2016-08-29

Atlanta’s 29th annual LGBT film festival opens Sept. 29 with crowd-pleaser ‘Strike a Pose’ and closes Oct. 6 with Sundance favorite ‘Other People’

Via Out on Film

Festival organizers announced their full schedule at a party last week and officially released it on Monday. Other highlights include ‘Fair Haven’ with Gregory Harrison and Tom Wopat, the exhilarating ballroom scene documentary ‘Kiki,’ Anthony Rapp and Jonathan Bennett in ‘Do You Take This Man,’ and Laverne Cox and CeCe McDonald in the powerful documentary ‘Free Cece!’

The festival will also see Tim Kirkman’s romantic ‘Lazy Eye,’ Doug Langway’s sexy, sweet, hair-filled ‘BearCity 3,’ the lush ‘Summertime,’ the Sundance sensation ‘First Girl I Loved,’ the daring, award-winning ‘Paris 05:59: Theo and Hugo,’ the powerful ‘Bulled to Death,’ the sexy road movie mystery “Retake,’ and a 20-year anniversary screening of the classic ‘It’s My Party,’ with an appearance by actor Gregory Harrison and director Randal Kleiser, who will receive the Icon Award.

The full announcement:

(Atlanta, GA) (August 25, 2016) Out On Film, Atlanta’s LGBT film festival, has announced its programming for Out On Film 29, the 29thth annual LGBT film festival. The event will take place September 29 – October 6 at Landmark’s Midtown Art Cinema. Festival passes and three-pack ticket are on sale now and individual tickets will be available September 1.

“This is an exceptional year for LGBT cinema,” says Out On Film festival director Jim Farmer. “This is, by far, our biggest festival to date in terms of the number of films we are showing, as well as the most diverse slate we’ve ever presented. It’s an amazing year, as well, for terrific features and documentaries by female directors.”

More than 110 features films, documentaries, short films and web series will be shown.

The opening night film is Ester Gould and Reijer Zwaan’s “Strike a Pose.” In 1990, seven young male dancers – six gay, one straight – joined Madonna on her most controversial tour, the Blond Ambition tour. On stage and in the iconic film they showed the world how to express yourself. 25 years later, they reveal the truth about life during and after the tour. “Strike a Pose” is a dramatic tale about overcoming shame and finding the courage to be who you are. The cast includes Luis Camacho, Oliver Crumes, Salim Gauwloos, Kevin Alexander Stea, Carlton Wilborn and Jose Xtravaganza. ” Carlton Wilborn will be in attendance.

The closing night film will be Chris Kelly’s “Other People,” in which a struggling comedy writer (Jesse Plemons), fresh off a breakup and in the midst of the worst year of his life, returns to Sacramento to care for his dying mother (Molly Shanon in a superb performance).

Other highlights include Tim Kirkman’s (“Loggerheads) “Lazy Eye,” in which a graphic designer in Los Angeles (Lucas Near-Verbrugghe) reconnects with an ex-lover (Aaron Costa Ganis) he hasn’t seen or heard from in 15 years and director Jacqueline Gares’ “Free CeCe!,” the story of activist CeCe McDonald who, on her way to the store with a group of friends, was brutally attacked. While defending her life, a man was killed. After a coercive interrogation, CeCe was incarcerated in a men’s prison in Minnesota. An international campaign to free CeCe garnered significant support from media and activists, including actress Laverne Cox.

“BearCity 3,” the finale to the “BearCity” trilogy – with all films directed by Doug Langway – brings all the original, beloved characters back. In “Do You Take This Man,” Daniel (Anthony Rapp) and Christopher (Jonathan Bennett) are on the eve of their wedding, but when a long-lost friend of Christopher’s shows up and the stressful day begins to spiral out of control, the couple must rely on their close friends and family. “Kiki” is Sara Jordeno’s Sundance smash about New York-based, LGBTQ youth-of-color and their love of Ballroom, which was made famous in the early 1990s by Madonna’s music video “Vogue” and the documentary “Paris Is Burning.” Twenty-five years after these cultural touchstones, a new and very different generation of LGBTQ youth have formed an artistic activist subculture, named the Kiki Scene. “Kiki” follows seven characters from the Kiki community – including Twiggy Pucci Garçon, the founder and gatekeeper for the Haus of Pucci, over the course of four years.

One of the first Hollywood feature films to deal with AIDS patients dying with dignity, “It’s My Party” chronicles a two-day party hosted by Nick Stark (Eric Roberts), who is in the latter stages of HIV/AIDS, for his family and friends. At the end of the party he will commit suicide, but not before getting closure with loved ones, including his ex Brandon, who left after his diagnosis. The cast includes Eric Roberts, Gregory Harrison, Margaret Cho and Olivia Newton John. Actor Gregory Harrison and director Randal Kleiser (“Grease”) will be present for a Q and A. Kleiser will also receive the Icon Award on October 1.

In the sexy, award-wining “Paris 05:59: Theo and Hugo,” Theo and Hugo’s bodies meet, click together and merge in a passionate embrace. After the headiness of desire and the ecstasy of their first encounter, these two young men, in the empty streets of Paris by night, are faced with their budding love.

Giovanni Coda’s “Bullied to Death” depicts a 24 hour journey through the true stories of teenagers worldwide that experience severe bullying episodes at school, from their own families and on the web, as a result of their coming out about their sexuality.

In Kerem Sanga’s“First Girl I Loved,” seventeen-year-old Anne just fell in love with Sasha, the most popular girl at her LA public high school. But when Anne tells her best friend Clifton – who has always harbored a secret crush – he does his best to get in the way.

Other feature films include Catherine Corsini’s lush, exquisite “Summertime;” the Teddy-Award winning “Tomcat;” Tor Iben’s soulful drama-comedy “Where Are You Going, Habibi?,” Russell Brown’s funny, satirical “Search Engines” with an all-star cast; Deb Shoval’s lovely romance “AWOL;” Nathan Adloff’s comedy “Miles” with Molly Shannon, Paul Reiser, and Tim Boardman; Carly Usdin’s dark comedy “Suicide Kale;” Arnie Ahn’s Sundance hit “Spa Night,” featuring an award-winning performance by actor Joe Seo; Stephen Dunn’s quirky coming out film “Closet Monster” starring Connor Jessup (“American Crime”); Piotr J. Lewandowski’s emotionally powerful family drama “Jonathan,” legendary director André Téchiné’s beautiful new drama “Being 17,” Nick Corporon’s sexy road drama/mystery “Retake,’ starring Tuc Watkins of “Desperate Housewives;” Ray Yeung’s romantic comedy “Front Cover;” Marco Berger and Martin Farina’s sexy Argentine drama “Taekwondo;” and Clay Liford’s adorable “Slash.”

Out On Film’s embrace of documentaries continues with the likes of Conor Horgan’s
“The Queen of Ireland,” about noted Irish drag performer Panti Bliss; Jonah Markowitz and Tracy Wares’ remarkable “Political Animals,” which tells the story of the civil rights struggle of this century – the gay rights movement – through the eyes of four elected women in California, a group often left out of gay histories until now; Eddie Rosenstein’s empowering “The Freedom to Marry,” two films by noted documentarian Andrea Meyerson – “Clambake,” about the beginning of the Provincetown Women’s Weekend and “Letter to Anita,” the heart-wrenching story of Anita Bryant’s anti-gay campaign, its shattering effect on one Florida family, and the redemptive power of forgiveness; Dana Flor and Toby Oppenheimer’s “Check It,” about an African-American gang struggling to survive in some of the most violent neighborhoods of Washington DC who claw themselves out of gang life through an unlikely avenue:  fashion; Timothy Greenfield-Sanders’ acclaimed “The Trans List,” Shaleece Haas’s “Real Boy,” the coming-of-age story of Bennett Wallace, a transgender teenager on a journey to find his voice-as a musician, a friend, a son, and a man; Morgan White’s “The Slippers,” a documentary about the unbelievable world of the ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz;” Deborah Esquenazi’s “Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four,” which follows the struggle for exoneration of four Latina lesbians who were wrongfully convicted of gang rape against two young girls in 1994; and Scott Sheppard’s “An Act of Love,” which follows Rev. Frank Schaefer, who was put on trial in the United Methodist Church for officiating his son’s same-sex wedding.

*Local flavor includes “Bullied to Death,” by local producers Cindy Abel and Sheri Mann Stewart and starring Tendal Mann, Gerald McCullouch in “BearCity 3,” Joe Stevens in the exceptional documentary “Real Boy” and a number of short films by local filmmakers, presented as part of a Southern Shorts program.

Talent expected at the 2016 event include Carlton Wilborn (“Strike a Pose”) , Kerstin Karlhuber and Gregory Harrison (“Fair Haven”), Randal Kleiser and Gregory Harrison (“It’s My Party”), Doug Langway and Gerald McCullouch (“BearCity 3”) , Andrea Meyerson (“Clambake’ and “Letter to Anita,’) Nick Corporon (“Retake’) Jacqueline Gares (“Free CeCe”), Jasika Nicole (“Suicide Kale”), and Bennett Wallace and Joe Stevens (“Real Boy).

More guests will be announced later.

Special events include an October 1 screening of “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” with Out Front Theatre Company and an afternoon of web series – Anthony Bawn’s “Cheetah in August” and Stephan Elliot’s “Horizon.” In addition, more than 12 shorts programs will be presented, including a Scares Galore package on September 30.

Since its official inception in 1988, Out On Film has grown to become one of the major LGBT film festivals in the country. The organization became independent in 2008 and in 2011 expanded to eight days. Lead by “Fourth Man Out,” the 28th anniversary film festival in 2015 was the most attended in the organization’s history.

The festival will be held at Landmark’s Midtown Art Cinema. The host hotel is the W Atlanta – Midtown. Returning this year will be the Out On Film VIP Lounge, sponsored by Apres Diem and Absolut.

Festival passes are on sale through the website – www.outonfilm.org – and individual tickets and three packs will be available approximately September 1 at https://tickets.landmarktheatres.com/Ticketing.aspx?TheatreID=265

Complete screening information will be updated daily on our website – www.outonfilm.org and Facebook page – http://www.facebook.com/outonfilmatl – as well as information on community events scheduled before and during the festival. Out On Film can be reached at (678) 237-7206.

Sponsors for the event include Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., The GA Voice, Georgia Council for the Arts, the Fulton County Arts Council, The W Atlanta Midtown, Jonathan Buckhead (proprieter, Jonathan Shapero), Orbitz, Georgia Film Office, Craig Hardesty, Project Q Atlanta, BluWolf Medical, Apres Diem, Atlanta Pride, MEAK Productions, Cornerstone Financial, Jim Anderson, Absolut, Eldredge ATL, David Atlanta, Stephen Michael Brown and AARP

COMPLETE FILM DESCRIPTIONS AND TRAILERS (EXCLUDING SHORT FILMS AND WEB

(Artwork available by request)

THURSDAY, SEPT. 29 @ 7 PM

OPENING NIGHT FEATURE

‘STRIKE A POSE’

(Netherlands/83 min./Directed by Ester Gould and Reijer Zwaan)

In 1990, seven young male dancer – six gay, one straight – joined Madonna on her most controversial tour, the Blond Ambition tour. On stage and in the iconic film they showed the world how to express yourself. 25 years later, they reveal the truth about life during and after the tour. “Strike a Pose” is a dramatic tale about overcoming shame and finding the courage to be who you are.

Cast: Luis Camacho, Oliver Crumes, Salim Gauwloos, Kevin Alexander Stea, Carlton Wilborn.

Jose Xtravaganza

Expected in attendance: Carlton Wilborn

Trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Hqh7lwaNKw

THURSDAY, SEPT. 29 @ 9:10 PM

‘TOMCAT’

(Germany, 114 min. Directed by Händl Klaus)

Andreas and Stefan lead a happy life: Together with their beloved tomcat Moses, they live in a beautiful old house in Vienna’s vineyards. They work as a musician and as a scheduler in the same orchestra and they love their large circle of friends. An unexpected and inexplicable outburst of violence suddenly shakes up the relationship and calls everything into question.

Cast: Lukas Turtur, Philipp Hochmair

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BsmnojEsMU

FRIDAY, SEPT. 30 @ 5:30 PM

‘SEARCH ENGINES’

(U.S./98 min./Directed by Russell Brown)

“Search Engines” is a social satire about the essential relationship of the modern era: human beings and their phones. It’s Thanksgiving, and family and friends have gathered for the annual American celebration of togetherness and gratitude. When reception mysteriously goes dead throughout the house, each character must deal with his own crisis: marriages are tested, values questioned and everyone’s future is thrown into the balance. Joely Fisher leads an all-star cast.

Cast: Joely Fisher, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Daphne Zuniga, Connie Stevens, Jonathan Slavin

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91Eeb7k3eWc

FRIDAY, SEPT. 30 @ 7:25 PM

‘SUMMERTIME’

(France/105 min./Directed by Catherine Corsini)

Sensual and elegant, Catherine Corsini’s “Summertime” follows Carole and Delphine as they fall in love against the backdrop of early feminist activism in 1971 France. After living in the city, Delphine is called home to help with her family farm in the countryside and is forced to choose between her responsibility to them and the life of love she had in Paris with Carole.

Cast: Cécile de France, Izïa Higelin, Noémie Lvovsky

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGdZUlNJU6Y

FRIDAY, SEPT. 30 @ 9:20 PM

‘FAIR HAVEN’

(U.S./90 min./Directed by Kerstin Karlhuber)

A young man returns to his family farm, after a long stay in ex-gay conversion therapy, and is torn between the expectations of his emotionally distant father, and the memories of a past, loving relationship he has tried to bury.

Cast: Michael Grant, Tom Wopat, Gregory Harrison, Josh Green

Expected in attendance: Kertin Karlhuber and cast members

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3zU4XQqiso

SATURDAY, OCT. 1 @ 11 AM

‘WHERE ARE YOU GOING, HABIBI?’

(Germany, 79 min./Directed by Tor Iben)

Ibrahim falls in love with Alexander, a blond, blue-eyed German criminal and show wrestler who is straight – an impossible friendship that surpasses both of them.

Cast: Cem Alkan, Martin Walde, Tuncay Gary

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NGPWraYtV0

SATURDAY, OCT. 1 @ 11:30 PM

‘MILES”

(U.S./90 min./Directed by Nathan Adloff)

A kid from middle America, desperate to move to Chicago, joins the volleyball team to get a scholarship. The only catch is that his high school only has a girls team.

Cast: Tim Boardman, Molly Shannon, Paul Reiser

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU8mvg5K4dk

SATURDAY, OCT. 1 @ 11:40 AM

‘AWOL’

(U.S./85 min/Directed by Deb Shoval)

Lola Kirke (Mistress America) shines as Joey, an aimless young woman searching for a direction in her small town in rural Pennsylvania. A visit to an Army recruiting office appears to provide her a path but when she meets and falls in love with Rayna (Breeda Wool), a rough and tumble housewife neglected by her long-haul trucker husband, that path diverges in ways that neither woman anticipated. As Joey falls deeper in love, she begins to lose sight of what’s most important to her while also becoming blind to the mistakes she is making. Writer-director Deb Shoval’s debut feature is a clear-eyed love story told with an assured voice and impressive attention to details.

SATURDAY, OCT.1 @ 3 PM

‘IT’S MY PARTY’

(U.S./ 1996/ 110 min./Directed by Randal Kleiser)

One of the first Hollywood feature films to deal with AIDS patients dying with dignity, “It’s My Party” chronicles a two-day party hosted by Nick Stark (Eric Roberts), who is in the latter stages of HIV/AIDS, for his family and friends. At the end of the party he will commit suicide, but not before getting closure with loved ones, including his ex Brandon, who left after his diagnosis. An all-star cast makes Kleiser’s film powerful and extremely moving.

Cast: Olivia Newton-John, Margaret Cho, Bronson Pinchot, Devon Gummersall, George Segal, Lee Grant, Marlee Matlin,  Bruce Davison,  Eric Roberts, Gregory Harrison

Expected in attendance: Randal Kleiser

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fc57UJcDxDM

SATURDAY, OCT.1 @ 5:40 PM

‘SUICIDE KALE’

(U.S./ 78 min,/ Directed by Carly Usdin)

“Suicide Kale” is a dark comedy that finds Jasmine and Penn, a new couple with an uncertain future, struggling through a lunch party after they stumble upon an anonymous suicide note in the home of the hosts.

Cast: Brianna Baker, Lindsay Hicks, Hayley Huntley

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJye7fthZpM

SATURDAY, OCT.1 @ 7:40 PM

‘DO YOU TAKE THIS MAN’

(U.S./90 min/Directed by Joshua Tunick)

Saturday, October 1, 92 minutes

Daniel (Anthony Rapp) and Christopher (Jonathan Bennett) are on the eve of their wedding, but when along-lost friend of Christopher’s shows up and the stressful day begins to spiral out of control, the couple must rely on their close friends and family. Co-starring Alyson Hannigan, “Do You Take This Man” is a realistic and absorbing look into what it takes to make a relationship work in 2016.

SATURDAY, OCT.1 @ 9:30 PM

‘KIKI”

(Sweden/94 min./Director: Sara Jordeno)

New York City, LGBTQ youth-of-color gather out on the Christopher Street Pier, practicing a performance-based artform, Ballroom, which was made famous in the early 1990s by Madonna’s music video “Vogue” and the documentary “Paris Is Burning.” Twenty-five years after these cultural touchstones, a new and very different generation of LGBTQ youth have formed an artistic activist subculture, named the Kiki Scene.“Kiki” follows seven characters from the Kiki community – including Twiggy Pucci Garçon, the founder and gatekeeper for the Haus of Pucci, over the course of four years, using their preparations and spectacular performances at events known as Kiki balls as a framing device while delving into their battles with homelessness, illness and prejudice as well as their gains towards political influence and the conquering of affirming gender-expressions.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixeDKdMLRHw

SATURDAY, OCT.1. @ 11 PM

THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT in collaboration with Out Front Theatre Company

SUNDAY, OCT.2. @ 11:00 AM

‘CLAMBAKE’

(U.S./90 min./Directed by Andrea Meyerson)

The year was 1984. A handful of entrepreneurial women innkeepers in Provincetown gathered together with a mission: to figure out how they could entice summer guests back during the seaside’s town offseason. Without the luxury of social media, or even email, the women hand-wrote letters to all their past guests, inviting them to come enjoy the beautiful autumn scenery – with a clambake and some local entertainment thrown in. They called it “Women’s Weekend,” and over the next three decades, it spawned numerous other lesbian gatherings in Provincetown, expanding from modest grassroots beginning to eventually become one of the most popular lesbian events in the world.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5NCW9pbSIA

SUNDAY, OCT.2. @ 11:05 AM

THE QUEEN OF IRELAND’

(Ireland/90 min./Directed by Conor Horgan)

This documentary charts the life of Irish drag queen sensation Panti Bliss, from the early years of alter ego Rory O’Neill, to Panti’s heard-around-the-world televised comments about homophobia, to Panti’s role during Ireland’s successful campaign for Marriage Equality.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db2857BR7GM

SUNDAY, OCT.2. @ 11:10 AM

‘JONATHAN”

(Germany/ 99 min./Directed by Piotr J. Lewandowski)

Jonathan is 23; he and his aunt, Martha, work on their farm. Jonathan also devotes himself to looking after his father Burghardt, who has cancer. But his father stubbornly sabotages all of his son’s efforts to care for him. Jonathan finds it increasingly difficult to cope until they hire a young caretaker, Anka., to help. Jonathan and Anka fall in love. But then Burghardt’s long-lost boyfriend Ron appears on the scene and his health visibly improves. The family sees Ron as an intruder; then Jonathan discovers that, many years ago, his father and Ron were deeply in love. All at once, the façade of cherished family beliefs crumbles and long-repressed secrets come to light.

Cast: Thomas Sarbacher, Julia Koschitz, Andre M. Hennicke, Jannis Niewohner; Barbara Auer

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifSEUCAmXFU

SUNDAY, OCT.2. @ 12:45 AM

‘POLITICAL ANIMALS’

(U.S./ 90 min./ Directed by Jonah Markowitz, Tracy Wares)

“Political Animals” tells the story of the civil rights struggle of this century – the gay rights movement – through the eyes of four elected women, a group often left out of gay histories until now. The film follows four ground- breaking lesbians who took the fight for the causes most personal to them and their communities off the streets and into the halls of government. Fierce, determined, focused and passionate, these women had the courage and foresight to start the work of legal rights of the LGBT community, ultimately paving the way for other states across the nation. Bills they authored included the first domestic partnership registry enacted by a legislature, the first anti-bullying bill protecting gay students and many more. It was a hard fight – filled with surprisingly heated debates and hateful insults hurled by opponents. This film shows how their legislation brought about change in laws and societal acceptance.

Cast: Carol Migden, Sheila Kuehl, Jackie Goldberg, Christine Kehoe

Trailer: http://www.politicalanimalsdoc.com/trailer

SUNDAY, OCT.2. @ 2:50 PM

‘FRONT COVER’

(U.S./88 min./Directed by Ray Yeung)

Ryan is a handsome fashion stylist living in New York City who rejects his traditional Asian upbringing in favor of enjoying his life as openly gay. However that all changes when Ryan is assigned to style Ning, a famous Chinese actor, for an important photo shoot for his firm. Despite a rocky start, an unlikely romance develops between the two, leading Ryan to re-examine his roots and consider an enticing new path for his career. “Front Cover” is a tender, entertaining look at clashing cultures and love.

Cast: Jake Choi, James Chen, Jennifer Neala Page

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXHq_lipMoo

SUNDAY, OCT.2. @ 4:35 PM

‘FREE CECE!’

(U.S./110 min./Directed by Jacqueline Gares)

On her way to the store with a group of friends, Chrishaun Reed “CeCe” McDonald was brutally attacked. While defending her life, a man was killed. After a coercive interrogation, CeCe was incarcerated in a men’s prison in Minnesota. An international campaign to free CeCe garnered significant support from media and activists, including actress Laverne Cox. Cox signed on as executive producer of “Free CeCe”, committed to exploring the role race, class, and gender played in CeCe’s case. In the end, CeCe emerged not only as a survivor, but also as a leader. Documentarian Jacqueline Gares pushed past the everyday narratives of victimhood surrounding the lives of transgender people, to spotlight the way CeCe and other trans people are leading a growing movement fighting for the rights of transgender people everywhere.

Cast: Laverne Cox, CeCe McDonald

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pW8oHJ7zqg

SUNDAY, OCT.2. @ 7:05 PM

‘RETAKE”

(U.S./98 min./Directed by Nick Corporon)

A lonely, middle-aged man hires a male prostitute to recreate a road trip from the past.

Cast: Tuc Watkins, Devon Graye, Derek Phillips

Expected in attendance: Nick Corporon,

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ-5T2wPCsE

SUNDAY, OCT.2. @ 9:20 PM

‘TAEKWONDO’

(Argentina/ 115 min./Directed by Marco Berger and Martin Farina)

Fernando is on holiday with friends in a villa in Ezeiza. They rest in the pool, drink alcohol, smoke and bring to light their deepest intimacies while exhibiting a playful freedom, like children in a holiday camp. The latest from Marco Berger is heavy on the full frontals and the is-he-or-isn’t he mystique.

Cast: Gabriel Epstein, Lucas Papa, Nicolas Barsoff, Francois Bertin, Andres Gavalda,

MONDAY, OCT. 3 @ 4 PM

‘LETTER TO ANITA’

(U.S./54 min./Directed by Andrea Meyerson)

“Letter to Anita” is the heart-wrenching story of Anita Bryant’s anti-gay campaign, its shattering effect on one Florida family, and the redemptive power of forgiveness.

MONDAY, OCT.3 @ 5:30 PM

‘CHECK IT’

(U.S./ 90 min./ Directed by Dana Flor and Toby Oppenheimer)

At first glance, they seem unlikely gang-bangers. Some of the boys wear lipstick and mascara, some stilettos. They carry Louis Vuitton bags – but they also carry knives, brass knuckles and mace. They’re known on the streets as the Check It – an African-American gang struggling to survive in some of the most violent neighborhoods of Washington DC. As vulnerable gay and transgender youth, they’ve been shot, stabbed, and raped. Once victims, they’ve now turned the tables. Started in 2005 by a group of bulled 9th graders, today these 14-22 year old gang members all have long rap sheets riddled with various street crimes and many have done time in jail. “Check It” is an intimate portrait of four childhood friends as they claw themselves out of gang life through an unlikely avenue:  fashion.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbrfTi9utNU

MONDAY, OCT. 3 @ 7 PM

‘THE TRANS LIST’

(U.S./57 min./Directed byTimothy Greenfield-Sanders)

“The Trans List” explores the range of experiences lived by Americans who identify as transgender. No two experiences of trans people are exactly alike. This film gives a platform to a diverse group of eleven individuals to tell their stories in their own words of their experience with identity, family, career, love, struggle and accomplishment.

Cast: Buck Angel, Laverne Cox, Miss Majors Griffen-Gracy, Caroline Cossey, Janet Mock, Kyle Broadus, Nicole Maines, Amos Mac, Bamby Salcedo, Shane Ortega, Alok Vaid-Menon

MONDAY, OCT. 3@ 7:15 PM

‘LAZY EYE’

(U.S./94 min./Directed by Tim Kirkman)

Passions reignite and hidden secrets revealed when a graphic designer in Los Angeles (Lucas Near-Verbrugghe) reconnects with an ex-lover (Aaron Costa Ganis) he hasn’t seen or heard from in 15 years. Over the course of a weekend at a vacation house in the desert, they must determine whether or not they have a future together. Written and directed by Emmy, Gotham, GLAAD and Independent Spirit Award-nominee Tim Kirkman (“Loggerheads,” “The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me”) “Lazy Eye” is about roads not taken, unfinished business, and the struggle to adjust to progressive lenses.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMFL5_-Ln0Q

MONDAY, OCT. 3 @ 8:15 PM

‘FIRST GIRL I LOVED’

(U.S./91 min./Directed by Kerem Sanga)

Seventeen-year-old Anne just fell in love with Sasha, the most popular girl at her LA public high school. But when Anne tells her best friend Clifton – who has always harbored a secret crush – he does his best to get in the way.

Cast:  Brianna Hildebrand, Pamela Adlon, Dylan Gelula

MONDAY, OCT. 3@ 9:20 PM

‘PARIS 05:59: THEO AND HUGO’

(France/ 97 min./Directed by Jacques Martindeau and Oliver Ducaste)

In a sex club, Theo and Hugo’s bodies meet, click together and merge in a passionate embrace. After the headiness of desire and the ecstasy of their first encounter, these two young men, in the empty streets of Paris by night, are faced with their budding love.

Cast: Georges Daaboul, Francois Nambot, Geofrey Couet

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWiTP8V95oU

TUESDAY, OCT. 4 @ 3:30 PM

‘THE SLIPPERS”

(Canada/91 min,/ Directed by Morgan White)

A documentary about the unbelievable world of the ruby slippers from “The Wizard of Oz.”

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQj810f8d6Y

TUESDAY, OCT.4 @ 7 PM

‘BULLIED TO DEATH’

(Italy/ 74 min./Directed by Giovanni Coda)

“Bullied to Death” depicts a 24 hour journey through the true stories of teenagers worldwide that experience severe bullying episodes at school, from their own families and on the web, as a result of their coming out about their sexuality.

Cast: Tendal Mann, Sergio Anrò, Gianni Dettori

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPQJPSFosFc

TUESDAY, OCT.4 @ 7:05 PM

‘BEING 17’

(France, 116 min./Directed by André Téchiné)

Damien, the son of a military family, lives in barracks in south-western France with his mother, a doctor, while his father is away in the Central African Republic. As a gay teenager, Damien is given a hard time by a boy at school, Tom, whose adoptive mother falls ill.. The repulsion and violence they display to one another takes on a darker shade when Damien’s mother decides to take in Tom to live with them. From the director of “Wild Reeds” comes another instant classic.

Cast: Sandrine Kiberlain, Kacey Mottet Klein, Corentin Fila, Alexis Loret

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOSPninRQwI

TUESDAY, OCT.4 @ 9:15 PM

‘CLOSET MONSTER’

(Canada, 90 min./Directed by Stephen Dunn)

A fresh take on the coming-of-age story, this surreal tale follows the artistically driven Oscar (“American Crime Story’s” Connor Jessup) hovering on the brink of adulthood. Struggling to find his place in the world after a rough childhood and haunted by images of a tragic incident, Oscar dreams of escaping his small town.  After he meets a mysterious and attractive new co-worker, Oscar follows the guidance of his pet hamster Buffy (voiced by Isabella Rossellini) and faces his demons to find the life he wants.

Cast: Connor Jessup, Aaron Abrams. Joanne Kelly. Aliocha Schneider, Isabella Rossellini

Trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTgM1e8w05g

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 5 @ 4:30 PM

‘THE FREEDOM TO MARRY’

(U.S./ 86 min./ Directed by Eddie Rosenstein)

Over the last four decades, same-sex marriage has gone from a ‘preposterous notion’ to one of the most successful civil rights campaigns in the world. “The Freedom to Marry” is a “War Room: style feature documentary about the same-sex movement, from the final frenetic months of the legal and grassroots campaign.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIVydqmoHtM

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 5 @ 6:15 PM

‘SLASH’

(U.S./100 min/Directed by Clay Liford)

Neil (Michael Johnston, “Teen Wolf”) is an introverted, questioning high school freshman. Lacking any friends IRL, his main social outlet is the steamy fan fiction he writes about Vanguard, the brawny, galaxy-hopping hero of a popular sci-fi franchise. When his stories are exposed in class Neil is mortified, but the slightly older, effortlessly cool Julia (Hannah Marks) comes to his defense. An erotic fan fic writer herself, Julia pushes Neil to publish his stories to an online “adult” forum, where they quickly grab the attention of the site moderator, Denis (Michael Ian Black). When Neil is invited to present his work at a comic con live-read event, he has to face the fact that Denis’ interest in him may be more than simply professional…perhaps like his own feelings for Julia.

Cast: Michael Johnston, Hannah Marks, Michael Ian Black, Missi Pyle

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I9alaSz6Gc

WEDNESDAY, OCT.5. @ 8:20 PM

‘REAL BOY’

(U.S./ 72 min./ Directed by Shaleece Haas)

“Real Boy” is the coming-of-age story of Bennett Wallace, a transgender teenager on a journey to find his voice-as a musician, a friend, a son, and a man. As he navigates the ups and downs of young adulthood, Bennett works to gain the love and support of his mother, who has deep misgivings about her child’s transition. Along the way, he forges a powerful friendship with his idol, Joe Stevens, a celebrated transgender musician with his own demons to fight.

Expected in attendance: Bennett Wallace and Joe Stevens

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM3SzKEndIo

WEDNESDAY, OCT.5. @ 7:10 PM

‘BEARCITY 3’

(U.S./108 min./ Directed by Doug Langway)

The finale to the “BearCity” trilogy brings all the original, beloved characters back After a continuing losing streak that started at the altar, Roger (Gerald McCullouch) tries to claw out of financial ruin and into the arms of Tyler (Jay Conti). But Jay, Ty’s hunky Fire Chief partner is not letting that flame blaze. Meanwhile, fireworks explode when Fred’s (Brian Keane) obsessive tinkering on their bear documentary conflicts with Brent’s (Stephen Guarino) baby prep and the unwavering due date of their new born.Mama Bear Michael (Gregory Gunter) faces major challenges and finds that love comes in all colors, shapes and sizes.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noDcuNobDCA

WEDNESDAY, OCT.5. @ 9:20 PM

‘SPA NIGHT’

(U.S/ 93 min./Directed by Arnie Ahn)

The atmospheric “Spa Nght” is a portrait of forbidden sexual awakening set in the nocturnal world of spas and karaoke bars in Los Angeles’ Koreatown. David Cho (Joe Seo, in a breakthrough performance that won him a Sundance award), a timid 18-year-old living with his financially-struggling immigrant parents, chances upon a secret cruising spot when he takes a job at an all-male spa and begins to realize hidden desires that threaten his life as a dutiful son and student.

Cast: Joe Seo, Haerry Kim, Youn Ho Cho

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLGcaThfRzI

THURSDAY, OCT. 6 @ 6:40 PM

‘SOUTHWEST OF SALEM: THE STORY OF THE SAN ANTONIO FOUR’

(U.S./ 91 min./ Director: Deborah Esquenazi)

This award-winning documentary that follows the struggle for exoneration of four Latina lesbians who were wrongfully convicted of gang rape against two young girls in 1994.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7jwawgzUJA

THURSDAY, OCT. 6 @ 6:45 PM

‘AN ACT OF LOVE’

(U.S./86 min./ Directed by Scott Sheppard )

This wonderful documentary follows Rev. Frank Schaefer, who was put on trial in the United Methodist Church for officiating his son’s same-sex wedding.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6eBY3Nb3v8

THURSDAY, OCT. 6 @ 8:30 PM

CLOSING NIGHT FEATURE

‘OTHER PEOPLE’

(U.S./97 min./ Directed by Chris Kelly)

This acclaimed comedy drama, the opening night film at Sundance this year, finds a struggling comedy writer, fresh off a breakup and in the midst of the worst year of his life, returning to Sacramento to care for his dying mother.

Cast: Jesse Plemons, Molly Shannon, Bradley Whitford

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zESqf9Pwmnc

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