| Culture Alert: NYC Gay Film Festival |
[May. 14th, 2007|09:11 am] |
NewFest 2007: The 19th New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Film Festival will run May 31 through June 10. Once again the screenings are at the multiplex at 34th St & Eighth Ave, halfway between Chelsea and Hell's Kitchen. I think they have one of their strongest line-ups in years, check out the complete schedule at the Festival's website here. Some of the more intriguing offerings include:
Anger Me
A pivotal figure in the history of both experimental American cinema and LGBT film, Kenneth Anger brought gay sexuality to the screen in films such as Fireworks and Scorpio Rising, transforming sexual fantasies of sailors and bikers into a phantasmagorical art cinema, and laying the groundwork for all that has followed. Entranced by Hollywood glamour from a young age, he also created a scandal with his books on celebrity sex gossip, Hollywood Babylon. The fascinating and revelatory Anger Me, narrated by Anger himself, and featuring ample clips from his many films, serves as a fitting portrait and overview of the film poet's life and work.
Bears
Bears have long been part of the gay community – finally, with Marc Klasfeld’s years-in-the-making documentary, there’s an enjoyable and engaging film offering an in-depth look at the subculture. Join Mr. NY Bear and 15 other contestants from around the world as they compete for the title of Mr. International Bear and the chance to represent the bear community worldwide. The diverse hopefuls display the warmth and openness characteristic of the often-misunderstood community, revealing their personal stories and reveling in a celebration of masculinity, physicality, and brotherhood.
Hooks to the Left
NewFest alumni Todd Verow (Vacationland, Frisk) returns with an intriguing experimental documentary shot entirely on a cell-phone camera. The resulting pixelated visuals, filled with male bodies, abstract interiors, and street scenes, serve as a fitting dreamlike landscape for the narrated journal entries of a New York City based male hustler named Nail. Re-entering the world of prostitution after a ten year absence, Nail describes his adventures in Internet-driven hustling.
Laughing Matters… The Men
Bruce Vilanch, Alec Mapa, Bob Smith, Andre Kelley, Eddie Sarfaty, and Scott Kennedy share the spotlight in this winning film interweaving stand up routines with candid interviews profiling the gay comedians’ varied backgrounds – from Mapa’s upbringing in a Filipino Catholic home to Vilanch’s breaking into Hollywood. These funny men will keep you laughing all night long.
Schwarzwald
This year, NewFest offers something a bit different: our first screening ever to be held at a dance club! We’re thrilled to collaborate with presenters The Saint At Large to bring NewFest audiences a film unlike any other at this year’s festival: Schwarzwald: Rites XXVII – The Movie You Can Dance To! Schwarzwald lets you experience New York City’s underground Black Party first hand – but it goes beyond simply documenting the legendary event. Producer Stephen Pevner and writer/director Richard Kimmel have instead created a truly original art film merging the revelry of the annual event with ancient druidic rituals, resulting in a provocative, eye-opening allegorical fairy tale. Starring transsexual porn star Buck Angel, Flloyd, Daniel Cartier, Hunter James, Damon DeMarco, Blue Kennedy, and a host of others, plus special appearances by the Houses of Xtravaganza and Aviance, and, of course, a cast of thousands of Black Party attendees, Schwarzwald follows Buck Angel on a transformative journey through the forest culminating in the orgiastic spectacle of the Black Party. True to its subject, Schwarzwald really is a movie you can dance to – intended to be projected on club walls while people are dancing. Join us for this special NewFest event, and experience the immersive multimedia experience of Schwarzwald in Dancesurround!
Starrbooty
Who needs Superman or Spiderman to save the world when you can call on Starrbooty – RuPaul herself? The greatest supermodel in the universe splits her time between looking fabulous and fighting crime as a gun-toting blaxploitation vixen. When her niece Cornisha is kidnapped by Starrbooty’s arch-nemesis, Annaka Manners (Candis Cayne), as part of a nefarious body parts brokering plot, Starrbooty must go undercover as a hooker named Cupcake to gather evidence against Annaka. Featuring wild musical interludes and cameos by Michael Lucas, The Lady Bunny, Ari Gold, Gus Maddox, and Owen Hawk, Starrbooty is campy fun at its most outrageous.
  
The shorts program On The Move: Animation includes:
A Bear, Where? One bear's search for love and mischief in a Beary world. Hard Hat Required
Construction workers at play. Small Talk… at the Gym A sequel to the hilarious Small Talk… at the Bathhouse, where the Roids and the Crombies show down.
 
 
The shorts program Out There: Boy's Comedy includes:
Communicator It's not easy to talk to your father if you have to call him commander and if you are always administered from the Federation's point of view. Gay Zombie Trapped in the closet during his waking life, a zombie is given a second chance to come out. Outland Max has a shameful secret… he's a science fiction fan. Valley of the Chapstick A recovering lip balm addict takes it one day at a time.
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