Outview08: Athens 2nd International G & L Film Festival

The Athens 2nd International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival is heading into its second year and it has picked up along the way a new name for itself, OUTVIEW. After its first successful year the Athens international Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, or should we say OUTVIEW, returns bigger on the 23rd of May – 27th of May with even more critically acclaimed films and we are most proud to announce our special guest of honour, the director of the Panorama Section of Berlinale, Wieland Speck.

Wieland Speck will be present to announce his stunning film Westler, a love story set in Germany at the time when the wall still divided west from east, and will also participate in a Q&A afterwards.

OUTVIEW has the official support of the Greek Film Society(www.gfc.gr) and is a self financed festival. In this view we would like to thank all who have graciously donated their films and helped make a difference in making our queer voice heard. There wouldn’t be a festival without their support and for that we are eternally grateful.

OUTVIEW is very proud to be a force of positive change in the way society perceives homosexuals and transgendered people. Especially in these days since gay right issues are at the forefront of Greek society, the festival has never been more relevant. With a lot of work and care we are providing the Greek audience with a selection of films that may well rival the programming of much larger festivals. Below you will see the programme of the festival as well as further details.

Program

23/5 Friday

21.30 Traces(Rachel Zisser, USA, 2007, 19') Sydney Kessler gets a phone call from the morgue that his son has died. On his way to find out how he died he will find out instead how he lived
Richard P. Rogers Award in Directing
Bridges/Larson Award Screenwriting

Good Boys(Yair Hochner, Israel, 75', 2006) 17 yeal old Meni wears the hippest clothes and listens to the coolest music and is also an escort. He has a baby by Mika, a young drug addicted prostitute, and a trans-gendered prostitute as a stepmother. One night he meets a young hustler and spends the night with him…

Jury Grand Prize Feature Film(image+nation International LGBT Film Festival, November 2006 Montreal, Canada)
Best Israeli Film(Eilat International Film Festival)
Winner of OUTstanding Emerging Talent Award(Outfest)
Showtime Vanguard Award(NewFest)
Best Actor: Daniel Efrat
Best Supporting Actress: Gila Goldstein
Best Director
Best Cinematography
Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival 2005

24/5 Saturday

16.00 By the Sea(Matthew Gauci, Kerry Tamura, UK, 2007, 28') A young man moves to London and falls in love but he soon discovers that his lover is hiding something…

Mysterious Skin(Gregg Araki, USA, 2004, 99') Poetic and ruthless, this movie by rebel director Gregg Araki, based on Scott Heim’s novel, explores the hearts and minds of two young boys who find out that the key to their future happiness lies in exorcising their personal demons

Jury Award(Bergen International Film Festival
Interfaith Award(Brisbane International Film Festival)
MovieZone Award(Rotterdam International Film Festival)
BestActor- Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Best Director-Gregg Araki(Seattle International Film Festival)

18.30 Ester(Spain, Rut Suso & María Pavón, 2006, 16') Two young women share a bed and unravel the connection that binds them

Passion Por El Futbol, (Rut Suso & María Pavón, Spain, 2006, 13') In a heterosexual relationship, the man can lose himself in football, but his girlfriend can lose herself with another girl she meets in a park..

Lover Other(Barbara Hammer, USA, 2006 55') An amazing documentary that tells the stunning story of sisters and lovers Claude Cahun (1894-1954) and Marcel Moore (1892-1972).

20.25 Ta (Felipe Scholl, Brazil, 2007, 5') A comical look of an erotic encounter of two boys in a public bathroom
Teddy Award, Best Short Film 2008

THE CURIOSITY OF CHANCE(Russel P. Marleau, 2006, USA, 98') A comedy reminiscent of John Hughes. An out and proud gay teen, a homophobic bully, a drag queen…All combined with the 80s new wave and gender bending fashion!

Best Of The Fest(Palm Springs International Film Festival)
Best Narrative Feature(Reeling Chicago LGBT Film Festival)
Best New Director(Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival)


22.30 Ruby Blue(Jan Dunn, UK, 2008, 112') Bob Hoskins new film! Jack’s( Bob Hoskins) life is going to go through hard times when he is found accused of pedophilia and his neighbour Stephanie, with whom he is in love with, reveals a well kept secret
Best Film (Washington DC Independent Film Festival)

25/5 Sunday

16.00 Dead Gay Men And Living Lesbians(Rosa von Praunheim, Germany, 2007, 87’) In his documentary Rosa von Praunheim convinces us that due to the Holocaust and the AIDS crisis the male gay community has taken many hits and losses and it is the lesbians who have now risen to the top of the queer movement. Amongst the many people who are profiled is extreme masochist Albrecht Becker. Official selection Teddy Awards 2008

18.00 Gódir gestir (Family Reunion) (Isold Uggadottir, Iceland, 2006, 19') Katrín must decide whether to continue her double life or reveal her true self to her family. Little does she know that her family has a secret of its own…
Audience Award, Best Short Film - Identities Film Festival, Vienna, Austria 2007
Grand Jury Prize for Best short Film - Atlanta Film Festival 2007
Best Short Film - Copenhagen Gay and Lesbian Film Festival 2007
First Place for Alternative Spirit - Rhode Island International Film Festival 2007
Best Women's Short - North Carolina GL Film Festival 2007
3rd Prize for Narrative Film - Athens International Film + Video Festival - 2007
Best Narrative International Short Film - Tel Aviv International LGBT Film Festival
2nd Place, Jury Award - Connecticut LGBT Film Festival 2007

Men Don’t Cry (Kyriakos Xatzimihailidis, 2001, Greece, 17') A stormy winter morning 20year old Ilias storms into 30 year old Petros’. Petros vaguely remembers him from an encounter in a gay bar…

Chip & Ovi(Panagiotis Evaggelidis, Greece, 2007, 46’) Chip & Ovi met in an orphanage in Rumania when they were teens. Crippled, they have been a couple for a year and a half and are trying to overcome their difficulties...

19.50 69 – Praça da Luz (Carolina Markowicz e Joana Galvão, 2007, São Paulo, 21’) A tender documentary and in parts hilarious about the lives of old prostitutes and the part where they work, the Praça da Luz square in Sao Paulo.

Be like Others(Tanaz Eshagian, Iran, 2007, 74') In Iran homosexuality is punishable by death but the absurd is that sex change operations are legal. In this stunning documentary you will see how some men’s lives have changed since they have been forced to change their sex in order to live. Truly riveting

Audience Award and Siegesaule Award at the Teddy Awards 2008
Thessaloniki Documentary Award 2008

22.00 No Bikini(Claudia morgado, USA, 2007, 9') “I had a sex change operation when I was six or seven.” The first line of No Bikini introduces us to a young girl who goes up against her swim class.

Gypo(Jan Dunn, UK, 2005, 98') Gypo is a film in a Dogma 95 style and tells us the story of a lesbian girl from the Czech Republic and the effect she has on a dysfunctional family in England

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE (London LGFF.)
Jury Cast Award (Torino International Film Festival)
Outstanding Achievement in Production (British Independent Film Awards)
Best First Feature Film (San Francisco International Film Festival)

26/5 Monday

17.00 C.R.A.Z.Y.(Jean-Marc Vallée, Canada, 2005, 127') 'C.R.A.Z.Y.' is the story of a special boy who does everything he can to deny his gay nature in order to get his father’s approval. Stunning film and great acting to the sounds of David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones etc.

37 Awards in International Festivals

19.40 Big Eden(Thomas Bezucha, USA, 2000, 118') BIG EDEN is a uniquely American fable about home and family. It hits upon the universal longing and hope we each have for finding a place where we are loved, and the unconditional desire to see those that we love find happiness.

Audience Award Best Feature(The Aspen Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, Phoenix Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, The New Festival, Frameline, OUTFEST, Seattle International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival)
Best American Independent picture(Cleveland International Film Festival)
Best Festival Film(Cleveland International Film Festival)
Best Feature(Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival)
Best Actor Eric Schweig(OUTFEST)

22.10 Whole new thing(Amnon Buchbinder, 2005, Canada, 92') EMERSON THORSEN is a 13 year old home schooled boy who has just finished writing his 1000 page novel. When his mother enrolls him in the local school he falls in love with his gay 42 year old English teacher

Best Feature Film(Dallas Outakes, Seattle G&L Film Festival, Mazepatra Prague, Manchester Film Festival, Outfest LA, Paris Festival of American Independent Cinema)
Best Actor&Best Screenplay(Atlantic Film Festival)
Best Canadian Film(Victoria Film Festival)

27/5 Tuesday

18.00 Hatsu-koi (first love)(Imaizumi Koichi, 2007, Japan, 96') Hatsu-koi means first love in Japanese. It is an honest story of a young gay man in love in modern Tokyo. Official selection Teddy Awards 2008.

20.10 Keillers Park(Susanna Edwards, Sweden, 2006, 87') Peter has it all, a great life, a wonderful fiancé and is on the verge of inheriting the family business. He considers himself happy, until he meets the beautiful Nassim and then can’t get him out of his mind

22.10 Westler(Wieland Speck, Germany, 1985, 94') (Director Present) A love is born between Felix from West Berlin and Thomas from East Berlin, but they are in danger when political powers get in their way…

Audience Award Best Feature (Max Ophüls Festival, San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival)
Festival's Plate (Torino International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival)

Special guest of honour, the director of the Panorama Section of Berlinale, Wieland Speck.


Wieland Speck is director of Panorama since 1992.

Speck was born in Freiburg in 1951 and has lived in Berlin since 1972. He studied German Literature, Drama and Ethnology at the Freie Universität Berlin. He then started working on video and film projects and was a writer and publisher. In his work he focuses on the men's movement and homosexual identity.
In addition he has worked as an actor for several acclaimed film directors, among them David Hemmings, Robert van Ackeren, Ulrike Ottinger, and Ian Pringle. For many years he was managing director of the "Tali", an independent arthouse cinema in Berlin-Kreuzberg.
As a director Wieland Speck started out with several video documentaries. From 1979 - 1981 he studied film at the San Francisco Art Institute. He is director, author and producer of numerous TV and film productions and has worked for several film institutions and events, among them the Filmhaus Berlin, the Filmbüro Baden-Württemberg, and the Berlin European Short Film Festival. He has also taught at universities and film institutes.
Since 1982 Wieland Speck has been working for the Panorama section of the Berlin International Film Festival. From 1982 - 1992 he was assistant to the former director of the section, Manfred Salzgeber, being responsible for artistic and organizational matters. In 1992 Wieland Speck was appointed director of the Panorama section.
Wieland Speck has served on jurys of several international film festivals. From 1990 - 1998 he was a member of the Landesfilmförderung Berlin, the Berlin institution for film subsidies, and the board of the Hamburger Filmförderung.