London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival 2009: DREAM BOY, SOCIETY
London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival 2009
Monday, April 6, highlights
Schedule and synopses from the LLGFF website
"Home"
An international selection of films exploring the idea of home.
Lot’s Wife
Turkey 2008. Dir Harjant Gill, Koray Durak. 9min.
A reworking of the biblical story of Lot’s wife, set in the outskirts of Istanbul, where three uncles intend to break up a happy home.
Boxed In
USA 2007. Dir Joy E. Reed. 10min.
A comedy demonstrating the importance of clearing out your closet when you move home.
The Turkey
France 2008. Dir Anna Margarita Albelo. 10min.
A wife and mother runs off with her battery operated birthday present.
Two Spirits
USA 2007. Dir Ruth Fertig. 22min.
Queer Native Americans fight to reclaim the place of honour they once held.
The Occult in my Mother’s Home
UK 2008. Dir Patrick Staff. 8min.
Behind closed doors, a lonely teen seeks answers from the universe.
James
Northern Ireland 2008. Dir Connor Clements. 17min.
The answers James seeks will never be found at home. Will he find them at school?
Dream Boy
| Directed by: | James Bolton |
| Cast: | Stephan Bender, Maximillian Roeg, Diana Scarwid |
| Distributor: | Peccadillo Pictures |
| Country: | USA |
| Year: | 2008 |
| Running time: | 90min |
In the isolated surroundings of rural Louisiana, Nathan is the new kid in town. Shy and introspective, Nathan keeps to himself, but it is not long before he notices Roy, the boy next door. Offering to help Roy with his homework, Nathan becomes increasingly fascinated with his confident neighbour, and the two soon begin a tentative love affair. Based on the novel by Jim Grimsley, what begins as a seemingly traditional story of young gay love, takes some surprising turns along the way, ultimately ending up a far darker and more rewarding prospect that one might first imagine. Director James Bolton sensitively handles the material, and invokes a fine air of mystery during the film’s intriguingly abstract conclusion. Commendable too are the young male leads, Bender and Roeg, who expertly capture a time of adolescent discovery and uncertainty. Michael Blyth
Society
| Directed by: | Vincent Moloi |
| Cast: | Zandile Msutwana, Sibulele Gcilitshana, Lele Ledwaba |
| Country: | South Africa |
| Year: | 2007 |
| Running time: | 90min |
Sprinkled with humor and pathos, Society is an ensemble drama about four black women who live, love, and work in contemporary Johannesburg: Akua, a successful businesswoman preoccupied with boy toys; Inno, a melodramatic weathergirl pining for celebrity; Lois, a pregnant doctor with a drinking problem; and Beth, a closeted schoolteacher living with her sexy butch girlfriend. Girlhood friends from school, they are reluctantly reunited by the death of a friend. Although each woman pretends her life is fabulous, hidden truths emerge to force the women to confront their lives. A lighthearted urban chick flick à la Sex in the City, Society is a testament to the uplifting power of friendships and the importance of being true to oneself. Written and produced by female duo Lodi Matstela and Makgano Mambola, it is an edited version of the eponymous mini-series that captivated audiences with the first lesbian relationship on South African television. Kyle Stephan
Voodoo Woman
| Directed by: | Carolina Valencia |
| Country: | Canada |
| Year: | 2008 |
| Running time: | 50min |
A filmmaker is shooting a ritual for his documentary on the Afro-Caribbean religious tradition of Santería in Cuba when suddenly the priest gets a message from the Gods for him. They say he has a female soul. The documentary then becomes the story of the director’s transition from male to female, and her embracing of the spirituality and mysticism of Santeria. Told with honesty, curiousity and dry humour, this is an utterly compelling exploration of identity and faith which recognises that gender transition is often messy and awkward. Despite swapping direction part way through and seeming to follow many paths, the journey Voodoo Woman takes us on is a simple one – the director’s personal quest to be true to herself. Jason Barker
London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival 2009: APRES LUI, FUCKING DIFFERENT TEL AVIV
London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival 2009: BANDAGED, 57000 KM BETWEEN US
London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival 2009: BURN THE BRIDGES, CAMPILLO, YES I DO
London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival 2009: GHOSTED, THE AMERICAN SOLDIER
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Tags: Anna Margarita Albelo, Carolina Valencia, Diana Scarwid, Dream Boy, Film Festivals, Gay Film Festivals, Gay Interest, Harjant Gill, James Bolton, Jim Grimsley, Koray Durak, London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, London Screenings, Lot's Wife, Maximillian Roeg, Shorts, Society, Stephan Bender, Transgender, Vincent Moloi, Voodoo Woman
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