Saca, Victor

1998

After the death of Juan, caused by AIDS, his cousin Marcos and his friend Manuel mourn their loss for one whole night.

Dazed by the death of Juan, his lover and business partner, Manuel embarks on a journey through a Mexico City that is anything but a paradise. Corruption, random violence and deception mark this hellish world in which nightmares are reality. A killer asks Manuel if he wants to fuck before he dies, a brawl in a men's room ends with an embrace, and the only thing that turns out to be true is a con-woman’s lie. This modern Dante must find his way through a series of dark alleys, dingy bars and secret doors – each leading to a place more bizarre than the one that preceded it – before he can rejoin the living. Finally, Manuel is ready to cast the past adrift on his own river Styx, and return to his mother’s garden (where the snake has already been banished) to reclaim his soul. First time director Victor Saca brings Manuel’s story to life with a seedy brand of a magic realism that is perfectly suited to his characters and their milieu. Not since Hell Has No Limits has the SFILGFF featured a Mexican film that reveals the seamy underside of the gay nether world "south of the border" with so much power and originality.

Chung, Nicole

1998

A young Asian American woman searches for love and the right person.

Dorfman, Andrea

1998

A beautiful, funny deadpan short about three women forming a love triangle on a road trip.

Hew, Carolynne

1998

Desire disorients... and bodily swellings result.

Farrow, Jane

1998

An homage to the girls who do it faster, higher and lovelier.

Trueman, Timothy

1998

A young gay super hero saves people from peril and injustice while trying to deal with his relationship with another man.

Dunham, Sarah

1998

The women's employee locker room in a Christmas theme park becomes centerstage in this queer musical.

Leech, Marla R.

1998

In Strings Attached, director Marla Leech portrays the struggles, successes and pursuits of five Bay Area female guitarists trying to make it in the music world.

Ducharme, Carole

1998

Mary, a troubled teenager, lives with her mothers Betty and Doris in a nice little house in a nice little suburb with nice neighbors. It's a nice little world populated only by queers. But Mary feels different, alone, an outcast. She is discovering her true feelings: she thinks she's "straight." Her doubts are confirmed when she meets Brad, a newcomer from San Francisco. It's love at first sight. What will happen to our sweet Mary? Will Brad steal her heart away? But what will her mothers say? The tables are finally turned on homophobia in the campy and perverse Straight From The Suburbs.

Donaghy, Tom

1998

Follows the trials and tribulations of a teenager in the suburbs as he explores and discovers his sexuality.

It’s the early eighties and fresh-faced Pauly is a gangling 17-year old who "wants everything." But it’s hard to figure out how to fit in when you know you like boys. His badgering dad and long-suffering mom (a wonderfully whining Julie Kavner) bicker about him constantly. Pauly is justifiably skeptical about his father’s short-lived attempt to get him to "act like other kids" by making him give up his guitar lessons and join the basketball team. His parents reluctantly allow him to leave Catholic school after his girlfriend insists that he transfer to public school for his senior year. Once there, he tries to juggle everyone’s expectations: listening to his cynical gal pal’s advice on how to be popular, avoiding the adoring attention of nerdy Colin, exchanging fashion tips (and more) with his AV buddy. When he develops a major crush on Noel, the handsomely angst-ridden new student teacher putting on the spring play, "A" (a hilariously bad musical version of "The Scarlet Letter"), Pauly promises his put-upon parents that he can go out for track, band, drum major and theater, and still keep his grades up. Like last year’s festival favorite, Edge Of Seventeen, The Story Of A Bad Boy boasts endearing performances as it humorously captures the yearning and exhilaration of adolescence.