Out Film CT, organizer of the CT Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, and EROS (Encouraging Respect Of all Sexualities), the Trinity College student organization, present the 10th EROS Film Festival from Nov. 5th through the 9th. As always with this Film Festival, there will be an eclectic mix of films and documentaries, old favorites and exciting new works that will appeal to all LGBT film lovers. Here is this year’s line-up:
The Art of Being Straight (Wednesday, 11/5 @ 7:30 p.m.) – After moving to Los Angeles for a fresh start, ladies-man John is surprised when a male executive at his new job makes a pass at him. The problem is, he liked it! The Art of Being Straight explores one man’s unexpected search for identity with both comic honesty and warm insight that rings true for anyone who has ever questioned the lines of sexual attraction.
Vivere (Thursday, 11/6 @ 7:30 p.m.) – On Christmas Eve, Francesca's little sister runs away to Rotterdam with her musician boyfriend. On the way to find her, Francesca picks up Gerlinde, a suicidal lovesick woman. Now she has two lives to save. With the paths of three lost souls criss-crossing in Rotterdam, it soon is hard to tell who is saving whom. In German with English subtitles.
Breakfast with Scot (Friday, 11/7 @ 7:30 p.m.) – This touching comedy tells the story of a very 'straight' gay couple. Eric and Sam are living the good life: happy, healthy, devoted to each other and their careers. However, their comfortable world is turned upside down when the mother of swishy 11-year old Scot suddenly dies, leaving Eric and Sam as temporary guardians. Will they be able to gently nudge Scot away from scented hand cream and all things pink, towards a more 'acceptable' pastime – hockey?
Pageant (Friday, 11/7 @ 9:30 p.m.) – Pageant takes you behind the scenes as 52 ordinary gentlemen go to extraordinary lengths in order to be crowned the 34th Miss Gay America®. Pageant features stunning musical numbers, while diving into the heart and soul of this make-believe world: the men behind the makeup. Everybody has a dream; these men are making theirs a reality.
Red Without Blue (Saturday, 11/8 @ 2:30 p.m.) – An honest portrayal of a family in turmoil, Red Without Blue follows a pair of identical twins as one transitions from male to female. Captured over a period of three years, the film documents the twins and their parents, examining the Farley's struggle to redefine their family. Through its portrayal of these articulate and independent twins, each haunted by the painful experiences of their adolescence, the film questions normative standards of gender and identity – as Mark and Clair reassert their indescribable bond as identical twins. Filmmaker Brooke Sebold will be in attendance.
Searching 4 Sandeep (Saturday, 11/8 @ 7:30 p.m.) – Australian director Poppy Stockell is delighted when her "research" on a light-hearted look at lesbian Internet-dating leads to an unexpectedly deep connection with an English woman, Sandeep Virdi. However, their relationship is complicated by the reality that Sandeep is Sikh, lives at home with her conservative family, and has kept her sexuality a secret. Humorous and thoughtful, this documentary film explores the collision of love with ethnic, religious and sexual identity.
- presented with -
No Secret Anymore: The Times of Del Martin & Phyllis Lyon – A memorial screening of the award winning documentary: No Secret Anymore is the inspiring story of Del Martin & Phyllis Lyon, founders of the modern lesbian civil rights movement and partners in love and political struggle for half a century. A breathtaking personal/political history narrated by Kate Clinton. Delightful and illuminating!
Itty Bitty Titty Committee (Saturday, 11/8 @ 9:30 p.m.) – Part social commentary, part drama and part romantic comedy, Itty Bitty Titty Committee has a blast exploring social change and coming out. When we first meet Anna, she is working at a plastic surgeon's office and generally moping her way through her days. One night when leaving work, she catches Sadie spray-painting the front of the plastic surgeon's building. Instead of calling the cops, she and Sadie find common ground and Sadie recruits Anna into her group of radical feminists. In the end, the universality of the desire to be in a posse that can change the world is what truly elevates this engaging ride through the mosh-pit of 20-something girlie-activism.
The Laramie Project (Sunday, 11/9 @ 2:30 p.m.) – To honor the 10th anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s passing, we will be sharing a free screening of “The Laramie Project” - a groundbreaking film that recreates the efforts of a New York theatre troupe to shed light on a western town's loss of innocence following a hate crime perpetrated on a 21-year-old University of Wyoming student. Adapted from the acclaimed play of the same name, the film features an all-star cast.
For photos, directions and additional information, please visit the Out Film CT website: www.OutFilmCT.org.
EROS, which stands for Encouraging Respect of all Sexualities, is the gay/straight alliance at Trinity College. Members of EROS are committed to fostering awareness about issues of differing sexualities on campus, with the ultimate goal of creating a more tolerant environment for gays, lesbians, and bisexual students.
Out Film CT is a nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to presenting outstanding LGBT cinema and other theatrical events throughout the year, culminating in the 10-day Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Film Festival held each May/June in Hartford. As Connecticut's longest-running film festival, it has become a distinctive fixture in our state’s cultural landscape, bringing the community together to introduce, celebrate and rediscover the ideas and values that make the LGBT community unique.
www.OutFilmCT.org