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Subtitles galore and more
The 11th annual Tampa Bay International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival continues through Sunday with a bunch of foreign language films, several more in English and a street fair on Franklin Street Mall.
By STEVE PERSALL
© St. Petersburg Times, published October 12, 2000
Harsh truths and whimsical fantasy share the stage this weekend as the Tampa Bay International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival swings into its final four days.
The 11th annual cinematic celebration continues through Sunday at Tampa Theatre.
Closing-day events include a free screening at noon of Journey to a Hate-Free Millenium, a documentary of social intolerance, followed by a town meeting dealing with the subject locally. At 6:45 p.m., the mood lightens considerably with Psycho Beach Party, a film version of Charles Busch's stage play, a cult favorite.
Also on Sunday, Franklin Street Mall will become a bustling street fair of arts, crafts, music and political issues. Booths dedicated to those interests will be open from noon until 6 p.m. Free concerts with three Tampa Bay musical groups will be presented inside Tampa Theatre at 3 p.m.
Here's the schedule:
Today
7 p.m. -- Paragraph 175 was a Nazi Germany law making homosexuality a crime between 1933 and 1945, resulting in thousands of deaths in concentration camps. This documentary from Oscar-winning filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (The Times of Harvey Milk, The Celluloid Closet) includes interviews with eight survivors.
9:15 -- Return to Go! is a subtitled German comedy-drama about two gay roommates who each meet new lovers. One is an HIV-positive singer, another is a fine Diana Ross impersonator, the third is a painter and the fourth is a hunky male nurse. Together, they struggle to create a home.
Friday
6:45 p.m. -- A program of mystery and danger begins with Mercy, starring Ellen Barkin as a hard-nosed detective investigating murders in a dark sexual underworld. Peta Wilson (TV's La Femme Nikita) and Julian Sands (Boxing Helena, Warlock) co-star.
9:15 -- Meek, yet disturbed man (Dan Futterman, TV's Judging Amy) cruises gay nightclubs in John Shear's Urbania, a hit at the San Francisco film festival. Moody lighting and well-edited flashbacks eventually reveal the man's risky mission.
11:15 -- A woman known only as S. kills her unfaithful boyfriend and moves to Brussels, where she begins a lesbian affair. First-time actor Natali Broods earned praise for her quietly demented performance in the title role.
Festival program director Kelly Fry called S. a "disturbing" film, including graphic violence and sex. Flemish and English with subtitles for its thick accents. Preceded by the short film Pump.
Saturday
11 a.m. -- Young slacker asks Santa Claus to bring him the man of his dreams in 24 Nights, a whimsical comedy by first-time director Kieran Turner. Co-starring Aida Turturro (HBO's The Sopranos) as the wishful thinker's supportive aunt.
1 p.m. -- Serial killer hunts HIV-positive men in No One Sleeps, while a physician investigates a possible government conspiracy to spread the virus.
3:15 -- Three women tie up romantic Loose Ends, ending unsatisfying relationships and searching for new ones. German with subtitles.
5 -- Documentary filmmaker Barbara Hammer (Nitrate Kisses) turns the camera upon herself in Tender Fictions, a purposeful autobiography that may be the story of many lesbians. The program includes the short films Ashley, 22 and Above the Dust Level.
7 -- Margaret Cho declares I'm the One That I Want in a stand-up comedy concert. Cho riffs on her personal growth in gay and lesbian communities, racial stereotyping during her sitcom days as All-American Girl and recovery from substance and psychological abuse.
9:15 -- We Were One Man (Nous etions un seul homme) is a 1980 French production that puts a primal spin on gay courtship, with two men matching wits and wills in a forest setting. Shown with English subtitles, almost needless with the film's poetic images and sparse dialogue.
11:15 -- Benjamin Smoke traces the fast life and untimely death of an Atlanta alternative musician, equally addicted to excess and his bandmates. Post-punker Patti Smith shows up to sing Smoke's praises. Shown with the short film Night Flower, from Brazil.
Sunday
Noon to 5 p.m. -- The annual Street Fair inhabits TECO Plaza outside Tampa Theatre, featuring artistic creations in various mediums. An accent on political awareness is promised, with booths offering information on election-year issues.
Noon -- The advocacy group Equality Florida sponsors a free screening of Journey to a Hate-Free Millenium, a documentary by Brent Scarbo and Martin Bedogne focused on three stunning tragedies:
Judy Shepard speaks candidly about the homophobic rage that killed her son, Matthew. The relatives of James Byrd Jr., an African-American dragged to death by racists, talk about his murder. Finally, the filmmakers visit Columbine High School to witness its lingering grief.
After the film, Equality Florida hosts a town meeting, titled "Victims No More," on the dangers of intolerance, featuring Scarbo discussing his documentary and youthful activists speaking out on safety in schools.
2-6 p.m. -- Video-Drome, a collection of daring short films, opens at TECO Hall across the street from Tampa Theatre. Admission is $5 or free with Crown Circle Passes. Programs include an encore showing of the British serial drama Queer as Folk: The Sequel, at 4.
3 -- Free concert at Tampa Theatre featuring Crescendo, the Tampa Bay Women's Chorus, Tampa Bay Gay Men's Chorus and Jubilee.
4:30 -- Why Not Me? (Pourquoi pas moi?) is a French comedy about four happy, homosexual publishers hosting a coming-out party for themselves and their unaware parents. The parents may have some secrets of their own to share. English subtitles.
6:45 -- Busch's Psycho Beach Party is a candy-coated spoof of slasher flicks and the sandy, song-filled movies that typically starred Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello. A series of Malibu Beach murders produces unusual suspects, including Thomas Gibson (TV's Dharma and Greg) as a surfboard king.
8:30 p.m. -- The festival closes with a screening of The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me, David Drake's one-man tribute to the activist/playwright. Drake recalls seeing Kramer's play The Normal Heart and the personal pride and gay community insight that resulted: Art initiating life, which is always a goal of this film festival.
PREVIEW
11th annual Tampa Bay International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival continues through Sunday at Tampa Theatre, 711 N Franklin St., Tampa. Tickets are $7 per program, available at the box office. Call (813) 231-8270 or visit the festival Web site at http://pridefilmfest.com for information.
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