FilmOut San Diego’s 13th LGBT Film Festival opens this weekend with 60 films being shown during the six-day, two-weekend film festival at the historic Birch North Park Theatre (2891 University Ave.). Filmmakers and talent representing more than 40 of the films plan to attend the festival and are scheduled to answer audience questions after screenings.
FilmOut San Diego annually affirms the ongoing integrity and boundless imagination of our community and the artists who tell our stories. The festival board of directors believes its work is an integral part of an ongoing effort to build a vibrant, affirming and sustainable LGBT community in San Diego County.
For tickets and more details, log on to filmoutsandiego.com. This weekend’s schedule includes:
Friday, Aug. 19
Going Down in LA-LA Land
7:30 p.m.: Young, handsome and ambitious, Adam (Matthew Ludwinski) arrives from New York with dreams of making it big in LA. Adam gets off to a rocky start, complete with parking tickets and an insufferable job answering phones. A new job in production looks promising, but soon Adam finds himself dealing with down-and-out directors, washed up starlets and meth addicts – as he starts to lose himself in a steamy underworld of gay porn and prostitution. Based on the novel by Andy Zeffer. Director: Casper Andreas, 105 minutes, USA.
Saturday, Aug. 20
I Was A Teenage Werebear
12 p.m.: Brent Corrigan stars as a high school student having to deal with the curse of turning into a werebear (a mixture of leather daddy and werewolf) whenever he finds himself aroused. Director: Tim Sullivan, 30 minutes, USA. (2011)
The Sleeping Beauty of East Finchley
1 p.m.: Joan (Josie Walker) is a 40-ish woman in North London, a devout Catholic who looks after her mum with the help of a nurse, Pat (Ruth James). As Joan and Pat become friends, Pat discovers Joan’s love of singing and invites her to join her choir, The Friends of Dusty. But it takes Joan a while to realize that this is a lesbian choir, and as a performance at the Various Voices festival on the Southbank approaches, Joan gets cold feet in more ways than one. Director: Seamus Rea, 50 minutes, United Kingdom. (2010)
Finding Mr. Wright
2 p.m.: Clark Townsend (Matthew Montgomery) one of the hottest young men in West Hollywood manages to turn his best friend and first client Eddy Malone (Rebekah Kochan) – a talented, eccentric party girl – into one of the most sought-after actresses. Director: Nancy Criss, 100 minutes, USA. (2011)
Leading Ladies
4 p.m.: This spectacularly entertaining film is a zany comedy about two sisters, their gay best friend, and their overzealous stage mom. When one sister gets pregnant and the other plans to waltz out of the closet, the family must hustle to maintain their status quo in the harsh arena of competitive dance. Directors: Erika Randall Beahm and Daniel Beahm, 102 minutes, USA. (2010)
Judas Kiss
6:15 p.m.: Film festival judge Zachary Wells’ (Charlie David) one-night stand turns out to be Danny Reyes (Richard Harmon), a student competing for a scholarship Zach must award. Mysteriously, his film has the same title as Zach’s film that won the festival years before. When Zach sees Danny making the same mistakes he did, Zach decides to take matters into his own hands. Director: J.T. Tepnapa, 94 minutes, USA. (2011)
eCupid
8:15 p.m.: Marshall (Houston Rhines) is a cocky young man who feels trapped by his dead-end job and comfortable seven-year relationship with his boyfriend, Gabe (Noah Shuffman). Desperate for a new life he stumbles upon a mysterious app called eCupid. With the help of a wise and mysterious waitress (cameo by Morgan Fairchild), Marshall is given one last chance to listen to his heart and figure out what (and who) is really important. Director: JC Calciano, 93 minutes, USA. (2011)
Is It Just Me?
10:15 p.m.: Blaine (Nicholas Downs) is a typical young gay man looking for love – without much success. Enter Xander, (David Loren) the man of his dreams. After realizing he’s been chatting with his new online boyfriend under his roommate Cameron’s (Adam Huss) profile, he persuades Cameron to pose as him during the date until he can win over Xander with his whit and charm. It’s Blaine’s brain versus Cameron’s brawn as love blossoms within this threesome. Director: J.C. Calciano, 93 minutes, USA. (2010)
Sunday, Aug. 21
You Should Meet My Son!
12 p.m.: Mae (Joanne McGee) just wants to see her son Brian (Stewart Carrico) happily married. She’s introduced him to every eligible girl in town. When Mae learns her son is gay, she feels her son deserves to be happy. What’s a proper Southern lady to do? Find that boy the perfect husband. Director: Keith Hartman, 86 minutes, USA. (2010)
It’s My Party
2 p.m.: In this bittersweet comedy drama, Nick Stark (Eric Roberts) nearing the end of his life seeks closure with his family and friends when he begins to display symptoms of full-blown AIDS. Wanting to go out with his dignity intact, Nick decides to throw one last party, which will give him the opportunity to say goodbye to everyone while he’s still lucid – shortly after which he intends to take his own life with painkillers. Appearing as Nick’s friends and family are Margaret Cho, Olivia Newton-John, Bronson Pinchot, Bruce Davison, Sally Kellerman, Marlee Matlin, Greg Louganis, Dennis Christopher, Steve Antin, Paul Regina, Christopher Atkins and Roddy McDowall. Writer/Director Kleiser loosely based this film on his own personal experience. Honoring Director Randal Kleiser, 110 minutes, USA. (1996)
Hold Your Peace
4:15 p.m.: Aiden (Chad Ford) is asked to be the best man at his ex-boyfriend Max’s (Tyler Brockington) commitment ceremony. Rather than risk going alone, he finds the most unlikely of dates in his roommate’s (Aleisha Force) more stereotypical friend, Lance (Scott Higgins). As time goes on, he discovers that things are far more complex than he thought he could handle. Director: Wade McDonald, 96 minutes, USA. (2011)
Bloomington
6 p.m.: Ex-child actor Jackie (Sarah Stouffer) leaves the entertainment world behind and heads to college at a Midwestern university, where she meets engaging professor Catherine (Allison McAtee), who has a reputation for breaking the hearts of other women. Jackie ignores her friends’ advice and begins a fervid romantic relationship with Catherine, which is eventually threatened when Jackie has an opportunity to return to acting. Director: Fernanda Cardoso, 83 minutes, USA. (2010)
Hollywood to Dollywood
8:15 p.m.: Twin brothers, Gary and Larry Lane, have written a script with a roll for one of their idols, Dolly Parton. They embark on a cross-country journey to personally deliver it to her, which begins at her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame heading east for Pigeon Forge, Tenn. The journey is one of discovery for the brothers, as they examine their relationship with their parents; their hopes, fears and ambitions. Featuring Cameos from Leslie Jordan, Beth Grant, Chad Allen, Ann Walker, Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black, and Dolly herself. Director: John Lavin, 81 minutes, USA. (2011)
Off World
10:15 p.m.: A young Toronto man, Lucky (Marc Abaya), returns to the Smokey Mountains in Manila, Philippines for the first time since his adoption by Canadian parents when he was just a year old. Aided by NGO worker Julia (Cheryl Ramos), Lucky tracks down his surviving brother, who lives and works as a transsexual hustler. Director: Mathieu Guez, 76 minutes, Canada/Philippines. (2010)
See next week’s edition for the second week’s film schedule, or log on to filmoutsandiego.com.
