Sundance Continues Through 1/25

In the aftermath of all those Mormon dollars supporting Prop 8, the Utah-based 2009 Sundance Film Festival was in the queer spotlight last month after calls by some in the gay community for a boycott of the uber queer-friendly event.

That boycott message was countered by immediate and effusive objections, and expressions of Sundance support, from such venerable queer film luminaries as: producer Christine Vachon, distributor Marcus Hu and director Gregg Araki (see Araki’s eloquent piece in the current print issue of The Advocate) or, since that isn’t available online, you could read my Bay Area Reporter Guest Opinion piece, “Yes On Sundance.”

With the festival getting underway from January 15 — 25 in Park City, Utah there are bound to be some picketers outside the Cinemark-owned Holiday Village Cinema (one of the main venues at Sundance). But community leaders —including the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and Outfest who both made official announcements of support for Sundance — seem to have moved on towards focusing on the films themselves and embracing the festival for being the longtime champion of LGBT cinema that it is.

On Sunday afternoon (January 18th) GLAAD’s Queer Lounge will present “LGBT Civil Rights, Film Activism & Proposition 8, “ a panel discussion exploring the role of activist filmmaking in the wake of Prop 8 with an all-star line up that includes Sundance director of programming John Cooper, TIMES OF HARVEY MILK director, Rob Epstein and cultural critic B. Ruby Rich. Go to QueerLounge.org to see the many other panels and special events happening at the Queer Lounge, which is THE place to see and be seen for all the gays.

The other legendary LGBT event of Sundance is the Outfest Queer Brunch (co-founded with PlanetOut back at the1997 Sundance Film Festival) which brings together every homo in town for bagels and melon balls and Bloody Marys from 11am-2pm on Sunday the 18th at the Grub Steak Restaurant.

But on to the queer films!

The most anticipated narrative feature film premieres at Sundance include:
From the creators of BAD SANTA (co-writer/directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa) comes what is sure to be the blockbuster gay movie of 2009. I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS is about a former Texas cop turned criminal (Jim Carrey) who falls in love with a fellow inmate (Ewan McGregor) in prison. The advance preview trailer makes it look like CHUCK & LARRY meets BROKEBACK. Since it’s premiering at Sundance, we’re feeling optimistic.

Shot in San Francisco’s Mission District Peter Bratt’s gay Latino drama, LA MISSION follows gay teen Jesse (Jeremy Ray Valdez) and his relationship with his tough guy Dad (Benjamin Bratt) who throws his son out of the house and then begins to grapple with his homophobia. The Bratt brothers were previously at Sundance with their uplifting road movie, FOLLOW ME HOME.

The comedy-drama DARE from director Adam Salky serves up a tale of three high school seniors (played by Emmy Rossum, Ashley Springer and Zach Gilford as the maybe gay guy). The film co-stars Alan Cumming and Sandra Bernhard. From writer-director Lynn Shelton comes the wild comedy HUMPDAY in which two straight guy friends have sex together on a dare for an amateur porn contest.

In PUSH: BASED ON A NOVEL BY SAPPHIRE Gabourey Sidibe stars as Precious Jones, an abused overweight teenage black girl whose life is changed when she attends a new school where she is inspired by a lesbian teacher (played by Paula Patton). With Mo'Nique, Sherri Shepherd, Lenny Kravitz, and Mariah Carey. Directed by Lee Daniels (SHADOWBOXER).

 From Argentine writer-director Alexis Dos Santos (GLUE) comes the misfit multi-sexual romance UNMADE BEDS. This creative tale of youthful awakening is set against London’s club scene as Spanish boy Axl and the Belgian girl Vera find a variety of connections.

Keep an eye out as well for Stefano Tummolini’s Italian gay drama, ONE DAY IN A LIFE described in the Sundance catalog as: “a study of an ordinary day where an extraordinary thing happens—people are forced to slow down and become aware of the transformative pleasure of human contact.”

Two documentary features at Sundance look especially promising this year. R.J. Cutler’s THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE goes behind the scenes at Vogue Magazine to follow editor Anna Wintour and everything that goes into putting together that legendary issue which sets the trends of the fashion industry. From veteran Sundance director Liz Garbus (THE EXECUTION OF WANDA JEAN) comes SHOUTING FIRE: STORIES FROM THE EDGE OF FREE SPEECH which looks at the history of the First Amendment in America up to the current day.

Queer Sundance shorts include a new short documentary from legendary filmmaker Kenneth Anger called MY SURFING LUCIFER; 575 CASTRO ST., an experimental documentary shot on the empty set of Gus Van Sant’s MILK by yours truly (Jenni Olson); the Finnish comedy A MATE about a “straight” guy busted having sex with his friend; Marco Berger’s Argentine tale of gay desire, THE WATCH; the funniest short film made in the year 2008, Madeleine Olnek’s psychotherapy nightmare, COUNTERTRANSFERENCE; performance art documentary CHOP OFF by M.M. Serra; Irish teacher-student drama JAMES by Connor Clements; Julian Breece’s dark drama of a self-destructive gay teen trying to become HIV-positive THE YOUNG AND THE EVIL; and the innovative animated documentary THE KINDA SUTRA by Sundance veteran Jessica Yu.

by Jenni Olson

For more information about the festival go to Sundance.org and for a complete overview of pretty much every gay thing going on in Park City during the festival—including a list of LGBT films playing at Slamdance plus scads of party info—go visit QueerLounge.org!

Comments

[Sargon Bighorn]

Two str8 men playing two Gay men? I look forward to the day when two black folk play two Asian folk. Then I'll know good acting.

[Tom]

who cares about the acting, i just wanna see ewan macking on a guy :-P

[Donnie]

Carrey is Str8 and Ewan is a self-proclaimed.

[Donnie]

Carrey is str8 and Ewan is a self-proclaimed...bisexual!

[Greg of San Diego]

Actors of the calibur of Ewan & well JIM CAREY as Gay Characters in a Mainstream Movie does wonders for the Gay Community.
Think positive & maybe Prop 8 will get another go around someday with a better OUTcome.

[Jack]

Jim Carey? Fuckin' lame. Can't get any further from believability than that...

[Rob]

I love the Sundance film festival in beautiful Park City, Utah and couldnt have it at a better more beautiful place. There diversity of movies are always so cool unique too!!

[baas]

As long as the acting is good and the story i'll watch any of these, i love gay movies *content sigh*

[mark]

Jenni Olson who's film made on the empty set of MILK if you want to be respected as a voice of the LGBT community, why don't you film this year's nearly empty Queer Lounge with a few circuit party aging actresses with their HANDSOMELY PAID handsome young escorts. A cluster of sellout jaded queers whiter than the ski slopes.
BOYCOTT Utah = HATE STATE

[mark]

Tickets are available for MOST showings
http://defamer.com/5131228/today-in-sundance-hell-oddsmaking-empty-seats-and-brett-ratner-speaks

The Boycott of UT is working.
I've also read a gay ski club cancelled their trip to UT, and an art gallery on Main St. usually rented by a corporation, isn't rented this year.

[Arthur Graves]

I think the last big GAY movies I watch was Making Love or Bear Cub. Bear Cub was great if you like subtitals.

[queerunity]

i hope they see the impact of their 20 million bigoted bucks
http://www.queersunited.blogspot.com

[mark]

Sundance isn't the only film festival, find one which doesn't FEED THE LDS hate machine. I'm disappointed in GLAAD hosting the Queer Lounge, they won't get contributions from me again.By GLAAD being there it gives cover to celebs and sponsors, by giving Sundance a phoney "gay seal of approval."
NEXT election the LDS attacks queer families with another State's initiative…. REMEMBER where GLAAD was this year.

[Kenneth]

No matter wh part Jm Carey is supposed to b he's always, to me, the "Son of Jerry Lewis" as he mimics folk with physical problems.

[Richard in Canada]

some negativity here that is unwarranted regarding the movies themselves.
True, we are ALL entitled to our opinions but if we make negative remarks about something we've not yet viewed, aren't we then being prejudiced?
I love to watch ANY gay themed movies as long as they are written and acted well.
Looking forward to this year's offerings! :)

[Richard in Canada]

...about the political stance some are taking...I see your point but I don't think it is a good thing to boycott the showing of OUR films, promoting OUR lives in interesting and positive ways at OUR events in order to take a stand, even if the issues are valid.
There are other more constructive ways to not behave in similar fashion to the right-wing extremists and to accomplish desired results in our society.
I agree change MUST take place and I see that it IS happening but we all must remember that it takes time, perserverence and PATIENCE...among other things...all of which are not the easiest way but rather the BEST way.
Cheers to all from this cold Canuck!!!
*hugs*

[Bryan Tucker Parchcorn]

There's a lot of understandable anger in here however, let's all take a lesson from Harvey Milk who fought for the right to be sent into the lion's den so that he could make a difference from the inside-out and vice-versa. Just because we avoid a location or group, doesn't make it go away. I say, support the artists trying to make a difference and whether writers, directors, straight/gay/bi actors, whomever it may be because they ALL make our voices stronger from the inside of the Lion's Den. Maybe little by little these LDS bigots will look in a mirror for who they are. Ultimately, I know we will emerge victorious but it will be a long war with a battle being won and lost along the way. But Believe and have patience but never lose our PASSION because we human. MLK said, "No Man Is Free Until We're All Free." And over 40 years later, we have our first African American President. The road was long and yet we are victorious there as well.

[Bryan Tucker Parchcorn]

Correction: "Because we humans are all EQUAL."

[Alvis]

Seriously? People want to boycott an entire STATE because there are some homophobes there? Seriously?

Then I can only say this: I hope you like New York, California, and Vermont, because that's all you'll have left. I always hate when people say "pick your battles," because that's usually a nice way of telling you to shut up. However, I do think we have to be careful not to target an entire group (or, dare I say it, geographical location) because some within its membership/borders have been mean to us. Fight your oppressors, folks, not their neighborhood. I can't think of a better way to ensure that homophobes have strong allies than by lumping them with their (hopefully) not-so-oppressive neighbors and then punishing the lot.

[Eric]

After Jim Carrey's homophobic work in the past, this is welcome news.

[Gene]

Those misguided gay people who are taking a baby-with-the-bathwater approach to Utah are doing harm not only to homophobes but to supporters of gay rights. Both kinds of people live in the state. Sundance's money doesn't go to fuel hate machines. Redford funnels his proceeds into work that benefits all of us. Grow up.

[Phil]

Enjoyed the comments on the new Jim Carey movie and the boycott.

[Steve]

Has anyone seen "American Primitive", the movie ? We recently saw it at our Cape Cod Playhouse which has artist films, and it was a very touching and realistic film about two men who fall in love after one's wife has died and he tries to pick up with his children and make a new life. The scenery here in Dennis, Massachusetts ( Cape Cod ) and the writing, acting, directing, are all perfection.

Steve

[steve taz]

Park City UT
Well if I were to attend that Sundance Film Festival. I would not for fear of my life. I am making note to the hate crime killing of a Gay Guy there and what did the Police and city leaders do but sweep it under the carpet . They know who killed him and if I am right the killer got a 6 month sentence. They were portrayed as a very Homophobic community. I will look up the exact story and let you know the details

Steve taz