aGLIFF 2010 Daily Dispatch: The Weekend, or Juries and Parties and Bears, Oh My!

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Take a look at this picture, it's a prime example of what makes aGLIFF and in fact every film festival in town work.  Pictured above (clockwise from upper left) are David Sweeney, Jenn Garrison, Jean Lauer, Andy Campbell, Michelle Faires and lastly actor Alex Di Dio from closing-night film BearCity. Together they represent the aGLIFF board, 2010 juries, volunteers, filmmakers, and the local film community on all levels.  If it looks like they're having fun, they are. It's been a long festival, but a very successful one with many sold-out or close to capacity screenings.  

You've read Don's hilarious and enlightening dispatch from Saturday, but allow me to wrap up my weekend with you as well. I was able to make the doc The Real Anne Lister, an hour-long look at the life and diaries as seen by Britain's version of Ellen DeGeneres, Sue Perkins. It's as much a musing on Lister as the fact that this very complex landowner who happened to be lesbian has shaken the very core of Regency history. Perkins does not gloss over Lister's life or behavior, and is in fact at times shocked. I hope to see The Real Anne Lister on BBC America sometime soon, as it's a fascinating look at a woman being true to herself more than two centuries ago.

Don already told you about Freeing Bernie Baran, and we had similar reactions to the doc. This is the type of movie that aGLIFF -- and other smaller, genre festivals -- program when the subject is so important that the overall quality of the film is overlooked for the sake of relevance. It's an important story, and unfortunately still very topical, even in a post-Queer Eye world. It's the kind of decision they fortunately do not have to often make at aGLIFF because the overall festival program was strong both in content and execution.

I was also able to catch Out of Annapolis, which dissects the history of gay and lesbian service members not only during their tenure as students at the Naval Academy, but in some cases as officers in the Navy.  It's a straightforward doc that highlights the flaws in "Don't Ask Don't Tell" and the even worse policies prior to that. It also features local musician Heather Davis, who did the music for the film, and who also happens to be an alumni of the Naval Academy.

Centerpiece film Howl packed two theaters as the infamous Allen Ginsburg poem and the obscenity trail surrounding it is featured with James Franco portrayed the beat poet. The animation is incredible. 

But what I was really excited about is to see Fourplay: San Francisco with an audience. Former Austinite Kyle Henry's short film about a sexworker and an unusual client is going to stay with me for a long time.  Beautifully filmed by Austin's favorite cinematographer, PJ Raval, Paul Soileau's performance is so poignant, it needs to be seen by a larger audience. Henry mentioned during the Q&A that it is one of four shorts that will be part of Fourplay, which are all based on true sex stories. Another is based in Austin about a couple trying to conceive a child, a third is based in Florida and includes Soileau in a cameo (and in a different role), and the fourth is based in the Midwest. 

Because I was on the Narrative Competition Jury this year, I haven't been able to cover a lot of films ... so poor me, I got to cover parties. The opening-night party at Annies was fun, despite Hermine's best efforts to keep people away. On Saturday night, he centerpiece party was at Frank, featuring the "New York Cheesecake" costume from the New Orleans doc, The Sons of Tennessee Williams, and a selection of artisanal sausage.  It was loud and fun, and perhaps my favorite part was finally meeting Jenn Garrison. Earlier this summer Jette and I were lamenting about the availability of Garrison's documentary Prize Whores, before we knew it was having a special screening tonight. I hadn't seen Prize Whores and wanted to.

Garrison is now living in LA, but came back to show her short Three Minutes during the Girls Shorts program, as well as for the 10th Anniversary screening of her documentary. My jury was deliberating during the start of that program, so I only caught a few of the shorts, but I did catch most if not all of the Shorts Competition award winner and Audience Award winner You Move Me, about a lesbian, her best friend, and a U-Haul. It's hysterically funny. I didn't get a chance to see all of the shorts in the Girls shorts program, but it was a strong collection, including Tracks, by Deanne Williams, about two rural teens.

I was also able to catch Assume Nothing, a documentary featuring the work of New Zealand photographer Rebecca Swan and her project to photograph gender beyond the binary male/female roles. This provocative doc featuring amazing imagery is guaranteed to make you check your preconceptions. I'm glad it won the documentary competition. Now, there were honorable mentions too, including Gen Silent, and I really don't envy the jurors who had to choose between several outstanding documentaries.

If you aren't familiar with competitions at film fests, the festival determines what films are eligible for each category. For example, not every narrative movie that played was eligible; we had to choose the most outstanding film out of the six in our category.  It's not easy to choose, as there are more factors to consider than I can fit into this article.  All the films were worthy, but the winner, Contracorriente (Undertow) really "stood out as an outstanding example of fully realized filmmaking, with universal, mature themes and a very moving conclusion."  I will point out that the film is from Peru, a country not known for its filmmaking, and it would stand on its own at any festival. 

I'm very glad aGLIFF is going to bring Contracorriente back so more Austinites can see it, since it played during the day on Friday. I also want to mention just how honored I was to be on the inaugural jury for narratives. My fellow jury members included Scott Dinger, who not only founded aGLIFF, but was instrumental in putting the now lamented Dobie theater on the map as a home for independent film in Austin. Dinger is mentioned several times in the new book about Austin filmmaking by Alison Macor, Chainsaws, Slackers, and Spy Kids: Thirty Years of Filmmaking in Austin. The jury also included Michael Michealian, a screenwriter living in the Austin area, who has an extensive resume on IMDB.   Did you know that Michaelian first adapted the book A Single Man into a play? Dinger and Michaelian are pictured above.

And lastly, Sunday night brought us the closing-night film and party.  The competition winners were announced, and locally produced short Petting Sharks played beforehand. Craig Elrod's short but not so sweet short about a man who breaks up with his sadistic lover is guaranteed to make you laugh.

One of the things I noticed as I was walking back into the Alamo as they were seating for BearCity is this is not the usual crowd I see in the lobby for aGLIFF. Most of the time it's as physically diverse a crowd as any other time at the Alamo but this time, it was a lot hairier, and a lot more male.  I think most of the bears in Austin were at the screening for this funny, hairy, sex in the city romp about a young man's foray into the bear community.  It was a definite crowd pleaser.

And then we were all off to Cheer Up Charlie's for cake balls, music, audience award announcements and goodbyes. Skot Tulk and Jake Gonzales (pictured above) are the only full-time staffers for aGLIFF.  They really did an amazing job, thanks not only to their talents and drive, but to their army of over 200 volunteers including over 50 programmers who sat through over 450 submissions to pick the best for the fest. Volunteers can make or break a festival, and aGLIFF's volunteers really demonstrate that in the best possible way. 

Now that two other Slackerwood contributors have covered aGLIFF, I know there's going to be competition  to cover it again.