Planet Out lists more than 150 Queer Film Festivals throughout the world. However, I couldn’t help but notice that Birmingham Shout wasn’t listed. Birmingham, Alabama is home to a very popular and well regarded film festival, Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival. Sidewalk has been named one of TIME Magazine’s FILM FESTIVALS FOR THE REST OF US, one of Chris Gore’s BEST VACATION FILM FESTIVALS in the Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide and the BEST KEPT SECRET in MovieMaker Magazine. The same organization produces both festivals. And while one is so well received the other has fallen off even the queer maps.
The Birmingham SHOUT Festival ran only one day this year – March 29th. Normally it’s a three day festival. Last year they had Margaret Cho and Alan Cummings. This year, they opened with the world premiere of Chasing the Devil, featured Bi the Way and Sex Positive (both of which played at South by Southwest) and Spider Lilies which won the Teddy for best feature at the Berlin International Film Festival. So, it was a short, impressive line up for a Deep South queer festival. Hats off to their programmers.
Many festivals do overextend themselves. It’s hard to make those cuts but good programmers hold onto the integrity of their line up. SHOUT’s web site says they chose to condense the festival to one day this year but hope to return to a three day format in 2009, depending on community support. I totally support these folks in putting on a festival of high quality and maximum bang. As the brits would say, good on y’all. Well, maybe southern brits might say that.
On to other queer festivals that did make the Popcorn List.
New Fest, the New York LGBT Film Festival runs June 5-15 and tickets will probably go on sale mid May. Should be a great party.
Frameline32, aka the San Francisco LGBT Film Festival runs June 19-29. If you are a frameline member, festival passes are available now. The opening film is Affinty based on the book by Sarah Waters. Andrew Davies, who wrote the Bridget Jones’ screenplays, as well as 70 other produced scripts, adapted the novel for this ITV1 British television movie. I had always hoped to make this film myself and saw Gillian Anderson in the lead role but alas – a day late and several million dollars short.
The closing film is Breakfast with Scot. It stars Tom Cavanagh from “Scrubs” and “Ed” and Ben Shenkman from “Angels in America.” Looks cute, light and fun. It is out on DVD after a decent run in Canada. My favorite part about this movie is the “Christian” activists who campaigned against it before it was even finished.
the Los Angeles Times, Bernadette Mansur, the NHL’s senior vice president for communications, indicated that the protests are being spearheaded by Christian activist James Hartline, who claims to be a former homosexual. Although he has not seen the movie, he has called it “degrading” and accused the NHL of “promoting homosexualization of small children” and “becoming a willing partner with the fringe elements of the radicalized homosexual agenda and their ultimate goal of worldwide sexual anarchy.”
Sounds like it’s harder being a former gay than a current one.
Last but certainly not least on our Queer Summer of Films is Outfest,the Los Angeles Gay Lesbian Film Festival running July 9-21. One of the great things that Outfest does is the Legacy Preservation Project.
If you don’t make it to New York, San Francisco or LA this summer and you find yourself down South, consider going to The Prom.
I’m going. Gonna load up the pick up truck and take the whole family. The big question is, will I film it??
Stay tuned.
