Defurne, Bavo

1998

A teenager adores his sailor friend.

Lujan, Al

1998

What happens when two Latino leathermen get caught up in the intersection of culture, kink and desire? Culture, kink and desire collide with a Latin twist.

Henderickx, Guido

1998

According to director Guido Hendrickx, S. is "about a hurt girl looking for happiness." S., portrayed by phenomenal first-time actress Natali Broods, is an erratic, traumatized young woman who has nothing to hold onto in life. Abused by her father, unable to communicate with her disturbed mother, she wanders through the world, aimless and alone.  She has a fleeting moment of happiness when she finds work in a peepshow and becomes lovers with the beautiful Marie. But even love can't stop her downward spiral. Either by rotten luck or cosmic intention, every other person she encounters is bad news: a philandering boyfriend has sex with an ex-girlfriend right in front of her; a priest visits her at the peep show where she works, then stalks her; a man attacks her in a deserted subway station. She responds to each of them the only way she knows how – she kills them.  Incredibly violent and containing graphic sex, both hetero and homo in nature, this film is much like a car wreck. Its gorgeous hues and miserable lives are painfully disturbing, yet you can’t help but stare. A series of collisions of lost lives along a road to happiness littered with dead bodies, harsh realities and blood galore.

Fockele, Jorg

1998

What is it like growing up queer in New York City at the end of the Milleneum?

In Rules Of The Game, members of New York's Hetrick-Martin Institute for queer youth have an opportunity to stage a fantasy scene complete with professional make-up and costume design, in which they reveal usually unseen parts of themselves. Results? A suave drag-king crooner, a sexy femme drag dance number, an encounter with a vampire, and a death metal music video.

Brown, Tom E.

1998

Three nutty AIDS related shorts in one.

Parmar, Pratibha

1998

A documentary exploring the intersection between feminism with popular music, focusing on the role of female recording artists in the 1990s and their influence on modern women.

A collection of videos that demolishes the "post" in "post-feminism." Move over Spice Girls. Pratibha Parmar’s new video, The Righteous Babes, explores the intersection between feminism and popular music, and includes interviews with rock greats such as Sinead O’Connor, Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders), Skin (Skunkanansie) and Ani DiFranco, as well as feminists such as Gloria Steinem. Parmar argues that far from being dead, feminism has thrived and expanded its reach through the direct, aggressive, and revolutionary medium of rock music and through the role models of performers like Madonna and DiFranco. Both Madonna and DiFranco helped show the way for many female performers to take control of their own careers and even to start their own record companies, answering to no one.

Wilson, Todd
Biasatti, John

1998

A candid look at the issues and stereotypes surrounding Asian/Caucasian relationships. Rice: A slang term for gay Asian men. Potatoes: Slang for the gay Caucasians who go after them. Filmed in San Francisco, Rice & Potatoes presents a revealing documentary look at the lives of 17 gay men, both Asian and Caucasian. This diverse group offers frank and insightful commentary on the issues and stereotypes surrounding inter-racial gay relationships, talking candidly about physical attraction, differences in cultural upbringing, sexual roles, being out, family obligations and the use of racial labels. Their stories, often funny, always thought provoking, offer an intimate portrait of men searching for love, coping with prejudice and building relationships

Newling, Phillipa

1998

The Reunion by Phillipa Newling, eloquently
presents one man’s life after the death of his partner.

Plotkin, Laura

1998

Features Gina Guidi, the FFBA Boxing Champion of the world.

Laura Plotkin scores a knock-out with Red Rain, her invigorating and perceptive one-hour documentary about female boxing and East Bay fighter Gina "Boom Boom" Guidi – a working-class woman who has driven herself to become the female welterweight champion of the world. At first glance, Guidi lives a simple life revolving around a grueling training regime. As the film progresses, complex questions emerge about women entering and challenging a traditionally male-dominated sport, the impact of class on boxers, feminists’ cultural perceptions of women boxers, and the exploration of gender identity. Gina and her family discuss the complexities of her life, and her struggle to overcome addiction, violence and poverty to achieve success in the boxing and emotional arenas. Gina's professional life is chronicled through interviews with trainers, cut men and other professional boxers. Red Rain challenges the stereotype of the "traditional" sports documentary, and reveals a female icon with a difficult and unique story to tell. Viewers are compelled to re-examine their own beliefs as the life of this remarkable woman gradually unfolds.

Bailey, Fenton

1998

Most of us won’t ever forget the night Ellen came out of the closet. After all, for many queers, it was a revelation beyond their wildest dreams. The main character of a nationally-televised primetime network sitcom admitted that she was a lesbian – over an airport loudspeaker! The Real Ellen Story traces the events that led up to this joyous history-making evening. Beginning with the original conception of the so-called “Puppy Episode” (an executive suggested that Ellen needed a love interest, and a puppy was deemed much less threatening than a lesbian), The Real Ellen Story presents a suspenseful, funny and touching look at a media feeding frenzy. Tickled Pink, a colorful survey of the modern history of queers on TV, is most timely, given “Ellen”’s recent cancellation.