's wife... love it!

She's truly an inspiration...

The Diva League hits the streets

2008-09-29T22:29:00.003-04:00

Check this out... the ladies of town made a short film. In all honesty, it features the best drag queen fight sequence ever put to film!

To watch it.. . click on the link above.

If you missed Trailer Trash last Saturday, you missed one of the coolest things I've seen in a while. The entire show, hosted by the lovely Lena Lett, featured songs from films. I may be a film geek, but I hardly recognized ANY of the songs. I'd sit there, all slack-jawed, mentally flipping through the fairly sizable rolodex of film trivia in my head, only to come up blank. Then I'd look around the room and every other person was singing along. The closest I came to identifying one song was to narrow it down to "Little Shop of Horrors" or "Sweeney Todd". I could tell someone was dying a gruesome death, but I couldn't quite tell how. Sorry... I don't think we even had a theater department in my high school...

In between songs, they'd play a trailer from the festival.. it was very coo.

Anyway, it was a great show... definitely don't miss it next year.

How cool is this??!!

2008-09-19T17:36:00.003-04:00

Confession time... I love documentaries. It's the film geek in me, plus it's a really easy way to feel informed.

Anyway, we have some great docs this year, AND we're hosting a panel discussion on the importance of docs, especially to the LGBT community. Seriously.. right now is an incredible time for us. There's a lot of media attention - good and bad - on causes of importance to us, and it's vital that we be the ones to document the movement. That's why I'm so excited about our Making a Difference with Docs panel - and look who's going to be on it!

If you have any interest in geeking out for a day, definitely don't miss this.

It's at AFI, Saturday, Oct. 18th 2:45 pm.

Tami Gold, professor in the Dept. of Film & Media Studies at Hunter College (CUNY), has produced and directed films about controversial or often ignored subjects that have been broadcast on HBO and PBS and screened at the Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, and the Museum of Modern Art among other venues. Her groundbreaking film, OUT AT WORK: Lesbians and Gay Men on the Job, raised critical issues about workplace rights, the role of legislation and labor unions and, ultimately, human rights for all.

Joe Wilson and Dean Hamer, local documentary filmmakers whose work demonstrates how the camera itself can be used as a tool for activism, particularly in out of the way places. Their current work-in-progress, OUT IN THE SILENCE, chronicles their exhilarating journey through love, hate and understanding in small town America as residents of Joe’s hometown in the hills of northwestern Pennsylvania grapple with the firestorm of controversy over the publication of his and Hamer's wedding announcement in the local paper.

Cathy Renna, nationally recognized media relations expert with nearly two decades of communications experience and special expertise in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues.

Jaime Grant, Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute and longtime organizer and activist in the LGBT movement.

Voting fever hits One in Ten

2008-09-11T09:08:00.007-04:00

Okay.. the conventions are over and the next big thing to hit DC will be Reel Affirmations.

I can sum up all the excitement with the three Ds: Dance parties. Drag queens. Documentaries.

Then, of course, there are the three Fs: Films. Fun. Filmanthropy. (That means spending your money at the film festival goes to a good cause, namely... next year's Reel Affirmations).

Here at OIT party headquarters, we're meeting with strategists daily, even hourly in some cases. We've got our delegates out on the street - talking up the festial in bars and coffee shops. And we've got our crack design team - sequested in a bunker in Columbia Heights - working on the slickest set of propaganda since, well... I won't even go there.

In a mere 72 hours, TeamWeb08 will unveil our state-of-the-art reelaffirmations.org - the best version yet. You'll be able to create festival calendars, see how many people have viewed a certain film, email friends about your film selections, watch trailers... it's almost like going to the festival - without even leaving your desk.

So.. come back in 72 hours and see what we have in store for you.

The Women are Coming! And the Satyrs! And Jackie O!

2008-09-02T13:49:00.005-04:00

Seriously.. one of my favorite things about a film festival is that they appeal to so many different types of people. It goes way beyond gender, class and race... there's a unique niche for everyone.
This year, with Reel Affirmations, the films are great, of course.
But what's really cool this year is how many different parties we have scheduled BEFORE the festival even starts.

We have The Women, starring Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer. Then, we have our Schrwarzwald event, which is such a cool concept! It's put on by the guys from Saint at Large, and hopefully offer something to a segment of our community that we don't serve all that much - the leather and club crowd.
Before the actual craziness of seeing Schwarzwald, we're hosting a Trailer Trash night downstairs!

And after that... we have our VIP party at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum.. how cool is that? I want everyone to bring cameras and post them to one of our facebook/myspace/flickr/friendser/linkedin pages... who can keep track... there's so many of them. I'd love to invent an app that allows me to update every single one at the same time.
Oh well...

Everything will be posted on the website soon, but here are all the details in case anyone's reading.

• Sept. 27th: Trailer Trash & Schwarzwald at town
Trailer Trash/VIP Drag Queen Party begins at 8 pm; Schwarzwald Dance Party begins at 11 pm
2009 8th St. NW, Washington, DC
Trailer Trash: Join town’s cavalcade of drag queens and dancers as they pay an homage to the movies and screen trailers from some of the biggest and most important movies that will be screened at Reel Affirmations 2008! Enjoy movie themed snacks, songs and shows in this super fun VIP preview of what’s to come.

Schwarzwald: The Movie You Can Dance To comes to us from Saint at Large, the producers of NYC’s legendary Black Party. Appropriately enough, it features a soundtrack that will have asses shaking and imagery that will make jaws drop. Darkly erotic, Schwarzwald is unlike anything to have hit DC . Writer-director Richard Kimmel has crafted a work that combines scenes from the infamous Black Party with footage filmed at Whipman's Estate in Otisville, N.Y. The party sequences—voguing queens doing runway, gorgeous sculpted dudes rocking the dance floor in bizarre outfits—are melded with a tableau of outdoor sex scenes, overlaid with a Merlinesque aesthetic. Featuring Buck Angel, Blu Kennedy, and Daniel Cartier, these segments illustrate carnal pagan rituals through the use of animal masks, fetish gear, bondage play, and group sex. Oh my…

• Oct. 1st: VIP Seating Party at Madame Tussaud’s 7-9 pm
1025 F street NW, Washington, DC, 20004
Join Reel Affirmations sponsors and VIPs for a new twist on an old-tradition! Our VIP Seating Party is a beloved perk – the chance to mingle with guests, sponsors and VIPs; all while learning a bit more about the upcoming festival. This year, we’re taking the Seating Party on the road to one of DC’s newest attractions – we’ll be at Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum in Chinatown. Mingle with celebrities, historic figures, and politicians from our past (and future) in this twisted take on a classic event!

• Oct. 16th: Opening Night Party at town 9PM to late
2009 8th St. NW, Washington, DC
Town danceboutique is DCs hottest club – a cabaret performance space, sleek lounge and stat-of-the-art nightclub all rolled into one sexy space! Join Reel Affirmations after our Opening Night Film, Breakfast with Scott, for complimentary Blue Moon beverages, the best DJs in town and a crowd of festival fans, VIPs and invited guests.

To RSVP for all events, please call Blaire Postman at 202.986.1119 or email bpostman@oneinten.org

Great... it's all my fault...

2008-08-08T10:09:00.014-04:00

Not such good news for the film loving community of DC.
The National Museum of Women in the Arts is in the process of shuttering their film and media arts program.
For the past three years, NMWA screenings been one of this city's best kept secrets - provocative, artistic, and brilliantly curated.

If you've had the good fortune to visit, you would have seen:
- The work of Euzhan Palcy, who was the first Black woman to direct a Hollywood film (A Dry White Season)
- Films from the African Diaspora
- The premiere of The Last Mistress by Catherine Breillat (as an aside - what a brilliantly beautiful film!)
- And on August 27th, NWMA and One in Ten are partnering on a retrospective of Cheryl Dunye's short films. Come to this. Seriously.

Dunye is arguably the reason that I run a gay film festival - I still passionately believe that festivals continue to be the foot in the door for incredibly talented filmmakers.

That she's now living in Amsterdam, after a brief flirtation with Hollywood, seems to increase her awesomeness even more somehow. Hell, if filmmakers take that foot in the door and use it to bunk off to another country, more power to them! She's built up enough karmic goodwill with Watermelon Woman and Stranger Inside that she could spend the rest of her life directing commercials for Hummers and still come out ahead.

Back to NMWA's decision, though, and this maelstrom of emotion it's brought up in me.
In this day and age, when it seems that there is a very public disavowal of women's film, their decision seems incredibly short-sighted. No longer can museums function simply as a receptacle for the past - they have to look forward to survive. And frankly, including a film program in an art museum isn't even progressive any more - it should be a fait acompli. Not only does this ignore years and years of female filmmaking (Dorothy Arzner, anyone?) but it effectively closes the lens on any number of women making films - women in Cambodia, Africa, Nepal - whose work will never see the light of day unless there are programs like this in existence.

So, yeah.. it sucks..

As someone who runs an arts-focused non-profit, though, I get that it's tough to fund every program. And this decision is part of a larger issue of funding for women's art, or work, in general.

And I feel a personal responsibility, which also sucks. I'm THAT person. I love the fact that DC has so many film offerings. I talk about it all the time. It's one of my rationales for living here. The festivals. The embassies. The museums. Every single time I attend a film screening at one of these venues, I think to myself "Why don't I do this more?" and vow to make it a weekly habit. And the very next night, I drag myself out of the office and plop in the next Netflix video. Which, admittedly, is usually some TV show like The Wire.
You know how people have a designated friend to get rid of all their porn in case of their untimely death? I need to designate a friend to populate my Netflix queue with art films and delete my history of Seasons 1-4 of The Family Guy.

And frankly.. I'm sick of being told that it's the fault of women that we don't have enough films, enough art, enough funding.
The head of Showtime said that they'd never do another L Word because they don't make any money off of it - women tend to go to L Word parties at bars or at their friend's houses. But I don't see ESPN lamenting the demise of boxing and baseball because of sports bars.

And yes.. I realize that's a flawed argument to a certain extent. And that my simplistic reply to their simplistic premise is a quick race to the bottom and it doesn't matter because in 5 years we're all going to only be watching videos of cats jumping off tables on YouTube anyway and Bill Gates or Steve Jobs or Sergei Lim or whoever ultimately comes to own the Internet is going to be the only person making any money.

And there you have it, folks. Another long-winded rant that comes to no conclusions and resolves not one damn thing.

Ballyhoo!

2008-07-28T09:49:00.004-04:00

A few weeks ago, and yes.. I should have posted about it long before now, I was asked to present the film Dog Day Afternoon at the National Portrait Gallery as part of their Ballhoo! exhibit.

It was incredible fun, especially as it gave me an opportunity to look back at one of the finest moments in queer cinema - and reflect on how things have changed.
Well, in my honest opinion, things have not gotten much better, and I don't see queer cinema ever living up to the early heights achieved by Derek Jarman, Gus Van Sant, et al.

From my perch in a little office in Dupont Circle, we are seemingly close to winning the culture wars. I receive daily missives from all the big guns - HRC, NGLTF, Victory Fund, Stein Club, SLDN. At the very least, we've certainly made great strides in getting issues of importance to the LGBT community out in front of the electorate. The majority of folks believe we should have some sort of marriage rights, presidential candidates are forced to take a stand on the issue, there are congressional hearings on Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and gay adoption is on the rise.
Not to mention the standing room only lines at City Halls throughout California.

And I say hooray and huzzah for every single person who has reaped the benefit of these organizations' hard work.

To the newly married - salud!
Stroller shopping right now and painting the nursery? - Mazel tov and congratulations on undertaking a rigorous and expensive process that the straights are allowed to engage in with abandon!
Recently discharged and battling for benefits? I offer you every bit of courage I have so that you can fight the hypocrisy of a government that will allow you to fight, but not to love (sorry.. sounds a bit Hallmark-y, doesn't it?)

But... and here's the rub for me... as much as I applaud the progress made in the civil rights struggle for gay equality, I'm afraid that it doesn't make for good cinema.
Yes, I know.. call me shallow...

Great cinema comes from struggle, from oppression. The best films center on an act of rebellion - whether it's an epic morality tale (The Godfather) or the simple act of playing hooky(Ferris Bueller's Day Off).

Even the fluffiest of films - I'm looking at you, SATC - have at their very heart and soul a conflict.

And I'm afraid that as we wend our way into the mainstream politically, we will lose some of that inherent drama. Sure.. no one wants to go back to the days of a dead lesbian in every film, or the bleak futility of Cruising.
But there are maybe two films, out of all that I reviewed, that harkened back to that sense of urgency when we truly felt that our existence depended on getting our stories out there. There was a sense - horrible and heady - that we were under attack and we looked to art as our saviour. It was the only outlet we had. We certainly weren't, until Act Up and other activist groups pushed the issue, allowed to engage in any meaningful public discourse.
Now that we're at the table, we're not in a darkened editing booth.

Don't get me wrong... I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the fact that we (festival spoiler here!) are showing Gays Gone Wild - Another Gay Sequel. When I previewed the film, I rolled on the floor laughing. At times, I begged someone to turn it off - it is one of the most disgustingly funny films I've ever seen.

But I'm equally happy that we're showing Bruce LaBruce's Otto, or Up with Dead People.
LaBruce always takes chance - and while he pushes many of the same buttons that Todd Stephens does, there's an underlying pathos that resonates with me.

There's a place in the world - and Reel Affirmations - for both of these films.
I just wish there was a bit more grit and a little less fluff.

Rundown of offical One in Ten activities in the past 2 weeks

2008-07-21T22:19:00.004-04:00

1. Watch movies - some good, some not so good.
Let's concentrate on the positive and mention some of the good ones:

Boystown - ha! A sexy realtor decides that his up and coming territory isn't gentrifying fast enough - more minimalist condos NOW please. What's a hungry realtor to do when the long-time residents refuse to hoof it off to the nursing home? Well, you'll just have to come see the movie and find out.
The Spanish do zany comedy like no other country. Boystown is murderous and dark, like a Serbian film, but the people laugh more.

Were the World Mine - god, I love this film! It's like an great novel - the true emotion doesn't unveil itself until nearly 2/3 of the way in.

U People - a great story told while a group of African American women shoot a music video in Brooklyn. This film is an epic - covering everything from hair styles to bisexuality - in a sing-song flow of love and respect.

With Gilbert and George - if only more of us devoted ourseles completely to our art.

More films to come - this is just the tip of the iceberg.

What else have we been doing over at OIT HQ?
Going to dance parties! TNG rocked out over the weekend, and we were right there. Caught up with some of our favorite folks and headed off for some quiet reflection on fake boobs on lesbians, sexism, and all the other things that lesbians love to talk about.

3. Putting together an amazing festival this year. Again.. more to come and the posts will appear on a much more regular basis - so come back often.

Still recovering...

2008-07-02T16:53:00.004-04:00

..from the taping of Laugh Out Loud this past weekend, entertaining the film crew, and hanging with Jackie Monahan and Chris Doucette.
If you weren't there, you should have been - it was seriously hilarious.
And I'm not talking about the grumpy attendee (you know who you are), the DC vs. LA catfight that almost broke out, or our poor PA Christina, who was almost struck by lightning. Okay, that last part's not hilarious at all... I get that.
Festivals are all about pulling the velvet curtain just enough to see the picture - but I live for the peeks behind stage.

Sadly, I'm sure there's a non-disclosure agreement in each of the many contracts bandied about this weekend, or I'd dish some more.

Here's a rundown of some of the "official events" leading to the actual taping of the show on Saturday night.

Friday afternoon: Film crew starts arriving, which is good because we've coordinated airport runs so that we can pick up a camera person here, a comedian there, and not spend all day in the car.
Except... Vidur has missed his flight. Now, Vidur Kapur is Logo's darling - he's been nominated for New, Now, Next Award and he's going places. Just not DC.
I'll say it first - but out of all the personas I'd like to try on during international travel, gay Southeast Asian trying to book a one-way flight into the nation's capitol isn't one of them.

With one less airport run to make, we all decide to meet at the Women's Networking event at Chi-Cha Lounge, which was sponsored by One in Ten and a bunch of other great organizations. Yeay ADKLN - still keeping DC a great place for ladies!

Andrea Meyerson, the director and her crew: Sheila, Phillip and Tavia all pile into our car (Leesil graciously riding in the back back) and we head off to ChiCha's, where two of our board members are holding court.

Mel's all about the ladies, and she usually has a posse of them following her around, but she seemed to be relatively unencumbered. Of course, this meant that I instantly put her to work handing out fliers.
Courtney was there with a friend, and since she's our treasurer, I keep her free for more important stuff.
Then it's off to Hook - for more wine, geography lessons from our Australian server (who used to work at Veritas - he knows his stuff), and some yummy homemade s'mores.

We were the last to leave, which seemed to be the start of a motif for the entire weekend.

The next day, all the comics start arriving, and the film crew heads off for some shopping. In the meantime, we're frantically putting together the last minute requests for tickets, making signs, etc...
Andrea tried to make reservations for West End Bistro, but they were booked. Probably for the best.. we all have a huge day tomorrow and turn in early. I stayed home and caught up on film previewing (The Lost Coast by Gabriel Fleming will be THE surprise hit of the festival - mark my words).

By 10 am, the crew is in place and Leesil and I are heading to Crafty Bastard to check out the wares and to see if it's a possible spot for some Reel Affirmations parties this fall.

More excitement to come - but I have to run into a meeting now.

Ballyhoo! at the National Portrait Gallery

2008-06-25T00:30:00.003-04:00

If you haven't been yet, I suggest a quick trip down to Chinatown to check out this exhibit.
Not only doi you get the Poster as Portraiture exhibit, NPG still has the Recognize! hip-hop exhibit on the walls. There are some great images there - portraits of artists like Mos Def, Kanye West, Pharrell, and Common - most of them while they're on stage and beautifully lost in the music they're creating.
There are also two rooms of Kehinde Wiley's work. Two rooms may seem like a lot, but if you've ever seen one of his paintings, you understand why he needs two rooms. His work is larger than life; he takes African American men and places them in these baroque, splendiferous settings - very baronial in style.

How does hip-hop and one of the Smithsonian branches fit into this blog, you might ask.
Well, tonight I gave a brief lecture on Dog Day Afternoon, which I'll be posting more about later.
The lecture and film series there is one in a long list of hidden film gems here in DC - a secret stash of opportunities to see great films - classics, foreign films, the best in new work - all at area museums.
For a film geek, this town is even better than New York.

Watching movies is fun!

2008-06-20T09:17:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was one of those fun work days that you can really only experience working for a film festival.
After weeks of watching films roll in and pile up on my desk, I finally had a bit of post-Divas Outdoors and Pride time to sit down and watch some movies.
Our programming committees have been doing wonderful work - meeting every week to screen films, email filmmakers and they've been faithfully sending in their reviews and recommendations - I've been the one struggling to meet my 10 films a week quota.
Well, yesterday made up for all of that!
By 2 pm, I'd watched:
A 1950s inspired zombie musical starring RuPaul as a high school principal named Miss Strict.

A documentary on transsexuals in Tehran (Did you know that Tehran, in many ways, has more liberal laws regarding transsexual rights than France?).

Another film recounting the summer a young boy who - in one summer - lost his virginity to an older boyfriend, was ordained as a Mormon minister, and learned his brother was murdered by a neighbor.

A very good film called Suddenly Last Winter, about two men living in Italy who are confronted with a country-wide homophobic backlash. Like many of us, they lived in a bubble of acceptance and liberal politics - and were shocked! to find that the rest of the world doesn't think the same way.

Then, it was off to a quick meeting, then back to watch Dog Day Afternoon for a look back at queer cinema from the 70s.

Today - more films!

Keep coming back to learn more about he movies we program for the festival this year.

Divas Outdoors in the Washington Post

2008-06-16T10:28:00.005-04:00

If you were one of the more than 300 people gatehered under the stars to watch Joan Crawford lop off some heads this past Firday night, you no doubt remember the "awwww" inducing moment when Joe Matessa proposed to his partner, Billy.

See... they met at Pride in Chicago a few years ago, and Joe wanted to find the perfect Pride event at which to propose to Billy.
Well, I'll let the Reliable Source tell you all about it... scroll down about 2/3 of the way and look for the heading "Will you Marry Me? Just Ax".

You may have to cut and paste this link; I'm so worn out from this weekend's festivities that I could barely order a blueberry muffin and iced coffee without starting an international incident. Needless to say, html is a bit beyond my reach right now.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/15/AR2008061502188.html

Thanks to EVERYONE who came out to our Pride booth this weekend - and much gratitude to all the volunteers and board members who braved the heat and the crowds to help out. Pride, which at times can seem like a gay Calcutta with all the stickers, petitions and tchotchke hawkers, is still a pretty amazing way to spend the afternoon. I know that we contributed to the throng - we gave out candy, our snazzy limited edition Reel Affirmations magnets, postcards for Laugh Out Loud and Vespa opportunities to win - our booth was busy nearly all day long.

Happy recovery day, everyone-
mm

Mamma Mia - We're at Pride!

2008-06-13T10:49:00.004-04:00

Stop by the One in Ten Pride booth this weekend and pick up some goodies.
Maybe you'll become the proud owner of a swanky new Vespa?
Or win tickets to the Opening Night of Mamma Mia at the National Theatre! We'll also have sneak preview tickets - come early though.
And don't forget - the film - possibly the gayest film ever thanks to those crazy pop-lovin' Swedes - opens nationwide this July.

Elvira Kurt goes all "Canadian Pride" on America

2008-06-12T11:47:00.011-04:00

As you may know, One in Ten's Laugh Out Loud comedy show is coming up on June 28th, and Elvira Kurt is headlining the show.

Following is a very funny interview by Gina Vivinetto, the semi-famous music critic who nonetheless "loves comedians more than rock stars".

Canadian comic Elvira Kurt thinks Americans are a peculiar bunch. She’s on the phone from her home in Toronto, but it wasn’t too long ago, for a brief time in her bachelor days, Kurt was living in Hollywood, among the super tanned and surgically enhanced. She doesn’t miss it. “It’s a terrible place to live,” says Kurt. “A very hard place to be authentic.”

Kurt was not prepared for LA’s fake factor, even among lesbians. “In LA, I’m butch,” she says, laughing. After securing dual citizenship, Kurt promptly returned to Canada.

If the tiny, pixie-cute Kurt looks instantly familiar, you may have caught one of her stand-up routines on television in which Kurt famously imitates her disapproving Hungarian immigrant mother. Or maybe you’ve tuned into First Comes Love, the Logo reality series Kurt hosted that showcased the joy and anxieties of GLBT weddings.

First Comes Love is in reruns now. “We only did one season,” Kurt says. “Logo has had enough of the gay weddings.” Kurt herself took advantage of Canada’s legal gay and lesbian unions by marrying her partner, Chloe, four years ago.

Rumor has it, it was a shotgun wedding.
(Laughs) Well, yes, it was. We have some pretty hilarious wedding pictures. I’m shorter than Chloe anyway, and then she wore heels at our wedding. So she had these two gigantic pregnancy boobs. They look like two volleyballs right where my head is in all the pictures. (Daughter Madeline is now three-years-old).

It seems like everyone in Canada is either a lesbian or a comedian.
Well, that’s true. When you decide to live in Canada, there is a test. There is a gay screen and then there is a comedian screen and you must choose.

How are Canadians different than Americans? You’re a pretty intense culture. You’re really into your own stuff. Especially in a place like DC, where everyone is so focused and intense --DC attracts these kinds of people – so, you are all there together – you’re all already anal. When I go to DC, it’s, ‘But how do you feel about this? How do you feel about it? What do you think? Tell me. Tell me.’ And I’m like, “I…I…I don’t know, it’s just coffee.’ (laughs). You’re so proud. It’s all about you. But, then I understand that now when you go overseas, you all pretend to be Canadian. Of course, nobody believes you because you use all those “I’ statements.

Some of us pretend to be Canadian because we have shame.
Who? Where is the shame (laughs) I haven’t met these shame-filled Americans that you speak of. (laughs) I’ve only met the proud Americans, the in-your-face Americans. I’m meeting, in my travels, the ‘Do you believe in Jesus?’ Americans. But, maybe I’m only dealing with riff raff.

What do Canadians think of the craziness that has been our Democratic primaries? (Teases) See? What a typical American self-centered question! Believe it or not, we’re not all sitting around talking about you guys! (Laughs) Well, okay, from what I have understood, so far, is that Clinton is for hope, am I right? And Obama is for change. (Pause) Is there no way to accommodate the two? Honestly, we love Americans. We would even like to save the good ones. We understand that Bush was voted into power even if he wasn’t really even voted in. So we have empathy for you.

I know you’re a Second City (famed comedy troupe) alumnus. Who are your favorite comedians? Gilda Radner? Oh, Gilda. Yes. I’m a big fan. She is one of the reasons I started doing this. I think Tina Fey is great. I can’t believe what she’s doing with 30 Rock, although I think she got really lucky with Alec Baldwin. He’s just such a genius. I’m not too much into Judd Apatow’s movies (The 30-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Super Bad). People say it’s a new definition of comedy, but it has nothing to do with my life. I’m more interested in what other woman are doing, really. In comedy, you have to put up with what men think is funny a lot of the time. So I admire women who are doing their own thing. I am interested in whatever Sarah Silverman is doing. I like her a lot. Margaret Cho is always doing new things. Wanda Sykes is huge, very funny. And I really like Curb Your Enthusiasm because he (Larry David) is not afraid to let women come on his show and just rock and steal a scene.

It’s a great time for lesbian comedians, thanks to Ellen. Well, yes, but honestly, I think my three-year-old baby is gayer than Ellen (laughs). She’s been to more political rallies and gay events. She’s been to the Michigan Womyn’s Fest two years in a row, one in the womb. This is a very queer-friendly baby. It’s funny, when we saw the ultrasound, I told my mom, “It’s a girl,” and my mother said, (thick accent) “For now.”

Is your mother really that unhappy with your lifestyle? It’s not that she’s unhappy with my lifestyle, she’s unhappy in general (laughs)

Is her accent really still that thick? Oh yeah. She sounds like she got here yesterday.

Comedians always seem like the smartest, most perceptive people. I think you have to be very brave to do stand-up. Well, thank you. I think you’re right. Whether you are a woman or a man, it’s all about winning over the crowd and that’s not as easy as it looks. There is a lot of second guessing yourself. There is a lot of ‘Am I doing this right?’ I think it’s a woman’s nature to want to please and when you do comedy, you have to be true to yourself. Every night, right before I go onstage, I have a crisis of confidence. That’s what makes it exciting. And when I come offstage, it’s, (panicky) ‘Did I nail it? Was that okay?’ I ask myself all these questions…So, at least, I’m never alone afterwards (Laughs) I’m having spectacular conversations.

Michael Stipe - no longer queer - now just gay.

2008-06-12T00:55:00.006-04:00

Last night, I stood in a crowd of thousands and watched families, frat guys, teenagers (and pre-teens), gay folks and aging hipsters sing along, laugh and cheer as Michael Stipe led R.E.M. through two decades worth of greatest hits (Losing My Religion), band favorites (What's the Frequency, Kenneth?) and songs from their latest album, Accelerate.

We laughed at his jokes - applauded his political jibes - clapped when he mentioned his boyfriend - and we were in on the joke when he said he really wanted to be sitting on the lawn - with two strangers kissing him.

Stipe has referred to himself as "an equal opportunity lech" and "a queer artist" (in a 2001 Time interview). Earlier this year, he again acknowledged his sexuality and his long-term relationship. No longer a queer artist, he considers himself a gay man. Possibly a bit more palatable for mainstream America, and that's okay.

There is a cultural sea change going on right now - being a gay rock star is no big deal anymore. Being a gay talk show host who proposed to her girlfriend on live TV is no big deal. Presidential candidates making frequent references to their gay supporters in campaign speeches is no big deal anymore.

Early on in the show, Stipe gave the audience a quick lesson in gratitude and mindfulness. Playfully asking the audience how many were "here now", we all raised our hands in unison. Then, he acknowledged that we made a choice to be here tonight and thanked the audience for making the choice to spend the evening with them.

And that's what the country is doing right now regarding the visibility and rights of the LGBT community. Every piece of legislation is a choice. It is a political stand, taken very deliberately, by our community and our politicians. Ellen DeGeneres made the choice to propose to her girlfriend on her show. John Mccain made the choice to appear on her show - knowing that she was going to bring up the subject of gay marriage.

And it's becoming easier for people to make these choices. And while we should applaude the loosening of the shackles, we should also acknowledge the many people who made those choices when it wasn't so easy.

Our sweet office renovation

2008-06-09T11:11:00.006-04:00

While standing in the unbearable heat this Saturday, I saw an MW box with a beautiful shot of Cyndi Lauper on the cover. I'm not the first to say this, but it bears repeating - this was a cover worthy of Vanity Fair. Actually, even better than some of Vanity Fair's recent covers.

I'll let you decide:

The REAL story, though, is that our office renovation is featured in Metro Weekly.
Read all about it here: http://metroweekly.com/home/?ak=3510

Audrey Hepburn Under the Stars

2008-06-08T20:05:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a hectic one at One in Ten HQ.

We made the hot trek down to the National Building Museum to meet up with Lisa King, our Board VP, and her partner Polly, to see HRC give her concession speech. This isn't a political blog - Lord knows there's enough of those out there - so I'll stick to the strictly human element and note that no matter how upset folks were, there was no denying that we were walking away from a profound moment in our nation's history.

As if that wasn't exciting enough, it was off to Hillwood Museum for the second Divas Outdoors installment - Funny Face - starring Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire.

In this age of Ugly Betty, Project Runway, and The Devil Wears Prada, Funny Face really stands the test of time.
It even has its own dance remix now.

Despite a last-minute downpour, the event went on with the super-organized and always pleasant Hillwood staff ushering everyone into alternative spaces on the Hillwood estate - what a treat it is to have events there.

Next week's screening, on Friday the 13th no less, HAS to be good. There's just no way we can have bad weather 3 weekends in a row.
The film we're showing, Straitjacet, is fully of campy appeal and laugh inducing special effects.
Joan Crawford plays an axe murderess recently released from an insane asylum, determined to become a model citizen. Welll.. not exactly a model citizen. She does try to seduce her daughter's boyfriend, but it wouldn't be a Joan Crawford film if she didn't transgress somehow.
Stay tuned for a recap and photos of our Joan Crawford lookalike contest next week.

Harvey Korman - RIP

2008-06-02T08:36:00.003-04:00

What else is there to say - Harvey Korman, or as I've always thought of him - Count d' Monay - has passed on.

There are no words to describe how incredibly funny he was - whether he was working with Carol Burnett or Mell Brooks - big screen or small.

The best thing about Harvey Korman was his inability to keep a straight face - his giggles inevitably reduced me to a puddle on the floor. As a little girl forced to watch every episode of Gunsmoke, the highlight of my evening was losing myself in the absurdity of the Carol Burnett show.

Here's one of my favorite clips - and yes.. everyone ... make that dentist appointment for your six-month checkup today.

Plant A Seed Winner shows film at Cannes!

2008-05-28T13:13:00.000-04:00

It's always nice to hear from one of our Plant A Seed winners, and in fact... I'm hoping to grab coffee with Carlos Portugal, who won for East Side Story in 2006, this very afternoon.

However, this was a complete surprise - while doing some research on queer film from the 30s (what us festival folk do in our off-time.. sad to say) I came across an interesting tidbit on http://moviedearest.blogspot.com/.

Kirk Shannon Butts, who has been called "Spike Lee for the LGBT set", recently screened his film Blueprint at the Cannes Festival Market. As many of you may remember, at Reel Affimations 16, Black Pride hosted a reception for Kirk and his crew after we screened a "First Look" cut of the film. The film received mixed reviews then, but I've heard from many sources that the recent edits have made all the difference in the world.

I often talk about the disconnect between the hard work that goes into putting on a festival and the seemingly effortless glamour (one hopes) that eventually appears.

But when you hear about someone we've nurtured and watched flourish over the years, it's the perfect fuel to keep going - to keep striving to unearth the talent and vision that's out there - and to give them a voice.

Congratulations, Kirk!