2004 MIAMI GAY & LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL
UNVEILS PROGRAM LINE-UP:
80 International films to compete during 6th annual event
Opening Night Gala Screening - "Straight Jacket" by Richard Day
Centerpiece Gala Screening - "Cachorro (Bear Cub)" by Miguel Albaladejo
Closing Night Gala Screening - "D.E.B.S" by Angela Robinson
Wolfe Career Achievement Award to producer Andrea Sperling
15th Anniversary Tribute to Strand Releasing
Miami, Florida - March 16, 2004 - The prestigious Sixth Annual Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, presented by HBO, has unveiled the line-up of the best gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered films that will be featured during the 10 day event from April 23rd to May 2nd. The screenings will take place at the historic Gusman Center for the Performing Arts (in downtown Miami), the Shores Performing Arts Center, the Regal Cinema South Beach, The Miami Beach Cinematheque and Cinema Paradiso (located in Fort Lauderdale). The announcement was made today by Festival Manager Jaie Laplante and Program Director Carol Coombes.
The 10-day festival will kick-off on Friday, April 23rd with the Opening Night Gala presentation and East Coast Premiere of Richard Day's Straight Jacket at the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts, followed by a party at the Historic Alfred I. Dupont Building. On Wednesday April 28th, the Festival will present the Centerpiece Gala and North American Premiere screening of Cachorro (Bear Cub) by Miguel Albaladejo at the Shores Performing Arts Center followed by a party at the Gyory & Osiris Art Studio. The Festival closes on Sunday May 2nd with the Closing Night Gala, East Coast Premiere presentation of Angela Robinson's D.E.B.S. at the Gusman Theater for the Performing Arts followed by a party at Gloria & Emilio Estefan's Bongos Cuban Café overlooking Biscayne Bay.
This year's festival will also pay tribute to prolific filmmaker Andrea Sperling who will be presented with the Wolfe Career Achievement Award prior to the Closing night Gala screening of "D.E.B.S." The Festival salutes 15 years of Strand Releasing with a special Award tribute to principals Marcus Hu and Jon Gerrans. Strand will unveil four of their new titles in the festival line-up including "A Thousand Clouds of Peace", "Iron Ladies II", "Proteus", and "The Raspberry Reich."
"The 2004 Festival continues the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival's tradition of cutting edge responsiveness to the continual changes and evolutions in gay and lesbian identities," said MGLFF Festival Manager Jaie Laplante. "We've always worked to expand the notion of what gay and lesbian cinema can be - and this year our ever-expanding audience will be thrilled with a rich selection of new discoveries, both on the screen and within themselves."
Making their debut as presenting sponsor this year is HBO. "We are proud to be the presenting sponsor of this event," said Olivia Smashum, executive vice president, affiliate marketing. "We have a rich history of telling powerful stories from the gay and lesbian community and look forward to our role in this year's festival."
This year's festival program will include a wide variety of films from Canada, Cuba, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Spain, United Kingdom and the United States. The finalists were selected from a record number of film submissions and include features, documentaries and shorts. The Festival is also focused on celebrating the best of Queer International Cinema; with programs such as Let's Go Away featuring an eclectic assortment of shorts from around the world.
"We continue to build on our reputation as one of the leading gay and lesbian film festivals in the US," said Program Director Carol Coombes. "We are delighted to be able to bring to South Florida audiences 4 feature length World Premieres, and the best of the newest GLBT films fresh from Sundance and Berlin".
The Festival's film line-up will be launched on Saturday, April 24th, with the Afterschool Delights short film program, Straight Out: Stories from Iceland, an Icelandic feature by Hrafnhildur Gunnarsdottir & Thorvaldur Kristinsson, Key West: City of Colors, a US feature documentary by Talmadge Hayward, Paternal Instinct a US feature documentary by Murray Nossel, The Iron Ladies II a Thailand feature by Yongyoot Thongkongtoon, The Rasberry Reich a German feature by Bruce LaBruce and the Sundance Film Festival award winning film Brother to Brother.
The Festival commences on Friday, April 23rd at the Gusman Center, with its Opening Night Gala screening of the East Coast premiere Straight Jacket, by Richard Day, starring Jack Plotnick, Veronica Cartwright and Matthew Letscher. In 1950's Hollywood, movie star Guy Stone must marry a studio secretary in order to conceal his homosexuality. She has no idea her marriage is a sham, though, and turns Guy's life upside-down. Director Richard Day, Producer Michael Warwick, actor Jack Plotnick will attend the screening. Miss Coco Peru will host the evening.
On Wednesday, April 28th, at the Shores Performing Arts Center, the Festival will present the North American Premiere Centerpiece Gala screening of Cachorro (Bear Cub), by director Miguel Albaladejo. The film tells the story of the unlikely bond that forms between two very different individuals, a successful gay dentist in his thirties and his precocious 9 year-old nephew. Actor Jose Luis Garcia-Perez will attend the screening.
On Sunday, May 2nd, at the Gusman Theater, the Festival will host the East Coast Premiere and Closing Night Gala screening of D.E.B.S, by director Angela Robinson. There is a secret test hidden within the S.A.T. designed to identify students who can lie, cheat, fight, and kill. High scorers are recruited by a secret government agency and trained to become members of the nation's most elite paramilitary group: the D.E.B.S. A bubbly, sexy, fun-filled send-up of secret-agent espionage movies, action thrillers, wild parties, and teen angst. Director Angela Robinson and producer Andrea Sperling will attend the screening. Andrea Sperling will receive the Wolfe Career Achievement Award prior to the screening.
The 10-day festival includes the What Girls Like and What Boys Want Programs, both featuring an exhilarating assortment of US and international short films.
The 15th Anniversary Tribute to Strand Releasing whose award winning queer titles have included: "The Living End", "Grief", "Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss", "Frisk", "Psycho Beach Party", "Innocence" and many others will take place on April 24th at the Regal Cinemas with a presentation to founders Marcus Hu and Jon Gerrans.
The 5th Annual Planetout.com Short Film Awards, judged by industry professionals in the cities of Los Angeles, Miami, New York and San Francisco is sponsored by PlanetOut.com and presented by MGLFF and PlanetOut.com, honoring the best in Queer short films featuring Documentary, Experimental, Animation, Drama, and Comedy categories. The PlanetOut.com Short Film Award Winners 2004 will be screened on April 25th at the Regal Cinemas South Beach.
Last years Festival award winners included Die, Mommie Die (Best Feature), All About My Father (Best Documentary), Hard Fat (Best Short-Britto Award), Politics of Fur (Special Jury Award -Britto Award) and Tipping the Velvet (Audience Award).
FEATURES/DOCUMENTARIES
2004 MIAMI GAY & LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL
- "12 Horas" (12 Hours) by Raul Marchand-Sanchez
(Puerto Rico - Miami Premiere)
- "Adored: Diary of a Male Porn Star" by Marco Filiberti
(Italy - Florida Premiere)
- "A Thousand Clouds of Peace" by Julian Hernandez
(Mexico - East Coast Premiere)
- "Anonymous" by Todd Verow
(US - North American Premiere)
- "Bola de Nieve: El Hombre Triste que Cantaba Alegre"
(Bola de Nieve: The Sad Man That Always Sang Happy) by Jose Sanchez-Montes
(Cuba / Mexico / Spain - East Coast Premiere)
- "Brother to Brother" by Rodney Evans
(US - East Coast Premiere)
- "Cachorro" (Bear Cub) by Miguel Albaladejo
(Spain - North American Premiere)
- "Callas Forever" by Franco Zeffirelli
(France / Italy / Spain - Florida Premiere)
- "Cowboys & Angels" by David Gleeson
(Ireland- Florida Premiere)
- "Dangerous Living: Coming Out in the Developing World" by John Scaglotti
(US - Florida Premiere)
- "D.E.B.S." by Angela Robinson
(US - East Coast Premiere)
- "Dias de boda" (Wedding Days) by Juan Pinzas
(Spain)
- "Garden" by Adi Barash & Ruthie Shatz
(Israel - East Coast Premiere)
- "Ghostlight" by Christopher Herrmann
(US - Florida Premiere)
- "Glitter Girls: Transexuals in the Raw" by Hedda Muskat
(US - World Premiere)
- "Inescapable" by Helen Lesnick
(US - World Premiere)
- "Juchitan de las locas" (Juchitan Queer Paradise) by Patricio Henriquez
(Canada / Mexico - South Florida Premiere)
- "Key West: City of Colors" by Talmadge Hayward
(US - East Coast Premiere)
- "Laughing Matters" by Andrea Meyerson
(US - South Florida Premiere)
- "Make a Wish" by Sharon Ferranti
(US - World Premiere)
- "Mango Kiss" by Sascha Rice
(US - South Florida Premiere)
- "Merci Docteur Rey" by Andrew Litvack
(US - South Florida Premiere)
- "Naked Fame" by Christopher Long
(US- World Premiere)
- "Out im Kino" by Manuela Kay
(Germany - North American Premiere)
- "Paternal Instinct" by Murray Nossel
(US - South Florida Premiere)
- "Proteus" by John Greyson
(Canada /' Netherlands - Florida Premiere)
- "Rasberry Reich" by Bruce LaBruce
(Germany - East Coast Premiere)
- "Robin's Hood" by Sara Millman
(US - South Florida Premiere)
- "Straight-Jacket" by Richard Day
(United States - East Coast Premiere)
- "Straight Out: Stories from Iceland" by Desmond Gumbs
(Iceland - Florida Premiere)
- "The Iron Ladies II" by Yongyoot Thongkongtoon
(Thailand - North American Premiere)
- "The Road to Love" by Remi Lange
(France - South Florida Premiere)
- "Transfixed" by Francis Girod
(France - Florida Premiere)
SHORTS
2004 MIAMI GAY & LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL
- "Afterschool Delight" by Eve Bregman
(US - South Florida Premiere)
- "All Over Brazil" by David Andrew Ward
(UK - East Coast Premiere)
- "bobbycrush" by Cam Archer
(US - Florida Premiere -First Prize Experimental Winner - 2004 Planet Out.com Short Film Award)
- "Burl's" by Maryam Karimi
(US - East Coast Premiere)
- "Carisma" by David Planell
(Spain - North American Premiere)
- "Con que la lavare?" by Maria Trenor
(Spain -North American Premiere)
- "crush" by R.J. Spencer
(US- World Premiere)
- "D.E.B.S." by Angela Robinson
(US - Encore Screening of Planetout.com Grand Prize Winner 2003)
- "ex" by Julie Kalceff
(Australia - East Coast Premiere)
- "Fotostar" by Michele Andina
(Czech Republic - East Coast Premiere)
- "Hummer" by Guinevere Turner
(US - East Coast Premiere)
- "Hung Up" by Jonah Markowitz
(US - East Coast Premiere)
- "Isn't It Obvious" by Michelle Prevost
(US - South Florida Premiere - First Prize Documentary Winner - Planet Out.com Short Film Award)
- "Lipstick" by Michael Apted
(US - South Florida Premiere)
- "Looking for Mr. Right" by David M. Young
(US - Florida Premiere)
- "Love and Deaf" by Adam Baran
(US - World Premiere)
- "Love Never Dies" by Frank Aron Gardso & Eirik Tyrihjel
(Norway - North American Premiere)
- "Lucky Bugger" by Matthew Fox
(UK - East Coast Premiere)
- "Night Life" by Steve Hutton
(US - World Premiere- First Prize Animation Winner - Planet Out.com Short Film Award)
- "O Cueca Cor-de-rosa" (Pink Underwear) by Ramon Navarro
(North American Premiere)
- "Oedipus n +1" by Eric Rognard
(France - North American Premiere)
- "Olive" by Neasa Hardiman
(Ireland - North American Premiere)
- "Play Date" by Elise Hurwitz
(US - South Florida Premiere)
- "Powerplay" by Greg Lawson
(Netherlands - US Premiere)
- "Repodyke" by Tucker Doherty
(Canada - South Florida Premiere)
- "Sadie's Daydream" by E.E. Cassidy
(US - East Coast Premiere)
- "Same Difference" by Harry Richards
(UK- South Florida Premiere)
- "Santero Carlos" by Xavier-Daniel
(Spain - East Coast Premiere)
- "Seventy" by Q. Allan Brocka
(US - South Florida Premiere- First Prize Comedy Winner - 2004 Planet Out.com Short Film Award)
- "Sink or Swim" by Amalia Atkins
(Canada - US Premiere)
- "StandBy" by Tony Osso
(US - South Florida Premiere- First Prize Drama Winner - 2004 Planet Out.com Short Film Award)
- "Sterilized Cherry" by Susan Choi
(Korea - South Florida Premiere)
- "Stuck" by Jamie Babbit
(US - Encore Screening Planetout.com Grand Prize Winner 2002)
- "Summer Brunch" (Summer Zmorge) by Samira Zingaro
(Sweden - North American Premiere)
- "The Bourne Identity Crisis" by Lara Wood
(US - East Coast Premiere)
- "The Little Black Boot" by Colette Burson
(US - East Coast Premiere - Grand Prize Winner - 2004 Planet Out.com Short Film Award)
- "The Nearly Unadventurous Life of Zoe Cadwaulder" by Buboo Kakati
(US - East Coast Premiere)
- "This Boy" by Amy Burt
(Canada - US Premiere)
- "Two Minutes After Midnight" by Seamus Rea
(UK - East Coast Premiere)
- "Vamonos" (Let's Go Away) by Paco Diaz Aguilar
(Spain - North American Premiere)
- "Unravel" by Claudia Molina
(Canada - East Coast Premiere)
- "Welcome to Life" by Jowan Carbin
(US -East Coast Premiere)
- "Where the Girls Are" by Jennifer Arnold & Tricia Cooke
(US - East Coast Premiere)
- "xx to xy fighting to be Jake" by Emily Atef
(Germany - Florida Premiere)
The sponsors of the 6th Annual Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival include HBO, Absolut, Regal Entertainment Group, Avis Rent-a-Car, The National Hotel, Clear Image Creative Group, Party 93.1 FM, HERE! TV, Sundance Channel, Comcast, Tylenol PM, Johnson & Johnson, Reach Power Flosser, Genre, Jet Blue, Passport Magazine, The Alfred I. Dupont Building, Miami New Times, Beaulieu Vineyard, Perrier, Air Canada, The Express, PlanetOut.com, Gay.com, The Abbey Hotel, Indian Creek Hotel, Words on the Beach among many others. The Festival also receives generous support from the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Miami Beach Cultural Arts Council, the Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority, the Gay & Lesbian Foundation of South Florida and the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival.
For screening tickets call MGLFF at 305-573-1044 or online at www.mglff.com.
