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Todd Holland, Don Roos, Gay Actors, and The Closet

First, openly gay film director Todd Holland (right) is accused of telling non-100% hetero performers to keep their sexuality hidden in the closet. Several days later, another openly gay film director, Don Roos, was reportedly even more blatant about the idea of keeping actors hanging in the closet. Adding insult to injury, those statements were made at a film festival named Outfest, Los Angeles’ annual gay & lesbian cinema smorgasbord.
Holland was quoted as saying that young gay actors "should stay in the closet." He later wrote a piece stating that his "damning words were: ‘If you are that .002 percent [of actors who may be superstar material] … I can’t tell you to come out."
"I never said stay [...]

Benjamin Bratt at LA MISSION Screening

Outfest 2009 kicked off on July 9 with a gala presentation of Peter Bratt’s La Mission at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles

Benjamin Bratt at the La Mission screening

Benjamin Bratt
Photos: Courtesy of Outfest

Outfest 2009 Winners

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 [...]

Outfest Awards 2009

2009 Outfest Awards
2009 Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Film Festival: July 9-19
2009 Outfest winners
 
JURY AWARDS

Outstanding U.S. Dramatic Feature Film
MISSISSIPPI DAMNED, Directed by Tina Mabry

Outstanding International Dramatic Feature Film
THE MAN WHO LOVED YNGVE, Directed by Stian Kristiansen

Outstanding Documentary Feature Film
OFF AND RUNNING, Directed by Nicole Opper

Outstanding Actor in a Feature Film
Derrick L. Middleton (above, left) in RIVERS WASH OVER ME

Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film
Laura Harring in DROOL

Outstanding Screenwriting
E.E. Cassidy and Bruce Pavalon, WE ARE THE MODS

Outstanding Documentary Short Film
FIRST AND LOVELISS, Directed by Shaun Kadlec & Deb Tullman

Outstanding Dramatic Short Film
THE BATH, Directed by Lee Mi-rang
 
AUDIENCE AWARDS

Outstanding Dramatic Feature Film
CHEF’S SPECIAL, Directed by Nacho G. Velilla

Outstanding Documentary [...]

Outfest 2009: AMERICAN PRIMITIVE, BIG LOVE, PORNOGRAPHY, DARE

Outfest 2009 hightlights on Sunday, July 19. Synopses from the Outfest website.

American Primitive (Sun, Jul 19th 5:00pm, FAIRFAX 1)
See Outfest July 11 highlights

God Only Knows: A Look at Big Love (Sun, Jul 19th 5:00pm, DGA 1)
Panels
(90 mins)
video
Bold, funny and wholly original, HBO’s Big Love explores the evolving institution of marriage in America through a typically atypical family. Creators/Executive Producers Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer have crafted three seasons of sophisticated, intriguing entertainment that remains utterly topical. Join Mark V. Olsen, Will Scheffer, Matt Ross (’Alby Grant’), Mary Kay Place (’Adaleen Grant’), Sandy Martin (’Selma Green’), additional members of the cast and moderator/Outfest programmer Alonso Duralde for an in-depth look at their groundbreaking [...]

Outfest 2009: PRAYERS FOR BOBBY, Boys Shorts, EATING OUT 3, Don Roos

Outfest 2009 hightlights on Sunday, July 19. Synopses from the Outfest website.

Prayers for Bobby (Sun, Jul 19th Noon, DGA 1)
(USA, 2009, 89 mins)
video
Directed By: Russell Mulcahy
SCR: Katie Ford (teleplay), Leory Aarons (book)
Prayers for Bobby is the story of Mary Griffith (Sigourney Weaver), a devout Christian who has raised her children with a conservative religious perspective. When her younger son, Bobby (Ryan Kelley), reveals to his older brother that he is gay, the entire family dynamic is irrevocably shifted. While Bobby’s father (Henry Czerny) and siblings slowly come to terms with his homosexuality, Mary turns to her steadfast beliefs in an attempt to cure her son. Alienated and quickly becoming more detached from the safety [...]

Outfest 2009: PORNOGRAPHY, MOTHERLAND, THE END OF LOVE

Outfest 2009 hightlights on Saturday, July 18. Synopses from the Outfest website.

The Baby Formula (Sat, Jul 18th 8:30pm, Ford Amphitheatre)
(Canada, 2008, 81 mins)
video
World Premiere
Directed By: Alison Reid
SCR: Richard Beattie
Athena and Lilith want to have a baby…and they’re looking to do it without a man! The ladies employ an experimental procedure that turns stem cells into sperm, allowing them to have a biological child. But when their relatives and a documentary crew find out, the couple’s domestic bliss is put to the test. Pregnant with humor and warmth, THE BABY FORMULA is a fresh take on what makes a family.
AFTER-PARTY: THE BOULEVARD LOUNGE, 1114 N. Crescent Heights, West Hollywood

Motherland (Sat, Jul 18th 9:00pm, [...]

Outfest 2009: CHEF’S SPECIAL, PTOWN DIARIES, Daniel Craig

Outfest 2009 hightlights on Saturday, July 18. Synopses from the Outfest website.

Chef’s Special / Fuera de Carta (Sat, Jul 18th 11:00am, DGA 1)
(Spain, 2008, 111 mins)
In Spanish with English subtitles
video
Directed By: Nacho G. Velilla
SCR: Nacho G. Velilla, Oriol Capel, Antonio Sanchez & David Sanchez
Gay type-A-plus chef Maxi (Javier Cámara, TALK TO HER) is too busy trying to run his chic restaurant and dreaming of a write-up in the Michelin guide to have a personal life. But when his estranged wife dies – leaving him two kids to raise – and a gorgeous Argentine soccer player (Benjamín Vicuña) moves in next door, Maxi may have to change the menu. This tasty Spanish comedy [...]

Outfest 2009: Gay Shorts, AND THEN CAME LOLA, HOLLYWOOD JE T’AIME, BOY

Outfest 2009 hightlights on Friday, July 17. Synopses from the Outfest website.

Steam by Eldar Rapaport (top); Vandals by Simon Steuri (middle); El Abuelo by Dino Dinco (bottom)

Safe Words (Fri, Jul 17th 7:00pm, FAIRFAX 1)
Shorts
Program Running Time is 92 min
Steam
Directed By: Eldar Rapaport
USA, 2009, 16 min
Moving between anxiety, reflection and fear, two strangers try to make sense of their predicament…stuck in a steam room. Heat increasing, they need to get out but can’t find the door. What is this place and how did they get here‾
The Island
Directed By: Trevor Anderson
Canada, 2009, 5 min
The filmmaker considers, with the help of animation, a piece of fan mail he received.
Vandals
[...]

Outfest 2009: TWO SPIRITS, DROOL, CITY OF BORDERS

Outfest 2009 hightlights on Thursday, July 16. Synopses from the Outfest website.

Drool (Thu, Jul 16th 7:00pm, DGA 1)
(USA, 2009, 84 mins)
video
Directed By: Nancy Kissam
SCR: Nancy Kissam
Part THELMA & LOUISE and part LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, DROOL is an irreverent dark comedy with delightful performances from bombshells Laura Harring (MULHOLLAND DR.) and Jill Marie Jones (GIRLFRIENDS). With an abusive husband, ungrateful kids and nothing else going for her, Anora’s life is rough. Things start looking up when she gets very friendly with her new neighbor, Imogene…until Anora’s husband walks in on them and ends up dead in a freak, yet karmically just, accident. The ladies hit the open road with two kids, one body and no [...]

Outfest 2009: PATRIK, AGE 1.5; BANDAGED, El niño pez

Outfest 2009 hightlights on Wednesday, July 15. Synopses from the Outfest website.

El niño pez / The Fish Child (Wed, Jul 15th 7:15pm, DGA 1)
(France , Spain , Argentina, 2009, 96 mins)
In Spanish with English subtitles
video
Directed By: Lucía Puenzo
SCR: Lucia Puenzo
Writer-director Lucía Puenzo won awards – including two prizes at Cannes – and critical acclaim all over the world for XXY, and now the Argentine filmmaker returns with a lesbian romance that’s also a Chabrol-esque mystery thriller and a scathing examination of class differences in the South American nation.
Lala (Inés Efron, whose performance has inspired comparisons to the early film roles of both Sissy Spacek and Chloë Sevigny), the privileged daughter of a [...]

Outfest 2009: MISSISSIPPI DAMNED, LUCKY BASTARD, FIONA’S SCRIPT

Outfest 2009 hightlights on Tuesday, July 14. Synopses from the Outfest website.

Ghosted (Tue, Jul 14th 7:00pm, LAEMMLE MONICA)
(Germany , Taiwan, 2009, 89 mins)
In English, Gernan, Mandarin with English subtitles
35mm
Directed By: Monika Treut
SCR: Astrid Stroner & Monika Treut
Legendary filmmaker Monika Treut (SEDUCTION: THE CRUEL WOMAN, FEMALE MISBEHAVIOR) returns to Outfest with a deftly crafted, mysterious love story. Sophie, a Hamburg-based visual artist, is haunted by the unexplained death of her beautiful Taiwanese girlfriend, Ai-ling. As Sophie attempts to come to terms with her grief, she encounters new intrigue when she meets Mei-Li, a relentless journalist who seems just as obsessed with uncovering the truth about Ai-ling as she is with seducing Sophie.

Make [...]

Outfest 2009: MR. RIGHT, CHOOSING CHILDREN, LION’S DEN, ANDER

Outfest 2009 hightlights on Monday, July 13. Synopses from the Outfest website.

Mr. Right (Mon, Jul 13th 7:00pm, FAIRFAX 1)
(UK, 2009, 95 mins)
video
World Premiere
Directed By: Jacqueline Morris
SCR: David Morris
What do a TV producer, a rugby player, two actors, a model and an artist have in common? Find out in MR. RIGHT, a delightful relationship dramedy from the brother/sister team of writer David Morris and director Jacqui Morris. As the boys hook up, break up and make up, they must get past the drama in order to find true happiness. A sentimental, sexy trip through London’s gay enclave Soho, MR. RIGHT just might be the one!

Lion’s Den (Mon, Jul 13th 7:00pm, LAEMMLE MONICA)
(Argentina, [...]

Outfest 2009: Bisex Shorts, John Hurt, RAGING SUN, RAGING SKY

Outfest 2009 hightlights on Sunday, July 12. Synopses from the Outfest website.

Bi-Definition by Kai Salim (top); Mano-a-Mano by Todd Strauss-Schulson (middle); Clearing the Air by David Morgasen (bottom)

Shorts Program: The Bro Job (Sun, Jul 12th 11:30am, DGA 1)
Program Running Time is 92 min
A Mate
Directed By: Teemu Nikki
Finland, 2007, 7 min
Pera wants to try something kinky in the bathroom, so he asks his mate to help him. However, Pera’s wife comes home a bit too soon.
The Watch
Directed By: Marco Berger
Argentina, 2008, 15 min
Two young men find a surprise connection during an impromptu sleepover.
Mano-A-Mano
Directed By: Todd Strauss-Schulson
USA, 2008, 5 min
Two dudes go head to head [...]

Outfest 2009: PRODIGAL SONS, GIVE ME YOUR HAND, BEFORE STONEWALL

Outfest 2009 hightlights on Saturday, July 11. Synopses from the Outfest website.

Before Stonewall (Sat, Jul 11th Noon, REDCAT)
(USA, 1984, 87 mins)
16mm
Directed By: Greta Schiller
From the sexual experimentation of the Roaring Twenties, to the scapegoating of homosexuals during the McCarthy era, to the development of the early homophile rights movement, BEFORE STONEWALL presents a unique portrait of the history of the U.S. homosexual experience. Using filmed recollections and a wealth of archival material from both the mass media’s portrayal of homosexuality and from the gay subculture’s own documentation, the film traces the social, political, and cultural development of the lesbian and gay community. The film features such notables [...]

Outfest 2009: Boys’ Shorts, TRAINING RULES, LION’S DEN, AMERICAN PRIMITIVE

Outfest 2009 hightlights on Saturday, July 11. Synopses from the Outfest website.

Teddy by Christopher Banks (top); Steeling Magnolias by The Vasco Brothers (middle); James by Connor Clements (bottom)

Boys’ Shorts (Sat, Jul 11th 11:00am, DGA 1)
Program Running Time is 96 min
Dish
Directed By: Brian Harris Krinsky
USA, 2009, 16 min
Emo kids Israel and Louie walk around their east Los Angeles neighborhood dishing about their high school classmates. After listening to Louie boast about his sexual escapades, Israel decides he has some catching up to do.
Teddy
Directed By: Christopher Banks
New Zealand, 2009, 13 min
Tony, a dyed-in-the-wool Londoner, travels 10,000 miles to rural New Zealand [...]

Outfest 2009: HANNAH FREE, MISCONCEPTIONS, COLLEGE BOYS LIVE, “Makin’ Moves”

Outfest 2009 hightlights on Friday, July 10. Synopses from the Outfest website.

Hannah Free (Fri, Jul 10th 7:00pm, DGA 1)
(USA, 2009, 88 mins) World Premiere
Directed By: Wendy Jo Carlton; scr: Claudia Allen
Romantic, touching and poignant, HANNAH FREE eloquently depicts a lifelong love affair between two very different women. Hannah (played as an older woman by the remarkable Sharon Gless) is adventurous and rebellious, while Rachel is content with a traditional small town life. They tell the stories of their lives – from mouth-watering apple pie to clandestine sex in the barn, from adventurous travels to an unbearable marriage, from a world war to deep family denial. Through a history spanning nearly 70 years, their love is the [...]

Outfest 2009: LA MISSION

Outfest 2009 kicks off with the Opening Night Gala screening of writer-director Peter Bratt’s La Mission on Thursday, July 9, at 8:00 pm at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. Starring Benjamin Bratt (above), Jeremy Ray Valdez, and Erika Alexander, La Mission tells the story of a tough ex-con attempting to come to grips with the fact that his teenage son is gay. Ticket prices range from $50 to $150.
Both Benjamin Bratt and Peter Bratt are expected to attend the screening, which will be preceded by a tribute to filmmaker Don Roos and followed by a party (open to all ticketholders) at Club 740.
The synopsis below is from Outfest:
"In San Francisco’s Mission District, reformed inmate [...]

Outfest 2009: Panels & Special Screenings

Before Stonewall (top); Sigourney Weaver, Ryan Kelley in Prayers for Bobby (middle); Zach Gilford in Dare (bottom)

Special Events and Panels at Outfest 2009 include q&a’s with the talent and creative teams of HBO’s drama Big Love (July 19 at 5:00pm at DGA 1) and Fox’s musical series Glee. Actors Matthew Morrison, Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Chris Colfer, and Jane Lynch, co-creator and writer Ian Brennan, and executive producer Dante Di Loreto will be present for the Glee q&a on Saturday, July 18 at 1:30pm at DGA 1.
Additionally, "Words, Pictures and Music," a panel discussion about musicals on the big screen, will feature Bill Condon (Chicago), [...]

Outfest 2009: Don Roos to Receive Achievement Award

Filmmaker Don Roos, probably best known for the dramatic comedy The Opposite of Sex, will be the recipient of this year’s Outfest Achievement Award.
Described as "Outfest’s highest honor" the Achievement Award "is presented in recognition of a body of work that has made a significant contribution to LGBT film and media." The award will be handed to Roos before the Opening Night Gala screening of Peter Bratt’s La Mission on Thursday, July 9, at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. Christina Ricci and Lisa Kudrow are scheduled to attend the presentation.
Don Roos will also be present to discuss his career on Sunday, July 19, at 2:45 pm at the DGA 2.
Among Roos’ screenplays are those [...]

Outfest 2009: PRODIGAL SONS

"I started out making a film about my adopted brother’s journey to discover his new lineage. It was undeniably a great story, a real-life fairy tale. I also felt guilty that life had been easy for me but not for Marc. I imagined that by celebrating his amazing tale I could ease his pain, and maybe heal our relationship. I thought I’d be making a film about the second chapter in our lives. Little did I know we weren’t done with the first.
"Anyone who has met Marc will tell you that you can’t tell his story without telling mine. Our rivalry growing up was the most important dynamic in his life, and remains so to this day. So I knew [...]

HOLLYWOOD, JE T’AIME: Q&A with Jason Bushman

Writer-director Jason Bushman’s feature-film debut, Hollywood, je t’aime was recently screened at the Los Angeles Film Festival. The tale of a Frenchman befriended by a handful of social outcasts while looking for Hollywood stardom, Hollywood je t’aime turned out to be a quirky, funny, touching revelation. The good news is that those who missed the film at LAFF will now get the chance to check it out at Outfest, where it’ll be screened on Friday, July 17, at 8:30 at the Ford Amphitheatre in Hollywood.
In Hollywood, je t’aime Eric Debets plays Jérôme Beaunez (pronounced "Bea-nie" by a clueless casting director), a befuddled blend of Jacques Tati, Buster Keaton, and Adrien Brody. ("Beaunez" literally means "Beautiful Nose.") After being dumped by [...]

Outfest 2009: TRAINING RULES Screening

Winner of the Audience Award for best documentary at San Francisco’s Frameline 2009, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Dee Mosbacher and Fawn Yacker’s Training Rules, about anti-lesbian discrimination in women’s sports, will be screened at Outfest, the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, on Saturday, July 11, at 4:30 p.m. at the Fairfax 1 in West Hollywood. Mosbacher, Yacker, and the film’s narrator, long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad, will take part in a discussion following the screening.
The 60-minute Training Rules focuses on the women’s basketball program at Pennsylvania State University, where in 2006 student athlete Jennifer Harris filed a lawsuit against the university and Lady Lions basketball head coach, Maureen “Rene” Portland (above, lower photo). [...]

Outfest 2009: Box Office Is Now Open

The Outfest 2009 box office is now open at the DGA
for will-call and ticket purchase.
Directors Guild of America (DGA)
7920 Sunset Blvd.
Hollywood 90046
In addition to purchasing tickets over the phone (213.480.7065) or online (outfest.org) you may purchase tickets in person.
Outfest 2009 DGA Box Office hours:
June 30-July 9 – 10:00am to 6:00pm daily (closed July 4)
July 9-July 19 – 11:00am to 10pm daily
Note: All ticket orders are available for pick-up at the DGA beginning today (no ticket orders are being mailed out this year). Outfest organizers "strongly encourage you to pick up ticket orders before the festival starts on July 9."
Will-call and ticket purchase will also be available [...]

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