Sponsored by:
SF Travel Seminar [WMNS 422] & UAC
[about the films]
Student and Faculty Films
Justice Delayed
[15 minutes]
Produced by: Brenna Ehster, Dylan Jambrek, Christine Johnson and Roxie Schmidt
Justice Delayed is a digital story telling the events in California regarding marriage equality. The film will go through the State Supreme Court's In re Marriage Cases decision, the Proposition 8 campaign, and the legislative and legal challenges faced by LGBT individuals. Judge Walker's decision in the Perry v. Schwarzenegger case was made on August 4th, 2010. The decisions of these cases are of significant importance to the LGBT community as well as to the freedom of all people.
This film was created prior, during, and following the San Francisco Pride Event of 2010 where emotions and opinions were in abundance in regards to the same-sex marriage controversy taking place in California. This film gives the viewpoints of individuals in San Francisco who were involved in the Prop 8 Campaign. It covers the twists and turns of the campaign and how it has affected so many lives in many personal ways. The creators of this film hope that the audience will gain a better understanding of the personal impacts of this political debate and the community it surrounds.
Invisibility
[10 minutes]
Produced by: Katilyn Donovan, Crystal Kazik and Daniel Zamarripa
This documentary-short concentrates on the internal conflict of finding and being comfortable with one's sexual identity as a bisexual. The film follows a group of students to San Francisco, California to interview various members of the LGBTQ community during the 2010 Pride Celebration. During the various events, they hope to find bisexuals who can discuss issues that our society has concerning sexual fluidity, and how bisexuals should learn to be okay with themselves. Bisexuality is often an overlooked culture. This eye-opening film will make the audience wonder: "What is bisexuality?", "How are bisexuals treated?", and "Why are bisexuals invisible?" This is a must see documentary for any individual who cares about LGBTQ rights or for anyone who has ever had trouble defining their identity.
Share: Queer Connection
Through Social Media
[10 minutes]
Produced by: Betty Matthews, Lisa Mercer and Tyler Thom, and Xiangyun Chen
Share highlights the experiences of six people as they reflect on the dynamics of connecting with the queer community through social media. From coming out, to finding likeminded people and organizations, this documentary short explores both the liberating and dangerous consequences of using sites like Facebook, Myspace, and blogs. Share addresses the impact of privacy on the lives of queer people, reactions of friends and family to information revealed on social networking sites, keeping connected to the queer community after relocating, and what life was like before social media for someone in the coming out process.
UAC Feature Film
Children of God
[Bahamas, 2010, 104 minutes]
“Children of God” illuminates how homophobia shapes all of our lives, whether we identify as queer or not. Johnny, an artist on the verge of losing his scholarship, is sent to the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas to find an emotional connection to give life to his technique. While there, he becomes involved with Romeo who hides his sexuality from his family and the violently homophobic Caribbean community. Meanwhile, the devoutly religious Lena guards against any effeminate behaviors in her son while crusading to rid the Bahamas of homosexuality, only to discover that her homophobic pastor husband is sexually involved with men on the side. The racial elements in the film are more nuanced and less sensational than many U.S. films, sidestepping formulaic interracial dynamics to create refreshingly three dimensional characters. This complex film captures the universality of human experience and the consequences of our fear. View the Children of God trailer at our home page or click below to go to the official webpage for the film.
http://www.childrenofgodthemovie.com
Feature Length Films
Fit
[UK, 2009, 108 minutes]
Based on a play developed by Rikki Beadle-Blair to challenge homophobia in Britain’s schools, “FIT” is readily accessible with a young, dynamic, multiracial cast and an energetic soundtrack. The film refuses to employ expected stereotypes and shows how all of the characters negotiate their relationships and identities regarding gender and sexuality. In a story where even the queer kids say “That’s so GAY!” and the bullies are not reflexively demonized, there is a conflicted but engaging middle ground that draws viewers in, regardless of their beliefs. This is a relevant film not only for youth in junior high and high school, but also for parents, teachers, and anyone who grapples with issues of gender, sexuality, and the fragile state of friendships when people trust each other enough to be honest with each other.
http://tinyurl.com/FIT-Stonewall-UK
Undertow
[Peru, 2010, 100 minutes]
“Undertow” employs a magic realism in a gorgeously filmed Peruvian drama about a man who is equally passionate about his pregnant wife and his clandestine relationship with his male lover. Miguel anxiously awaits the birth of his child while meeting discreetly with Santiago, played by popular Columbian actor, Manolo Cardona. While Miguel genuinely loves his wife, Mariela, he cannot deny his sexuality and wrestles with internalized homophobia in the town of Cabo Blanco, a place strict in tradition and steeped in Latin machismo. As Miguel begins to deal with his grief after Santiago’s sudden death, the town must also decide how to respond when their prejudice hits close to home.
http://www.wolfevideo.com/products/undertow-contracorriente/
The Last Summer of La Boyita
[Argentina, 2009, 93 minutes]
A young girl named Jorgelina reacts bitterly to her sister’s pubescent changes and her parents’ perpetual verbal barbs. She retreats to the country for the summer with her father and spends a fair amount of time in the family van which they call La Boyita. While away, she meets Mario, a young, introverted ranch hand. As the two become friends, wandering the Argentinean countryside and riding horses, Mario confides that he is not like other boys after Jorgelina discovers that he menstruates like her sister. Expertly cast, Jorgelina (Guadalupe Alonso) and Mario (Nicolas Treise) deliver must-see performances in this coming-of-age tale about friendship and the confusion of being intersex in a world that only sees “male” and “female.”
Purple Sea
[Italy, 2009, 105 minutes]
Based on a true story, this film explores the love between two women in 19th century Sicily. When Angela’s best friend from childhood returns to the island to marry Tommaso, the headstrong Angela seduces her instead. When Angela refuses to marry anyone but Sara, her brute father locks her in the cellar until her mother devises a solution – to have Angela live as “Angelo” and assume her father’s position as quarry manager. While the film is not shy about portraying the passion between the two lovers and is generous in its lush scenery, The Purple Sea goes well beyond a pretty love story to explore themes of freedom, identity, class, politics, gender and compassion for others.
http://tinyurl.com/Purple-Sea-Strand-Releasing
Short Films
Gayby
[USA, 2010, 12 minutes]
Best friends in college, Jenn and Matt have since let their friendship dwindle to the occasional social networking exchange. Jenn, now in her 30s, decides that she wants to have a child regardless of her single status. Matt comes to visit after the two shared tentative discussions about having a child together. Not comfortable with other methods of insemination, Jenn suggests that they make a baby “the old fashioned way.” This would not be an issue, except that Matt is gay. What follows is their hilarious negotiation of making a baby and their emerging reflections on both their past and their future. WARNING: This film contains an incredibly awkward sex scene.
http://www.gaybyfilm.com/gayby.html
The Armoire
[Canada, 2009, Directed by Jamie Travis, 22 minutes]
The third in Jamie Travis’ trilogy of unsettling meditations on childhood in suburbia, The Armoire will rattle your psyche and leave you sifting through questions to make sense of it all. Aaron’s friend Tony goes missing after a game of hide-and-seek. Once the police and the local news are involved, Aaron undergoes hypnosis to see if he remembers anything from earlier that afternoon that might help them find Tony. From there, the film begins to play backwards, leading the viewer to an earlier incident in the armoire which Aaron has now taken to sleeping in, much to his parents’ dismay. This semi-autobiographical short proves that less really is more.
Small-Time Revolutionary
[Finland, 2010, 19 minutes]
Centered around Margaret Thatcher’s controversial anti-gay Section 28 legislation, this film follows young Russell who has just joined The Kants, an anti-establishment group protesting Section 28. As Russell begins to realize he might be gay, his group members urge him to come out to his parents – his mother, a devoted Thatcherite and his father, owner of the most impressive stamp collection in town. Skillfully created and well cast, Small-Time Revolutionary captures the spirit of the personal investment in queer political activism.
http://www.small-time-revolutionary.com/
Chained!
[USA, 2010, 14 minutes]
Emerging out of motorcycle culture, wallet chains have been adopted by many lesbians as not only an accessory, but a functional and symbolic part of their identities. This lighthearted short focuses on how this single item has become a major part of lesbian culture. From sex appeal and communication of identity to simply having a place to keep a bottle opener when the right situation presents itself, Chained! creates curious links to history and culture. What does your chain say about you?
http://www.itchybeeproductions.com/video_chained.aspx
Just Friends?
[Korea, 2009, 29 minutes]
This Korean short was an audience favorite at Frameline34. Bookended with pop musical sequences and infused with sweet humor, Just Friends? is refreshingly optimistic and celebratory. The film begins with Seok-i on his way to meet his military boyfriend, Min-su. As Seok-i is about to hand Min-su a telling box of sweets, Min-su’s mother arrives. Missing the last bus out of town that night, Seok-i spends the night sleeping in the same room with Min-su and his mother. The next day when she leaves for a couple of hours, the two finally find the alone time they had been hoping for. Unfortunately, Min-su’s mother arrives back early. Just Friends? does an amazing job of dealing with the constricting realities of being gay without ever sinking to a place of shame. This life-affirming film is all about being true to yourself and celebrating the relationships that mean the most. Do not miss this film!
http://tinyurl.com/korean-film-just-friends