Mead, Wrik

1996

A lonely lighthouse operator rescues his fantasy man.

Yael, b.h.

1996

Fresh Blood is a hybrid personal essay/documentary in which the filmmaker tries to examine the complexities and pleasures of her Iraqi-Jewish heritage. Returning to Israel, the land of her birth, she is overcome by the implications of her mixed identity, her lesbian desires, and the loss of her mother tongue. She emerges with a new understanding of the power of memory and myth and the significance of blood relations.

Adkins, Jeffrey

1996

Frankie wants to share his inner joy with the whole world so...he decides to take his dog Fudgie for a walk.

Who said the musical is dead? Whoever did better not be within earshot of Rita Page, former Vegas showgirl and diva stage mother to Franchesca Page, who has just landed the understudy role in the new disco revue, "The Lady Does It All". Unfortunately Franchesca does do it all...badly. So how did she get the part? Could she be an unwitting victim in a plot to produce a flop and make some fast money for the sadistic producer Veronica, or has fate finally brought Mama the break she thinks she always deserved? If you combine The Producers with The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and bring Gypsy along for the ride, you will get Franchesca Page. With nine original songs and a cast of divas, including Rossy de Palma and New York underground sensation Varla Jean Merman (illegitimate daughter of Ethel Merman and Ernest Borgnine), this hugely entertaining film is set to camp, vamp, and tramp its way to fame. But first – Frankie and Fudgie go for an unusual walk.

Swenson, Laurel

1996

Fistfull is a sexy rumination on the one dyke’s fascinations with safer sex and – you guessed it – fisting.

Jones, William E.

1996

Finished is an unforgettable look at the short but intense life of Alan Lambert, a 25-year-old gay porn actor who flamboyantly committed suicide in a public park. Lambert left behind two cats, several friends and lovers, an intricate suicide rant and twenty or so films, including Boot Camp, Hardball and Pool Boy. Director William E. Jones, seduced by the image of a man he never knew, set out to make a film about the vanity of contemporary gay culture, trying to understand why this young actor killed himself. He discovered something much deeper. Attempting to make sense of a life cut tragically short and of his own obsessions, Jones has created a deeply emotional life story and a profound examination of the temporary nature of beauty. Equal parts personal confession, biography and political analysis, Finished is a sober and highly experimental journey through the shadowy landscape of the gay adult film industry and into the heart of one of its casualties.

Wright, Annie

1996

The Final Story' sounds real but is in fact fictional. 'Written' by the great writer Colette and lost forever, it describes women in love, greed, corruption and murder. 'The Final Story' is about what we do not know and the power of fate; it is a hidden history.

The Final Story, which concerns two trapeze artists, a fictional lost transcript by Colette, and a murder, all told with Barbie dolls.

Streitfeld, Susan

1996

Walton, Pam

1996

Family Values tells the story of a family torn apart by political and religious extremism. It is an intensely personal documentary about Pam Walton's search for reconciliation with her father, a leading behind-the-scenes figure in the radical religious right. Walton and her father have had nothing to do with each other for over 15 years because of what her father calls her "sinful lesbian lifestyle." The videomaker sets out to find the true meaning of "family" and to expose the enormous hypocrisy that exists among some of the right wing's "family values" activists. The video diary format, however, allows for a few unexpected twists and turns along the way. Finally, Family Values asks us to remember that "family" is a complex and deeply personal experience.

Ayres, Tony

1996

A filmaker makes a documentary about a photographer, but in this case, who is the voyeur and who is the photographer?

Sabroso, Felix

1996

Three gay roommates must find a fourth to share their flat after blowing their rent on a stripper who won't strip. Their homophobic landlady threatens eviction because they are once again late with the rent and "the music they play is diabolical and frightens the neighbors." In walks tall, sexy Lucas, the answer to their current problem and more than one of their dreams. The three close friends spend the next few months projecting their best fantasies on the longhaired stranger and viciously competing with one another for his attentions. One night they return home from a nightclub and find Lucas dead, a complete set of kitchen knives stuck into his chest. Enter the cleaning lady, followed closely by the high-heeled Chief Inspector and her sidekick in red platforms who "forgot her badge in her other purse." Over coffee and Chinese tea with lemon, each tells his own real or imagined story about his relationship with Lucas, and they discover that they all had reasons to do him in.