1998

Celebrate the Global Village with this selection of funny, dramatic, and lyrical shorts. In LOVE AFFAIRS a gay man and a straight woman find common ground talking about their ex-lovers. A club boy loses his love in the beautifully photographed CHERISH. SAILOR, inspired by the work of Pierre & Gilles, is an unabashedly sexy look at a handsome young man’s nautical fantasies. Across a 30-year divide, Michael Atavar has a three-way with Joe Orton and Kenneth Halliwell in DIY. A dark road, a young hitchhiker, and an erotic power struggle change the lives of two men in THE EXCHANGE, and WHAT A WORLD takes a playful whirl through the lives of open and closeted gay men in Italy.

Juhasz, Alexandra

1998

Women Of Vision is a three-part documentary that explores a rich, but under-represented component of both American art and politics: The history of feminist film and video makers – women who are drawn to the media because they have something urgent and opinionated to say. Part One begins in the 1950s and ‘60s with controversial filmmakers such as Julia Reichert, who directed Union Maids and Seeing Red, and renowned visual artist Carolee Schneemann, who made the provocative and sexually explicit film Fuses. Part Two focuses on six women whose careers began contemporaneously with the women’s movement of the ‘70s, including Barbara Hammer, Michelle Citron and Susan Mogul. Part Three catches up with the present, looking at filmmakers working in today’s so-called post-feminist climate, including Carol Leigh and Yvonne Welbon, two visionaries with works featured in this year’s Festival. In each episode, interviews with the artists and clips from some of their most important works remind us that even though the mainstream media is flooded with images of women, we don’t see nearly enough work from an explicitly feminist perspective. Director Alexandra Juhasz has created an invaluable record of some of the most important filmmakers of this century – women unjustly relegated to the hidden corners of film history solely because they had the courage to speak up.

Royle, Su

1998

Women At The Gay Games Amsterdam documents the sporting and cultural events that occurred at the 1998 games, including a special look at the night-life of gay women during the games.

Hayes, Lisa

1998

Contemporary and archival images are contrasted against the text of a 1950's industrial safety & training manual, exposing and critiquing the widespread belief in the existence of a weaker sex.

Swenson, Lise

1998

A late 90's feminist take on the annual Burning Man event.

Gould, Will

1998

Imagine curling up to hear a bedtime story and discovering it’s not your mother reading to you, but a famous gay pop icon, making for a fairy tale of an altogether different sort. This film, narrated by Boy George, reinterprets elements of familiar folk stories as a modern day saga of lust, greed, murder and sexuality. It's Agatha Christie meets the Brothers Grimm with a heavy dose of John Rechy. Once upon a time in the village of Kromer lived two beautiful young wolves. Cocksure Gabriel takes newcomer Seth under his paw and helps reconcile him to the vilification associated with being a wolf. They fall head-over-heels in puppy love, playing together around picturesque waterfalls, secluded woodlands, and moonlit lakes. One day a wicked old crone and her goofy sidekick kill their mistress, frame the wolves, and incite a torch-bearing mob of religious zealots to seek vengeance on the hapless pair. You won't want to miss the exciting climax of this unique and enchanting film set in a time and place you've never been to, but somehow seem to recall.

1998

Five films featuring mature women. Me And Mrs. Berger delightfully animates an intergenerational affair. Riot Grrrandmas! interviews some right-on old-timers, including the charming Ruth Ellis, an African-American lesbian soon to celebrate her 100th birthday. In Roof, a middle-aged woman and young stranger wait for Godot atop a suburban Florida house. The use of anachronisms in Till Human Voices Wake Us And We Drown, a beautifully art-directed film ostensibly set in medieval Europe, turns this story of persecuted pagan lovers into a timeless indictment of women's oppression. In Favorite, a North Irish schoolgirl's crush on a teacher ripens over time into a lesbian romance in which one woman is destined to be left behind.

McDermid, Frances

1998

Wink is a story of a young girl who struggles with her identity. She meets & becomes friends with Chloe and the story unfolds from there.

Monette, Jean-Francois

1998

Film diary that explores the construction of gay identities through an analysis of media clips and coming-out tales.

Where Lies The Homo? chronicles a personal journey cleverly constructed from clips of home movies, Hollywood features, and a variety of other sources. Identifying with Snow White, Audrey Hepburn, Jean Marais, Sal Mineo and other media icons, the filmmaker wittily navigates conflicting societal signals in this moving coming-of-age montage.

Governi, Valerio

1998

Nothing is sure in this world, especially talking about sexuality. A playful whirl about the taste of unisex seduction and the emptiness of roles and labels. A playful whirl through the lives of open and closeted gay men in Italy.