aGLIFF 2011: The Wrap-Up

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aGLIFF 24 is over and strangely I’m not experiencing my normal post-fest-depression.  I usually feel a little low after a film festival, after immersing myself in films and all the socializing between films. I think it’s because I not only ran into several old friends I haven’t seen in a long time, but I made even more new ones hanging out at the Subaru Lounge, which was a great place to hang out and chat, especially the first few nights during our brief respite from triple-digit heat.

By sheer coincidence I saw several intense films and programs. aGLIFF gambled on starting the festival with The Lulu Sessions, which was surprisingly as entertaining as it was illuminating. Closing-night film Cancerpants was a very different documentary despite a very similar subject; a woman’s very personal journey after a cancer diagnosis. The packed house included director Nevie Owens and some of the local musicians included on the soundtrack, and it was truly a communal experience to see the movie with that particular crowd. Actually there were two closing-night films, but how could I not go to the one with so many local connections.

Earlier in the day aGLIFF sponsored a women’s reception at Park Lane Guesthouse that included Austin filmmakers Nevie Owens and Annie Stennes from Cancerpants and aGLIFF board members, sponsors and volunteers. Regine Richards, who brought her short Some Things Are Worse Than Being Gay to the fest, was also in attendance.  I'd missed the shorts program it screened in but was able to catch it later, and it's a refreshingly funny twist on coming out to parents. The reception was a low-key, enjoyable event I hope aGLIFF makes a tradition. Pictured above are some of the women in attendance (L-R Kara Watson, Shakti Khalsa, Vanessa Morgan, Sherry Holdridge, Mocha Jean Herrup, Nevie Owens, Regine Richards). 

As nice as the reception was, it meant making some choices. Apparently earlier in the day Kermit the Frog made an appearance for the family-friendly screening of the Muppet Movie; I'm sad I missed that.

I did manage to catch Tom Lenk's one-man show "Nerdgasm" at the Highball. Lenk not only performed the live show and hosted the Majestic Dance Party at the Paramount (seriously fun), he had two shorts screen at the festival. Pictured below are Lenk and Andrew Putschoegl (who directed Hello Caller and A Slightly Exaggerated Reenactment of an Actual Voicemail I Left for Tim Gunn), who now are working on a documentary about "Nerdgasm."

Before Cancerpants two shorts screened, including 33 Teeth, an evocative comedy/drama about a teen’s fascination with his neighbor. 33 Teeth was filmed here in town on Hyde Park's Avenue H in by Austin’s Evan Roberts. It’s an impressive film that’s shortlisted for the 2011 Iris Prize along with Change, which played before the documentary Lost in the Crowd, and Fourplay San Francisco by fomer Austinite Kyle Henry, which played aGLIFF last year. All three shorts are very different but equally strong films. The Iris Prize is announced in October.

Trying to pick a favorite film of the fest is hard. aGLIFF has such diverse programming, and I wasn’t able to clone myself to see everything I wanted to see. For pure fun, Mangus! is my favorite absurd comedy of the fest (OK, the only absurdist comedy I was able to catch, but still). John Waters fans will love it not just because the man himself has a cameo, but for Jennifer Coolidge’s performance, which shows more heart than she normally reveals onscreen. The fact it was filmed up in Waxahachie near Dallas certainly doesn't hurt.

Caught wins out as my favorite short in part because it has no dialogue, yet manages to be equally chillingly lurid and affecting, although Change and Boys and Girls are close seconds.  Boys and Girls ties with The Queen for best endings of he fest. The shorts were very strong this year, with diverse plots, and a lot of solid acting and some beautiful cinematography -- all deserving of a wider audience.

My favorite narrative feature is the Sundance Grand Jury nominated Gun Hill Road, a poignant tale about a Brooklyn teen struggling with gender identity as his newly paroled father struggles with his own demons. Co-stars Judy Reyes (Scrubs) and Esai Morales (Caprica, La Bamba) are outstanding, but it’s Harmony Santana who steals every scene. Director Rashaad Ernesto Green's outstanding film brings the struggle of transgender teens to the big screen and has secured theatrical release, although it's unknown when it plays Austin again.

As for documentaries, it’s even harder to pick a best of fest, as I liked all the documentaries I saw. I have to say Kink Crusaders wins out by the simple fact that it helped me reset my preconceptions, then blew them away with the final scene.  I never really thought about what it means to be a “leatherman” and I certainly had no idea its community is particularly inclusive. 

My biggest regret of aGLIFF (besides not being able to clone myself and see more) is not seeing more of the international titles. I did see Leo's Room, a sweet little tale of a young man coming to grips with not just his insular behavior, but his identity. But I missed Tierra Madre and Mi Ultimo Round, giving a distinctly Latin American flair to the fest, which made me think of Cine Las Americas. I also wasn't able to make it to Three Veils, which is not so much an international film but one about a cultural group not well known by the average U.S. audience (Arab-American women).

While aGLIFF 24 is officially over, it’s not quite finished. A tentative date (October 7) has been set for a post-fest awards party and screening for the competition winners, which have not yet been announced. Watch this space for more information, and make plans to attend aGLIFF’s 25th anniversary next year.

Community was the prevailing theme of aGLIFF 24, in many different forms both onscreen and off. Perhaps that is why the post-fest blues haven't hit me. Knowing it's not quite over yet makes it hard to feel down about waiting another year for the next incarnation of aGLIFF.

[Photo credit: Jenn Brown]