Out to the Movies: Eastern PA Gay & Lesbian Film Festival This Weekend

It's one more sign of the growth and acceptance of diversity in Northeast Pennsylvania: A gay and lesbian film festival.

The Eastern Pennsylvania Gay & Lesbian Film Festival will be held Friday through Sunday at various venues. In fact, the county seats of both Luzerne and Lackawanna counties will share the hosting duties of the inaugural fest, with films being shown in theaters in both downtown Scranton and Wilkes-Barre.

John Dawe, executive director of the sponsoring organization says this 'tour format' was selected because the Rainbow Alliance is a regional organization.

"We wanted to give opportunities for people across the region to attend some part of the festival. If you can't make it down to Wilkes-Barre or up to Scranton, we hope you'll attend at an event in your home county," said Dawe.

The festival will include a selection of films and shorts, a few from NEPA natives.

"... this is our first time doing a film event. We wanted to keep it as simple as possible, and solicited films from filmmakers that we knew who had done GLBT-themed films. We also partnered with the Community Film Project," said Dawe.

Dawe explains the collection of films is not just geared toward a gay and lesbian audience-there are themes in each movie applicable to everyone. Even, lessons.

"We think we've programmed films that will appeal to a diverse audience. Saint of 9/11 for example-- it will be meaningful for teens and senior citizens- and you don't have to be GLBT either," he explained.

The critically-acclaimed Saint of 9/11 is about a friar and chaplain of the Fire Department of New York City who died the day of the World Trade Center attacks. Rolling is a film about drug abuse. Steam Cloud Rising is a story about love-- and a nuclear power plant. The short comedy Red/Blue is a story a young lesbian faced with a choice. Gay Pioneers explores early GLBT activism and Justice for ALL tackles the judicial system.

The weekend-long festival kicks off with Shorts in Scranton, co-sponsored by the Community Film Project. In fact, one of the GLBT-themed shorts was a CFP project and was perhaps a mini-predecessor to the Eastern PA Gay & Lesbian Film Fest. Red/Blue, a comedy/drama about an 18-year-old lesbian deciding to come out, was premiered at the 2006 Rainbow Alliance Summer Soiree.

"It's a gay-themed movie, and filmed in part at the 12 Penny Saloon in Moosic. Our organization provided a large number of the extras in the film. We saw there was lots of interest and things went from there," said Dawe.

In addition to Red/Blue and Gay Pioneers (produced by WHYY), nine CFP films will be shown. These shorts, each between four and 12 minutes are of various genres including comedy, suspense, drama and even animated. One highlight is President Swap, a parody of TV's Wife Swap where President Bush trades places with a Saved by the Bell Fan Club president.

The festival continues Saturday with a matinee showing of Steam Cloud Rising and an evening show of Justice for ALL and Rolling. Sunday begins earlier with a worship service, followed by a lunch and then a matinee of Saint of 9/11.

For $25, folks can purchase a pass to attend all movies, the lunch and the after-party event. Sold separately, movie tickets are $8 each. A Sunday only pass, which includes lunch and movie admission is $10.

For more details about the movies, see the sidebar. Better yet, get a sneak peak with trailers and snippets of each movie at nepafilms.com and communityfilmproject.org.

When asked what he hopes people will feel after exiting the theaters, watching one, some or all of these movies, he responded, "We have our motto, 'Learn, Grow, Understand.' We hope each of these goals are met by attending this festival."

The Eastern Pennsylvania Gay & Lesbian Film Festival Schedule

FRIDAY
Shorts in Scranton, 7:00 p.m.
Semian & Gress, 400 Spruce St., Scranton

SATURDAY- all shows at R/C Theater's Wilkes-Barre Movies 14
Afternoon Matinee- 2:00 p.m.
Steam Cloud Rising. (feature)

Evening Show
6:30 p.m.-Justice for ALL (short)
7:00 p.m.- Rolling (feature)

After Party
10:00 p.m.- Twelve Penny Saloon, Moosic

SUNDAY
11:30 a.m.- Ecumenical Worship Service, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church

12:00 p.m.- Festival Luncheon, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church

1:15 p.m. - Saint of 9/11 (feature), R/C Theatre's Wilkes-Barre Movies 14

TICKETS
$25 per person for all events, includes all three days of film events, parties, and cover charges. (Student and senior citizens passes are $17.50)

$10- Sunday only, includes luncheon and film screening of Saint of 9/11

(Individual film events are $8.00 per person.)

Call 570-606-4410 or order online at nepafilms.com.

THE PREVIEWS

The Feature Films

Rolling, Screenplay by former Scranton resident, Cody Parrish Thompson
www.rollingmovie.com

Rolling, "the feel good movie of the year" examines seven diverse individuals whose lives all cross paths in the Ecstasy-riddled L.A. underground party scene. Rolling is a turbulent journey that takes a tough yet entertaining look at this unique drug phenomenon. With the pace and style of a documentary, the 99-minute feature film captures the essence of Ecstasy culture, exposing the delicate balance of relationships and responsibilities with chasing this drug-induced euphoria.

Rolling won Best Feature at the 2007 San Francisco Independent Film Festival.

Saint of 9/11
www.saintof9-11.com

The documentary Saint of 9/11 presents the life story of Father Mychal Judge, a gay Franciscan priest and FDNY chaplain who lost his life in the World Trade Center attacks. Saint of 9/11 is narrated by Sir Ian McKellen and weaves interviews with friends, colleagues, congregates, the poor, AIDS victims, firemen, President Clinton and leaders of the gay Catholic movement, all who talk about how their lives were made better by Father Mychal's example of loving and serving others before yourself.

Saint of 9/11 was winner of best documentary at the 2006 International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival in Philadelphia and an official selection of the 2006 Tribeca Film Fest and 2006 Montreal Film Fest. LA Weekly called the film, "Magnificent."

Steam Cloud Rising, by Harrisburg's Eric Spaar
www.ericpictures.com

Steam Cloud Rising tells the story of popular and athletic Hugh, who struggles to contain his true sexual identity at a high school in the 70's. Hugh also fights to get the town's nuclear power plant to disclose the truths of its releases. Ultimately, both have a meltdown. Based on actual events relating to the Three Mile Island nuclear accident in Middletown, Pa.

The Shorts:

Gay Pioneers- produced in collaboration with PBS-affiliate WHYY, Gay Pioneers documents the first organized gay and lesbian civil rights demonstrations in the late 60s.

Justice for ALL- Produced by the HRC, Justice for ALL informs diverse groups about the importance of a fair and balanced judiciary.

Red/Blue- examines a young woman's decision to come out or succumb to societal pressures to "play straight" and marry her ex-boyfriend.

Heynabonics- NEPA as a second language.

The Ghost of Kingston Hall- Teens get more than they bargained for when they meet the ghost of Kingston Hall.

The Entity- The past comes back for revenge.

President Swap- Animated parody of the "Wife Swap" TV Show where President Bush switches places with the President of the "Saved by the Bell" fan club.

Clara- Haven't you ever just wanted a do over...

Mr. Poopypants- It's late and George has to go.

Alright- A guy and a gal discover what its like to be more than friends.

Love Sam- Young woman copes with the tragic loss of her sister.