Editor

Out Film CT is pleased to announce the line-up of the 23rd Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, beginning Thursday, May 27th and spanning 10 days through Saturday, June 5th.  The festival kicks off this year with the world premiere screening of Casper Andreas' new romantic comedy Violet Tendencies, starring Mindy Cohn of "The Facts of Life" fame in the title role.  Vice President Suzanne Shayer points out, "Our festival has continued to grow in prominence on the festival circuit, which has allowed us to attract several premiere screenings in recent years." 

Several filmmakers and actors are expected to engage with the audience throughout the 10-day festival.  According to Festival Director Shane Engstrom, "We've confirmed that lead actors Jesse Archer (A Four Letter Word) and Adrian Armas (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) will be in attendance for Violet Tendencies, and we're still working on lining up some other surprises for the rest of the festival." 
 

The Opening Gala Night (Friday, May 28) will feature the New England premiere of La Mission, a film that showcases the richness of the Latino community in the Mission District of San Francisco, starring Benjamin Bratt ("Law and Order") who plays a father devastated by the discovery of his son's homosexuality.  Closing Night takes you to the other side of the globe where you experience the fun, disarming and musically provocative New Zealand comedic duo known as The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls. 

This year's festival program boasts a rich amalgam of different topics and cultures... from a clever homage to the 60s British Mods culture (We Are The Mods) to a sexual scandal that threatens Jerusalem's ultra-orthodox Jewish community (Eyes Wide Open), and from a modern ghost story in a traditional and closed Peruvian fishing village (Undertow) to a comedic, fast-paced series about two therapists who decide to get divorced but are forced to make a go of it when their book How To Succeed In Marriage Without Even Trying hits the New York Times Best Sellers list (We Have To Stop Now).  Finally, The Baby Formula and Baby Love are two very different stories about the lengths to which people are willing to go to create a family.   

Documentary films span a wide range of hot topics, from the significance of gay pride events around the world (Beyond Gay: The Politics of Pride) to a revealing exploration of the significant role that the Mormon Church played in reversing same-sex marriage in California (8: The Mormon Proposition).  In Prodigal Sons, Director Kimberly Reed shares a personal story of how her male-to-female transition exacerbated a sometimes strained relationship with her brother.  Edie & Thea: A Very Long Engagement documents the touching 40-year love story of two impressive women.Out Film CT Announces 21st Annual FIlm Festival Line-up Out Film CT is please to announce the line-up of the 21st Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.

Out Film CT Director Shane Engstrom stated, "This year's line-up of 50 feature filmss, documentaries and shorts is one of the best collections of films we have ever brought to the big screen in Connecticut.  This year we'll be featuring , including Academy Award submissions and even a World Premiere of a bold new drama."

The festival opens on Friday, 5/30/08 with an explosion of the senses with the visually and musically spectacular Were the World Mine.  Vice President Suzanne Shayer points out, "This year, the festival's programming committee reached abroad to bring in a number of international films that normally wouldn't make it to Hartford.  We'll be featuring films from France (The Witnesses, The New World), Argentina (XXY), South Africa (The World Unseen), and our Closing Night film is set in the breathtaking countryside of China (The Chinese Botanist's Daughters)."

Here's a summary of the main features:

• Were the World Mine - Opening Night.  Armed with a magical love-potion and empowered by dazzling musical fantasies, a struggling teen turns his narrow-minded town gay and captures the rugby jock of his dreams, making them walk a mile in his musical shoes.
• The New World - In this fresh and sly take on lesbian parenthood, things go awry right from the beginning. Lucie accidentally announces her need to have kids with her girlfriend Marion... via microphone to a karaoke club. When Marion agrees, they go through one train-wreck of a sperm donor after another. And when they tell their families, the real fun begins.
• XXY - Centerpiece Film.  For just about everybody, adolescence means having to confront a number of choices and life decisions, but rarely any as monumental as the one facing 15 year-old Alex, who was born an intersex child.  You won't want to miss this beautifully filmed and superbly acted 2007 Academy Award submission from Argentina.
• Watercolors - A North American premiere, right here in Hartford!  When a gifted, young artist arrives at the opening of his first New York exhibition, his erotic paintings trigger memories of his first love, a troubled high school swimmer (whose coach is played by Olympic Champion Greg Louganis).
• The Chinese Botanist's Daughters - Closing Night.  In the China of the 1980s, not all taboos have fallen.  When Min, an orphan girl goes to study with a renowned botanist, she meets his daughter, An, who is thrilled to have a newcomer break the solitude of her life. The girls quickly become friends and find that their attraction to each other grows into a sensual and forbidden relationship.  Exquisitely shot and beautifully realized, the loveliness of the gardens and the enduring nature of the women's love lingers in our imagination.

Out Film CT Announces 21st Annual FIlm Festival Line-up

Out Film CT is please to announce the line-up of the 21st Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.

Out Film CT Director Shane Engstrom stated, "This year's line-up of 50 feature filmss, documentaries and shorts is one of the best collections of films we have ever brought to the big screen in Connecticut.  This year we'll be featuring , including Academy Award submissions and even a World Premiere of a bold new drama."

The festival opens on Friday, 5/30/08 with an explosion of the senses with the visually and musically spectacular Were the World Mine.  Vice President Suzanne Shayer points out, "This year, the festival's programming committee reached abroad to bring in a number of international films that normally wouldn't make it to Hartford.  We'll be featuring films from France (The Witnesses, The New World), Argentina (XXY), South Africa (The World Unseen), and our Closing Night film is set in the breathtaking countryside of China (The Chinese Botanist's Daughters)."

Here's a summary of the main features:

• Were the World Mine - Opening Night.  Armed with a magical love-potion and empowered by dazzling musical fantasies, a struggling teen turns his narrow-minded town gay and captures the rugby jock of his dreams, making them walk a mile in his musical shoes.
• The New World - In this fresh and sly take on lesbian parenthood, things go awry right from the beginning. Lucie accidentally announces her need to have kids with her girlfriend Marion... via microphone to a karaoke club. When Marion agrees, they go through one train-wreck of a sperm donor after another. And when they tell their families, the real fun begins.
• XXY - Centerpiece Film.  For just about everybody, adolescence means having to confront a number of choices and life decisions, but rarely any as monumental as the one facing 15 year-old Alex, who was born an intersex child.  You won't want to miss this beautifully filmed and superbly acted 2007 Academy Award submission from Argentina.
• Watercolors - A North American premiere, right here in Hartford!  When a gifted, young artist arrives at the opening of his first New York exhibition, his erotic paintings trigger memories of his first love, a troubled high school swimmer (whose coach is played by Olympic Champion Greg Louganis).
• The Chinese Botanist's Daughters - Closing Night.  In the China of the 1980s, not all taboos have fallen.  When Min, an orphan girl goes to study with a renowned botanist, she meets his daughter, An, who is thrilled to have a newcomer break the solitude of her life. The girls quickly become friends and find that their attraction to each other grows into a sensual and forbidden relationship.  Exquisitely shot and beautifully realized, the loveliness of the gardens and the enduring nature of the women's love lingers in our imagination.

Out Film CT takes pride in its local talent and is proud to include several filmmakers with a Connecticut connection.  The following filmmakers from this year's line-up hail from the Nutmeg state:

• Susan Muska (Edie & Thea: A Very Long Engagement - Saturday, 5/29 @ 7:30 p.m.)
• Brian Pelletier (Everybody Is Having Sex... But Ryan - Sunday, 5/30 @ 3:00 p.m.)
• Madeleine Olnek (Countertransference - Wednesday, 6/2 @ 7:30 p.m.)
• Paula Durette (Numerology - Saturday, 6/5 @ 7:30 p.m.)

The full festival schedule is available at www.OutFilmCT.org.  Presented by Out Film CT, the festival takes place at Cinestudio on the campus of Trinity College, 300 Summit Street, in Hartford, CT.  Films are shown nightly at 7:30 p.m. (except Opening Night at 8:00 p.m.) with matinees on May 29th and 30th at 3:00 p.m.  Admission prices for the Opening Gala and Closing Night (Friday, 5/28 & Saturday, 6/5) are $15 for general admission and $12 for students and seniors, which includes the films, food, beverages and musical entertainment.  All other shows are $9 for general admission and $7 for students and seniors.  Tickets are now available at the festival website or can be purchased during the festival at the theater box office. 

Delicious gourmet salads and light meals from The Spot Eatery are available on Friday and Saturday evenings starting at 6:00 p.m.  Movie buffs can bid on a wide range of items at the silent auction that runs for the duration of the festival and includes exotic travel, fine dining, artwork, spa packages, and even a custom pair of Ruthie Davis shoes! 

Out Film CT is a nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to presenting outstanding LGBT cinema and other theatrical events throughout the year, culminating in the 10-day Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.  As Connecticut's longest-running film festival, it has become a distinctive fixture in our state's cultural landscape, bringing the community together to introduce, celebrate and rediscover the ideas and values that make the LGBT community unique.

For more information,  visit http://www.outfilmct.org/.