Film Festivals: April 2008 Archives
Independent filmmaker and GLAAD Major Donor Chuck Griffith has
found a creative way to give back. Griffith will be donating ten
percent of net proceeds from his new DVD compilation Best of Breed
Volume 1 to GLAAD. And as a bonus, everyone who purchases the DVD
will receive a one-year free GLAAD membership!Griffith has curated a collection he calls "a supernova of queer short films" which features four award-winning shorts, including the 2006 Sundance darling Encounter; Ethan Feldbau's transgender odyssey, Plastic; and a journey of male catharsis in The Process. The collection also includes a short about GLAAD's work. HX Magazine editor Brandon Voss calls the DVD "gaylicious fun for the artsy queer in all of us."
Best of Breed Volume 1 is available for sale everywhere.
Visit www.roaringleo.com for more information.
Submissions are now open for the next Iris Prize Festival, the world's largest LGBT short film prize. Films must have been completed within two years prior to the deadline (June 27th, 2008) to qualify. The festival is also accepting feature films to screen as part of the 2008 program. To submit work visit www.irisprize.org.Matthew Rhys, the actor behind openly gay lawyer Kevin on ABC's Brothers & Sisters, LA based producer Christopher Racster, filmmaker Sara Sugarman, and Andrew Pierce, Assistant Editor of The Daily Telegraph (London), are Patrons of the '08 festival, which will take place October 2-4 in Cardiff, Wales.
In this excerpt from a Q&A with Matthew, he explains why he believes it is important to have LGBT film festivals:
I think, basically, in the current climate it’s difficult to get any film made with interesting, engaging stories and involving characters. So if a film’s subject or theme is deemed a bit outside the mainstream, a bit different due to issues of sexuality and gender, then it’s doubly difficult to get the project off the ground. That’s why I was happy to say ‘Yes’ to being Patron because it provides an opportunity and platform for up and coming filmmakers who would perhaps otherwise find it hard to get their stories up on screen and seen by an audience.
For more of the interview with Matthew, click here.
Queer Film Review recently spoke with Nekisa Cooper, producer of the film Pariah. The short -- which is being turned into a feature length film -- screened at Sundance, and tells the coming-of-age story of an African American lesbian teenager (photo at right).In the interview, Nekisa speaks of how she personally relates to the film:
In “Pariah,” the character I identify with the most is the lead character Alike. I, like her, have felt like a chameleon that never quite fit in anywhere, especially right after I discovered I liked women. Once I accepted myself, which took me over 6 years, I felt compelled to figure out how to express myself and had some really funny and sad times coming to a space where I felt OK in my own skin.
Nekisa also comments on her motivation to produce inclusive media:
Our mission as a production company is to use the pop culture medium of film to serve the marginalized and misrepresented because we believe it has the power to make people aware and perhaps even change hearts and minds—even if it is just one heart and one mind—it’s absolutely worth it.
To read the full Q & A, click here.
NOTE: Pariah is available for download on iTunes for only $1.99!
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