Reel Affirmations: The Nation's LGBT Film Festival 2008

Benny is a rough kid who joins his friends in bullying the sensitive boy who enjoys drawing and the solitude of his tree-house. But the bullying turns to a secret friendship that is tested by their peers and their own feelings.

Come thrill to the best shorts – from all over the world – that our programming committee could find! Babysitting Andy What is fellatio? A precocious 9-year old is determined to get answers from her babysitters – a gay couple not exactly prepared to answer the question. Dir. Pat Mills, CANADA, 2007 11 mins. Kristy Young Kristy is determined to solve the irritating problem of her mother replacing her worn, but favorite, shirt in favor of skirts. Dir: Marcia Ong, USA, 2007, English, 7min. Café com Leite Twentysomethings Marcos and Danilo are happily planning a romantic vacation and their imminent cohabitation when unexpected events drive Lucas into Danilo’s bed. Can their relationship and plans survive tragedy, warm milk and sudden parenthood? Dir: Daniel Ribeiro, BRAZIL, 2007, 18 mins. Congratulations, Daisy Graham After teaching many generations of children in her beloved small town, 70 year old Daisy is slated for a lifetime award. Amidst the glory, though, all that concerns her is her own recent diagnosis, and her partner’s longstanding medical struggles. Dir: Cassandra Nicolaou, Canada, 2007, English, 15min. Cowboy Forever A Brazilian cowboy’s story of life, friendship, and finding yourself. Jean Baptiste Erreca, , FRANCE, 2006, 26 mins. No Bikini Darn wardrobe malfunctions! At seven years old, Robin decides to go without her bikini top at a summer camp – with surprising results! Dir: Claudia Morgado Escanilla, Canada, 2007, English, 9min. Look Again In love and determined to stay together, a young couple struggles with sudden work visa issues. Visits to attorneys may not be the best answer, though. And which partner is really in danger? Dir: Jennifer Lin, USA, 2007, English, 7min. F to M In F to M, a delightful mini doc about transitioning from female to male in the 60’s in France, we see the truth of transitioning. Dir. Sarah Claudon, France, 2006, English subtitles, 8min. A Marriage Like No Other A bickering couple is engrossed in their own, seemingly vital argument, until they find their neighbors’ life much more entertaining than their own. Dir. Anne De Lean, Canada, 2007, English, 5 min.

Love makes the world go round. At least that's what Marcel and Kyle believe, until they suddenly discover that love can alternatively flip the world upside-down. When certain elements are set into motion, they tend to stay in motion. Marcel and Kyle are deply in love - it was love at first sight, and even though they can't legally marry, they vow to find a way to make it work. Enter Sarah, their cute lesbian friend, who offer to marry Marcel so that he can stay in the USA with Kyle. Both of them are young and ambitious, and they are confident that together, they can overcome any obstacle, hurdle any barrier - including the appearance of Kyle's bad-news sister, April. A former prostitute who refuses to label herself sexually, April soon sets her steely eye on Marcel, determined to break apart the two lovers. April methodically drips poison into their happiness, all under the blind eye of her loving brother, who only sees a sister in need of guidance. A career mandated move to the West Coast separates the two young lovers, and they soon fall headlong into possessiveness, jealousy and rage; trapped in the tangled emotions found in that space between love and goodbye. Just how far will one of them go to put a stop to the madness? Watch the Trailer

Remarkably, because the Koran doesn't say anything on the subject, transsexuality isn't forbidden in Iran and transsexuals don't have to fear prosecution. In fact, Iran's trans-rights laws are more progressive than many European countries, including France and the UK. Since the 1976 fatwa issued by the Ayatollah Khomeini, which allows people with hormonal disorders to change sex if they wish, transsexuals don't have to fear prosecution and they even can change their birth certificates. Challenges remain though, in the traditional, religious Iranian society, which sees transsexuality still treated as a disease. In this searingly beautiful film, religious beliefs and societal norms are played out as we follow a young man in his process of becoming a woman through a transsexual operation in Iran, up to and beyond his operation. We meet his boyfriend, other transsexuals (among them, a woman becoming a man), the doctors, a priest and especially his family, highly devout, yet determined to allow their son his freedom to choose his gender. In Farsi with English subtitles AWARDS: Special Jury Prize; Documenta, Madrid Showtime Vanguard Award; Newfest, NY Special Mention; DOCS DF (Mexico) Best Human Rights Documentary on Human Rights; Docusur in Tenerife Jury Prize, Best Documentary; Jacksonville Film Festival

Boystown (Chuecatown) In this free-wheeling comedy of gentrification and social class, Victor (Pablo Puyol) is a suave realtor who'll stop at nothing to re-make the seedy Chueca neighborhood into an exclusive province of upscale boutiques, minimalist flats, and gym-toned muscle. His only obstacle: the elderly widows residing in the area's stately old apartments. When a rash of elderly women are found dead in their apartments, police are stumped, and suspicion soon falls on two working-class men, the lovable, driver's ed instructor (and marital wanderer) Leo and his under-employed boyfriend Rey. Bickering and squabbling their way through life, the two soon inherit one of the coveted apartments from a just murdered neighbor. Enter Antonia (Concha Velasco in a deliciously evil role) as she takes over the apartment at the urging of Leo, and soon undertakes a campaign to get rid of her son's boyfriend. In classic Spanish farce mode, everyone has sex with each other at decidedly inopportune times, there's a lot of inspired mayhem, anguish and mistaken identity and you find yourself laughing out loud at the machinations of both Victor and Antonia as they each do their best to ensure the ruin of our bumbling couple. Add a cranky detective (Rosa Maria Sarda) and her reluctant partner/son who HATES detective work, but LOVES the new neighborhood, and you have a comedy full of laugh-out-loud moments, camp humor and a surprisingly tender theme.

Opening Night Film and Party! Adapted from the novel by Michael Downing, Breakfast with Scot is a must-see comedy for cynics and romantics alike! Eric (Tom Cavanagh of the hit series ED, Scrubs, and Eli Stone) lives for all things hockey, manly and orderly.  Now in his thirties, he's managed to turn his stint as an ex- Toronto Maple Leaf star player into a full-time gig as commentator for sports TV. But when Eric's boyfriend Sam (Ben Shenkman of Angels in America and Law & Order) announces that they're to become temporary guardians of a young boy, Eric's comfortable world shatters.  Enter Scot - Ben's recently orphaned, swishy 11-year-old nephew -- and Eric's mirror opposite. Freaked out by Scot's 'joie de vivre,' Eric and Sam gently nudge Scot away from scented hand cream, frilly socks and all things pink, towards a more acceptable pastime - hockey.  But after Scot's disastrous first game, Eric begins to rethink the compromises he's made in his own life in order to be 'accepted.' Officially sanctioned by the NHL, BREAKFAST WITH SCOT represents the first time a professional sports league has allowed their logo and uniforms to be used in a gay-themed movie. Unabashedly romantic and feel-good, Breakfast with Scot will have the audience pulling out their hankies and shouting from the rooftops. Awards: Nominated: Noah Bernett; Best Performance in an International Feature Film Don't miss our Reel Affirmations Opening Night Party at town! Film only - $20 Film and Opening Night Party - $40 See reviews at: http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/10/10/movies/10scot.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/movies/la-et-brief8-2008oct08,0,5986956.story http://www.advocateinsider.com/2008/07/outfest-intervi.html

Children 8 and under free. Buddy G, My Two Moms and Me is an animated series about a five-year-old with two moms who loves science and uses a computer strapped to his arms to solve problems. In this episode, "Lost Rings," Buddy G and his best friend Owen learn the value of being truthful while picking up some facts about the science of metal detectors.

Twentysomethings Marcos and Danilo are happily planning a romantic vacation and their imminent cohabitation when unexpected events drive Lucas into Danilo's bed. Can their relationship and plans survive tragedy, warm milk and sudden parenthood?