The tale of a poor backwater family struggling against poverty, addiction, and assorted personal and social maladies, Tina Mabry's Mississippi Damned was the jury's pick for best U.S. narrative film at this year's edition of Outfest, Los Angeles' gay and lesbian film festival.
Among the other Outfest 2009 jury winners were Stian Kristiansen's The Man Who Loved Yngve, the late 1980s tale (written by Tore Renberg) about a Norwegian teenager who unexpectedly finds himself madly in love with a handsome tennis player, which was chosen as the festival's best international narrative feature; Nicole Opper's documentary Off and Running, about a young woman trying to discover the identity of her biological mother; and best actress Laura Harring and best actor Derrick L. Middleton, selected for their performances in, respectively, Drool and Rivers Wash Over Me.
The audience winner for best narrative feature was Nacho G. Velilla's Spanish comedy Chef's Special, starring Javier Cámara (above, right) as a top chef who suddenly finds himself having to take care of his two children while trying to come to terms with his attraction for a hunky new neighbor (Benjamín Vicuña).
Greta Olafsdottir and Susan Muska's Edie & Thea: A Very Long Engagement was the audience winner for best documentary. The film revolves around a lesbian couple who, after 42 years together, are about to get married.
Directed by E. E. Cassidy and written by Cassidy and Bruce Pavalon, We Are the Mods won the jury award for best screenwriting, in addition to audience awards for best U.S. first feature film and best soundtrack. We Are the Mods tells the story of a high-school student who falls for a mod gal, thus becoming part of the mod-iste circle.