Editor

The 13th Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (PIGLFF) came to a close on Tuesday night at the Prince Music Theater with a Closing Night Awards ceremony and screening of Kiss The Bride, followed by an outdoor celebration at Twenty21.

Closing Night Awards co-hosts Robert Drake (WXPN) and Jennifer Karwoski (Kinky Quizzo) announced the Jury Awards for Itty Bitty Titty Committee (Best Feature), In Sickness and in Health (Best Documentary), The Saddest Boy in the World (Best Male Short Film) and Peace Talk (Best Female Short Film), as well as the Audience Awards presented to The Bubble (Best Feature), Life of Reilly (Best Documentary), Kali Ma (Best Male Short Film) and Pariah (Best Female Short Film).

Director C. Jay Cox, recalling his previous PIGLFF experience at the World Premiere screening of his debut feature, Latter Days, in 2004, then delivered a heartfelt introduction to the East Coast Premiere of his latest film, Kiss The Bride. Lead actress Tori Spelling, unable to attend in person, graciously pre-recorded a video introduction for the festival welcoming the audience from the big screen.

Following an entertaining screening and Q&A, the festival audience moved over to Twenty21 for a memorable Closing Night Party sponsored by Parrot Bay, Hangar One, Bluecoat and Bud Light, where guests sampled wedding cake and hors d’oeuvres while dancing to the upbeat spins of DJ Carl Michaels.

“Lucky” number 13 proved to be a successful outing for the Philadelphia Film Society, the festival’s driving force. The festival boasted record ticket sales, with advance orders up by more than 20% and over 28,000 total attendees (a 6% increase from the previous year). With nearly two dozen sold-out screenings, including standing-room-only Opening and Closing Night shows, the Film Society ambitiously bestowed two Artistic Achievement Awards (Farley Granger and Craig Lucas), a Rising Star Award presentation (Charlie David), a tribute to GLBT pioneer Barbara Gittings, outdoor screenings at both Penn’s Landing and on South Street, after-parties every single night of the festival, panel discussions for aspiring filmmakers, and nearly 175 screened films over 12 days.