Reel Affirmations: The Nation's LGBT Film Festival 2009

What a crazy day - first mourning Farrah Fawcett, then hearing from a crazy on MUNI that Michael Jackson had died.

And I have the flu - this has turned into one rollercoaster of a festival ride.

So I'm stuck in the apartment, unable to get off the couch - raging fever, achy joints and all - and I'm just struck at how many memories of Michael Jackson keep washing over me.

Sometimes, especially as I get older, I find it difficult to justify my lifelong love affair with pop culture - both high and low.
But watching all these Michael Jackson videos, it hits me again just how strongly pop culture affects our lives.

I mean, come on - We are the World. What a coming together of great minds for a great cause.

And just when you think that pop culture triumphs, I think of everyone in DC - all those idealistic do-gooders who are trying to achieve the same thing that MJ's videos illustrated - a beautiful world free of prejudice and full of childlike joy.

OH, and here's one more thing before I sign off because I really am sick and rambling.



Look up the word "anticipation" in the dictionary, and there should be a picture of Michael Jackson.
Every one of his videos has an incredible lead-up - often a good 2 minutes before the actions starts.

From Eddie Murphy and Magic Johnson trying to please a bored Queen Nefertiti, to the walk home from the movies in Thriller - they're a study in what he did best - teasing us with the promise of his genius. His gifts to us unveiled themselves slowly - a zombie emerging from a manhole, black panther morphing into Michael dancing. The impact of Man in the Mirror doesn't hit until halfway through - it takes him that long to transition from the personal to the global. But when he does, the devastation is profound and complete - we're left sobbing at the starving children, lost hope and broken promises that littered the 80s.
In "The Way You Make Me Feel", the sexual aggression is there, but in the most Jackson-esque way - childlike and performed at a distance. Sex isn't the object - never being alone is the holy grail.


He unveiled himself slowly, in so many ways. Even at his most shocking, he gave the world just enough to keep us coming back for more. What a performer. What an artist.
Sigh.....

Yesterday was, in many ways, more emotional than any day at a film festival should be.
Started out with an early afternoon screening of Edie and Thea: A Very Long Engagement.
I missed the first 20 minutes, but there were already sniffles to be heard from the audience by the time I arrived.
By the end of the film, which details the 42 yr. love affair between the two women, there wasn't a dry eye anywhere.

It was like being at a matinee screening of Terms of Endearment.
They're beautiful, they dance in a wheelchair and they finally got married. I would love to blast this film into every single church in the entire world and show the haters just how full, rich and loving a gay relationship can be.

Next up was Greek Pete, a surprisingly tender tale of London rent boys. Tender yes, but pretty graphic -perfect!

And that's just the beginning of yesterday's lovefest!

One of my favorite films ever is My Left Breast, by Gerry Rodgers, in which she bravely documents her diagnosis of breast cancer, then her treatment, mascectomy and chemo sessions.
It's one of the most compelling films I've ever seen and I consider her one of my heroes.

Well, my mom is undergoing a mascectomy today and I'm a bit stressed about the whole thing. (And this does tie into the festival, I swear).

Our puppy, Barksdale, also had to be rushed to the vet yesterday after eating a takeout pizza sized hole in our bedroom quilt. Thank God our friend Hannah is with him, but it was still crazy juggling calls from my mom, the vet, and Hannah, plus trying to get the lowdown on the transtastic party, all while trying to touch base with filmmakers at the lounge yesterday afternoon.

I'd finally talked to all the vets, technicians, and family members that I needed to and headed back in to update Leesil.

Leesil, in her very quiet way, usually attracts a crowd, and true to form - there was a coterie of women hanging out when I got back to our table. One of them, a beautiful older lady with the most beatific smile I've ever seen, asked "How's your dog?" and I proceeded to tell her while simultaneously trying to get Leesil's attention so that she could learn all about intestinal blockage and the absorbent qualities of cotton.

As I'm politely fielding questions from everyone (have you seen my film, would you like a screener, what kind of puppy is he, are you going to the Swedish party tonight?) and surreptitiously trying to reach for my cocktail, it somehow registers that the woman with the beautiful smile is Gerry Rodgers, my left breast hero!

I somewhat dramatically fall into her embrace and stammered out my worries about my mom. (I'm sure she's used to this by now).
After telling me that her whole family now calls themselves "The Young and the Breastless" because they've all had mascectomies, I began to feel a bit better. (Plus I'd finally reached my drink).

Everyone eventually scattered to their respective screenings and we headed off to meet our friend KJ (former curator at NMWA), for the trans party and Trans TV program.

And then MORE love - this of the indy, DIY kind. The entire program was a cheeky mash note to SF's queer community, with dykes, dicks and enough identity politics to make your head spin!
Saw Silas Howard (By Hook or Crook, Tribe 8) and Lynn Breedlove there, and fell in love with the talent of Actor Slash Model, who sang, wrote, acted and directed one of my favorite films in the program: Queer Teen Romance.
Oh, and met Jules, director of Against A Trans Narrative, which I've been dying to see.

All in all, enough film, emotion and love to fill an entire day.

Today, we're taking the afternoon off to go hiking with some friends from Tampa, Andrew and Jessica.
But we'll be back in time for this evening's screenings - never fear.

"Making the Boys" should be required viewing - for everyone. What keeps it from sliding into "where are they now" territory is that this film is such a controversial part of our history. I'd never considered that it came out at precisely the right moment to ensure it's instant vilification - directly on the heels of the Stonewall riots.
Making the Boys is a documentary on the history of Boys in the Band, in case that wasn't clear.
Sorry.. it has been an incredibly long day of film watching.

Even the toughest dykes here came out crying at the end of the screeing.
It's a must see - look for it in October!
mm