Los Novios Bulgaros
Eloy Dela Iglesia
Daniel is homosexual. He's forty years old; he's got a fantastic job and a rich family which is always there to protect him. But he has to hide a parallel life from the moment he meets Kyril, a young Bulgarian who's impetuous and terribly attractive. He leads Daniel along paths of passion, crime, and danger which are completely new to him but which become the reason for his living and for his personal destruction. Daniel is exposed to even greater dangers; he guarantees his lover's suspicious activities with huge sums of money, he organizes the papers for a stolen car and even risks his life to get him out of prison, handling over dangerous radioactive goods to the Bulgarian mafias.
o O o
Touch Of Pink
Canada
Alim, a young South Asian-Canadian, lives in London and is so caught up in the romance, style and dreams of the old movies that he thinks he's living with the spirit of Cary Grant. But Alim's ideal life in London with lover Giles begins to unravel when his mother Nuru shows up. She's come to London to find Alim a proper Ismaili-Muslim girlfriend and to convince him to come home to Canada.
o O o
That Man: Peter Berlin
Jim Tushinski
Are you ready for That Man: Peter Berlin? The Pink Festival 2005 proudly premieres the classic show-all-and-tell-all bio-pic that peeks into the life and times of iconic photographer, filmmaker, model and gay sex god.
o O o
Formula 17
DJ Chen Yin-jing
A virginal country boy (Tony Yang) comes to the big city in search of true love and promptly falls for a heartbreaker playboy Pai (Duncan Chow). The plot is pure formula: boy gets boy, boy loses boy, then gets boy again routine that can never go wrong with fantasy sequences, flashbacks, bright gay colors, funky humor and liberal blasts of bubblegum Cantopop sing-alongs.
Both stars, well-built and undeniably good-looking, are heterosexuals and their female fans drool over seeing two straight guys kiss.
Despite the total lack of female characters, Filipino ladies and gays of all ages will nevertheless surely melt in the film's relentless bombardment of mushy elements - kissing one's reflection in a mirror, sulking after a breakup, writing "I love you" in the sand on a beach, syrupy phone conversations and gossiping about each other's romantic escapades.
o O o
Hey Jimmy
Ming Chieh
Taiwan
A short documentary about “Black Jimmy,” a black Taiwanese drag queen. The piece considers the socio-cultural complexities of the protagonist’s mixed parentage.
Running Time: 16 minutes
o O o
One Wedding And A Revolution
Women's Educational Media
United States
On February 12, 2004, the mayor of San Francisco decided to stop discriminating against lesbian and gay couples by instructing city and county officials to allow them to get married. Pioneering activists Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, celebrating their 51st anniversary, were invited by the mayor’s political director to be the first couple to tie the knot. Filmmaker Debra Chasnoff was also invited to document this historic occasion. With interviews with Mayor Gavin Newsom, Joyce Newstat (the mayor's policy director), City Assessor Mabel Teng, and Kate Kendell, the executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, One Wedding and a Revolution takes you behind the scenes during the frantic days leading up to February 12 and this momentous ceremony.
o O o
That's A Family!
Debra Chasnoff
United States
With courage and humor, the children in That’s a Family! take viewers on a tour through their lives as they speak candidly about what it's like to grow up in a family with parents of different races or religions, divorced parents, a single parent, gay or lesbian parents, adoptive parents or grandparents as guardians. This award-winning film will stretch your mind and touch your heart no matter what your age.
Enlightening without being didactic, an excellent resource to get kids talking about cultural diversity and family life.
Awards: CINE Golden Eagle Master Series Award, Non-Broadcast Films; First Place, National Council on Family Relations Media Awards; Best Documentary, San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival; Audience Award, Best Short Film, Barcelona Gay and Lesbian Film Festival; Best Short Documentary, Santa Clarita International Film Festival and Best Short Documentary, Burbank International Children's Film Festival
"I have never ever seen a children’s program that explained or even said anything about lesbian or gay issues. I believe that this is probably one of the most important subjects you could have covered." (Sylvia, age 12)
"I have nothing against gays, lesbians, separated or no kind of biracial families. I think that your film will help a lot of people out with their problems against these types of people." (Krissy, age 11)
o O o
It's Elementary - Talking About Gay Issues in
School
Debra Chasnoff and Helen Cohen
United States
It's Elementary is, to date, the most important film which addresses gay and lesbian issues in a grade school setting. Six elementary and middle schools in which teachers used a variety of techniques to introduce discussions about gay and lesbian issues in their classrooms.
With surprisingly funny and moving footage, demystifies what it means to talk with kids about gay people. The film makes a compelling argument that anti-gay prejudice and violence can be prevented if children have an opportunity to have these discussions when they're young. Provides college instructors, workshop leaders, facilitators, and social activists one of the most powerful and important resources available for initiating dialogue, encouraging individual self-development, and pushing forth toward educational and social change.
Awards: CINE Golden Eagle for Best Educational Film, the Silver Apple (National Educational Media Network), and the Silver Spire (San Francisco International Film Festival). International Documentary calls the film "a model of intelligent directing."
Director Debra Chasnoff's previous documentary, Deadly Deception—General Electric, Nuclear Weapons & Our Environment, tackled another controversial topic and won the 1991 Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject.
Running Time: 75 minutes
o O o
Hoi Maya
Claudia Lorenz
Switzerland
Hochschule für Gestaltung & Kunst Zürich, Studienbereich
Film
One day two old ladies meet unexpectedly at a hairdresser’s. Maya recognizes Charlotte. Charlotte recognizes Maya. But Maya says: We don’t know each other. After the two 70-year-olds hadn’t seen each other for decades, they accidentally meet at the hairdresser’s. The unexpected meeting takes the two aback at first. Memories of their joint youth are awakened, suppressed feelings begin to rise.
Awards: Prix Canal Plus, 27th International Women's Film Festival, Créteil (France) 2005; Prix UIP Berlin, 55th Berlinale International Filmfestival Berlin 2005; Panorama Audience Award, 55th Berlinale International Filmfestival Berlin 2005; European Film Academy Awards 2005, nomination (Best Short); Swiss Film Prize 2005, nomination (Best Short): Pro Senectute Preis 2004 , Switzerland; Audience Award, Queersicht Berne (Switzerland) 2004; Egli Film Audience Award 2004, Zurich (Switzerland)
Running Time: 13 minutes
o O o
The Secret Club
Kenneth Elvebakk
Norway
A secret club for homosexuals was established in Oslo in 1950 when homosexuality was a criminal offnce in Norway. With humor and a touch of sadness, a group of older homosexual men recall titillating episodes from their youth, as well as the negative reactions from society. Arne Holi (78) is both a father and a grandfather, but also one of the pioneers of the homosexual movement in Norway. Hans Marius Trøseid (68) chose to live the rest of his life in celibacy while Ulf Tveten (68) decided to mary a woman.
Awards: Mix Brazil Gay & Lesbian Film Festival; Audience Award, Best Documentary.
Running Time: 55 minutes
o O o
Pallo (The Ball)
Orlando Lima
Finland
Running Time: 6 minutes
o O o
Not Straight Forward
Jennifer Ting
United States
Philippine-born US immigrant Ting follows bon-vivant and self-proclaimed butch virgin Tan Vo in a reality primer for lesbian speed dating who woos ten women from Seattle. The dyke drama challenges and confronts Filipino viewer’s stereotyped misconceptions about lesbians.
Running Time: 60 minutes
o O o
Happy Together
Wong Kar Wai
A Hong Kong couple endlessly bicker, make up and lose touch as their affair unravels in distant Argentina.