aGLIFF

What a night, huh? Having a tropical storm camp out over Austin didn't stop the festivities at aGLIFF's Opening Night. While a few empty seats were spotted in the front row, and not a few drenched people including yours truly, the opening-night film was a rousing success.

Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls was the crowd pleaser it was expected to be. This historical retrospective wrapped up in a performance/tribute had something for everyone; music, activism, comedy and a whole lot of heart.  But what impressed me is yet again, aGLIFF programs director Jake Gonzales pulled off a technological magic trick. The Topp Twins themselves couldn't be there in person but were ready and willing to do a web chat with the audience. The Alamo staff was up for the challenge but kept insisting they couldn't promise it would work, and unfortunately a web chat was not possible.

Dunno if that pesky Hermine was part of the problem but that didn't stop Jake.  He was using Skype on his iPhone to talk to the twins while setting it up, so simply held his iPhone to the microphone and the Q&A was on. Turns out the Topp Twins played the Cactus Cafe some years ago. And they're working on another U.S. tour. At the end of the Q&A they sang us a short song in Maori while the thunder boomed overhead for us.

The Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival -- aGLIFF -- starts tonight. Are you ready? It's going to be another year of diverse films that touch the lives of the LGBTQI community, which means just about everything that also touches the lives of everyone. Austin has some great niche festivals and the Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival is no exception. I've seen some of the films and I can tell you, if you do not go, you're missing out.

For example, the Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls is a surprising documentary that is equally a music doc, a comedy, and an historical retrospective about the last three decades in New Zealand and in fact, the world. Never heard of the Topp Twins? Well, they're in the New Zealand music hall of fame, and among those talking about them is Billy Bragg. There's a little heartache and a whole lot of exuberance about two sisters who happen to be yodelling country comedian twins -- who just happen to be lesbian. aGLIFF couldn't have picked a better film to open the fest, and while the twins are in New Zealand they will be there not only in spirit, but through the wonders of technology, live on the big screen. And don't forget the opening-night party is at Annie's downtown on Congress, so hope to see you there.

The documentaries are strong, and Gen Silent is no exception, focusing on LGBT elders facing the end of their lives and still having to deal with discrimination in healthcare. Last year's A Place To Live: The Story Of Triangle Square touched on the subject with a housing project that resolves the issues, and Gen Silent brings some of those issues home, with long-term couples and others fearing the consequences of being in an environment where they have no control, and the fact that LGBT eldercare is not something long-term care facilities consider. Other documentaries include The Sons of Tennessee Williams and Freeing Bernie Baran (making its world premiere at aGLIFF), two eye-opening docs about hidden gay history. The The Real Anne Lister provides an intimate look into the life of a woman considered "the first modern lesbian," living in Yorkshire England during the Regency, and whose coded diaries were found and decoded in the latter part of the 20th century

Everyone's been talking about Fantastic Fest, but the first film festival of September is as dear to my heart as the one that ends the month. Last year was my first aGLIFF, and it will not be my last. The Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival (aGLIFF) recently announced its opening-night, centerpiece and closing-night films, as well as the parties. The email announcement promised a wide range of films from "Ticked Off Trannies to The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister" and with that tease, here are details on the three films we know, and the parties associated with them: Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls, BearCity and Howl.

Last year's fest was a lot of fun, with a great staff, fun films and wonderful guests. The program was full of interesting, provocative, and enjoyable movies that had a much broader scope than I'd expected in a niche festival. Even with a power outage delaying films on the weekend, Sharon Gless (Hannah Free at the fest, currently in Burn Notice on TV) entertained crowds until the films could start again, and then wowed the crowds with an absolutely delightful Q&A. After such good memories of aGLIFF22, I'm really looking forward to seeing what GLIFF23 brings us this September.

The Opening Night film is the New Zealand production Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls. In two words, yodeling lesbians. Kiwi Yodeling Lesbians, no less. The official tagline for this documentary about Jools and Lynda Topp is even better: "A profile of the world's only comedic, singing, dancing, lesbian twin sisters." I suspect there will be much to talk about at the opening-night party at Annies. The Closing Night Party at AFF was there last year, and it was fun and the food delish.

What a great day at Austin Asian American Film Festival.  I managed to see four features despite a migraine, because the last film was the one film I absolutely had to see (and it didn't disappoint). 

The day started with People in the Shadows, a documentary on people in the streets of Tehran. It was more verite, and not enough cinema for me (specifically, not enough context). 

But then there was White on Rice, with a quick introduction by co-star Lynn Chen. Hiroshi Watanabe (Letters from Iwo Jima) plays Jimmy, who, despite being in his forties, is still relying on other people to get by -- currently his sister, nephew, and long suffering brother-in-law. When his brother-in-law's niece Ramona (Chen) comes to stay, Jimmy becomes obsessed.  Look for a supporting role by James Kyson Lee (Heroes), including an unexpected breakfast-cereal-related costume scene.  It's funny, and a crowd pleaser, which is good, because it was another sold-out crowd.

I'm no longer an aGLIFF newbie, especially after 9 features and 13 shorts in 6 days. It's hard to pick a favorite film, so I'll list a few that are still rolling around my mind.

For comedy, the feature The Baby Formula and the short Boycrazy, along with the gut-busting documentary The Long Haul, which just happens to be made by local filmmaker Liz Welch Tirrell. For more serious fare, the Queer Youth Media Project doc,  That's So Gay, which really needs to be expanded into a feature, and the animated short Dear Dad, Love Maria. After that, it's really hard to pick even one more that is more outstanding than the rest. It was a diverse, provocative and all-around entertaining program. And I wasn't the only one who thought so, apparenlty; most of the screenings I attended were near or at capacity. 

Socially, I'm really regretting missing the centerpiece party at Frank, and the Antique-themed dessert; people were raving about it the next day. I equally regret not spending all of Saturday at the Alamo South and aGLIFF just to watch Sharon Gless entertain the crowd during the blackout.  But I didn't miss the Hannah Free Q&A, and my video is embedded after the jump. Yes, Sharon Gless loved the Alamo Drafthouse popcorn. And she answers that pesky question about her orientation.

aGLIFF ended on a high note yesterday, complete with a rainbow in the sky over South Austin.  I only made it to two of the screenings, though. 

Waxie Moon is the eponymous documentary about boylesque performer Marc "Waxie Moon" Kenison (the middleman in the photo at right). While the explanation of burlesque is overlong, it serves to introduce female burlesque performers and put the Waxie's gender-obliterating performances into perspective. The screening was followed by a live performance of the "handcuff dance" which wowed the very enthusiastic audience, further whipped into a frenzy with the bond like song about Waxie on the closing credits. All week people have been talking about Waxie Moon, and every interview in the film talking about Waxie Moon was effusive. After meeting Marc/Waxie, I understand now; he's one of the sweetest, friendliest people I've ever met. 

Waxie Moon was receded by the short A Drag King Extravaganza, about drag kings and the drag king community.  While overlong, many of the interviews about intentional gender and how, for some, gender is fluid, not fixed, was thought-provoking. 

The final screening of the night was a pairing of gay musicals, the first being the short Boycrazy, in which boy-crazy Corey decides to look for true love, and suddenly choices aren't so easy.  The tagline is perfect, "A boy meets boy meets boy meets... musical."  The songs are funny and insightful, and the soundtrack deserves a release.

Yesterday was exhausting; I only made it to three screenings, and late for one at that, so I missed an unexpected highlight. That torrential rain that hit Austin finally pushed the electrical grid too far and caused a blackout for 78704, which cause a disruption of aGLIFF. Incredibly, it only caused one film to be cancelled, one to be shifted to this morning, and only a 45-minute delay for the rest of the evening.

The first round of screenings included a children's program that had a pre-show with Underdog and Muppet Show clips, and an optional cereal bar. The shorts included Buddy G, My Two Moms And Me: The Lost Rings, Tomboy, and Dottie's Magic Pockets: Doing the Flower. While the latter was too trite for my taste, the others were engaging, with Buddy G something that could easily be a kids' morning TV show.  Tomboy, which focuses on a little girl who isn't interested in girly things, is a lesson in diversity.  

That was before the weather got heavy. Sharon Gless, at the festival to support her new film, Hannah Free, declined the offer to go back to her hotel during the blackout. Instead, she worked the lines, talking with people and making the most of it. Once the screening started, even being late and rainy, it was almost at capacity. 

aGLIFF smartly programmed only one feature/short screening for the Centerpiece night: Dear Dad, Love Maria and Antique.

Vince Mascoli's short, Dear Dad, Love Maria, is a poignant animated imaging of a letter to a parent. This hand-drawn, semi-autobiographical short may last only five minutes, but it was powerful enough to win aGLIFF's nomination for the Iris Prize, the largest award for a gay and lesbian short film in the world -- valued at £25,000 (approximately $41,000). 

The theme of longing for connection and acceptance while determined to be true to oneself also fills Antique, a Korean live-action film based on a Japanese manga by Fumi Yoshinaga. A wealthy young man who hates cake, Jin-hyeok (Joo Ji-hoon), decides to open a bakery, and ends up hiring an a master patissier who proves to be not only a "Gay of Demonic Charm," but an old classmate. Seon-woo (Kim Jae-wook) has long forgotten a humiliation he suffered at the hands of Jin-hyeok, who hasn't. 

But Jin-hyeok has more than one memory haunting him, which becomes a major plot point as staff are added at the bakery, which becomes a sensation. A mix of comedy, drama, with a few dollops of fantasy sequences, Antique is a deceptively light film with some heavy themes that had the crowd sighing at times, both at the characters and at the sumptuous confections being created.

Thursday night's festival choices were difficult but I opted for a pair of serious docs, followed by two travel docs.

Claiming the Title: Gay Olympics on Trial and Training Rules both dealt with anti-gay bias in the athletic world. Claiming the Title focuses specifically on the U.S. Olympic committee's homophobic lawsuit claiming trademark infringement against the Gay Olympics. It starts awkwardly, but the interviews are riveting, especially Chai Feldblum, a former Supreme Court clerk.  

Training Rules, however, gets bogged down in redundant imagery, and stretches out the story of Rene Portland's anti-lesbian policy for the Penn State women's basketball team. Portland actively persecuted players who even "associated" with anyone she suspected of being lesbian and as a result, nearly ruined the lives of many promising athletes. The film could have easily been half the time and had more impact. The material is very important, but is diluted by the repetition.

The next two films were the polar opposite, and a perfect way to end the evening. Both filmmakers were present, as pictured above. Austin-based filmmaker Liz Welch Tirrell's The Long Haul is very likely to be the audience favorite, with everyone laughing so hard that the movie got three rounds of applause during the credits. Martha and Lavonne have been together 19 years, and know each other's every quirk. When they move from New Jersey to California, they decide to take the long way. But it's never so simple. The mere act of packing was so funny, I laughed until my face hurt.  Martha and Lavonne could be any couple, but they're just the right kind of feisty, making even the stressful moments entertaining. 

Despite only having two theaters and two time slots  on the weeknights, aGLIFF is certainly making the most of the night. Last night I caught The Baby Formula and Hollywood, Je T'aime.

The Baby Formula is a surprisingly poignant and consistently funny comedy about two women who have their own child. Without male sperm. Through the miracle of stem cell research, they're able to make their first child without anything from a man other than the science to create "womanly sperm."

A documentary crew follows the two women around in a humorous expose of relationships, between lovers and family, as well as exploring the first child experience and the tensions it can create, including some insight into extended family dynamics, as the two women are from very different backgrounds. 

Megan Fahlenbock (Resident Evil: Apocalypse) and Angela Vint (Lars and the Real Girl) as Lillith and Athena have a chemistry that makes them seem so much like a real couple, at times it seemed like a true documentary.  Jessica Booker is a scene stealer, though, as the fiesty Grandma Kate.

Writer Richard Beattie captures an extended family with all the love, longing, and dysfunction involved.  Director Alison Reid could shave about 5-10 minutes off it, especially at the end, but overall achieve consistent pacing that keeps the audience engaged, frequently laughing, with a few tears.  If you get a chance to see it, don't stop watching til the credits end, the "my hump" video during the credits is hysterical.  Now I want to see the short that inspired the feature.