The Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, produced by the Philadelphia Film Society, ended its two-week run up and down Broad Street with the announcement of winners of its Jury Competition and Audience Awards, a closing night screening of Craig Lucas’ THE DYING GAUL, and a final marathon of “Festival Favorites” the following evening.

FESTIVAL AWARDS: At the Closing Night Ceremony on July, 18, Philadelphia Film Society Executive Director Thom Cardwell and Pennsylvania Film Commissioner Jane Shecter announced the Festival’s award winners:


Jury Competition:

-- Best Feature (Gay Male): When I'm 64 (Great Britain, Jon Jones)

-- Best Feature (Lesbian): Sevigne (Spain, Marta Balletbò-Coll)

-- Best Documentary: little man (US, Nicole Conn); also Jury Prize winner at New York’s Newfest and Audience Award winner at Los Angeles’ Outfest.

-- Best Short (Gay Male): Gold (Canada, Armen Kazazian)

-- Best Short (Lesbian): Who's the Top (US, Jennie Livingston)

-- Best Short (Documentary): Irene Williams: Queen of Lincoln Road (US, Eric Smith)



Selecting the winners were festival jurists Mario DiMaio, Ali Castellini and Robert Drake (Feature Film); Vicki Zaharopoulos, Eric Hegedus and Norah Salmon (Documentary); and Suzi Nash, Mike Enright and Randal Baron (Short Film)



Audience Awards:

-- Best Feature (Gay Male): Guys & Balls (Germany, Sherry Horman); also Audience Award winner at Los Angeles’ Outfest

-- Best Feature (Lesbian): Girl Play (US, Lee Friedlander)

-- Best Documentary: The Aggressives (US, Daniel Peddle)



Programmer's Award – A special award given by the programming staff to a film of exceptional merit:

-- We Are Dad (documentary) (US, Michel Horvat)





FESTIVAL PROGRAMMING: From July 7-19, the festival showed 159 works: 59 features, 23 documentaries, 75 shorts and two special presentations. The festival also gave a record eight world premieres, and a record 26 nations were represented in this year’s programming.



The festival ran remarkably smoothly. There was only one film cancellation, the outdoor screening of BARBARELLA on Sunday, July 17, due to massive thunderstorms. “Apparently Duran Duran didn’t want to be found,” one person quipped. Likewise there was only one event crisis, the last-minute cancellation of the “House Party” fundraising event for the Film Society. Luckily, with the help of new Festival sponsor N Squared Productions (which created a spectacular Opening Night Party that featured drag queens, fashion shows and dance numbers), the festival replaced it with a free party at Old City’s Dreemz Lounge.



Top Attendance Films: The Festival’s most successful film in attendance was Craig Chester’s romantic comedy, ADAM & STEVE, which drew an audience of 900 over two screenings. Following close behind was, THIRD MAN OUT, which opened the festival, and Peter Paige’s dark comedy of manners SAY UNCLE.



Rounding out the Festival’s “Top Ten” list of most-attended films were: SUMMER STORM (Germany), FRESHMAN ORIENTATION (US), CÔTE D’AZUR (France), HATE CRIME (US), WILBY WONDERFUL (Canada), THE MOSTLY UNFABULOUS SOCIAL LIFE OF ETHAN GREEN (US), and THIRSTY (US). THIRSTY was one of the Festival’s eight world premieres, and it was the first entirely locally-produced feature film to be screened at the festival since Cheryl Dunye’s landmark WATERMELON WOMAN.



Ballot Results: Of the 75 films which were judged for the Audience Awards, 31 films, or just over 40%, received ballot ratings of “Very Good” or better (4.0/5.0). Generally documentaries dominate the top ten list, but this year it was evenly divided between fiction and non-fiction.



-- Feature Presentations: Following Audience Award Winner GUYS AND BALLS, the highest-ranked features were When I’m 64, REUNION (staged reading produced by Bravo’s Honey Labrador, who arrived in Philadelphia but missed the reading due to a sudden illness), Summer Storm and Côte d'Azur.



-- Documentaries: Following Audience Award Winner THE AGGRESSIVES were We Are Dad, Left Lane: On the Road with Folk Poet Alix Olson, little man and Three of Hearts: A Postmodern Family.





FESTIVAL GUESTS: This year the festival brought in the most guests in its history, with nearly 100 filmmakers, actors, producers and festival officials. Beginning July 25, the festival will post a photo gallery of guests and festival events on www.phillyfests.com.



Peter Paige: On Thursday, July 14, Peter Paige charmed a sold-out audience when he accepted the Festival’s first Gay Icon Award and introduced the East Coast premiere of his first film as writer/director/star, SAY UNCLE.



Kathy Najimy: Yet, if possible, Peter was almost upstaged by someone who wasn’t even there—Kathy Najimy. She was scheduled to receive the festival’s first Artistic Achievement Award of 2005, but had to cancel due to family matters. Instead she sent a video-taped acceptance speech that was both hysterical and inspirational. On Monday, July 25, the Festival will post a video stream of the acceptance speech on www.phillyfests.com.



Craig Chester: On Saturday, July 16, Craig Chester gave a rather reflective acceptance speech when he received the Festival’s second Artistic Achievement Award and introduced his directorial/screenwriting debut film, ADAM & STEVE. However, at one point he interrupted himself mid-sentence when the festival photographer arrived a bit late, and struck a series of near-perfect GQ-poses to the delight of the audience.

Donald Strachey’s Creators Meet: One of the most popular characters in gay fiction is the out Albany private investigator Donald Strachey. The festival opened July 7 with the world premiere of THIRD MAN OUT: A DONALD STRACHEY MYSTERY, produced for here! Networks, directed by Ron Oliver, and starring Chad Allen. As a surprise guest, Richard Stevenson, author of the original Donald Strachey mystery novels, came down from his home in the Berkshires, creating a rare moment when the creator of a literary gay character could shake hands with the actor who brought him to life on screen.

“Are the (Sex) Stars Out Tonight”: Securing its reputation as “America’s Sexiest gay and lesbian film festival” (Out and About Magazine), the festival welcomed over a dozen gay adult celebrities and directors of adult-themed documentaries for special screenings:


Matthew Rush (THIRD MAN OUT); Brad Benton, Gabriel Knight and Tony Adonis (world premiere of WET PALMS); John Rutherford, Jerry Douglas, Tom Settle, Dean Phoenix, Marcus Iron, Owen Hawk and mr. Pam (East Coast premiere of eXposed: THE MAKING OF A LEGEND); Toby Ross (world premiere of his first non-adult film BOWSER MAKES A MOVIE); Jochen Hick (CYLES OF PORN: SEX LIFE IN LA PART 2); Joseph Lovett (GAY SEX IN THE 70S); Jim Tushinski (THAT MAN: PETER BERLIN); and Manuela Kay (HOW TO MAKE LESBIAN PORN presentation).