14^th Annual EROS Film Festival - From Iran to Ganymede: Strange Encounters, Best Friends and Family Ties

Out Film CT, the organizer of Connecticut’s two annual LGBT film festivals, is pleased to announce the line-up for the 14^th EROS Film Festival, which takes place Nov. 7 – 11 at Cinestudio, on the campus of Trinity College. The event is sponsored by EROS (Encouraging Respect Of all Sexualities), Trinity’s gay/straight student alliance, and showcases a broad selection of LGBT feature films and documentaries that will appeal to all film lovers.  A free reception in the theater lobby, Nov. 9 at 6 p.m., will precede that evening’s 7 p.m. show.

If you’re looking for some lighthearted fun, check out Matt and Jenn’s hysterical efforts to make a baby the old fashioned way in Gayby, Tommaso’s pre-empted coming out in Loose Cannons, or the (mis)adventures of Karen as she stalks her estranged father in My Best Day. If you’re looking for a futuristic, comic book, interplanetary lesbian love story, be sure to check out Strange Frame. If you’re looking for something more serious, there’s Call Me Kuchu, a documentary from Uganda; the groundbreaking documentary, The Laramie Project; or edgy dramas like Four and Facing Mirrors.

“We always aim to find a diverse mix of film styles and genres, so that no matter what your taste in film, there’s something here for you,” said Festival Director Shane Engstrom. “Whether you’re looking for sci-fi, comedy, edgy drama, or a provocative documentary, you’ll find it at this year’s EROS Film Festival. These films depict a wide range of LGBT people, all trying to be true to themselves while finding their place in the world no matter what obstacles they might face.”

Here are all the details of the festival’s exciting line-up:

Facing Mirrors (Wednesday, 11/7 @ 7:30 p.m.)  Set in Iran, an unlikely and daring friendship develops between Rana and the transgender Eddie. Rana drives a cab to survive and pay off the debt that keeps her husband in prison. By chance, she picks up Eddie, who's on the run and desperately awaiting the passport he needs to leave the country. When the religious and inexperienced Rana learns the truth about her wealthy passenger, conflicts arise. But perhaps they could help each other out of their dire situations.

Gayby (Thursday, 11/8 @ 7:30 p.m.)  Back by popular demand! Gayby won the Audience Award at the 2012 Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.  If you missed it the first time around, or want to see it again, here’s your chance to laugh out loud as gay Matt and straight best friend Jenn attempt to have a baby together the old fashioned way. The movie includes a cast of hysterical friends, sidekicks and potential love interests.

My Best Day (Friday, 11/9 @ 7 p.m.)  Karen can't believe that she has to work her receptionist gig on a gorgeous Fourth of July. Then a call comes from her long-lost father. Enlisting her janitor friend Meagan to help, Karen investigates her father's trailer park home. She stumbles across her gambling-addicted half-sister, a half-brother tortured by grade school bullies, a sketchy but charming buddy "just sleeping on the couch" and a potential lover in jail. So who’s best day is it? We’ll leave it to you to decide.

Loose Cannons (Friday, 11/9 @ 9 p.m.)  Funny, charming and set in beautiful Italy, you can’t go wrong with Loose Cannons. Tommaso is the youngest son of the Cantones, a large, traditional southern Italian family that has run a pasta-making business since the 1960s. On a trip home from Rome, where he studies literature and lives with his boyfriend, Tommaso decides to tell his parents the truth about himself. But when he is finally ready to come out in front of the entire family, his older brother Antonio announces a surprise of his own.

Call Me Kuchu (Saturday, 11/10 @ 2:30 p.m.)  David Kato is Uganda's first openly gay man. He and his fellow activists work against the clock to defeat a new bill that threatens to make homosexuality punishable by death. No one is prepared for the brutal murder that shakes the movement to its core and sends shock waves around the world.  This hard-hitting documentary won the Berlin Teddy Award and the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival Audience Award. 

Four (Saturday, 11/10 @ 7 p.m.)  On a Fourth of July in Hartford, a young man (Emory Cohen, Smash) sneaks out of his house for an encounter with Joe (Wendell Pierce, The Wire, Treme), an older, married African-American man he met online. Meanwhile, a teenage girl is trying to resist the affections of a drug-dealing suitor. As the night rolls on, the lives of these four characters intersect in surprising and sexy ways. Based on a play about the loneliness of being a gay teenager in early-90's Hartford.  Director Joshua Sanchez is expected to attend the screening.

Strange Frame (Saturday, 11/10 @ 9 p.m.)  If you’ve been waiting for the first lesbian science fiction rock 'n roll animated film, it’s here! Set at the end of the 28th century, the human race has long since abandoned a desolate Earth. In order to survive, humanity has been using genetic engineering to adapt to otherworld environments, to the point where changing one's skin color or gender has become commonplace. On the moon Ganymede, saxophonist Parker and guitarist Naia develop a close relationship which allows them to perform as one.

The Laramie Project (Sunday, 11/11 @ 2:30 p.m.)  A fixture at the EROS Film Festival, The Laramie Project returns. The movie recreates a New York theatre troupe’s efforts to shed light on a western town's loss of innocence following the brutal murder of gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard. It’s based on hundreds of hours of testimony from people involved in the story of that murder - from Matthew's family and friends, to the policewoman who found the young man’s battered body, and the two young men found guilty of beating him to death. With a stellar cast that includes Christina Ricci, Steve Buscemi, Janeane Garofalo, Laura Linney and Peter Fonda, The Laramie Project is a harrowing, moving and hugely important monument to a dark day in our history that we should never forget. Matthew Shepard's friend Romaine Patterson is expected to attend to answer questions from the audience. Free admission for all.

When: Wednesday, Nov. 7 – Sunday, Nov. 12, 2012

Where: Cinestudio at Trinity College, 300 Summit St., Hartford, Conn.

Ticket Prices: $9 general admission; $7 students & seniors; FREE for Trinity Student & Staff with proper ID

Out Film CT is a nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to presenting outstanding LGBT cinema and other theatrical events throughout the year, culminating in the 9-day Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.  Connecticut's longest-running film festival holds a special place 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.  Mark your calendars for the 26^th Annual Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, May 31 – June 8, 2013. www.outfilmct.org