| Number |
Original Title |
Translated Title |
Size (Mb) |
Format |
Languages |
Subtitles |
1 
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"Exes & Ohs" |
"The Rules: A Lesbian Survival Guide" (USA) (working title) |
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English |
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2
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"The L Word" |
"Earthlings" (USA) (working title) |
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1.78 : 1 |
English |
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"L hath no fury..."
Follows the lives and loves of a small, close-knit group of lesbians living in Los Angeles as well as the friends and family members that either support or loath them. |
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3 
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101 Reykjavík |
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A slacker finds himself dealing with girl trouble he never knew existed in this offbeat comedy set in Iceland. Hlynur (Hilmir Snćr Gudnason) is a 28-year-old layabout who lives with his mother, Berglind (Hanna María Karlsdóttir), in a run-down section of Reykjavík. Though he doesn't have a job, Hlynur makes enough off the dole to spend his evenings drinking beer, and has a girlfriend, Hofi (Thrúdur Vilhjálmdóttir), who regards his lack of ambition with a mildly annoyed tolerance. Berglind decides to take in a boarder, Lola Milagros (Victoria Abril), a lovely young woman from Spain who gives dance lessons. Hlynur is instantly captivated with Lola and begins making a play for her, even though she's an open and unapologetic lesbian. In the midst of a drunken New Year's Eve party, Hlynur wears down Lola's resistance, and the two ring in the new year having sex. Lola soon discovers she's pregnant, but Hlynur is startled to learn that Lola and Berglind are now lovers and they intend to raise the child together -- meaning he's not only competing with his mother for the same woman, but that his child will be brought up as his sibling. As if this weren't enough, Hlynur soon learns that Hofi is also carrying his child. 101 Reykjavík was the debut feature from writer/director Baltasar Kormákur, and received an enthusiastic reception at the 2000 Locarno Film Festival.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Baltasar Kormákur ... Producer / Director / Screenwriter
Hallgrimur Helgason ... Book Author
Damon Albarn ... Composer (Music Score)
Skule Eriksen ... Editor
Kjartan Kjartansson ... Sound/Sound Designer |
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4
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A Family Affair |
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Can a cynical lesbian from the Big Apple find happiness with an upbeat blonde from the West Coast? That's the question in this independent bicoastal comedy. Rachel (Helen Lesnick, who also wrote and directed the film) is a native New Yorker who, after an unpleasant breakup with her girlfriend (Michele Greene), decides she needs a change of scenery. Rachel packs her bags and moves to San Diego, where she has a bit of trouble adapting to the laid-back rhythms of the California lifestyle; she also discovers that getting her career as a freelance writer going again is harder than she expected. After several bad dates, Rachel meets Christine (Erica Shaffer), and Rachel thinks she may have finally found love at last. But after her last relationship, Rachel finds that trusting anyone unconditionally no longer comes naturally. A Family Affair was screened at the 2001 L.A. Outfest, a festival devoted to gay and lesbian-themed films.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
Can a cynical lesbian from the Big Apple find happiness with an upbeat blonde from the West Coast? That's the question in this independent bicoastal comedy. Rachel (Helen Lesnick, who also wrote and directed the film) is a native New Yorker who, after an unpleasant breakup with her girlfriend (Michele Greene), decides she needs a change of scenery. Rachel packs her bags and moves to San Diego, where she has a bit of trouble adapting to the laid-back rhythms of the California lifestyle; she also discovers that getting her career as a freelance writer going again is harder than she expected. After several bad dates, Rachel meets Christine (Erica Shaffer), and Rachel thinks she may have finally found love at last. But after her last relationship, Rachel finds that trusting anyone unconditionally no longer comes naturally. A Family Affair was screened at the 2001 L.A. Outfest, a festival devoted to gay and lesbian-themed films. |
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5
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A Girl Thing |
V 230851 |
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Stockard Channing stars in this made-for-cable comedy-drama as Dr. Beth Noonan, a female psychiatrist trying to hold her life together as she guides four of her patients through personal turmoil. Lauren Travis (Elle MacPherson), a respected lawyer, finds her sexual identity thrown into question when she discovers she's attracted to another woman, Casey (Kate Capshaw). Helen McCormick (Glenne Headly) is forced to spend a week with her two estranged sisters, Kathy (Allison Janney) and Kim (Rebecca DeMornay) after the death of their mother. Nia Morgan (Lynn Whitfield) is convinced her husband is being unfaithful to her; she hires Rachel (Linda Hamilton) to lure her spouse into infidelity, but Rachel learns that Nia's husband is actually involved with Betty (Mia Farrow), an older and unglamorous waitress. And after Dr. Noonan decides she can't handle the deep neuroses of Suzanne Nabor (Camryn Manheim), Suzanne snaps and takes the doctor hostage, along with three other people. It's a Girl Thing also stars Scott Bakula, Buck Henry, and Bruce Greenwood; it first aired in two parts on the Showtime premium cable network in January, 2001.
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6
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Affinity |
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Sarah Waters' 1999 novel of the same name serves as the inspiration for director Tim Fywell and screenwriter Andrew Davies' gothic period drama detailing the relationship between an upper class Victorian girl still mourning the death of her father and a once-successful medium imprisoned for assaulting a young girl. Margaret (Anna Madeley) may have all the wealth a woman cold want, but without her father around she just can't seem to enjoy it. In desperate need of a diversion and eager to experience life outside of her small protective bubble, Margaret makes arrangements to go to Millbank Prison as a "Lady Visitor." Once inside the stone and steel fortress, it doesn't take long for Margaret to forget about her responsibilities to the prisoners and form a strange fixation on an attractive young named convict Selina (Zoe Tapper). Before Selina was imprisoned, she had enjoyed celebrity status as a medium. That all changed once Selina was accused of assault, yet the closer Margaret gets to the charismatic inmate the more convinced she becomes that her story isn't as simple as the judge made it out to be.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Tim Fywell ... Director
Adrian Bate ... Producer
Greg Dummett ... Producer
Andrew Davies ... Screenwriter / Executive Producer
Sarah Waters ... Book Author
Bernard Couture ... Cinematographer
Esther Bailey ... Editor
Patrick Irwin ... Executive Producer
Vivianne Morin ... Executive Producer
Gub Neal ... Executive Producer
Justin Thomson-Glover ... Executive Producer |
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7
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Alice |
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Prix du public ex-aequo au festival Cineffable 2003
Prix du Public au festival de Créteil 2003 (cf article de l'Humanité)
Mention spéçiale du jury jeune au festival de Brest 2002
Deuxičme prix du public au Film Festival de Berlin, octobre 2003 |
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8 
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All over Me |
Alex Sichel |
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A teenage lesbian comes-of-age in this drama. Claude (Alison Folland) is a raw-boned girl graduating from high school. She spends all the time she can with her beautiful friend Ellen (Tara Subkoff). Ellen has lately gotten a new boyfriend, and has less time for their previous intimacy. Claude has a part-time job at a pizza joint in her multiracial neighborhood in New York City, and makes friends there, and in her neighborhood. Gay newcomer Luke, with whom she shares her dream of becoming a rock musician, is among her most recent acquaintances. Realizing finally that Ellen will not return her affections and that her own affections are lesbian in nature, she slowly develops the courage to act on her feelings, and she hesitantly goes to a lesbian bar, where she meets Lucy (Leisha Hailey), an older woman who can simultaneously offer her sexual guidance and help Claude with her musical aspirations.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Clarke Fountain
A teenage lesbian comes-of-age in this drama. Claude (Alison Folland) is a raw-boned girl graduating from high school. She spends all the time she can with her beautiful friend Ellen (Tara Subkoff). Ellen has lately gotten a new boyfriend, and has less time for their previous intimacy. Claude has a part-time job at a pizza joint in her multiracial neighborhood in New York City, and makes friends there, and in her neighborhood. Gay newcomer Luke, with whom she shares her dream of becoming a rock musician, is among her most recent acquaintances. Realizing finally that Ellen will not return her affections and that her own affections are lesbian in nature, she slowly develops the courage to act on her feelings, and she hesitantly goes to a lesbian bar, where she meets Lucy (Leisha Hailey), an older woman who can simultaneously offer her sexual guidance and help Claude with her musical aspirations. |
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9 
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Almost Normal |
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A gay man with a growing sense of isolation gets a rare chance to view the world from an entirely new vantage point in this comedy that aims to show that you just can't help who you fall in love with. With his fortieth birthday just past and no love prospects in sight, Brad Jenkins (Andrew Keitch) is feeling especially lonesome. Though Brad's best friend Julie (Joan Lauckner) urges him to forgo his self-pity and attend the upcoming family reunion that he has been dreading for months, the ensuing overdose of suburban utopia at the family gathering drives Brad to have a few more drinks than he should before getting behind-the-wheel. When a violent crash sends Brad careening into the past and back to his high school days, the transported teenager soon discovers that in this parallel universe all of his former classmates are gay. Despite his joy at being asked out by former high school crush Roland (Tim Hammer), Brad once again finds himself faced with the prospect of becoming an outsider when a new student named Julie arrives at his school and Brad begins feeling an inexplicably heterosexual attraction to his pretty new classmate.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Jason Buchanan
A gay man with a growing sense of isolation gets a rare chance to view the world from an entirely new vantage point in this comedy that aims to show that you just can't help who you fall in love with. With his fortieth birthday just past and no love prospects in sight, Brad Jenkins (Andrew Keitch) is feeling especially lonesome. Though Brad's best friend Julie (Joan Lauckner) urges him to forgo his self-pity and attend the upcoming family reunion that he has been dreading for months, the ensuing overdose of suburban utopia at the family gathering drives Brad to have a few more drinks than he should before getting behind-the-wheel. When a violent crash sends Brad careening into the past and back to his high school days, the transported teenager soon discovers that in this parallel universe all of his former classmates are gay. Despite his joy at being asked out by former high school crush Roland (Tim Hammer), Brad once again finds himself faced with the prospect of becoming an outsider when a new student named Julie arrives at his school and Brad begins feeling an inexplicably heterosexual attraction to his pretty new classmate. |
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10
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Amour de Femme |
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A woman caught in a comfortable but lifeless marriage gets a wake-up call that threatens to dismantle her entire existence in this erotic drama starring Raffaela Anderson and Anthony Delon. A successful osteopath living in Paris, Jeanne feels something is missing from her life. While attending a party with her husband, Jeanne makes the acquaintance of a professional dancer named Marie. As Jeanne and Marie form a close-knit bond and Jeanne begins taking private dance lessons from Marie, she soon begins to get back in touch with her body and realize her inner desires. When Marie reveals that she is sexually attracted to Jeanne, Jeanne quickly realizes that she too is attracted to Marie, and is slowly falling in love with her. When Jeanne confides her secret in a close friend, the shock that her revelation arouses spills over into her husbands' suspicions that his wife is having an affair, overwhelming the woman whose life has suddenly taken a dramatic and unexpected turn.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Jason Buchanan
A woman caught in a comfortable but lifeless marriage gets a wake-up call that threatens to dismantle her entire existence in this erotic drama starring Raffaela Anderson and Anthony Delon. A successful osteopath living in Paris, Jeanne feels something is missing from her life. While attending a party with her husband, Jeanne makes the acquaintance of a professional dancer named Marie. As Jeanne and Marie form a close-knit bond and Jeanne begins taking private dance lessons from Marie, she soon begins to get back in touch with her body and realize her inner desires. When Marie reveals that she is sexually attracted to Jeanne, Jeanne quickly realizes that she too is attracted to Marie, and is slowly falling in love with her. When Jeanne confides her secret in a close friend, the shock that her revelation arouses spills over into her husbands' suspicions that his wife is having an affair, overwhelming the woman whose life has suddenly taken a dramatic and unexpected turn. |
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11
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An Unexpected Love |
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After an amicable split with her husband of many years, housewife and mother Kate Mayer (Leslie Hope) goes back to work. Her new boss is a good-natured lesbian named Mac (Wendy Crewson), who soon becomes Kate's closest friend. But when it is clear that Mac is much, much, more than a friend, Kate is troubled: Never having had cause to question her heterosexuality, she finds herself falling deeply in love with a person of her own gender. Like its Lifetime Network companion piece The Truth About Jane (2000), also written and directed by Lee Rose, this film handles its controversial subject matter with taste, discretion, and sympathy. Originally filmed under the title This Much I Know, An Unexpected Love made its cable-TV debut March 24, 2003.
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12
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April's Shower |
Trish Doolan |
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A woman negotiates the tricky etiquette of celebrating the wedding of her former girlfriend in this independent comedy. April (Maria Cina) and Alex (Trish Doolan) are close friends who have something of a past together -- both are lesbians, and they were lovers for several years. Alex is still attracted to April, but April has moved on -- so much so that April one day announces that she's going to marry Pauly (Randall Batinkoff), a pleasant but dull man who was introduced to April by her mother (Molly Cheek). Understandably, Alex is a bit taken aback when April asks her to be her maid of honor, but for the sake of their friendship she accepts. However, things get a bit frazzled when Alex has to put together a bridal shower for the woman she still loves. April's Shower was the first feature film from writer and director Trish Doolan, who also plays Alex.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
A woman negotiates the tricky etiquette of celebrating the wedding of her former girlfriend in this independent comedy. April (Maria Cina) and Alex (Trish Doolan) are close friends who have something of a past together -- both are lesbians, and they were lovers for several years. Alex is still attracted to April, but April has moved on -- so much so that April one day announces that she's going to marry Pauly (Randall Batinkoff), a pleasant but dull man who was introduced to April by her mother (Molly Cheek). Understandably, Alex is a bit taken aback when April asks her to be her maid of honor, but for the sake of their friendship she accepts. However, things get a bit frazzled when Alex has to put together a bridal shower for the woman she still loves. April's Shower was the first feature film from writer and director Trish Doolan, who also plays Alex. |
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13
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Bar Girls |
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The ins and outs of modern lesbian relationships are explored in serio-comic film. It is adapted from a stage play by Laura Hoffman. Loretta is lonely. As she is leaving Girl Bar she encounters a very beautiful woman, Rachel. Impetuously, Loretta bets a friend that she will have Rachel in her car within 10 minutes. Loretta wins the bet and Rachel goes home with her. As they talk, it becomes quickly apparent that while interested in a relationship, neither woman is free. Loretta is still with Annie who is in love with a heterosexual female. Rachel, still involved in a deteriorating marriage, is with Sandy. Loretta and Rachel decide to give it a try anyway, but their relationship is complicated by intrusions from their earlier relationships who present many obstacles.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Sandra Brennan
The ins and outs of modern lesbian relationships are explored in serio-comic film. It is adapted from a stage play by Laura Hoffman. Loretta is lonely. As she is leaving Girl Bar she encounters a very beautiful woman, Rachel. Impetuously, Loretta bets a friend that she will have Rachel in her car within 10 minutes. Loretta wins the bet and Rachel goes home with her. As they talk, it becomes quickly apparent that while interested in a relationship, neither woman is free. Loretta is still with Annie who is in love with a heterosexual female. Rachel, still involved in a deteriorating marriage, is with Sandy. Loretta and Rachel decide to give it a try anyway, but their relationship is complicated by intrusions from their earlier relationships who present many obstacles. |
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14
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Be With Me |
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Produced by the gifted Marin Karmitz's MK2 Productions, Eric Khoo's omnibus film Be With Me encompasses three separate tales. All are concerned with the themes of love and fate, each centered around a character who yearns to be with another, beloved individual. In the first segment, "Meant to Be," an elderly shopkeeper suffers from the pangs of loneliness until an encounter with the blind and deaf Theresa Chan (via her autobiography) changes his life; the 61-year-old Chan portrays herself in the segment and shares her story with the audience. The second, "So in Love," chronicles the experiences of two teenage lesbians whose lives are about to change irrevocably. In the third, "Finding Love," a middle-aged security guard (Seet Keng-Yew) divides his affections between food and an infatuation with a professional woman who works in his building. He feels too intimidated to approach the girl formally, but ultimately decides to make himself known with a letter. Be With Me co-stars Ezann Lee, Lynn Poh, Chiew Sung-Ching, and Samantha Tan.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Nathan Southern
Produced by the gifted Marin Karmitz's MK2 Productions, Eric Khoo's omnibus film Be With Me encompasses three separate tales. All are concerned with the themes of love and fate, each centered around a character who yearns to be with another, beloved individual. In the first segment, "Meant to Be," an elderly shopkeeper suffers from the pangs of loneliness until an encounter with the blind and deaf Theresa Chan (via her autobiography) changes his life; the 61-year-old Chan portrays herself in the segment and shares her story with the audience. The second, "So in Love," chronicles the experiences of two teenage lesbians whose lives are about to change irrevocably. In the third, "Finding Love," a middle-aged security guard (Seet Keng-Yew) divides his affections between food and an infatuation with a professional woman who works in his building. He feels too intimidated to approach the girl formally, but ultimately decides to make himself known with a letter. Be With Me co-stars Ezann Lee, Lynn Poh, Chiew Sung-Ching, and Samantha Tan. |
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15
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Better Than Chocolate |
Anne Wheeler |
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Better Than Chocolate is a lesbian love story. Walking home from an evening at the lesbian club 'Cat's Ass,' Maggie is confronted by a gang of skinheads. Suddenly a minibus comes to a screeching halt and out jumps Kim. The skins move on, and Maggie thanks Kim, who watches her go. This is their first meeting. Maggie has recently dropped out of law school and now works in a women's shop. To avoid a confrontation with her mother, she makes up a success story and tells her that she's living in a beautiful apartment. As her mother is having her difficulties with her second husband, she decides to take her young son and come to live with Maggie for a while. Meanwhile, Maggie is housesitting the apartment of a female performer on tour. As fate might have it, she runs across Kim again and they find themselves at the new apartment making love in the shower -- at which moment Maggie's mother and little brother step in. The film was screened as part of the Panorama section of the 49th International Berlin Film Festival, 1999.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Gönül Dönmez-Colin
Better Than Chocolate is a lesbian love story. Walking home from an evening at the lesbian club 'Cat's Ass,' Maggie is confronted by a gang of skinheads. Suddenly a minibus comes to a screeching halt and out jumps Kim. The skins move on, and Maggie thanks Kim, who watches her go. This is their first meeting. Maggie has recently dropped out of law school and now works in a women's shop. To avoid a confrontation with her mother, she makes up a success story and tells her that she's living in a beautiful apartment. As her mother is having her difficulties with her second husband, she decides to take her young son and come to live with Maggie for a while. Meanwhile, Maggie is housesitting the apartment of a female performer on tour. As fate might have it, she runs across Kim again and they find themselves at the new apartment making love in the shower -- at which moment Maggie's mother and little brother step in. The film was screened as part of the Panorama section of the 49th International Berlin Film Festival, 1999. |
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16
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Between Two Women |
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Two women form a special bond in a working-class British town shortly after World War II in this drama. Ellen Hardy (Barbara Marten) is a housewife and mother living in a dark and dingy industrial town in the North of England. Her husband Geoff (Andrew Dunn) is unsophisticated and uncommunicative, but Ellen dotes on Victor (Edward Woodcock), her ten-year-old son who displays a real talent for painting and sketching. Ellen is introduced to Kathy Thompson (Andrina Carroll), who teaches art at Victor's school, and the two women soon strike up a friendship. As they get to know one another better, Ellen and Kathy become aware that their feelings go beyond simple friendship, but they both live in a time and place that makes it difficult from them to act upon their desires. Produced for British television, Between Two Women was the first feature-length film from writer and director Steven Woodcock.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
Two women form a special bond in a working-class British town shortly after World War II in this drama. Ellen Hardy (Barbara Marten) is a housewife and mother living in a dark and dingy industrial town in the North of England. Her husband Geoff (Andrew Dunn) is unsophisticated and uncommunicative, but Ellen dotes on Victor (Edward Woodcock), her ten-year-old son who displays a real talent for painting and sketching. Ellen is introduced to Kathy Thompson (Andrina Carroll), who teaches art at Victor's school, and the two women soon strike up a friendship. As they get to know one another better, Ellen and Kathy become aware that their feelings go beyond simple friendship, but they both live in a time and place that makes it difficult from them to act upon their desires. Produced for British television, Between Two Women was the first feature-length film from writer and director Steven Woodcock. |
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17
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Blow Dry |
Paddy Breathnach |
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When the tiny burgh of Keighley lands the rights to host the annual British hairdressing championships, practically every city in the United Kingdom is represented in the competition -- except Keighley itself. It seems the event is team-oriented, and the only suitable local contestants had a huge falling out a decade ago. For Brian (Josh Hartnett), the son of two hairdressers, that falling out had personal consequences: His mother Shelley (Natasha Richardson) left his father Phil (Alan Rickman) to take up with Phil's hair model Sandra (Rachel Griffiths). Since then, former styling champ Phil has settled for training Brian to help run his lowly barber shop, while Shelley and Sandra have opened a salon of their own. But when Shelley learns that she has terminal cancer, she reaches out to her family in hopes that a reunion for the hairdressing contest might help them all find some sense of closure. To complicate matters, Phil's old arch-nemesis, Ray (Bill Nighy), is now a two-time champ looking for a three-peat, and he's brought along his beautiful American daughter Christina (Rachael Leigh Cook) to work on his team. Blow Dry also marks the screen debut of supermodel Heidi Klum.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Brian J. Dillard
When the tiny burgh of Keighley lands the rights to host the annual British hairdressing championships, practically every city in the United Kingdom is represented in the competition -- except Keighley itself. It seems the event is team-oriented, and the only suitable local contestants had a huge falling out a decade ago. For Brian (Josh Hartnett), the son of two hairdressers, that falling out had personal consequences: His mother Shelley (Natasha Richardson) left his father Phil (Alan Rickman) to take up with Phil's hair model Sandra (Rachel Griffiths). Since then, former styling champ Phil has settled for training Brian to help run his lowly barber shop, while Shelley and Sandra have opened a salon of their own. But when Shelley learns that she has terminal cancer, she reaches out to her family in hopes that a reunion for the hairdressing contest might help them all find some sense of closure. To complicate matters, Phil's old arch-nemesis, Ray (Bill Nighy), is now a two-time champ looking for a three-peat, and he's brought along his beautiful American daughter Christina (Rachael Leigh Cook) to work on his team. Blow Dry also marks the screen debut of supermodel Heidi Klum. |
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18 
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Born in Flames |
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Independent filmmaker, artist, and critic Lizzie Borden made her feature-film debut with this bold fusion of science fiction and feminist politics. In the near future, America is celebrating the tenth anniversary of a socialist revolution that has changed the political fabric of the nation, but some aspects of life have evolved much more than others. As some Americans become disenchanted with the new order, racism and sexism are on the rise, and though the new leaders may talk a good game about economic justice and equality in the workplace, women find they're still working harder and being paid less, and their jobs mysteriously vanish when they complain. Adelaide Norris (Jeanne Satterfield) is an educated African-American woman who is also a blue-collar laborer; fed up with the double standards that control her life, Norris helps form the Women's Army, a revolutionary feminist group that serves as a vigilante force to protect women on the street and a paramilitary unit to fight the powers that be. The Women's Army are successful enough in protecting women against rape and assault to gain the unwelcome attention of the FBI. The FBI succeeds in putting Norris behind bars, where she's killed in a shadowy incident, but New York City's female-run underground media rises up to make sure the people know the truth about her death. Eric Bogosian makes his screen debut in Born in Flames; he has a minor supporting role as a technician at a television studio.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
Independent filmmaker, artist, and critic Lizzie Borden made her feature-film debut with this bold fusion of science fiction and feminist politics. In the near future, America is celebrating the tenth anniversary of a socialist revolution that has changed the political fabric of the nation, but some aspects of life have evolved much more than others. As some Americans become disenchanted with the new order, racism and sexism are on the rise, and though the new leaders may talk a good game about economic justice and equality in the workplace, women find they're still working harder and being paid less, and their jobs mysteriously vanish when they complain. Adelaide Norris (Jeanne Satterfield) is an educated African-American woman who is also a blue-collar laborer; fed up with the double standards that control her life, Norris helps form the Women's Army, a revolutionary feminist group that serves as a vigilante force to protect women on the street and a paramilitary unit to fight the powers that be. The Women's Army are successful enough in protecting women against rape and assault to gain the unwelcome attention of the FBI. The FBI succeeds in putting Norris behind bars, where she's killed in a shadowy incident, but New York City's female-run underground media rises up to make sure the people know the truth about her death. Eric Bogosian makes his screen debut in Born in Flames; he has a minor supporting role as a technician at a television studio. |
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19
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Bound |
Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski |
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Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly nearly set the screen on fire in this clever, female-powered twist on the standard Mob caper film. Gershon is Corky, an ex-con renovating the apartment next door to where Tilly's Violet lives. Violet is the moll of psychotic gangster Caesar (Joe Pantoliano), who uses the apartment as an occasional location for meetings and beatings, and also uses Violet as an occasional plaything for his Mob cronies. Violet is attracted to the super-sexy Corky, and the two begin an intense affair. Corky hatches a plot to escape with $2 million that Caesar is planning to give to a Mob boss, and the mayhem escalates from there.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Don Kaye
Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly nearly set the screen on fire in this clever, female-powered twist on the standard Mob caper film. Gershon is Corky, an ex-con renovating the apartment next door to where Tilly's Violet lives. Violet is the moll of psychotic gangster Caesar (Joe Pantoliano), who uses the apartment as an occasional location for meetings and beatings, and also uses Violet as an occasional plaything for his Mob cronies. Violet is attracted to the super-sexy Corky, and the two begin an intense affair. Corky hatches a plot to escape with $2 million that Caesar is planning to give to a Mob boss, and the mayhem escalates from there. |
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20
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Boys Don't Cry |
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Based on a true story, this drama was adapted from the life of Brandon Teena, born Teena Brandon, a woman who chose to live her life as a man and suffered tragic consequences as a result. In 1993, 20-year-old Brandon (Hilary Swank) leaves Lincoln, Nebraska for the nearby community of Falls City, where she sports a crew cut, favors jeans and boots, and is regarded as a man by most of the people in town. While Brandon's friend Lonny (Matt McGrath) warns her that sexual outsiders aren't looked upon kindly in Falls City, she develops a reputation for being something of a ladies' man, and is soon living with a single mother named Candace (Alicia Goranson). But when Brandon meets teenage Lana (Chloe Sevigny), the two become romantically involved almost immediately. Brandon makes friends with Lana's mother (Jeanetta Arnette) and a burly ex-con named John (Peter Sarsgaard). John and his buddy Tom (Brendan Sexton) run with a rough group of men who like to drink and carouse, and they accept Brandon as one of their own. However, when Brandon ends up in jail on a traffic violation, her secret comes out, and, while Lana stands by Brandon's side, John and Tom feel betrayed -- and their anger soon boils over into violence. A distinguished feature debut for director Kimberly Peirce, Boys Don't Cry was enthusiastically received in its showings at 1999 film festivals in Venice, Toronto, and New York.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Kimberly Peirce ... Director / Screenwriter
John Hart ... Producer
Eva Kolodner ... Producer
Jeff Sharp ... Producer
Christine Vachon ... Producer
Andy Bienen ... Screenwriter
Jim Denault ... Cinematographer
Nathan Larson ... Composer (Music Score)
Tracy S. Granger ... Editor
Lee Percy ... Editor
Michael Shaw ... Production Designer
Morton Swinsky ... Co-producer
Bradford Simpson ... Associate Producer
Caroline Kaplan ... Executive Producer
Pamela Koffler ... Executive Producer
Jonathan Sehring ... Executive Producer
John Sloss ... Executive Producer
Victoria Farrell ... Costume Designer
Mack Melson ... Sound/Sound Designer
Kerry Barden ... Casting
Billy Hopkins ... Casting
Jennifer McNamara ... Casting
Suzanne Smith ... Casting |
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21
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Boys on the Side |
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This emotion-filled story stars Whoopi Goldberg, Mary-Louise Parker, and Drew Barrymore as three women from different walks of life who find comfort in each other through tragedy. Parker plays Robin, an HIV-positive real estate executive who meets Jane (Goldberg), a lesbian lounge singer on her way to the West Coast who needs a driver. Robin volunteers for the job, and along the way, they stop in Pittsburgh to visit her friend Holly (Barrymore), who is pregnant and abused by her boyfriend. In an attempt to save Holly, all three decide to head West together to begin a new life. But they get only as far as Arizona before Robin falls ill and the three are forced to learn to rely on one another for growth and emotional sustenance. Jane, though concerned about Robin's condition, also finds herself with a romantic interest in her ailing companion. Holly confronts her need to be with abusive men, while Robin comes to grips with her fear of being alone and the realization of her own impending death. Fans of Herbert Ross' earlier Steel Magnolias (1989) might appreciate this movie, which tackles some of the same themes. Sometimes referred to as a "feminist road movie," the film deals with women who find one another in a time of crisis and realize that the bonds among women are more powerful than any of life's obstacles.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Don Kaye
This emotion-filled story stars Whoopi Goldberg, Mary-Louise Parker, and Drew Barrymore as three women from different walks of life who find comfort in each other through tragedy. Parker plays Robin, an HIV-positive real estate executive who meets Jane (Goldberg), a lesbian lounge singer on her way to the West Coast who needs a driver. Robin volunteers for the job, and along the way, they stop in Pittsburgh to visit her friend Holly (Barrymore), who is pregnant and abused by her boyfriend. In an attempt to save Holly, all three decide to head West together to begin a new life. But they get only as far as Arizona before Robin falls ill and the three are forced to learn to rely on one another for growth and emotional sustenance. Jane, though concerned about Robin's condition, also finds herself with a romantic interest in her ailing companion. Holly confronts her need to be with abusive men, while Robin comes to grips with her fear of being alone and the realization of her own impending death. Fans of Herbert Ross' earlier Steel Magnolias (1989) might appreciate this movie, which tackles some of the same themes. Sometimes referred to as a "feminist road movie," the film deals with women who find one another in a time of crisis and realize that the bonds among women are more powerful than any of life's obstacles. |
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22
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Brand Upon the Brain! |
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Guy Maddin wrote and directed this wildly idiosyncratic look at one man revisiting his dysfunctional childhood. Guy (Erik Steffan Maahs) is a house painter who at the urging of his aging mother (Gretchen Krich) returns to the tiny Canadian island where he grew up to put a fresh coat of paint on the lighthouse that was the family home. As Guy tries to cover the wear and tear of many years, he can't help but think back to his troubled youth; young Guy (Sullivan Brown) and his older sister (Maya Lawson) had to compete for attention with the children of the small orphanage Mother operated, while Father (Todd Jefferson Moore) spent most of his time in the basement, working on his latest invention. When a number of the orphans began displaying strange wounds on their heads, the island received a visit from Wendy Hale (Katherine E. Scharhon), a young detective who along with her brother Chase had become famous as "The Lightbulb Kids," the heroes of a series of popular books. Guy became quite infatuated with Wendy, and when the teen crime-fighter disguised herself as her brother Chase, Sis developed a powerful attraction to the "young man." As angry orphan Savage Tom (Andrew Loviska) lead a revolt of the youngsters, Chase and the Maddin siblings began to uncover the terrible secret behind Mother and Father's seemingly unrelated occupations. Shot as a silent film, Brand Upon The Brain! was initially shown as a special presentation with live musical accompaniment from an eleven-piece ensemble as well as three sound effects artists and a celebrity narrator. For later screenings, a soundtrack was prepared for the film that included the original musical score and sound effects, as well as narration by Isabella Rossellini.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Guy Maddin ... Director / Screenwriter
Amy E. Jacobson ... Producer
Gregg Lachow ... Producer
George Toles ... Screenwriter
Benjamin Kasulke ... Cinematographer
Jason Staczek ... Composer (Music Score)
John Gurdebeke ... Editor
Tania Kupczak ... Production Designer
Brian Grant ... Associate Producer
AJ Epstein ... Executive Producer
Jody Shapiro ... Executive Producer
Philip Wohlstetter ... Executive Producer
Nina Moser ... Costume Designer
Anna Waggoner ... First Assistant Director
Joy Fairfield ... Casting |
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23
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But I'm a Cheerleader |
Jamie Babbit |
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In this satire, parents who are worried that their children might not be walking the straight and narrow path discover a rehabilitation camp designed to curb alternative lifestyles. Megan (Natasha Lyonne), a high school student and member of the cheerleading squad, seems like an ordinary enough teenage girl, but her habit of honestly expressing herself and lack of romantic enthusiasm for her boyfriend convince her very repressed parents, Peter (Bud Cort) and Nancy (Mink Stole), that Megan is becoming a lesbian. So Megan is shipped off to True Directions, a camp for gay and gay-leaning teens, where Mary Brown (Cathy Moriarty) attempts to deprogram kids with homosexual tendencies. The first step in the process is to get each teen to admit to their homosexuality, which Megan is loath to do, since she doesn't believe she's a lesbian -- or at least she didn't think so before she met her new friend Graham (Clea DuVall), who seems quite sure that she likes girls. Meanwhile, Mary's son Rock (Eddie Cibrian) may be exempt from the camp's activities, but he turns more than a few heads among True Directions' male inmates. Noted female impersonator RuPaul appears as a camp guide, and Julie Delpy has a cameo as a "lipstick lesbian."
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
In this satire, parents who are worried that their children might not be walking the straight and narrow path discover a rehabilitation camp designed to curb alternative lifestyles. Megan (Natasha Lyonne), a high school student and member of the cheerleading squad, seems like an ordinary enough teenage girl, but her habit of honestly expressing herself and lack of romantic enthusiasm for her boyfriend convince her very repressed parents, Peter (Bud Cort) and Nancy (Mink Stole), that Megan is becoming a lesbian. So Megan is shipped off to True Directions, a camp for gay and gay-leaning teens, where Mary Brown (Cathy Moriarty) attempts to deprogram kids with homosexual tendencies. The first step in the process is to get each teen to admit to their homosexuality, which Megan is loath to do, since she doesn't believe she's a lesbian -- or at least she didn't think so before she met her new friend Graham (Clea DuVall), who seems quite sure that she likes girls. Meanwhile, Mary's son Rock (Eddie Cibrian) may be exempt from the camp's activities, but he turns more than a few heads among True Directions' male inmates. Noted female impersonator RuPaul appears as a camp guide, and Julie Delpy has a cameo as a "lipstick lesbian." |
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24
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Butch Jamie |
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A butch lesbian actress with Hollywood dreams is offered the role of a lifetime after she stops trying to be someone she's not and finally attends an audition as her natural, masculine self. Every actress knows that rejection is just part of the game, but no matter how hard she tries Jamie just can't seem to get a break. Even her roommate Lola's cat is landing more roles than Jamie these days, a fact that causes the dejected actress to finally consider attending an audition sans make-up and press-on nails. Miraculously, the stunt works and Jamie is soon offered a role in a small but promising indie. The only problem is that the part she's been offered is that of a male character named "Steve." Initially indignant at the prospect of playing a man, Jamie quickly gets over her anger just as Lola comes out as a bisexual. As shooting on the film gets underway and Jamie befriends a pretty female cast mate, it doesn't take long for her to realize that the true path to happiness begins when you simply accept yourself for what you really are.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Jason Buchanan
A butch lesbian actress with Hollywood dreams is offered the role of a lifetime after she stops trying to be someone she's not and finally attends an audition as her natural, masculine self. Every actress knows that rejection is just part of the game, but no matter how hard she tries Jamie just can't seem to get a break. Even her roommate Lola's cat is landing more roles than Jamie these days, a fact that causes the dejected actress to finally consider attending an audition sans make-up and press-on nails. Miraculously, the stunt works and Jamie is soon offered a role in a small but promising indie. The only problem is that the part she's been offered is that of a male character named "Steve." Initially indignant at the prospect of playing a man, Jamie quickly gets over her anger just as Lola comes out as a bisexual. As shooting on the film gets underway and Jamie befriends a pretty female cast mate, it doesn't take long for her to realize that the true path to happiness begins when you simply accept yourself for what you really are. |
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25
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Butterfly Kiss |
Michael Winterbottom |
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This unsettling variation on Thelma and Louise (1991) is an unusual and often macabre love story/black comedy about two peculiar women, played by Amanda Plummer and Saskia Reeves, who roam through Northern England on a killing spree. Plummer is Eunice, a tattooed, schizophrenic free spirit who is wandering in search of her recently departed lover, Judith. She leaves one gas station attendant dead when the person admits to not being Judith. But when she meets Miriam (Reeves), another gas station attendant who longs for love and attention, Eunice doesn't ask the fatal question. Strangely captivated by the eccentric woman, Miriam spends the night with Eunice and falls under her peculiar charm, Calling each other "Eu" and "Mi," they hit the road, where they murder anyone who gets in their way. Both women sense that their actions will ultimately bring about a tragic end, but their dedication to their cause (rebelling against men who trivialize and demean women everywhere) and their love for one another gives them the strength to carry on. Though Plummer's Eunice seems to have the upper hand through most of the film, it is the sacrifice that "Mi" makes for "Eu" that catches and holds the viewer at the conclusion of this bizarre little tale.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Don Kaye
This unsettling variation on Thelma and Louise (1991) is an unusual and often macabre love story/black comedy about two peculiar women, played by Amanda Plummer and Saskia Reeves, who roam through Northern England on a killing spree. Plummer is Eunice, a tattooed, schizophrenic free spirit who is wandering in search of her recently departed lover, Judith. She leaves one gas station attendant dead when the person admits to not being Judith. But when she meets Miriam (Reeves), another gas station attendant who longs for love and attention, Eunice doesn't ask the fatal question. Strangely captivated by the eccentric woman, Miriam spends the night with Eunice and falls under her peculiar charm, Calling each other "Eu" and "Mi," they hit the road, where they murder anyone who gets in their way. Both women sense that their actions will ultimately bring about a tragic end, but their dedication to their cause (rebelling against men who trivialize and demean women everywhere) and their love for one another gives them the strength to carry on. Though Plummer's Eunice seems to have the upper hand through most of the film, it is the sacrifice that "Mi" makes for "Eu" that catches and holds the viewer at the conclusion of this bizarre little tale. |
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26
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Chasing Amy |
Kevin Smith |
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After a pair of films about hipster slackers, the work of writer-director Kevin Smith matured and gained critical respect with this low budget, independent comedy-drama about love, sex and the fine line between the two. Ben Affleck stars as Holden McNeil, a New Jersey comic book writer who is roommates with his best friend and professional partner, artist Banky Edwards (Jason Lee). Their hit comic book series, "Bluntman and Chronic," is loosely patterned after a pair of acquaintances, Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (played by Smith), two characters already familiar as supporting players in several Smith films. Into Holden's life comes Alyssa Jones (Joey Lauren Adams), a lesbian and fellow comic book creator who quickly becomes a close friend, although Holden is powerfully attracted to her. Eventually, Alyssa realizes that she is attracted to Holden as well and they begin a physical relationship, much to the consternation of Banky, whose ire over losing his best friend to a lesbian seems to border on romantic jealousy. After he learns something about Alyssa's sexual past, however, Holden's immature response to his new knowledge destroys both his romance with Alyssa and his friendship with Banky. Chasing Amy (1997) was the third film in what Smith referred to as his "New Jersey series," films set at least partly in the Garden State and featuring the Jay and Silent Bob characters.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Kevin Smith ... Director / Screenwriter / Editor
Scott Mosier ... Producer / Editor
David Klein ... Cinematographer
Dave Pirner ... Composer (Music Score)
Robert H. Holtzman ... Production Designer
Jim Williams ... Art Director
Robert Hawk ... Associate Producer
John Pierson ... Executive Producer
Susannah McCarthy ... Set Designer
Christopher Del Coro ... Costume Designer
Derrick Tseng ... Costume Designer / Line Producer
William Kozy ... Sound/Sound Designer
John M. Tyson ... First Assistant Director
Monica Hampton ... Production Manager
Shan Lory ... Casting |
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27
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Chinese Chocolate |
Qi Chang, Yan Cui |
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Two women from China journey to Toronto to seek new lives, only to discover that things weren't quite what they expected in this satiric drama. Jesse (Diana Peng) is a rather naive young woman who has come to Canada to attend college. Camille (Shirley Cui) has come to Toronto to visit her recently emigrated husband, but the visit seems cursed from the start; he dies in a car wreck on the way to the airport, and she learns that he was planning to ask for a divorce anyway, as he'd become involved with another woman. Trying to make sense of the situation, Camille becomes involved with a man she meets, though things get complicated when she becomes pregnant. North America isn't treating Jesse much better; she falls into an affair with one of her professors but doesn't learn until after he has seduced her that he's married. Financially stressed, Jesse moves out of her dorm and into an apartment in order to save money, but her new roommate uses her in a variety of strange games in order to rise up the university ladder. Eventually, Jesse and Camille get to know each other and fall into a romantic relationship. Director Qi Chang also starred under the name Shirley Chang.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
Two women from China journey to Toronto to seek new lives, only to discover that things weren't quite what they expected in this satiric drama. Jesse (Diana Peng) is a rather naive young woman who has come to Canada to attend college. Camille (Shirley Cui) has come to Toronto to visit her recently emigrated husband, but the visit seems cursed from the start; he dies in a car wreck on the way to the airport, and she learns that he was planning to ask for a divorce anyway, as he'd become involved with another woman. Trying to make sense of the situation, Camille becomes involved with a man she meets, though things get complicated when she becomes pregnant. North America isn't treating Jesse much better; she falls into an affair with one of her professors but doesn't learn until after he has seduced her that he's married. Financially stressed, Jesse moves out of her dorm and into an apartment in order to save money, but her new roommate uses her in a variety of strange games in order to rise up the university ladder. Eventually, Jesse and Camille get to know each other and fall into a romantic relationship. Director Qi Chang also starred under the name Shirley Chang. |
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28
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Chutney Popcorn |
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The push and pull of familial bonds and clashing cultures sets the stage for the comic drama Chutney Popcorn. Renna (Nisha Ganatra) is a young woman of Indian descent living in New York, where she works as both a photographer and a body artist who creates henna tattoos. Renna is also a lesbian, which does not please her mother, Meenu (Madhur Jaffrey), who prefers to dote on her more traditionally minded (and happily married) daughter Sarita (Sakina Jeffrey). One day, Renna gets some bad news from Sarita: While she and her husband have been trying to have a baby, her doctor has informed that her she is infertile and will never bear a child of her own. Renna volunteers to serve as surrogate mother for Sarita; she wants to help her sister and hopes this will smooth some of the rough spots in her relationship with her mother. But Renna starts to have second thoughts, as her lover Lisa (Jill Hennessy) feels left out of the loop, and Meenu thinks both Renna and Sarita are making a mistake. Nisha Ganatra co-wrote and directed Chutney Popcorn and also plays Renna; the film was enthusiastically received in its screening at the 1999 Los Angeles Independent Film Festival.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
The push and pull of familial bonds and clashing cultures sets the stage for the comic drama Chutney Popcorn. Renna (Nisha Ganatra) is a young woman of Indian descent living in New York, where she works as both a photographer and a body artist who creates henna tattoos. Renna is also a lesbian, which does not please her mother, Meenu (Madhur Jaffrey), who prefers to dote on her more traditionally minded (and happily married) daughter Sarita (Sakina Jeffrey). One day, Renna gets some bad news from Sarita: While she and her husband have been trying to have a baby, her doctor has informed that her she is infertile and will never bear a child of her own. Renna volunteers to serve as surrogate mother for Sarita; she wants to help her sister and hopes this will smooth some of the rough spots in her relationship with her mother. But Renna starts to have second thoughts, as her lover Lisa (Jill Hennessy) feels left out of the loop, and Meenu thinks both Renna and Sarita are making a mistake. Nisha Ganatra co-wrote and directed Chutney Popcorn and also plays Renna; the film was enthusiastically received in its screening at the 1999 Los Angeles Independent Film Festival. |
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29
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Citizen Ruth |
Alexander Payne |
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The divisive issue of abortion is at the center of Citizen Ruth, a political satire that attempts to subject both pro-choice and pro-life forces to equal ridicule. Laura Dern portrays Ruth Stoops, an irresponsible, unemployed woman who's addicted to inhaling household chemicals and has becomes pregnant, for the fifth time. After she is arrested for substance abuse, the judge offers to lessen her sentence if Ruth chooses to abort her child. Ruth agrees, but that night she encounters a group of pro-life activists. They take her under their wing, promising to help her, while secretly planning to make her case public as a symbol for the pro-life movement . When Ruth discovers the deception, she takes refuge with a pro-choice group, sparking a media frenzy. Yet Ruth soon finds her new friends are also only interested in her value as a media icon. Realizing she has been used as a pawn in the abortion rights battle, the apolitical Ruth turns the tables, offering to join whoever will give her the best deal. What results is a frantic, comedic session of wheeling-dealing which argues that activists on both sides have become more concerned with waging political warfare than helping women.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Judd Blaise
The divisive issue of abortion is at the center of Citizen Ruth, a political satire that attempts to subject both pro-choice and pro-life forces to equal ridicule. Laura Dern portrays Ruth Stoops, an irresponsible, unemployed woman who's addicted to inhaling household chemicals and has becomes pregnant, for the fifth time. After she is arrested for substance abuse, the judge offers to lessen her sentence if Ruth chooses to abort her child. Ruth agrees, but that night she encounters a group of pro-life activists. They take her under their wing, promising to help her, while secretly planning to make her case public as a symbol for the pro-life movement . When Ruth discovers the deception, she takes refuge with a pro-choice group, sparking a media frenzy. Yet Ruth soon finds her new friends are also only interested in her value as a media icon. Realizing she has been used as a pawn in the abortion rights battle, the apolitical Ruth turns the tables, offering to join whoever will give her the best deal. What results is a frantic, comedic session of wheeling-dealing which argues that activists on both sides have become more concerned with waging political warfare than helping women. |
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30
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Claire of the Moon |
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A free-spirited satirist and a staid sex therapist share a room on a writer's retreat for women and end up having a brief affair. Claire is a heterosexual writer who loves to sleep around, while lesbian Noel, the therapist, is still hurting from a recently failed relationship. Though the two women are total opposites, much of the film centers on their increasingly intimate philosophical discussions and debates held in the cabin of their Pacific Northwest retreat.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Sandra Brennan
A free-spirited satirist and a staid sex therapist share a room on a writer's retreat for women and end up having a brief affair. Claire is a heterosexual writer who loves to sleep around, while lesbian Noel, the therapist, is still hurting from a recently failed relationship. Though the two women are total opposites, much of the film centers on their increasingly intimate philosophical discussions and debates held in the cabin of their Pacific Northwest retreat. |
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31
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Clara's Summer |
Patrick Grandperret |
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A week away from home has a profound impact on a young woman in this French drama. Clara (Selma Brook) and Zoe (Stephanie Sokolinski) are two close friends in their early teens who are being sent off to summer camp for a week. Zoe, who is very much aware of her burgeoning sexuality, sees their time away from home as a perfect opportunity to meet boys and lose their virginity, though Clara is a bit more cautious about such matters. Zoe sets her sights on cute Sebastien (Leo Grandperret), but when his lack of maturity angers her, Zoe decides she's through with men, and declares her affection for Clara. Clara isn't sure how she feels about this, but while the next day Zoe is back to flirting with Sebastien, Clara has found herself newly open to the idea of having a relationship with another girl. Clara begins seeking the attentions of Sonia (Salomée Stevenin), a precocious teenaged bisexual, but when gossip begins to spread about Clara's Sapphic desires, she is torn between her new feelings and fears about her reputation.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
A week away from home has a profound impact on a young woman in this French drama. Clara (Selma Brook) and Zoe (Stephanie Sokolinski) are two close friends in their early teens who are being sent off to summer camp for a week. Zoe, who is very much aware of her burgeoning sexuality, sees their time away from home as a perfect opportunity to meet boys and lose their virginity, though Clara is a bit more cautious about such matters. Zoe sets her sights on cute Sebastien (Leo Grandperret), but when his lack of maturity angers her, Zoe decides she's through with men, and declares her affection for Clara. Clara isn't sure how she feels about this, but while the next day Zoe is back to flirting with Sebastien, Clara has found herself newly open to the idea of having a relationship with another girl. Clara begins seeking the attentions of Sonia (Salomée Stevenin), a precocious teenaged bisexual, but when gossip begins to spread about Clara's Sapphic desires, she is torn between her new feelings and fears about her reputation. |
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32
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Coming Out at Work is Hard to Do |
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33
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Cosa Bella |
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34
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Crash |
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Issues of race and gender cause a group of strangers in Los Angeles to physically and emotionally collide in this drama from director and screenwriter Paul Haggis. Graham (Don Cheadle) is a police detective whose brother is a street criminal, and it hurts him to know his mother cares more about his ne'er-do-well brother than him. Graham's partner is Ria (Jennifer Esposito), who is also his girlfriend, though she has begun to bristle at his emotional distance, as well as his occasional insensitivity over the fact he's African-American and she's Hispanic. Rick (Brendan Fraser) is an L.A. district attorney whose wife, Jean (Sandra Bullock), makes little secret of her fear and hatred of people unlike herself. Jean's worst imaginings about people of color are confirmed when her SUV is carjacked by two African-American men -- Anthony (Chris Bridges, aka Ludacris), who dislikes white people as much as Jean hates blacks, and Peter (Larenz Tate), who is more open minded. Cameron (Terrence Howard) is a well-to-do African-American television producer with a beautiful wife, Christine (Thandie Newton). While coming home from a party, Cameron and Christine are pulled over by Officer Ryan (Matt Dillon), who subjects them to a humiliating interrogation (and her to an inappropriate search) while his new partner, Officer Hansen (Ryan Phillippe), looks on. Daniel (Michael Pena) is a hard-working locksmith and dedicated father who discovers that his looks don't lead many of his customers to trust him. And Farhad (Shaun Toub) is a Middle Eastern shopkeeper who is so constantly threatened in the wake of the 9/11 attacks that he decided he needs a gun to defend his family. Crash was the first directorial project for award-winning television and film writer Haggis.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Paul Haggis ... Producer / Director / Screenwriter / Screen Story
Don Cheadle ... Producer
Mark R. Harris ... Producer
Bobby Moresco ... Producer / Screenwriter
Cathy Schulman ... Producer
Bob Yari ... Producer
Robert Moresco ... Screenwriter
J. Michael Muro ... Cinematographer
Michael Becker ... Songwriter
Mark Isham ... Composer (Music Score)
Kathleen "Bird" York ... Songwriter
Hughes Winborne ... Editor
Laurence Bennett ... Production Designer
Brandee Dell'Aringa ... Art Director
Betsy Danbury ... Co-producer
Sarah Halley-Finn ... Co-producer / Casting
Randi Hiller ... Co-producer / Casting
Dana Maksimovich ... Associate Producer
Marina Grasic ... Executive Producer
Jan Körbelin ... Executive Producer
Tom Nunan ... Executive Producer
Andy Reimer ... Executive Producer
Linda M. Bass ... Costume Designer
Linda Sutton ... Set Decorator
Richard van Dyke ... Sound/Sound Designer
Scott Cameron ... First Assistant Director
Sandy Gendler ... Supervising Sound Editor
Dana W. Gonzales ... Second Unit Camera
Gary Wayton ... Stunts Coordinator |
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35
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Cynara |
Nicole Conn |
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The director of the classic lesbian love story Claire of the Moon returns with this 19th Century period drama detailing the passionate affair between a renowned writer and a high-profile sculptress. Byron (Judy Francesconi) is a handsome author living in the Pacific Northwest. When Byron makes the acquaintance of sexy sculptress Cynara (Johanna Nemeth), the stage is set for a sizzling romance that will set the worlds of art and literature ablaze.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Jason Buchanan
The director of the classic lesbian love story Claire of the Moon returns with this 19th Century period drama detailing the passionate affair between a renowned writer and a high-profile sculptress. Byron (Judy Francesconi) is a handsome author living in the Pacific Northwest. When Byron makes the acquaintance of sexy sculptress Cynara (Johanna Nemeth), the stage is set for a sizzling romance that will set the worlds of art and literature ablaze. |
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36
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D.E.B.S. |
D.E.B.S. |
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| Le D.E.B.S. est un groupe d'élite dont la mission est de protéger le pays. Ses membres sont des jeunes femmes recrutées dans les campus. |
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37
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Daphne |
Clare Beavan |
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As is well-known and frequently discussed, the gothically-inclined English woman of letters Daphne Du Maurier (Don't Look Now, Rebecca) also happened to be a lesbian, but virulently suppressed these inclinations given her beloved father's abhorrence to homosexual behavior - attitudes that Du Maurier imbibed and that gave her lifelong pangs of guilt and self-denial. She experienced two life-altering homosexual loves, however: an irreciprocal one for heterosexual Ellen Doubleday, the wife of her publisher Nelson Doubleday, and another for bisexual actress Gertrude Lawrence (Private Lives), which Lawrence purportedly helped her consummate. As created for Du Maurier's centenary, Claire Beavan's BBC production Daphne dramatizes the connection between these two relationships; Beavan pulls from private letters and memoirs to depict the series of events by which Du Maurier (here played by Geraldine Somerville) fell into an impassioned love for Doubleday (Elizabeth McGovern), and how the unrequited nature of that love spurred her on to author a play about forbidden romantic longings, September Tide - a play that, ironically, introduced her to the second great love of her life, Lawrence (Janet McTeer). In so doing, the film not only resurrects a long-buried and hidden part of Du Maurier's life, but explores the connection between life experiences and highly personalized artistic expression.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Nathan Southern
As is well-known and frequently discussed, the gothically-inclined English woman of letters Daphne Du Maurier (Don't Look Now, Rebecca) also happened to be a lesbian, but virulently suppressed these inclinations given her beloved father's abhorrence to homosexual behavior - attitudes that Du Maurier imbibed and that gave her lifelong pangs of guilt and self-denial. She experienced two life-altering homosexual loves, however: an irreciprocal one for heterosexual Ellen Doubleday, the wife of her publisher Nelson Doubleday, and another for bisexual actress Gertrude Lawrence (Private Lives), which Lawrence purportedly helped her consummate. As created for Du Maurier's centenary, Claire Beavan's BBC production Daphne dramatizes the connection between these two relationships; Beavan pulls from private letters and memoirs to depict the series of events by which Du Maurier (here played by Geraldine Somerville) fell into an impassioned love for Doubleday (Elizabeth McGovern), and how the unrequited nature of that love spurred her on to author a play about forbidden romantic longings, September Tide - a play that, ironically, introduced her to the second great love of her life, Lawrence (Janet McTeer). In so doing, the film not only resurrects a long-buried and hidden part of Du Maurier's life, but explores the connection between life experiences and highly personalized artistic expression. |
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38
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Different Strokes: The Story of Jack & Jill... and Jill |
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The late Dana Plato, star of TV's Different Strokes, exploited her notoriety with this softcore lesbian-themed exploitation film from director Michael Paul Girard (Bikini Med School). Plato stars as one of two women named Jill (Landon Hall from the Escort sequels is the other) caught in a love triangle. Plato's Jill is a New York art director who comes into the life of Hall's Jill, a beautiful fashion model, and seduces her away from her photographer-lover Jack, played by Bentley Mitchum, grandson of Robert Mitchum and erstwhile co-star of TV's The Wonder Years. This film has gained some popularity among the more sensitive fans of the genre for its careful development of the story's lesbian relationship, providing more heat and romantic motivation for its softcore love scenes than most similar projects. Gabriella Hall is around to cheer on her sister's newfound sexual freedom, along with David Millbern and Michelle Trongone.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Robert Firsching
The late Dana Plato, star of TV's Different Strokes, exploited her notoriety with this softcore lesbian-themed exploitation film from director Michael Paul Girard (Bikini Med School). Plato stars as one of two women named Jill (Landon Hall from the Escort sequels is the other) caught in a love triangle. Plato's Jill is a New York art director who comes into the life of Hall's Jill, a beautiful fashion model, and seduces her away from her photographer-lover Jack, played by Bentley Mitchum, grandson of Robert Mitchum and erstwhile co-star of TV's The Wonder Years. This film has gained some popularity among the more sensitive fans of the genre for its careful development of the story's lesbian relationship, providing more heat and romantic motivation for its softcore love scenes than most similar projects. Gabriella Hall is around to cheer on her sister's newfound sexual freedom, along with David Millbern and Michelle Trongone. |
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39
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Do I Love You? |
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British writer/director/actress Lisa Gornick makes her feature debut with the microbudget romantic comedy Do I Love You? Shot with digital video, the film involves struggling writer Marina (Gornick) riding her bike around London while her voice-over narration ponders all matters of life and love. She thinks that having kids will solve her problems with girlfriend Romy (Raquel Cassidy). Meanwhile, straight girl Louise (Sarah Patterson) writes a magazine article about the hip quotient of being a lesbian. Do I Love You? was shown at the 2003 San Francisco Lesbian & Gay Film Festival.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Andrea LeVasseur
British writer/director/actress Lisa Gornick makes her feature debut with the microbudget romantic comedy Do I Love You? Shot with digital video, the film involves struggling writer Marina (Gornick) riding her bike around London while her voice-over narration ponders all matters of life and love. She thinks that having kids will solve her problems with girlfriend Romy (Raquel Cassidy). Meanwhile, straight girl Louise (Sarah Patterson) writes a magazine article about the hip quotient of being a lesbian. Do I Love You? was shown at the 2003 San Francisco Lesbian & Gay Film Festival. |
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40
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Dolls |
Karin Babinská |
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Director Karin Babinská's taboo-breaking feature debut follows the story of three teenage girls from the Czech Republic as they set out on a road trip to Holland and experience a world they have never known. Iska, Karolina, and Vendula never advanced to college after high school, but they're determined to explore the unique opportunities in a New Europe. They believe that they could find work outside of their own country, but remain ill prepared for the challenges that greet them on the road into the unknown. As they head off towards the western horizon under the watchful eye of Iska's younger brother - who has been sent as a chaperone by the siblings' father - each girl begins a search for her own identity while remaining open to any opportunities that come their way.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Karin Babinská ... Director / Screenwriter
Katerina Cerna ... Producer
Jaroslav Kucera ... Producer
Viktor Schwarcz ... Producer
Petra Uselová ... Screenwriter
Martin Douba ... Cinematographer
Jan P. Muchow ... Composer (Music Score)
Marek Opatrny ... Editor
Jan Opatrný ... Production Designer
Robert Dufek ... Sound/Sound Designer
Jiri Klenka ... Sound/Sound Designer |
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41
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Drifting Flowers |
Zero Chou |
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Three stories that share the theme of women coming to terms with homosexuality are brought together in this omnibus drama from Taiwanese filmmaker Zero Chou. In the first segment, May (Pai Chih-ying) is an eight-year-old girl whose older sister Jing (Serena Fang) makes money as a musician, despite the fact she's blind. Jing plays in a night club combo with Diego (Chao Yi-lan), and while May knows that her sister and Diego are close friends, she isn't certain why a woman like Diego insists on acting so masculine -- or why she sees Jing and Diego kissing passionately one night. In the second part, Lily (Lu Yi-ching) is an elderly woman who is suffering from Alzheimer's and is losing touch with her past. Lily is reminded of her childhood when she's unexpectedly reunited with her school friend Yen (Sam Wang), but he's changed a great deal since she last saw him -- he's a gay man who enjoys cross dressing and is living with AIDS. In the final chapter, we're reintroduced to Diego and learn of the sexual confusion of her adolescence, as she rebels against the changes in her body and develops a new understanding of herself when she finds love with a beautiful nightclub performer. Piao Lang Quigchun (aka Drifting Flowers) was an official entry at the 2008 Berlin Film Festival.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Zero Chou ... Director / Screenwriter
Sunny Chen ... Producer
Liu Yun-Hou ... Producer
Hoho Liu ... Cinematographer / Editor |
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42
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Election |
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In this satirical comedy, a hotly contested high school election becomes a metaphor for the current state of American politics. Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick) is a popular and well-respected instructor at George Washington Carver High School in Omaha, Nebraska, but lately he's been unhappy in both his personal and professional life, and his anxieties finally come to a head with the school's student elections. Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) is running for student body president, and she certainly seems like the sort of girl who would win a high school election -- she's pretty, popular and takes part in all the right extra-curricular activities. In fact, she seems so perfect she's running unopposed, which offends McAllister's sense of democracy (not to mention the fact he doesn't like her very much). So Jim intervenes and persuades Paul Metzler (Chris Klein) to run against Tracy. Paul is not terribly bright and is entirely unqualified to be student president, but as a star of the school's football team (before a leg injury sidelined him), he's popular enough to at least give Tracy a run for her money. Just as the race begins to heat up, a spanner is truly thrown into the works when Paul's sister, Tammy (Jessica Campbell) announces she's also running for office. Publicly, Tammy's platform is that the student elections are ultimately pointless and if she's elected, she'll eliminate them altogether. Privately, Tammy is out for revenge against her brother; it seems Tammy is experimenting with her sexuality, and a recent fling with a bisexual classmate named Lisa (Frankie Ingrassia) ended when Lisa dumped her to start going out with Paul. Based on the novel by Tom Perrotta, Election was directed by Alexander Payne, who won enthusiastic reviews for his debut feature, Citizen Ruth; Payne also co-wrote the screenplay with Jim Taylor.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Alexander Payne ... Director / Screenwriter
Albert Berger ... Producer
David Gale ... Producer
Keith Samples ... Producer
Ron Yerxa ... Producer
Tom Perrotta ... Book Author
Jim Taylor ... Screenwriter
James Glennon ... Cinematographer
Dondi Bastone ... Musical Direction/Supervision
Rolfe Kent ... Composer (Music Score)
Kevin Tent ... Editor
Jane Ann Stewart ... Production Designer
T.K. Kirkpatrick ... Art Director
Jim Burke ... Co-producer
Jacobus Rose ... Co-producer
Van Toffler ... Executive Producer
Renee Davenport ... Set Designer
Wendy Chuck ... Costume Designer
Jon Ailetcher ... Sound/Sound Designer
George Parra ... First Assistant Director / Second Unit Director
Lisa Beach ... Casting
Casey Hotchkiss ... Second Unit Director Of Photography
Radan Popovic ... Second Unit Director Of Photography |
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43
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Emilienne |
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A husband and wife discover marital bliss when a third person, a woman, joins them in the connubial bed. After a series of tiffs and quarrels, The threesome settle down to a contented life: the "other woman" becomes the mother of this unusual family's child.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Clarke Fountain
A husband and wife discover marital bliss when a third person, a woman, joins them in the connubial bed. After a series of tiffs and quarrels, The threesome settle down to a contented life: the "other woman" becomes the mother of this unusual family's child. |
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44
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Entre Nous |
Coup de foudre |
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French filmmaker Diane Kurys directs the period drama Coup de Foudre (distributed in the U.S. as Entre Nous), adapted from a book she co-wrote with Olivier Cohen. The semi-autobiographical story is based on the life of the director's mother. Lena (Isabelle Huppert) is a Jewish refugee from Belgium living in occupied France during WWII. In order to avoid being sent to a German concentration camp, she agrees to marry the discharged military officer Michel (Guy Marchand). He tries to provide a decent life for her by running an auto repair business. They have two children together, but Lena is unhappy and stifled by her domestic life. Michel doesn't offer her the sensitivity and affection that she requires. Meanwhile, in Paris, the extroverted artist Madeleine (Miou-Miou) mourns the accidental death of her husband. After the liberation of France, she marries actor Costa (Jean-Pierre Bacri) and has children of her own. In 1952, Lena and Madeleine meet by chance in Lyons. The two women develop an emotional relationship that borders on romantic involvement. Their bond is only strengthened by a mutual dissatisfaction with their husbands, children, and home life in general. Entre Nous was nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar in 1983.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Diane Kurys ... Director / Screenwriter / Book Author
Ariel Zeitoun ... Producer
Olivier Cohen ... Book Author
Bernard Lutic ... Cinematographer
Luis Enriquez Bacalov ... Composer (Music Score)
Joëlle van Effenterre ... Editor
Jacques Bufnoir ... Production Designer / Art Director
Mic Cheminal ... Costume Designer
Harald Maury ... Sound/Sound Designer |
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45
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Eros Therapie |
Daniele Dubroux |
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PRODUCTION CREDITS:
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46
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Eternal |
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A tough cop makes a startling discovery about his wife and the leader of a band of bisexual sensualists in this erotic thriller. Raymond Pope (Conrad Pla) is a police detective with an appetite for kinky sex and an inability to stay faithful to his wife. As it happens, Pope's wife also has a wandering eye, and when she disappears under mysterious circumstances, Pope finds himself investigating the case and discovers that his spouse had fallen in with Elizabeth Kane (Caroline Neron). Kane is a woman with a taste for other women and an unquenchable sexual desire, but as Pope finds himself drawn to her strange allure, he makes a disturbing discovery -- Kane is actually Erzsebet Bathory, a Hungarian countess of the 16th century who many years ago found the secret of eternal life by bathing in the blood of beautiful women. Eternal is the first feature film from the writing and directing team of Wilhelm Liebenberg and Federico Sanchez.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
A tough cop makes a startling discovery about his wife and the leader of a band of bisexual sensualists in this erotic thriller. Raymond Pope (Conrad Pla) is a police detective with an appetite for kinky sex and an inability to stay faithful to his wife. As it happens, Pope's wife also has a wandering eye, and when she disappears under mysterious circumstances, Pope finds himself investigating the case and discovers that his spouse had fallen in with Elizabeth Kane (Caroline Neron). Kane is a woman with a taste for other women and an unquenchable sexual desire, but as Pope finds himself drawn to her strange allure, he makes a disturbing discovery -- Kane is actually Erzsebet Bathory, a Hungarian countess of the 16th century who many years ago found the secret of eternal life by bathing in the blood of beautiful women. Eternal is the first feature film from the writing and directing team of Wilhelm Liebenberg and Federico Sanchez. |
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47
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Eulogy |
Michael Clancy |
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Writer/director Michael Clancy makes his feature film debut with the black comedy Eulogy. Zooey Deschanel plays Kate Collins, an unhappy college student who is made even more unhappy when her grandfather (Rip Torn) dies. Even though the entire family hates each other, they reunite at the home of Grandma Collins (Piper Laurie). Among other family members, Kate observes a war between her washed-up actor dad, Daniel (Hank Azaria); her lesbian Aunt Lucy (Kelly Preston); her wound-up Uncle Skip (Ray Romano); and her strict Aunt Alice (Debra Winger). Tensions escalate and family secrets are ultimately revealed. Kate is also inundated with the eulogy-writing duties, as she's the only one capable of such a task. Meanwhile, she reunites with old flame Ryan Carmichael (Jesse Bradford). Eulogy premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Andrea LeVasseur
Writer/director Michael Clancy makes his feature film debut with the black comedy Eulogy. Zooey Deschanel plays Kate Collins, an unhappy college student who is made even more unhappy when her grandfather (Rip Torn) dies. Even though the entire family hates each other, they reunite at the home of Grandma Collins (Piper Laurie). Among other family members, Kate observes a war between her washed-up actor dad, Daniel (Hank Azaria); her lesbian Aunt Lucy (Kelly Preston); her wound-up Uncle Skip (Ray Romano); and her strict Aunt Alice (Debra Winger). Tensions escalate and family secrets are ultimately revealed. Kate is also inundated with the eulogy-writing duties, as she's the only one capable of such a task. Meanwhile, she reunites with old flame Ryan Carmichael (Jesse Bradford). Eulogy premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004. |
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48
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Far from Heaven |
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Maverick director Todd Haynes embraces the look and feel of classic Hollywood melodramas of the 1950s in this period drama. Cathy Whitaker (Julianne Moore) and her husband, Frank (Dennis Quaid), are a seemingly perfect couple; living in a handsome suburban neighborhood in Hartford, CT, in 1957, Cathy and Frank have a beautiful home and two happy, healthy children, while Frank pursues a successful career in sales and Cathy cares for the home. But Cathy has begun to sense something isn't quite right in her marriage, as Frank begins working late, spending less time with her, and seems cold and distant. One day, Cathy visits Frank's work and discovers something she never expected -- her husband is kissing a man. At Cathy's urging, Frank undergoes psychotherapy, but as she tries to keep up a brave face, the emotional trauma takes a great toll on her, and she finds there are very few people she can talk with. Cathy strikes up a friendship with Raymond Deagan (Dennis Haysbert), an African-American gardener who works for the Whitakers, and as she discovers how intelligent and compassionate Raymond is, she finds herself drawn to him. However, Hartford is in many ways still a small town, and when Mona (Celia Weston) sees Cathy and Raymond alone together, it sets off a wave of vicious gossip that threatens to make the Whitakers' many secrets public knowledge. Far from Heaven premiered at the 2002 Venice Film Festival, where Julianne Moore's performance won the prize for Best Actress.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Todd Haynes ... Director / Screenwriter
Jody Patton ... Producer
Christine Vachon ... Producer
Edward Lachman ... Cinematographer
Elmer Bernstein ... Composer (Music Score)
James Lyons ... Editor
Mark Friedberg ... Production Designer
Peter Rogness ... Art Director
Declan Baldwin ... Co-producer
Bradford Simpson ... Co-producer
George Clooney ... Executive Producer
Eric Robison ... Executive Producer
John Sloss ... Executive Producer
Steven Soderbergh ... Executive Producer
John Wells ... Executive Producer
Ellen Christiansen ... Set Designer
Sandy Powell ... Costume Designer
Drew Kunin ... Sound/Sound Designer
Tim Bird ... First Assistant Director
Laura Rosenthal ... Casting |
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49
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Feast of Love |
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A group of friends living in suburban Oregon come into contact with a sensual free spirit named Chloe (Alexa Davalos), who changes their outlook on life in the most unexpected of ways in this ensemble drama adapted from the acclaimed novel by author Charles Baxter. As college professor and writer Harry Stevenson (Morgan Freeman) sits quietly in the coffee shop of his tight-knit Oregon community, the local residents all around him all become swept up in the magical mischief of love. Coffee shop owner Bradley (Greg Kinnear) has a bad habit of looking for love in all the wrong places, and his relationship with wife Kathryn (Selma Blair) is a prime example of that penchant. Meanwhile, frazzled real estate agent Diana (Radha Mitchell) becomes ensnared in a taboo affair with a married man (Billy Burke), lovely newcomer Chloe attempts the formidable task of romancing troubled soul Oscar (Toby Hemingway), and Harry's own wife, Esther (Jane Alexander), affectionately tries to get through to her husband as he wrestles with the pain of losing a loved one.Fred Ward, Alexa Davalos, Stana Katic, Toby Hemingway, and Erika Maroszán star in a whimsical tale of intersecting lives inspired by Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, and directed by Robert Benton (Nobody's Fool, The Human Stain).
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Jason Buchanan
A group of friends living in suburban Oregon come into contact with a sensual free spirit named Chloe (Alexa Davalos), who changes their outlook on life in the most unexpected of ways in this ensemble drama adapted from the acclaimed novel by author Charles Baxter. As college professor and writer Harry Stevenson (Morgan Freeman) sits quietly in the coffee shop of his tight-knit Oregon community, the local residents all around him all become swept up in the magical mischief of love. Coffee shop owner Bradley (Greg Kinnear) has a bad habit of looking for love in all the wrong places, and his relationship with wife Kathryn (Selma Blair) is a prime example of that penchant. Meanwhile, frazzled real estate agent Diana (Radha Mitchell) becomes ensnared in a taboo affair with a married man (Billy Burke), lovely newcomer Chloe attempts the formidable task of romancing troubled soul Oscar (Toby Hemingway), and Harry's own wife, Esther (Jane Alexander), affectionately tries to get through to her husband as he wrestles with the pain of losing a loved one.Fred Ward, Alexa Davalos, Stana Katic, Toby Hemingway, and Erika Maroszán star in a whimsical tale of intersecting lives inspired by Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, and directed by Robert Benton (Nobody's Fool, The Human Stain). |
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50
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Finding Kate |
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51
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Fingersmith |
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Two women from different worlds are brought together by strange circumstances and forbidden desires in this period-drama. Sue Trinder (Sally Hawkins) was left on her own as a young child when her parents died, and she was forced to fend for herself, living on the street in the company of thieves and confidence men. Sue is given a chance to reform when she's taken in by Mrs. Sucksby (Imelda Staunton), who wants to keep her off the streets, but Sucksby's friend Richard Rivers (Rupert Evans) is familiar with Sue's old circle and lures her into an elaborate criminal scheme. Sue is to get a job as a maid to Maud Lilly (Elaine Cassidy), a young woman who lives with her uncle (Charles Dance) and will claim a large family inheritance when she marries. Sue's role is to act as confidante to Maud, so when Richard attempts to court her, Sue will help convince the young heiress that marrying Richard is the right thing to do. Richard's scheme is to marry Maud, have her sanity called into question, and then take possession of her fortune after she's committed to an asylum, but as Sue becomes close friends with Maud, she begins to wonder if she has the nerve to go through with the plan, especially when her feelings for Maud begin to extend beyond just friendship. As Sue's choice becomes nearly unbearable, fate steps in and she discovers all is not as she'd been led to believe. Fingersmith was produced for the BBC, where it first aired in the spring of 2005.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
Two women from different worlds are brought together by strange circumstances and forbidden desires in this period-drama. Sue Trinder (Sally Hawkins) was left on her own as a young child when her parents died, and she was forced to fend for herself, living on the street in the company of thieves and confidence men. Sue is given a chance to reform when she's taken in by Mrs. Sucksby (Imelda Staunton), who wants to keep her off the streets, but Sucksby's friend Richard Rivers (Rupert Evans) is familiar with Sue's old circle and lures her into an elaborate criminal scheme. Sue is to get a job as a maid to Maud Lilly (Elaine Cassidy), a young woman who lives with her uncle (Charles Dance) and will claim a large family inheritance when she marries. Sue's role is to act as confidante to Maud, so when Richard attempts to court her, Sue will help convince the young heiress that marrying Richard is the right thing to do. Richard's scheme is to marry Maud, have her sanity called into question, and then take possession of her fortune after she's committed to an asylum, but as Sue becomes close friends with Maud, she begins to wonder if she has the nerve to go through with the plan, especially when her feelings for Maud begin to extend beyond just friendship. As Sue's choice becomes nearly unbearable, fate steps in and she discovers all is not as she'd been led to believe. Fingersmith was produced for the BBC, where it first aired in the spring of 2005. |
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52
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Finn's Girl |
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A grieving mother who has lost her partner and the rebellious daughter who flouts authority both become locked on parallel paths of destruction in this look at contemporary family values, reproductive rights, and pre-teen angst from co-directors Laurie Colbert and Dominique Cardona. Dr. Finn Jefferies works at a Toronto abortion clinic, and shares her life with a longtime partner and an eleven year-old daughter. When her partner dies, Dr. Finn becomes lost. Despite the fact that she wants the best for her daughter Zelly, Dr. Finn finds the intensity of her job and her unbridled grief gradually impeding her from being a responsible parent. Now, as Dr. Finn falls into the arms of a new lover, Zelly and her friends prowl the streets smoking dope, stealing, and ditching school. But sometimes, in the darkest depths of grief, suffering has a way of challenging ones concept of who they truly are and what they really know. Through it all one thing remains certain: if their mutual grief doesn't bring Zelly and her mother closer together it will drive them further apart than they ever imagined.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Dominique Cardona ... Director / Producer
Laurie Colbert ... Director / Screenwriter / Producer
Carolynne Bell ... Producer
Patrick McGowan ... Cinematographer
Tom Third ... Composer (Music Score)
Gino Zolezzi ... Editor
Christine Plunkett ... Production Designer
Paul Lee ... Co-producer
Margus Jukkum ... Sound/Sound Designer
Marissa Richmond ... Casting |
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53
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Fire |
Deepa Mehta |
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In this India-set Canadian drama, two disparate wives related by marriage and united at first by the oppressiveness of Indian tradition that relegates them to miserable unions, find solace and love in each other's arms. The film opens as an unhappy young couple, Jatin and Sita, fumble through a conversation. Neither wanted to marry each other, but as it was arranged by Jatin's family, they had no choice. Marriage does not stop Jatin, who owns a video store, from continuing his long-time love affair with a Chinese hairdresser. Caring nothing for Sita, he doesn't even try to hide the affair. Jatin's brother Ashok (who forced Jatin's marriage) is married to Radha. Deeply frustrated at her inability to conceive, he has joined a radical cult that forbids all sexual contact. Ashok and Jatin's demanding mother doesn't help matters nor does the family's twisted servant Mundu.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Sandra Brennan
In this India-set Canadian drama, two disparate wives related by marriage and united at first by the oppressiveness of Indian tradition that relegates them to miserable unions, find solace and love in each other's arms. The film opens as an unhappy young couple, Jatin and Sita, fumble through a conversation. Neither wanted to marry each other, but as it was arranged by Jatin's family, they had no choice. Marriage does not stop Jatin, who owns a video store, from continuing his long-time love affair with a Chinese hairdresser. Caring nothing for Sita, he doesn't even try to hide the affair. Jatin's brother Ashok (who forced Jatin's marriage) is married to Radha. Deeply frustrated at her inability to conceive, he has joined a radical cult that forbids all sexual contact. Ashok and Jatin's demanding mother doesn't help matters nor does the family's twisted servant Mundu. |
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54
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First out |
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| A good son Different Is one of you Eddie Meet Joe Gay The neighborly thing |
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55
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Floored by Love |
Desiree Lim |
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As the hit of numerous American gay and lesbian film festivals throughout 2006, writer/director Desiree Lim's comedy drama Floored by Love deftly interweaves two stories, both set in Vancouver. One tells of the blossoming romance between Asian-American lesbians Cara (Shirley Ng) and Janet (Natalie Sky), whose relationship begins to suffer and crack under the strain of British Columbia's approval of same-sex marriage; Janet is eager to move ahead with nuptials, Cara isn't so sure. Matters grow more complex with an unannounced, nerve-wracking visit from Cara's ultra-conservative Chinese parents, who desperately want her to settle down with a boy. The second centers around Jesse (Trenton Millar), a young man of mixed African-American and Jewish heritage, who recently "outed" himself and must learn to contend with both his hugely supportive mother and accountant stepfather, and the unexpected reappearance of his openly homosexual biological dad (Andrew McIlroy), now a successful actor in Manhattan; the family threatens to buckle as Jesse decides to head off to the Big Apple with his father. Floored by Love has been praised in many quarters for its mature, contemporary portrayal of multiculturalism and sexual diversity.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Nathan Southern
As the hit of numerous American gay and lesbian film festivals throughout 2006, writer/director Desiree Lim's comedy drama Floored by Love deftly interweaves two stories, both set in Vancouver. One tells of the blossoming romance between Asian-American lesbians Cara (Shirley Ng) and Janet (Natalie Sky), whose relationship begins to suffer and crack under the strain of British Columbia's approval of same-sex marriage; Janet is eager to move ahead with nuptials, Cara isn't so sure. Matters grow more complex with an unannounced, nerve-wracking visit from Cara's ultra-conservative Chinese parents, who desperately want her to settle down with a boy. The second centers around Jesse (Trenton Millar), a young man of mixed African-American and Jewish heritage, who recently "outed" himself and must learn to contend with both his hugely supportive mother and accountant stepfather, and the unexpected reappearance of his openly homosexual biological dad (Andrew McIlroy), now a successful actor in Manhattan; the family threatens to buckle as Jesse decides to head off to the Big Apple with his father. Floored by Love has been praised in many quarters for its mature, contemporary portrayal of multiculturalism and sexual diversity. |
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56
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For Your Consideration |
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Mockumentary mastermind Christopher Guest turns his satirical eye away from dog shows, small-town theater, and folk music to offer a hilarious take on Hollywood award season in this comedy focusing on trio of actors whose lives are turned upside down when they discover that their performances in an independent film are generating a sizable buzz in the entertainment industry. Jay Berman (Guest) is in the process of directing his first feature film -- an intimate family drama set in the 1940s and detailing the tempestuous reunion of an estranged Jewish family that is reluctantly drawn together to celebrate Purim at the behest of their dying matriarch. The cast soon comes down with an infectious case of award fever when rumors on the Internet claim that "Purim" stars Marilyn Hack (Catherine O' Hara), Victor Allan Miller (Harry Shearer), and Callie Webb (Parker Posey) may be delivering Oscar-caliber performances. When "Hollywood Now" co-anchors Chuck Porter (Fred Willard) and Cindy Martin (Jane Lynch) perpetuate the buzz on national television, the entire film crew starts to see stars in their eyes. Subsequently convinced that they have a sleeper hit on their hands, unit publicist Corey Taft (John Michael Higgins), talent agent Morley Orfkin (Eugene Levy), and producer Whitney Taylor Brown (Jennifer Coolidge) immediately cave to requests from Sunfish Classics president Martin Gibb (Ricky Gervais) to alter the film so that it may appeal to a larger audience. Now, while "Purim" screenwriters Lane Iverson (Michael McKean) and Philip Koontz (Bob Balaban) are forced to watch helplessly as their original screenplay is plundered in order to cash in on the positive buzz, awards season draws near and the production takes a most unexpected turn.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Christopher Guest ... Director / Screenwriter / Musical Performer
Karen Murphy ... Producer
Eugene Levy ... Screenwriter
Roberto Schaefer ... Cinematographer
C.J. Vanston ... Composer (Music Score)
Robert Leighton ... Editor
Joseph T. Garrity ... Production Designer
Pat Tagliaferro ... Art Director
David Chow ... Set Designer
Julia Levine ... Set Designer
Dena Roth ... Set Decorator
Durinda Wood ... Costume Designer
Hamilton Sterling ... Sound/Sound Designer
Cas Donovan ... First Assistant Director
Simon Jayes ... Camera Operator
Jennifer Lane ... Camera Operator
Richard Hicks ... Casting
David Rubin ... Casting
Mark Weingarten ... Sound Mixer
James Apted ... First Assistant Camera
Bart Barbuscia ... Swing Gang
David Barker ... Video Assist
David Bartholomew ... Electrician
Rich Bennetti ... Transportation Captain
Gregg Bissonette ... Musical Performer
David Blasucci ... Unit Publicist
Jonathan Bobbitt ... Leadman
Paul Bode ... First Assistant Camera
Jenifer Bonisteel ... Assistant Production Coordinator
Robin L. Bursey ... Camera Loader
Mary Catanado ... Driver
Larry Commans ... Boom Operator
Skip Richard Crank ... Assistant Properties
Louise DeCordoba ... Production Accountant
Deluxe Catering, Inc. ... Craft Service/Catering
Michael Dennehy ... Production Accountant
Kristen Eccker ... Second Assistant Camera
The Effects Group ... Special Effects Coordinator
Jerry Enright ... Assistant Chief Lighting Technician
Thomas Enright ... Electrician
Tracy Estes ... Electrician
Saeed Faridzadeh ... Painter (digital)
Norbert Fimpel ... Musical Performer
Alison Fisher ... ADR Supervisor
Keith Fisher ... Transportation Coordinator
Jamelle Flowers ... Costume/Wardrobe
Katy S. Fox ... Personal Assistant
Tom Quinn ... Voice Casting
Marcy Froelich ... Assistant Costumer Designer
Tommy Garcia ... Grip
Matt Gaumer ... Second Assistant Camera
David Giammarco ... Re-Recording Mixer
Seamus Gibson ... Craft Service/Catering
Dhana R. Gilbert ... Production Supervisor
Tim Gomillion ... Recording
Juan Gonzalez ... Craft Service/Catering
Jerry Goodman ... Musical Performer
Brick Graham ... Driver
Gray Matter FX ... Visual Effects
Pamela Griner ... Post Production Supervisor
Sergio Gutierrez ... Dolly Grip
Brian Hall ... Post Production Coordinator
Handmade Digital Incorporated ... Visual Effects
Robin Harlan ... Foley Artist
Amy Hinkley ... Assistant Hair
Alison Hoberman ... Craft Service/Catering
Jesse Homan ... Grip
Anthony Huljev ... Electrician
Jen Ireland ... Costume/Wardrobe
William Jakubecy ... Driver
Humberto Jimenez ... Properties Maker
Rutilo Jimenez ... Properties Maker
Mervyn Johnson ... Construction Coordinator
J.P. Jones ... Properties Master
Robbie Knott ... Special Effects Coordinator
Jennifer La Gura ... Swing Gang
Paul Lambiase ... Grip
Esteban Lascarez ... Properties Maker
Harvey Letson ... Best Boy Grip
Felicia Linsky ... Key Make-up
Travis Mackay ... ADR Recordist
Paul Massey ... Re-Recording Mixer
Donavan McDougle ... Title Design
Helen McGinn ... Script Supervisor
Andee McGuffee ... Driver
Thomas McNeal ... Driver
Tony Mendez ... Craft Service/Catering
Dan Miller ... First Assistant Editor
Murray Miller ... Location Manager
Oscar Mitt ... Assistant Sound Editor
Sarah Monat ... Foley Artist
Chuck Montgomery ... Driver
George Palmer ... Key Grip
Dean Parks ... Musical Performer
Robert Paulsen ... Assistant Location Manager
Vicki Phillips ... Key Hairstylist
Kristen Ploucha ... Second Assistant Director
Pom "Jon" Ko ... Set Medic/First Aid
Edmundo C. Quintero ... Properties Maker
Lawrence Rake ... Electrician
Billy Ramirez ... Craft Service/Catering
Paul Rathburn ... Craft Service/Catering
Jennifer Reiss ... Second Second Assistant Director
Kim Richey ... Assistant Properties
Theraesa Rivers ... Assistant Hair
Lee "Rod" Roderick ... Lead Compositor
John Rogers ... Electrician
Arturo Rojas ... Assistant Hair
Stephen Runningen ... Graphic Design
Shaun Ryan ... Driver
David Sanfield ... Craft Service/Catering
Joe Satriani ... Musical Performer
Jackie Saygan ... First Assistant Accountant
Marc Schultz ... Electrician
Section Quartet ... Musical Performer
Debi Shirk-Tagliaferro ... Art Department Coordinator
Roselee Showe ... Costume/Wardrobe
Randy K. Singer ... Foley Mixer
Smith & Webster-Davis Casting ... Extra Casting
Tammy L. Smith ... Extra Casting
Mike Sowa ... Color Timing
Scott Spencer ... Chief Lighting Technician
Jennifer Starzyk ... Costume/Wardrobe
Stephanie Stenta ... Casting Assistant
Jack Richard Tate ... Location Manager
Katherine A. Taylor ... Production Secretary
Chris Tedesco ... Musical Performer
Suzanne Tenner ... Still Photographer
Louis Terry ... Swing Gang
John Joseph Thomas ... Foley Supervisor
Eric Thompson ... ADR Mixer
Emma Trenchard ... Costumes Supervisor
Fredrick Trogdon ... Driver
Adria Van Velsen ... Music Editor
Marc Vena ... Storyboard Artist
Don Verela ... Driver
Chrisann Verges ... Unit Production Manager
Lisa Vijitchanton ... Production Coordinator
Corinne Villa ... Visual Effects Editor
William Wardlow ... Driver
Dixie Webster-Davis ... Extra Casting
David Williams ... Musical Performer
Anthony Wilson ... Musical Performer
Kanani Wolf ... Costume/Wardrobe
Jennifer Zide ... Assistant Makeup |
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57
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Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives |
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58
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Foxfire |
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Loosely based on the book Foxfire by Joyce Carol Oates, this film is about four high-school girls, dissimilar in every other way, who find that they are all being made to perform sexually with their biology teacher. This discovery leads them to become allies and friends. Shortly afterward, they exact revenge on their teacher at the cost of being expelled from school. Taking up residence in an abandoned house in the woods, they practice some rather sexy bonding rituals between themselves. Thanks to the efforts of their ringleader Legs to get drug rehab money for one of the girls, they find themselves on the wrong side of the law, and the chase begins.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Clarke Fountain
Loosely based on the book Foxfire by Joyce Carol Oates, this film is about four high-school girls, dissimilar in every other way, who find that they are all being made to perform sexually with their biology teacher. This discovery leads them to become allies and friends. Shortly afterward, they exact revenge on their teacher at the cost of being expelled from school. Taking up residence in an abandoned house in the woods, they practice some rather sexy bonding rituals between themselves. Thanks to the efforts of their ringleader Legs to get drug rehab money for one of the girls, they find themselves on the wrong side of the law, and the chase begins. |
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59
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Freeheld |
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A terminally ill New Jersey police officer struggles against city council's decision to deny the transfer of her pension to her domestic partner in documentary filmmaker Cynthia Wade's earnest look at one woman's fight for equal rights in the land of the free. Veteran lieutenant Laurel Hester is a police officer who has dedicated 25 years of her life to serving the community. Upon learning that she has been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, Hester seeks to provide for longtime partner, Stacie Andree, by transferring her pension. A wrinkle arises in Hester's plan, however, when the elected officials of New Jersey county ("The Freeholders") deny Hester's humble request. Without transfer of the funds, Andree will lose the home that the couple has spent their lives building together. Now, as their friends and neighbors rally around in support of the couple, Hester is forced to spend her final days not simply enjoying the company of the one she holds dearest, but racing against the clock to ensure that the love of her life won't be destitute due to a broken and biased system.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Cynthia Wade ... Director / Producer / Cinematographer
Vanessa Roth ... Producer
Matthew Syrett ... Producer
Rob Schwimmer ... Composer (Music Score)
David Teague ... Editor
FREEHELD AND MY COUNTRY, MY COUNTRY GARNER ACCOLADES
We are also pleased that two projects from WMM's Production Assistance Program have garnered major honors.
Cynthia Wade's documentary Freeheld: The Legacy of Laurel Hester had its world premier at the Sundance Film Festival where it won a Special Jury Prize from the Shorts Jury. WMM applauds the fine work of Cynthia Wade. Freeheld follows Lieutenant Laurel Hester in the last weeks of her life as she tries to reach one goal - to leave her hard-earned pension to her life partner Stacie.
The Academy Award Nominations have been announced, and My Country, My Country by Laura Poitras is an Oscar nominee for Best Documentary Feature. This film is an unforgettable journey into the heart of war-ravaged Iraq in the months leading up to the January 2005 elections. Congratulations to Laura Poitras! |
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60
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Frida |
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After being attached to a number of actors, directors, and producers, this long-gestating biography of one of Mexico's most prominent, iconoclastic painters reaches the screen under the guiding hand of producer/star Salma Hayek. Hayek ages some 30 years onscreen as she charts Frida Kahlo's life from feisty schoolgirl to Diego Rivera protégée to world-renowned artist in her own right. Frida details Kahlo's affluent upbringing in Mexico City, and her nurturing relationship with her traditional mother (Patricia Reyes Spindola) and philosophical father (Roger Rees). Having already suffered the crippling effects of polio, Kahlo sustains further injuries when a city bus accident nearly ends her life. But in her bed-ridden state, the young artist produces dozens upon dozens of pieces; when she recovers, she presents them to the legendary -- and legendarily temperamental -- Rivera (Alfred Molina), who takes her under his wing as an artist, a political revolutionary, and, inevitably, a lover. But their relationship is fraught with trouble, as the philandering Rivera traverses the globe painting murals, and Kahlo languishes in obscurity, longing to make her mark on her own. Frida was directed by Julie Taymor, whose Broadway production of The Lion King won her international acclaim.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Julie Taymor ... Director
Lindsay Flickinger ... Producer
Sarah Green ... Producer
Nancy Hardin ... Producer
Salma Hayek ... Producer
Jay Polstein ... Producer
Roberto Sneider ... Producer
Lizz Speed ... Producer
Rodrigo García ... Screenwriter
Hayden Herrera ... Book Author
Diane Lake ... Screenwriter
Gregory Nava ... Screenwriter
Clancy Sigal ... Screenwriter
Anna Thomas ... Screenwriter
Rodrigo Prieto ... Cinematographer
Elliot Goldenthal ... Composer (Music Score)
Françoise Bonnot ... Editor
Felipe Fernandez del Paso ... Production Designer
Bernardo Trujillo ... Art Director
Ann Ruark ... Co-producer
Mark Amin ... Executive Producer
Brian Gibson ... Executive Producer
Mark Gill ... Executive Producer
Jill Sobel Messick ... Executive Producer
Amy Slotnick ... Executive Producer
Hannia Robledo ... Set Decorator
Julie Weiss ... Costume Designer
Regina Reyes ... Makeup
John Jackson ... Makeup
Santiago Núńez Rojo ... Sound Mixer
Amoeba Proteus ... Visual Effects
Beatrice De Alba ... Hair Styles |
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61
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Fucking Amal |
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| Elin, jeune fille de quinze ans, s'ennuie et trouve sa vie morne dans une ville suedoise en depit des dizaines de garcons qui sont amoureux d'elle. Elle se lie d'amitie avec Agnes, plus timide, que l'on dit lesbienne. Elin va peu a peu se sentir attiree par elle. |
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62
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Fun |
Rafal Zielinski |
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Bonnie (Alicia Witt) and Hillary (Renee Humphrey) are two seemingly average California teenagers who have some very heavy emotional baggage to lug around. Bonnie was abandoned by her mother years ago, and Hillary was sexually assaulted by her father, who is now behind bars. Bonnie and Hillary have enough in common that they strike up a fast friendship and head out one day in search of "fun." However, by the end of the day, their pursuit of happiness has taken them from typically meanspirited teenage pranks, such as dropping pennies onto cars from an overpass, to an abrupt and shocking extreme -- the murder of an elderly woman who has done them no harm. Jane (Leslie Hope), a social worker assigned to work with Bonnie and Hillary, finds it all but impossible to get through to them and is dealing with her own precarious emotional state (which she treats with alcohol), while tabloid journalist John (William R. Moses) tries to wring a juicy, sensational story out of the girls' crime spree. Meanwhile, Bonnie and Hillary wonder out loud about their sudden "celebrity" and who will play them in the inevitable TV movie about their crimes. Alicia Witt and Renee Humphrey both won awards for their performances at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival, though the film didn't find a distributor until 1996, after the release of the thematically similar Heavenly Creatures.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Rafal Zielinski ... Producer / Director
James Bosley ... Play Author / Screenwriter
Jens Sturup ... Cinematographer
Damian Lee ... Co-producer
Rana Joy Glickman ... Executive Producer
Renee Johnston ... Costume Designer |
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63
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Fun in girl shorts |
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SYNOPSIS
Fun in Girls' Shorts brings together six of Framelines best lesbian shorts from recent years, including several award-winning festival favorites.
Outside In a post-apocalyptic society where people are isolated in sealed bunkers, a young woman confronts her fears of the unknown when she makes contact with an Outsider.
Directed by Jenn Kao and starring Courtney Ford, Keaton Talmadge
22 min., 2004 USA
Airplanes Two teenage girls hook up at a carnival, but when evening falls, their tentative friendship threatens to dissolve.
Directed by Jen Heck and starring Rachel Perry Kieffer, Crista Russo, J.T. Norton, Maria Cunningham
10 min., 2006 USA
Can You Take It? Waiting in the station for a train, a group of strangers are detained. Through the eyes of a teenage girl, social misconceptions unfold in this film-noir psychological drama.
Directed by Justine Morris and starring Francesca Fowler, Saskia Schuck, Rosie Wiggins, Laura-Rose Mason
20 min., 2005 United Kingdom
Members Only Amy, the new kid in town, can't seem to get a date or even a woman to look in her direction. When she meets savvy businesswoman, Joan Fox, she realizes Joan has a corner on the market. Lucky for Amy it's for sale.
Directed by Carolina Roca-Smith and starring Amanda Schoonover, Janice McDuffy, Katharine Clark Gray, Elaine DiFlavis, Kimberly S. Fairbanks
10 min., 2007 USA
Hi Maya Two women rekindle a lost romance after an unexpected meeting in a beauty parlor.
Directed by Claudia Lorenz and starring Heidi Diggelmann, Monica Gubser, Dominique Ludi, Simone Oswald
12 min., 2004 Switzerland, Swiss German with English subtitles.
Hung With the help of a magic potion, five friends find themselves hung for a single day. The days goal is clear, but the means are more difficult as each tries to make use of her new assets.
Directed by Guinevere Turner and starring Yolanda Ross, Rachel C. Smith, Deak Evgenikos, Guinevere Turner, Heather Cassils
12 min., 2005 USA |
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64
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Fun in girls shorts 2 |
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Fun in Girls Shorts 2 includes:
Crafty, directed by Erik Gernand, tells a wry tale of a cunning activist and the craft-loving housewife she encounters.
The Vicious and the Delicious, director Tonnette Stanfords ribald parody of a fictitious soap opera and its shocking scandals.
eddie, directed by Quentin Kruger, is set in a neighborhood playground where an precocious tomboy faces some grown-up questions.
Heterosexual wedding traditions present an interesting dilemma to a gay marriage proposal in director Robert Gastons Will You...
Night Star is director Kekeleto Khenas contemplative film about the tender relationship between a young Zulu woman and her caregiver.
The only documentary on the DVD, Just Me? directed by Amy Neil explores a young lesbians discovery that her great grandmother may have had more of a past than her family ever knew.
Two antique dolls tell the story of a night of entangled passion and the ensuing emotional aftermath in Nicole Brendings Operated by Invisible Hands. |
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65
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Gaudi Afternoon |
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An American abroad finds herself falling in with an eccentric group of fellow expatriates in Spain in this comedy. Cassandra (Judy Davis) is a nomadic American who finds herself stranded in Spain, where she's found temporary work translating books into English. However, Cassandra's limited translating skills are not bringing home the bacon, so when she encounters a strange woman named Frankie (Marcia Gay Harden), she's willing to help her find a missing friend for a price. Cassandra soon discovers Frankie isn't a strange woman after all -- she's a man living as a woman in preparation for a future sex change operation. It seems Frankie's significant other, a seriously butch lesbian named Ben (Lili Taylor), has walked out on her and taken their daughter Delilah (Courtney Jines) with her; Frankie wants Cassandra to help her find the two of them. As it turns out, Ben has moved on to new pastures, becoming involved with April (Juliette Lewis), a head-in-the-clouds bohemian, and with the help of wealthy art patron and part-time magician Hamilton Kincaid (Christopher Bowen), Ben, April, and Delilah are happily squatting in a spare wing at La Pedrera, Spain's best-known gallery. As Cassandra tries to persuade Ben to reconcile with Frankie, she gets fast-talked by Hamilton into performing as part of his magic act. Gaudi Afternoon was directed by Susan Seidelman; it was her first dramatic theatrical feature since Cookie in 1989, after spending over a decade making documentaries and television projects.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
An American abroad finds herself falling in with an eccentric group of fellow expatriates in Spain in this comedy. Cassandra (Judy Davis) is a nomadic American who finds herself stranded in Spain, where she's found temporary work translating books into English. However, Cassandra's limited translating skills are not bringing home the bacon, so when she encounters a strange woman named Frankie (Marcia Gay Harden), she's willing to help her find a missing friend for a price. Cassandra soon discovers Frankie isn't a strange woman after all -- she's a man living as a woman in preparation for a future sex change operation. It seems Frankie's significant other, a seriously butch lesbian named Ben (Lili Taylor), has walked out on her and taken their daughter Delilah (Courtney Jines) with her; Frankie wants Cassandra to help her find the two of them. As it turns out, Ben has moved on to new pastures, becoming involved with April (Juliette Lewis), a head-in-the-clouds bohemian, and with the help of wealthy art patron and part-time magician Hamilton Kincaid (Christopher Bowen), Ben, April, and Delilah are happily squatting in a spare wing at La Pedrera, Spain's best-known gallery. As Cassandra tries to persuade Ben to reconcile with Frankie, she gets fast-talked by Hamilton into performing as part of his magic act. Gaudi Afternoon was directed by Susan Seidelman; it was her first dramatic theatrical feature since Cookie in 1989, after spending over a decade making documentaries and television projects. |
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66
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Gia |
Michael Cristofer |
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Novelist Jay McInerney and playwright Michael Cristofer (who also made his feature film directorial debut) collaborated on the script for this bio of doomed supermodel Gia Carangi. In a star-making performance, Angelina Jolie stars as Gia, a gorgeous Philadelphia native who arrives in New York City to become a model and immediately makes an impression on high-powered agent Wilhelmina Cooper (Faye Dunaway). Gia's fierce good looks make her a star, as does her willingness to pose nude. Gia becomes entangled in a passionate affair with a photographer's assistant, Linda (Elizabeth Mithcell), but Linda is more conflicted about her bisexuality, driving Gia away and fueling the model's craving for mood-altering drugs. Failed attempts at reconciliation with both Linda and her mother Kathleen (Mercedes Ruehl) drive Gia further over the edge from cocaine to heroin, her emaciated body and sunken eyes becoming the catalyst for the "heroin chic" look. Although Gia is eventually able to kick her powerful habit, she learns that an infected needle has resulted in her contracting the AIDS virus. For the second year in a row, a made-for-TV film resulted in an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe victory for Jolie (the first was George Wallace, 1998).
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Karl Williams
Novelist Jay McInerney and playwright Michael Cristofer (who also made his feature film directorial debut) collaborated on the script for this bio of doomed supermodel Gia Carangi. In a star-making performance, Angelina Jolie stars as Gia, a gorgeous Philadelphia native who arrives in New York City to become a model and immediately makes an impression on high-powered agent Wilhelmina Cooper (Faye Dunaway). Gia's fierce good looks make her a star, as does her willingness to pose nude. Gia becomes entangled in a passionate affair with a photographer's assistant, Linda (Elizabeth Mithcell), but Linda is more conflicted about her bisexuality, driving Gia away and fueling the model's craving for mood-altering drugs. Failed attempts at reconciliation with both Linda and her mother Kathleen (Mercedes Ruehl) drive Gia further over the edge from cocaine to heroin, her emaciated body and sunken eyes becoming the catalyst for the "heroin chic" look. Although Gia is eventually able to kick her powerful habit, she learns that an infected needle has resulted in her contracting the AIDS virus. For the second year in a row, a made-for-TV film resulted in an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe victory for Jolie (the first was George Wallace, 1998). |
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67
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Gigli |
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Larry Gigli (Ben Affleck) is a low-level Los Angeles mob enforcer. His volatile boss, Louis (Lenny Venito), hires Gigli to kidnap Brian (newcomer Justin Bartha), the mentally handicapped younger brother of a federal prosecutor who's about to bring Louis' boss to trial in New York. Gigli gets the kid home without a hitch. Then a beautiful woman (Jennifer Lopez) shows up at his door. She says her name is Ricki, and Gigli soon learns that the nervous Louis has hired her to keep an eye on him. "In every relationship," Gigli soon finds himself expounding to his unwanted partner, "there's a bull and a cow." His efforts to maintain control of the situation are further hampered by the brief appearance of the insane Detective Stanley Jacobellis (Christopher Walken) and a forced visit to his overbearing mother's (Lainie Kazan) house. To make matters worse, when Gigli expresses his attraction to Ricki, he learns that she's a lesbian. She, meanwhile, proves herself considerably more capable than the lunkheaded Gigli, winning their war of words and even scaring off a rowdy group of high school kids. As Gigli and Ricki continue to look after the young, innocent Brian, they find themselves increasingly attracted to one another. But their potential budding romance is put on hold when Starkman (Al Pacino) arrives from New York, angry about how his affairs are being handled. Director Martin Brest, in his first film since 1998's Meet Joe Black, returns to the crime comedy genre that made his reputation. Brest also wrote the script for Gigli, his first since 1979's Going in Style. Stars Affleck and Lopez began a well-publicized romantic relationship on the set of the film.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Josh Ralske
Larry Gigli (Ben Affleck) is a low-level Los Angeles mob enforcer. His volatile boss, Louis (Lenny Venito), hires Gigli to kidnap Brian (newcomer Justin Bartha), the mentally handicapped younger brother of a federal prosecutor who's about to bring Louis' boss to trial in New York. Gigli gets the kid home without a hitch. Then a beautiful woman (Jennifer Lopez) shows up at his door. She says her name is Ricki, and Gigli soon learns that the nervous Louis has hired her to keep an eye on him. "In every relationship," Gigli soon finds himself expounding to his unwanted partner, "there's a bull and a cow." His efforts to maintain control of the situation are further hampered by the brief appearance of the insane Detective Stanley Jacobellis (Christopher Walken) and a forced visit to his overbearing mother's (Lainie Kazan) house. To make matters worse, when Gigli expresses his attraction to Ricki, he learns that she's a lesbian. She, meanwhile, proves herself considerably more capable than the lunkheaded Gigli, winning their war of words and even scaring off a rowdy group of high school kids. As Gigli and Ricki continue to look after the young, innocent Brian, they find themselves increasingly attracted to one another. But their potential budding romance is put on hold when Starkman (Al Pacino) arrives from New York, angry about how his affairs are being handled. Director Martin Brest, in his first film since 1998's Meet Joe Black, returns to the crime comedy genre that made his reputation. Brest also wrote the script for Gigli, his first since 1979's Going in Style. Stars Affleck and Lopez began a well-publicized romantic relationship on the set of the film. |
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68
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Girl Play |
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Actresses Robin Greenspan and Lacie Harmon used the ups and downs of their real-life romance as the inspiration for this comedy drama about two performers whose real lives are beginning to mirror their latest roles. Robin (Greenspan) is an actress who has been in a deeply committed relationship with Audrey (Katherine Randolph) for six years, while fellow thespian Lacie (Harmon) is not much on commitment and tends to tire of her lovers once the initial excitement wears off. Robin an Lacie have been cast opposite one another as lesbian lovers in a play directed by the wildly flamboyant Gabriel (Dom DeLuise). While they don't get along well at first, an undeniable chemistry develops between Robin and Lacie, and before long they discover they've fallen in love. However, this doesn't entirely happy news; Robin has to decide if she wants to dump Audrey for Lacie, while Lacie has to choose between the freedom of the single life and her feelings for Robin. Based on the play Real Girls, Girl Play also features Mink Stole as Robin's mother, who has little understanding of her daughter's sexual orientation.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
Actresses Robin Greenspan and Lacie Harmon used the ups and downs of their real-life romance as the inspiration for this comedy drama about two performers whose real lives are beginning to mirror their latest roles. Robin (Greenspan) is an actress who has been in a deeply committed relationship with Audrey (Katherine Randolph) for six years, while fellow thespian Lacie (Harmon) is not much on commitment and tends to tire of her lovers once the initial excitement wears off. Robin an Lacie have been cast opposite one another as lesbian lovers in a play directed by the wildly flamboyant Gabriel (Dom DeLuise). While they don't get along well at first, an undeniable chemistry develops between Robin and Lacie, and before long they discover they've fallen in love. However, this doesn't entirely happy news; Robin has to decide if she wants to dump Audrey for Lacie, while Lacie has to choose between the freedom of the single life and her feelings for Robin. Based on the play Real Girls, Girl Play also features Mink Stole as Robin's mother, who has little understanding of her daughter's sexual orientation. |
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69
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Girlfriends |
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Not to be confused with Claudia Weill's 1978 seriocomedy of the same title, Mark Steven Bosko's lurid 1993 exploitation film Girlfriends tells the wicked and sordid tale of Wanda (Nina Angeloff) and Pearl (Lori Scarlett), two trailer trash lesbian hookers who opt to beat prostitution at its own game by cutting out the sex, collecting the money, and adding a little murder in-between. The picture relaxes its pace during its second half as the girls ease up on the homicide, and Bosko explores the landscape of the girls' homosexual relationship. Mark Andreyko and Shawna Baer co-star.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Nathan Southern
Not to be confused with Claudia Weill's 1978 seriocomedy of the same title, Mark Steven Bosko's lurid 1993 exploitation film Girlfriends tells the wicked and sordid tale of Wanda (Nina Angeloff) and Pearl (Lori Scarlett), two trailer trash lesbian hookers who opt to beat prostitution at its own game by cutting out the sex, collecting the money, and adding a little murder in-between. The picture relaxes its pace during its second half as the girls ease up on the homicide, and Bosko explores the landscape of the girls' homosexual relationship. Mark Andreyko and Shawna Baer co-star. |
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70
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Girls Can't Swim |
Anne-Sophie Birot |
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French filmmaker Anne-Sophie Birot makes her writing and directing debut with the coming-of-age drama Les Filles Ne Savent Pas Nager, given the unfortunate English title Girls Can't Swim. Every year, Gwen (Isild Le Besco) meets up with her best friend Lise (Karen Alyx) for a summer on the beach in Brittany. Since Gwen has grown into a reckless teenager and her parents are experiencing financial problems, this year is decidedly different. She develops an interest in sex, starts dating Frédo (Julien Cottereau), and looks for other boys to fool around with. Her dad, Alain (Pascal Elso), sells his boat, her mom, Céline (Pascale Bussičres), starts working to support the family, and, worst of all, Lise doesn't come to the beach. Meanwhile, back in the city, Lise finds out her absent father has died, which causes much grief to her mother (Marie Rivičre) and older sisters (Yelda Reynaud and Sandrine Blancke). Having never met her father and wanting to escape her family's trauma, she travels by herself to Brittany. Without telling anyone what's bothering her, Lise is pensive and brooding while Gwen is thirsty for adventure, leading to a major fight between the two girls. With Gwen running around on her own and Céline at work, Lise and Alain are left to form an unlikely friendship, which takes a dark turn and leads to a tragic conclusion. Girls Can't Swim premiered at the 2000 Montreal Film Festival.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Andrea LeVasseur
French filmmaker Anne-Sophie Birot makes her writing and directing debut with the coming-of-age drama Les Filles Ne Savent Pas Nager, given the unfortunate English title Girls Can't Swim. Every year, Gwen (Isild Le Besco) meets up with her best friend Lise (Karen Alyx) for a summer on the beach in Brittany. Since Gwen has grown into a reckless teenager and her parents are experiencing financial problems, this year is decidedly different. She develops an interest in sex, starts dating Frédo (Julien Cottereau), and looks for other boys to fool around with. Her dad, Alain (Pascal Elso), sells his boat, her mom, Céline (Pascale Bussičres), starts working to support the family, and, worst of all, Lise doesn't come to the beach. Meanwhile, back in the city, Lise finds out her absent father has died, which causes much grief to her mother (Marie Rivičre) and older sisters (Yelda Reynaud and Sandrine Blancke). Having never met her father and wanting to escape her family's trauma, she travels by herself to Brittany. Without telling anyone what's bothering her, Lise is pensive and brooding while Gwen is thirsty for adventure, leading to a major fight between the two girls. With Gwen running around on her own and Céline at work, Lise and Alain are left to form an unlikely friendship, which takes a dark turn and leads to a tragic conclusion. Girls Can't Swim premiered at the 2000 Montreal Film Festival. |
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71
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Girls in Prison |
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Sex, drugs, and rock & roll are all tied into this tangled (and campy) tale of the sordid side of the music business in the 1950s. Aggie (Missy Crider) is a young pop singer whose career is on the verge of a major breakthrough before she's framed for the murder of a record producer by the devious Jennifer (Anne Heche). Aggie finds herself sent up the river to the California State Penitentiary for Women, where she's befriended by a pair of fellow convicts, Carol (Ione Skye) and Melba (Bahni Turpin). Together, they struggle to survive under grim circumstances as they plot their escape. Will Aggie be able to clear her name? Will Carol find the kind of love she's been looking for? And most importantly, will the inmates get to take a long, hot shower? Girls in Prison was co-scripted by legendary director Samuel Fuller and directed by John McNaughton; the film, an in-name-only remake of the 1956 exploitation classic, was produced for the Showtime premium cable network as part of their Rebel Highway series.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
Sex, drugs, and rock & roll are all tied into this tangled (and campy) tale of the sordid side of the music business in the 1950s. Aggie (Missy Crider) is a young pop singer whose career is on the verge of a major breakthrough before she's framed for the murder of a record producer by the devious Jennifer (Anne Heche). Aggie finds herself sent up the river to the California State Penitentiary for Women, where she's befriended by a pair of fellow convicts, Carol (Ione Skye) and Melba (Bahni Turpin). Together, they struggle to survive under grim circumstances as they plot their escape. Will Aggie be able to clear her name? Will Carol find the kind of love she's been looking for? And most importantly, will the inmates get to take a long, hot shower? Girls in Prison was co-scripted by legendary director Samuel Fuller and directed by John McNaughton; the film, an in-name-only remake of the 1956 exploitation classic, was produced for the Showtime premium cable network as part of their Rebel Highway series. |
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72
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Girls on films 2 |
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GIRLS ON FILM-II is another groundbreaking compilation featuring the best lesbian-themed shorts made by POWER UP members. These films have delighted audiences at festivals worldwide, including Sundance and Berlin. The DVD contains films including D.E.B.S., Give or Take an Inch and Fly Cherry, which were produced through POWER UP s film grant production program.
D.E.B.S. - 2002 POWER UP GRANT FILM, the breakout hit comedy written and directed by Angela Robinson, starring Tammy Lynn Michaels (Popular) and Clare Kramer (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), soon to be a major motion picture. Running time: aprox. 11 min. Official selection of the Sundance Film Festival and Berlin International Film Festival. jury award best Short Big Bear Lake International Film Festival HONORABLE MENTION Cleveland International Film Festival BEST SHORT FILM AUDIENCE AWARD Dublin Gay & Lesbian Film Festival AUDIENCE AWARD Hamburg Lesbian & Gay Film Festival BEST SHORT FILM Newfest/New York Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (sponsored by Advocate) BEST SHORT North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival BEST SHORT FILM Outfest/Los Angeles BEST SHORT FILM AUDIENCE AWARD Philadelphia Gay & Lesbian Film Festival BEST SHORT Planet Out Film Festival GRAND PRIZE WINNER Queer Identities Vienna BEST SHORT FILM AUDIENCE AWARD Seattle Gay & Lesbian Film Festival AUDIENCE AWARD USA Dallas Short Film Festival. Official selections of over 100 film festivals.
GIVE OR TAKE AN INCH - 2002 POWER UP GRANT FILM, written by Erin Eckles and directed by Lee Friedlander (The 10 Rules) stars Amanda Bearse (Married with Children) and Michele Greene (LA LAW). Running time: aprox. 14 min. WINNER Madrid Gay & Lesbian Film Festival SPECIAL RAINBOW AWARD. Official selections of over 40 film festivals. BEST SHORT & AUDIENCE CHOICE Denver Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.
FLY CHERRY - 2002 POWER UP GRANT FILM, written by Michele Greene, directed by Jessica Sharzer, student Academy Award winner (Wormhole), and stars Sharon Lawrence (NYPD BLUE) and Shirley Knight (Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood). Running time: aprox. 15 min. FINALIST BEST SHORT Dallas Short Film Festival.
Plus Bonus Tracks: BEHIND THE SCENES - the making of the POWER UP 2002 grant films. GAY PROPAGANDA (Running time: aprox. 18 min.)- The complete collection includes; The Gay Breakfast Club - dir. by Jessica Zweiman, Casablanco - dir. by James Quinn, Goodfaigolas - dir. by Lynnette Myers, The Gay Graduate - dir. by Meredith Kadlec, From Queer to Eternity, Reservoir Dykes, Taxi Lesbian & Gay Moonstruck- dir. by JD Disalvatore, Gay on Golden Pond - dir. by Kadlec, Polterqueer & Hung Frankenstein - dir. by Kurt Koehler. BEST SHORT Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Film Festival AUDIENCE AWARD Reel Pride, Fresno Gay and Lesbian Film Festival JURY AWARD Fresno Gay and Lesbian Film Festival BEST SHORT Prague Gay and Lesbian Film Festival BEST SHORT Los Angeles Actorbone Film Festival TOP TEN SHORTS OF 2002 American Cinemateque TOP TEN QUEER SHORTS OF 2002 Official Selection of over 25 festivals. |
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73
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Girls view 2 |
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The Rules
Kyla, a lonely bored housewife embarks on a phone sex game with Melanie, a mysterious woman. Kyla wants the relationship to go further. Melanie refuses. When Kyla threatens to end the relationship, Melanie suggests pushing the boundaries. The game escalates and both women learn that some rules shouldn t be broken.
DYKE!
Hot girls kissing in a pool - what more could a girl want? Love, acceptance and a sense of normality. DYKE! addresses themes of isolation, self-acceptance and trust. All Billy wants is to fit in. Taken by the hand and left alone to face her fears, who is she afraid of?
Backstroke
Julie is startled to discover that Rome, an ex-lover who she thought was dead, has been admitted to the same psychiatric hospital where Julie now resides. Julie also learns that Rome has amnesia, and thus no recollection of their past relationship. The story unfolds to reveal the sudden end to the relationship between the two women and how Julie decides to deal with past and current consequences.
Snap
Petra is a beautiful girl whose life is turned on its head when a chance meeting sends her spinning into inner turmoil. Should she deny her true feelings for the sake of common acceptance, or follow her heart to unconditional happiness?
Licorice
A friendship forms between a heart-broken fiancée and a lost teenage girl as they both discover the vast space in the NSW Blue Mountains and themselves. Licorice is an eight-minute coming-of-age drama that shows us that there is a world beyond what we know. |
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74
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Go Fish |
Rose Troche |
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This hit arthouse ensemble piece traces the romantic and political ups and downs of a group of multicultural Chicago lesbians. The central story involves an unlikely romance between Max (Guinevere Turner), a hip young babe, and Ely (V.S. Brodie), a slightly older woman involved in a long-term, long-distance relationship that's basically a smokescreen for her fear of romantic risk. When the pair are introduced by Max's roommate, teacher/activist Kia (T. Wendy McMillan), Max isn't interested in Ely, whose long hair, hippie accoutrements, and fondness for decaffeinated herbal tea don't impress the younger, more fashion-conscious woman. Soon, though, fate, friends, and Ely's butch new hairstyle conspire to push the women closer together. As this new romance inches along, the pair's friends have problems of their own: Kia must help her closeted girlfriend, Evy (Migdalia Melendez), come to grips with the disapproval of her conservative Latina mother, while their pal Daria (Anastasia Sharp) incurs the disapproval of the lesbian community for her decision to sleep with a man. Filmed in black and white on-location in Chicago, Go Fish features a number of non-standard narrative devices, most notably the Greek chorus, or "jury," of lesbians who comment on not only the plot, but also the political and social ramifications thereof. Shown in competition at Sundance in 1994, Go Fish went on to earn critical and commercial success and establish the careers of director Rose Troche and actress Turner, who together co-wrote and co-produced the picture. Turner would appear in several additional indies and co-write the script for American Psycho, while Troche would go on to helm 1998's Bedrooms & Hallways.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Rose Troche ... Director / Screenwriter / Editor / Producer / Additional Cinematography
Guinevere Turner ... Producer / Screenwriter
Ann T. Rossetti ... Cinematographer / Lighting
Scott Aldrich ... Composer (Music Score)
Brendan Dolan ... Composer (Music Score)
Jennifer Sharpe ... Composer (Music Score)
V.S. Brodie ... Associate Producer
Tom Kalin ... Executive Producer
Christine Vachon ... Executive Producer
Wendy Quinn ... First Assistant Director
Joy Castro-Nova ... Gaffer
Gillian Chi ... Assistant Dialogue Editor
Missy Cohen ... Sound Editor
Lisa Hubbard ... Sound Recordist / First Assistant Editor
Janet Jeffries ... Additional Cinematography
Kelly Krotine ... First Assistant Camera
Elspeth Kydd ... Sound Recordist / Lighting
David Novack ... Re-Recording Mixer
Jacob Ribicoff ... Dialogue Editor
Arthur C. Stone ... Lighting
Maida Sussman ... Lighting
Brian Vancho ... Foley Artist
Joe Vidal ... Additional Cinematography
Mimi Wadell ... First Assistant Camera
Karl Wasserman ... Assistant Dialogue Editor
Jessie Weiner ... First Assistant Editor |
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75
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Goldfish Memory |
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Written and directed by Liz Gill, Goldfish Memory chronicles the ups and downs of several Irish singles who, like goldfish, seem to have a memory span that's simply too short to prevent them from repeating the same actions ad nauseam. Lives intertwine when a middle-aged professor (Sean Campion) with a nasty tendency to chase after his pupils breaks up with one of his conquests (Fiona Glascott) in order to repeat the pattern with another student (Fiona O'Shaughnessy). Shunned, Clara (Glascott) goes on to have a lesbian affair with a local reporter (Flora Montgomery), who turns out to be more than a little possessive. In an effort to get away from the needy reporter, Clara manages to attract the woman who had stolen the affections of her professor in the first place. Goldfish Memory was filmed entirely in Dublin, Ireland, and also features Keith McErlean, Peter Gaynor, and Jean Butler.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Tracie Cooper
Written and directed by Liz Gill, Goldfish Memory chronicles the ups and downs of several Irish singles who, like goldfish, seem to have a memory span that's simply too short to prevent them from repeating the same actions ad nauseam. Lives intertwine when a middle-aged professor (Sean Campion) with a nasty tendency to chase after his pupils breaks up with one of his conquests (Fiona Glascott) in order to repeat the pattern with another student (Fiona O'Shaughnessy). Shunned, Clara (Glascott) goes on to have a lesbian affair with a local reporter (Flora Montgomery), who turns out to be more than a little possessive. In an effort to get away from the needy reporter, Clara manages to attract the woman who had stolen the affections of her professor in the first place. Goldfish Memory was filmed entirely in Dublin, Ireland, and also features Keith McErlean, Peter Gaynor, and Jean Butler. |
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76
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Gray Matters |
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"Sibling rivalry" takes on a whole new meaning in this offbeat comedy from first-time writer and director Sue Kramer. Sam (Tom Cavanagh) and his sister, Gray (Heather Graham), are siblings who share a passionate interest in the music and styles of the 1940s, especially movie musicals of the era, and they've earned a powerful reputation on the ballroom-dancing circuit as gifted hoofers with both talent and flair. Sam and Gray cross paths with Charlie (Bridget Moynahan), an attractive woman who shares their enthusiasm for old movies and retro styles, and is a fine dancer to boot. To the surprise of no one, Sam falls head over heels for Charlie, but so does Gray, which comes as a shock to nearly everyone, including Gray, who has never betrayed an attraction to women before. Charlie, however, naďvely fails to acknowledge the depth of Gray's feelings for her as a romantic triangle forms between Charlie and the siblings. Gray Matters also features supporting performances from Sissy Spacek as an analyst, Molly Shannon as one of Gray's co-workers, and Alan Cumming as a taxi driver.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
"Sibling rivalry" takes on a whole new meaning in this offbeat comedy from first-time writer and director Sue Kramer. Sam (Tom Cavanagh) and his sister, Gray (Heather Graham), are siblings who share a passionate interest in the music and styles of the 1940s, especially movie musicals of the era, and they've earned a powerful reputation on the ballroom-dancing circuit as gifted hoofers with both talent and flair. Sam and Gray cross paths with Charlie (Bridget Moynahan), an attractive woman who shares their enthusiasm for old movies and retro styles, and is a fine dancer to boot. To the surprise of no one, Sam falls head over heels for Charlie, but so does Gray, which comes as a shock to nearly everyone, including Gray, who has never betrayed an attraction to women before. Charlie, however, naďvely fails to acknowledge the depth of Gray's feelings for her as a romantic triangle forms between Charlie and the siblings. Gray Matters also features supporting performances from Sissy Spacek as an analyst, Molly Shannon as one of Gray's co-workers, and Alan Cumming as a taxi driver. |
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77
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Head in the Clouds |
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Australian filmmaker John Duigan directs the romantic war drama Head in the Clouds. Charlize Theron stars as ambitious photographer Gilda Bessé, who lives in France during the 1930s. She shares her stylish luxury apartment in Paris with Cambridge student Guy (Stuart Townsend) from Ireland and refugee Mia (Penélope Cruz) from Spain. When WWII starts, the three close friends are torn apart by different priorities. Thomas Kretschmann also stars as Major Thomas Bietrich.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
John Duigan ... Director / Screenwriter
Michael Cowan ... Producer
Bertil Ohlsson ... Producer
Jonathan Olsberg ... Producer
Jason Piette ... Producer
Maxime Remillard ... Producer
Andre Rouleau ... Producer
Paul Sarossy ... Cinematographer
Terry Frewer ... Composer (Music Score)
Dominique Fortin ... Editor
Jonathan Lee ... Production Designer
Gilles Aird ... Art Director / Supervising Art Director
Michel Clement ... Art Director
Jean Kazemirchuk ... Art Director
Mickey Kelm ... Art Director
Jean Morin ... Art Director
Nigel Goldsack ... Co-producer
Julia Palau ... Executive Producer
Matthew Payne ... Executive Producer
Charlize Theron ... Executive Producer
Danielle Cormier ... Set Designer
Elaine Frigon ... Set Designer
Claude Lafrance ... Set Designer
Brent Lambert ... Set Designer
Raynald Langelier ... Set Designer
Lucille Parenteau ... Set Designer
Rick Shean ... Set Designer
Frances Calder ... Set Decorator
Mario Davignon ... Costume Designer
Jim Erickson ... Set Decorator
Marina Morris ... Set Decorator
Pierre Blain ... Sound/Sound Designer
Jocelyn Caron ... Sound/Sound Designer
Michel Descombes ... Sound/Sound Designer
Gavin Fernandes ... Sound/Sound Designer
Marcel Pothier ... Sound/Sound Designer
Brian Simmons ... Sound/Sound Designer
Anne Murphy ... First Assistant Director
Rosina Bucci ... Casting
Vera Miller ... Casting
Bib Bang FX ... Visual Effects
Nathalie Fleurant ... Sound Editor
Guy Francoeur ... Sound Editor
Peter James ... Co-Executive Producer
Pierre Laberge ... Line Producer
Antoine Morin ... Sound Editor
Guy Pelletier ... Sound Editor
Julien Remillard ... Co-Executive Producer
James Sumpson ... Co-Executive Producer |
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78
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High Art |
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Lisa Cholodenko wrote and directed this lesbian-themed drama, winner of the 1998 Sundance Film Festival's Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. Ambitious photography magazine associate editor Syd (Radha Mitchell) has a ho-hum relationship with James (Gabriel Mann). Investigating a ceiling leak, she enters the apartment of her neighbor, retired photographer Lucy Berliner (Ally Sheedy), who lives with former Fassbinder actress Greta (Patricia Clarkson), a heroin addict. The friendship between the worldly Lucy and the naive, insecure Syd ripens into an affair, one destined to change the lives of both women.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Lisa Cholodenko ... Director / Screenwriter
Dolly Hall ... Producer
Jeffrey Levy-Hinte ... Producer
Susan A. Stover ... Producer
Tami Reiker ... Cinematographer
Tracy McKnight ... Musical Direction/Supervision
Shudder to Think ... Composer (Music Score)
Amy E. Duddleston ... Editor
Bernhard Blythe ... Production Designer
Caryn Marcus ... Art Director
Lori E. Seid ... Associate Producer
Victoria Farrell ... Costume Designer
Noah Vivekanand Timan ... Sound/Sound Designer
Kelly McKraig ... First Assistant Director
Kerry Barden ... Casting
Billy Hopkins ... Casting
Suzanne Smith ... Casting |
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79
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Higher Learning |
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This drama examines the personal, political, and racial dilemmas facing a group of college freshmen as they begin their first semester at Columbus University. Malik (Omar Epps) is an African-American student attending on a track scholarship; academics are not his strong suit, and he goes in thinking that his athletic abilities will earn him a free ride through college. Fudge (Ice Cube), a "professional student" who has been at Columbus for six years so far, becomes friendly with Malik and challenges his views about race and politics in America, while Professor Phipps (Laurence Fishburne), a black man who teaches political science, firmly tells Malik that he will not be graded on a different standard either because of his race or his ability to run quickly. With Deja (Tyra Banks), Malik finds a girlfriend, a tutor, and a training partner all rolled into one. Meanwhile, Kristen (Kristy Swanson), a somewhat naive young woman from California, meets a boy named Billy (Jay R. Ferguson) after both have had too much to drink at a beer blast; Kristen soon becomes a victim of date rape and becomes involved with a campus feminist group to deal with the painful experience. While working with the women's group, Kristen gets to know Taryn (Jennifer Connelly), a strong but understanding woman who is also a lesbian, and she finds herself becoming attracted to her. And Remy (Michael Rappaport) is a confused young man from the Midwest who feels lost in the multi-cultural atmosphere of Columbus. He is approached by Scott (Cole Hauser), a member of a group of racist skinheads, who believe that Remy is a perfect candidate to help carry out his group's violent goals. Keep an eye peeled for Gwyneth Paltrow, who has a bit part as a student; rap stars Busta Rhymes, D-Knowledge and Mista Grimm also appear in supporting roles.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
This drama examines the personal, political, and racial dilemmas facing a group of college freshmen as they begin their first semester at Columbus University. Malik (Omar Epps) is an African-American student attending on a track scholarship; academics are not his strong suit, and he goes in thinking that his athletic abilities will earn him a free ride through college. Fudge (Ice Cube), a "professional student" who has been at Columbus for six years so far, becomes friendly with Malik and challenges his views about race and politics in America, while Professor Phipps (Laurence Fishburne), a black man who teaches political science, firmly tells Malik that he will not be graded on a different standard either because of his race or his ability to run quickly. With Deja (Tyra Banks), Malik finds a girlfriend, a tutor, and a training partner all rolled into one. Meanwhile, Kristen (Kristy Swanson), a somewhat naive young woman from California, meets a boy named Billy (Jay R. Ferguson) after both have had too much to drink at a beer blast; Kristen soon becomes a victim of date rape and becomes involved with a campus feminist group to deal with the painful experience. While working with the women's group, Kristen gets to know Taryn (Jennifer Connelly), a strong but understanding woman who is also a lesbian, and she finds herself becoming attracted to her. And Remy (Michael Rappaport) is a confused young man from the Midwest who feels lost in the multi-cultural atmosphere of Columbus. He is approached by Scott (Cole Hauser), a member of a group of racist skinheads, who believe that Remy is a perfect candidate to help carry out his group's violent goals. Keep an eye peeled for Gwyneth Paltrow, who has a bit part as a student; rap stars Busta Rhymes, D-Knowledge and Mista Grimm also appear in supporting roles. |
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80
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Holy Smoke |
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It's said that sex and religion are two subjects that no one can discuss without arguing; writer/director Jane Campion tackles both head-on in this satiric comedy drama. On a trip to India, Australian Ruth (Kate Winslet) has a spiritual awakening and embraces the teachings of a guru named Baba. Back home in Sydney, Ruth's mother and father (Julie Hamilton and Tim Robertson) are appalled to learn that their daughter now answers to the name Nazni and has no intention of returning. Mother visits her daughter in India in hopes of convincing her to come home, but it's not until she suffers a life-threatening asthma attack that Ruth agrees to return for a visit. Mother pretends to arrange a meeting with Ruth's father, who has been ill, and this trick lands Ruth in the clutches of P.J. Waters (Harvey Keitel), an American exit counselor who deprograms members of religious cults. Waters begins to loosen Ruth's belief in Baba's teachings, but P.J. finds himself sexually attracted to Ruth, and in time she allows him to seduce her. Ruth soon turns the tables on P.J., as she discovers that sex allows her to make mincemeat of his long-held beliefs as a macho, misogynist male. Jane's sister Anna Campion, herself a director, co-authored the screenplay; Pam Grier appears in a supporting role as P.J.'s partner and girlfriend.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
It's said that sex and religion are two subjects that no one can discuss without arguing; writer/director Jane Campion tackles both head-on in this satiric comedy drama. On a trip to India, Australian Ruth (Kate Winslet) has a spiritual awakening and embraces the teachings of a guru named Baba. Back home in Sydney, Ruth's mother and father (Julie Hamilton and Tim Robertson) are appalled to learn that their daughter now answers to the name Nazni and has no intention of returning. Mother visits her daughter in India in hopes of convincing her to come home, but it's not until she suffers a life-threatening asthma attack that Ruth agrees to return for a visit. Mother pretends to arrange a meeting with Ruth's father, who has been ill, and this trick lands Ruth in the clutches of P.J. Waters (Harvey Keitel), an American exit counselor who deprograms members of religious cults. Waters begins to loosen Ruth's belief in Baba's teachings, but P.J. finds himself sexually attracted to Ruth, and in time she allows him to seduce her. Ruth soon turns the tables on P.J., as she discovers that sex allows her to make mincemeat of his long-held beliefs as a macho, misogynist male. Jane's sister Anna Campion, herself a director, co-authored the screenplay; Pam Grier appears in a supporting role as P.J.'s partner and girlfriend. |
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81
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I Can't Think Straight |
Shamim Sarif |
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Shamim Sarif's autobiographical novel serves as the inspiration for this film directed by the author, and concerning two women from deeply diverse backgrounds who discover that the love between them is too powerful to deny. Tala (Lisa Ray) is a London-based Jordanian of Palestinian descent. She's a spirited Christian in the midst of planning her wedding to her handsome Jordanian fiancé. Leyla (Sheetal Sheth) is a shy Muslim who's currently dating Leyla's best friend, Ali. Brought together by chance, Tala and Leyla form a slow bond that grows deeper with every minute they spend together. Eventually, the two girls reveal their true feelings to one another, and realize that they have fallen in love. But Tala is bound by her cultural heritage, and books a flight back to Jordan as Leyla's wedding date draws near. Back in London, a heartbroken Leyla decides to be honest with herself and her family by coming clean about her feelings for Tala. Inspired by Leyla's fearless commitment to Tala, Leyla's sister and Ali make it their mission to reunite the two girls. But before Tala can be truly happy with Leyla, she must first define for herself what true love really means.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Jason Buchanan
Shamim Sarif's autobiographical novel serves as the inspiration for this film directed by the author, and concerning two women from deeply diverse backgrounds who discover that the love between them is too powerful to deny. Tala (Lisa Ray) is a London-based Jordanian of Palestinian descent. She's a spirited Christian in the midst of planning her wedding to her handsome Jordanian fiancé. Leyla (Sheetal Sheth) is a shy Muslim who's currently dating Leyla's best friend, Ali. Brought together by chance, Tala and Leyla form a slow bond that grows deeper with every minute they spend together. Eventually, the two girls reveal their true feelings to one another, and realize that they have fallen in love. But Tala is bound by her cultural heritage, and books a flight back to Jordan as Leyla's wedding date draws near. Back in London, a heartbroken Leyla decides to be honest with herself and her family by coming clean about her feelings for Tala. Inspired by Leyla's fearless commitment to Tala, Leyla's sister and Ali make it their mission to reunite the two girls. But before Tala can be truly happy with Leyla, she must first define for herself what true love really means. |
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82
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I Wish You Would (PRON) |
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83
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If These Walls Could Talk |
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The compilation film If These Walls Could Talk consists of three short films that each deal with the controversial issue of abortion. Although each of the stories is set in a different decade, the unifying element (aside from the subject matter) is that all three transpire in the same house. The first story stars Demi Moore as the widow of a soldier killer in combat. She becomes pregnant and does not feel it would be morally appropriate to have the baby. Because it is the '50s, she must attempt to secure an illegal abortion. The second story, set in the '70s, stars Sissy Spacek as a mother of a struggling family. Having successfully raised four children on a meager income, Spacek's character must now decide if she should seek an abortion after finding out she is expecting a fifth. The final story takes place in the '90s. Anne Heche portrays a grad student who crosses protestors' picket lines in order to consult a doctor (Cher) about having an abortion. The first two parts, "1952" and "1974," were directed by Nancy Savoca, and the last part, "1996," was helmed by Cher, in her directorial debut. If These Walls Could Talk aired originally on HBO.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Perry Seibert
The compilation film If These Walls Could Talk consists of three short films that each deal with the controversial issue of abortion. Although each of the stories is set in a different decade, the unifying element (aside from the subject matter) is that all three transpire in the same house. The first story stars Demi Moore as the widow of a soldier killer in combat. She becomes pregnant and does not feel it would be morally appropriate to have the baby. Because it is the '50s, she must attempt to secure an illegal abortion. The second story, set in the '70s, stars Sissy Spacek as a mother of a struggling family. Having successfully raised four children on a meager income, Spacek's character must now decide if she should seek an abortion after finding out she is expecting a fifth. The final story takes place in the '90s. Anne Heche portrays a grad student who crosses protestors' picket lines in order to consult a doctor (Cher) about having an abortion. The first two parts, "1952" and "1974," were directed by Nancy Savoca, and the last part, "1996," was helmed by Cher, in her directorial debut. If These Walls Could Talk aired originally on HBO. |
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84
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If These Walls Could Talk 2 |
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This three-part drama, produced for HBO, examines the changing tides of the lives of lesbians in America, both politically and personally, as we eavesdrop on three stories taking place in the same house over a span of five decades. In 1961, the house is home to Edith (Vanessa Redgrave) and Abby (Marian Seldes), an elderly lesbian couple whose lifestyle is not accepted or acknowledged by their families. When Abby suffers a serious stroke and is on the verge of death, her family rallies to her side, but not understanding the nature of her relationship with Edith, she is not included as her loved ones say their final good-byes. After Abby's death, her nephew (Paul Giamatti) and his wife (Elizabeth Perkins) arrive from out of state with plans to sell the house, without consulting Edith. In 1972, the house is now home to four college students, Michelle (Amy Carlson), Linda (Michelle Williams), Karen (Nia Long), and Jeanne (Natasha Lyonne), all of whom are actively involved in the women's movement and also happen to be lesbians. The four find themselves at odds with the campus women's group when they try to promote an all-women's dance, while the other members of the group feel that feminism, not lesbianism, should be the focus of the group. Similarly, Linda faces hostility from her friends when she becomes involved with Amy (Chloe Sevigny), a very butch townie; Linda's friends see Amy's masculine attire and attitude as a form of self-loathing against being a woman, and while Linda cares deeply for Amy, she's not always comfortable with her and isn't sure that she wants to be public with their relationship. In 2000, Fran (Sharon Stone) and Kal (Ellen DeGeneres), a happy and firmly committed couple, are sharing the house, and after much discussion, they decide that they want to take their relationship to the next level and have a baby. However, deciding that they want a child and dealing with the practicalities of getting pregnant are two different things; Fran and Kal first debate about going to a sperm bank as opposed to asking one of their male friends to help out, and later, either going to a doctor to perform the procedure or trying it at home. DeGeneres' significant other, Anne Heche, wrote and directed the final segment; the 1972 story was directed by Martha Coolidge, and the 1961 episode was directed by Jane Anderson.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Jane Anderson ... Director / Screenwriter
Martha Coolidge ... Director
Anne Heche ... Director / Screenwriter
Mary Kane ... Producer
Alex Sichel ... Screen Story
Sylvia Sichel ... Screenwriter
Peter Deming ... Cinematographer
Paul Elliott ... Cinematographer
Robbie Greenberg ... Cinematographer
Evyen Klean ... Musical Direction/Supervision
Basil Poledouris ... Composer (Music Score)
Margie Goodspeed ... Editor
Priscilla Nedd-Friendly ... Editor
Nina Ruscio ... Production Designer
Pamela Post ... Associate Producer
Ellen DeGeneres ... Executive Producer
Jennifer Todd ... Executive Producer
Suzanne Todd ... Executive Producer
Julia Caston ... Costume Designer
K.C. Fox ... Set Decorator
John Papsidera ... Casting |
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85
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Imagine Me and You |
Ol Parker |
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A new bride finds she's tempted to leave her husband under circumstances she never anticipated in this romantic comedy-drama. Rachel (Piper Perabo) and Heck (Matthew Goode) are longtime sweethearts who have decided to take the plunge and get married, but on the day of their wedding, while Rachel is walking down the aisle, she finds herself struck by the beauty of Luce (Lena Headey), who has been hired to do the floral arrangements for the ceremony. While Rachel thinks little of this at first, she finds she can't get Luce out of her mind, and when Rachel invites Luce over to dinner in hopes of fixing her up with Coop (Darren Boyd), Heck's best friend and best man, she learns the lovely florist is a lesbian. When Rachel and Luce meet again while shopping, they strike up a friendship that deepens into something more, until Rachel declares her attraction to Luce -- and Luce reveals she feels the same way. Rachel has never had a relationship with a woman before, and while she's fallen deeply in love with Luce, she isn't at all sure of what to do next, and Heck soon realizes something has gone wrong in their marriage. Produced under the title Click, Imagine Me & You was the first directorial credit for screenwriter Ol Parker.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
A new bride finds she's tempted to leave her husband under circumstances she never anticipated in this romantic comedy-drama. Rachel (Piper Perabo) and Heck (Matthew Goode) are longtime sweethearts who have decided to take the plunge and get married, but on the day of their wedding, while Rachel is walking down the aisle, she finds herself struck by the beauty of Luce (Lena Headey), who has been hired to do the floral arrangements for the ceremony. While Rachel thinks little of this at first, she finds she can't get Luce out of her mind, and when Rachel invites Luce over to dinner in hopes of fixing her up with Coop (Darren Boyd), Heck's best friend and best man, she learns the lovely florist is a lesbian. When Rachel and Luce meet again while shopping, they strike up a friendship that deepens into something more, until Rachel declares her attraction to Luce -- and Luce reveals she feels the same way. Rachel has never had a relationship with a woman before, and while she's fallen deeply in love with Luce, she isn't at all sure of what to do next, and Heck soon realizes something has gone wrong in their marriage. Produced under the title Click, Imagine Me & You was the first directorial credit for screenwriter Ol Parker. |
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86
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In Her Line of Fire |
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Two women are unwittingly thrown into the fight of their lives in an effort to protect one of America's most powerful men in this action thriller. The vice president of the United States (David Keith) is returning from a visit overseas when his private jet, Air Force Two, crash-lands on a remote South American island. It's the veep's poor fortune that he's stranded in a place dominated by insurgent forces at odds with U.S. policies, and a group of revolutionaries seize their opportunity and kidnap the vice president. While American Special Forces swing into action, the rebels intend to make the most of their opportunity, but a secret service agent (Mariel Hemingway) and the president's no-nonsense press secretary (Jill Bennett) realize there's no time to waste and devise their own plan to save America's second in command. Making matters more complicated is the powerful emotional relationship between the two women. In Her Line of Fire was produced in cooperation with here!, a premium cable service specializing in programming for gay and lesbian viewers.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
Two women are unwittingly thrown into the fight of their lives in an effort to protect one of America's most powerful men in this action thriller. The vice president of the United States (David Keith) is returning from a visit overseas when his private jet, Air Force Two, crash-lands on a remote South American island. It's the veep's poor fortune that he's stranded in a place dominated by insurgent forces at odds with U.S. policies, and a group of revolutionaries seize their opportunity and kidnap the vice president. While American Special Forces swing into action, the rebels intend to make the most of their opportunity, but a secret service agent (Mariel Hemingway) and the president's no-nonsense press secretary (Jill Bennett) realize there's no time to waste and devise their own plan to save America's second in command. Making matters more complicated is the powerful emotional relationship between the two women. In Her Line of Fire was produced in cooperation with here!, a premium cable service specializing in programming for gay and lesbian viewers. |
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87
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In the Land of Women |
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A man having trouble with women suddenly finds himself surrounded by them in this independent comedy drama. Carter Webb (Adam Brody) is a successful writer who has fallen into an emotional tailspin after his girlfriend, well-known actress Sophia (Elena Anaya), breaks up with him. When Carter learns that his grandmother (Olympia Dukakis) is in failing health, he decides to leave California and return to his hometown of Detroit to help take care of her and beginning work on his long-planned novel. As Carter spends time with his grandmother, he becomes friendly with her neighbors -- mom Sarah Hardwicke (Meg Ryan) and her two daughters, angst-ridden teen Lucy (Kristen Stewart) and precocious 11-year-old Paige (Makenzie Vega). As Sarah attempts to deal with a pressing personal crisis and Carter begins sorting out his relationship issues, he discovers that sometimes what feels like the end is actually just a new beginning. In the Land of Women was the first directorial project for actor and screenwriter Jon Kasdan, the son of writer and director Lawrence Kasdan.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
A man having trouble with women suddenly finds himself surrounded by them in this independent comedy drama. Carter Webb (Adam Brody) is a successful writer who has fallen into an emotional tailspin after his girlfriend, well-known actress Sophia (Elena Anaya), breaks up with him. When Carter learns that his grandmother (Olympia Dukakis) is in failing health, he decides to leave California and return to his hometown of Detroit to help take care of her and beginning work on his long-planned novel. As Carter spends time with his grandmother, he becomes friendly with her neighbors -- mom Sarah Hardwicke (Meg Ryan) and her two daughters, angst-ridden teen Lucy (Kristen Stewart) and precocious 11-year-old Paige (Makenzie Vega). As Sarah attempts to deal with a pressing personal crisis and Carter begins sorting out his relationship issues, he discovers that sometimes what feels like the end is actually just a new beginning. In the Land of Women was the first directorial project for actor and screenwriter Jon Kasdan, the son of writer and director Lawrence Kasdan. |
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88
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Inescapable |
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Written and directed by Helen Lesnick, Inescapable revolves around Chloe and Jessie, who meet in Oregon when their respective ex-lovers called for a reunion. Though they intended to keep things platonic, it isn't long before the women discover the very things they aren't getting from their current girlfriends in one another and embark on a passionate affair, despite their guilty consciences.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Tracie Cooper
Written and directed by Helen Lesnick, Inescapable revolves around Chloe and Jessie, who meet in Oregon when their respective ex-lovers called for a reunion. Though they intended to keep things platonic, it isn't long before the women discover the very things they aren't getting from their current girlfriends in one another and embark on a passionate affair, despite their guilty consciences. |
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89
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Intentions |
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Renee leads a fulfilling life as a professor of theater, mother of two girls, and wife to a kind and successful husband. Her life of contentment is changed forever when she discovers an undeniable attraction between herself and a female graduate student. Now every element of her life is called into question -- a question only she can answer about what she wants and needs.
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90
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It's a Boy Girl Thing |
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Two kids with nothing in common are brought together in a very unexpected way in this comedy. Nell (Samaire Armstrong) is a pretty but hopelessly geeky teenage girl who loves Shakespeare and wants little more than to study literature at Yale when she graduates from high school in a few months Woody (Kevin Zegers), who lives next door, is the quarterback on the school's football team, and seems like a sure bet to land a lucrative football scholarship despite the fact he isn't especially bright. Nell and Woody are not at all friendly and normally have nothing to say to one another, but one day during a class field trip to a historical museum, the two fall under the spell of an Incan icon and when they awake the next morning, Woody's mind is in Nell's body, and vice versa. Neither is comfortable with their sudden gender switch or having to assume the other's personalities, but they quickly realize that until they can find a way to reverse the spell, they have to work together if Nell is to go to Yale and Woody is to get his scholarship and move away from this loutish parents (Sharon Osborne and Maury Chaykin. Elton John was an executive producer on It's A Boy Girl Thing, and songs from his back catalog appear on the soundtrack.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
Two kids with nothing in common are brought together in a very unexpected way in this comedy. Nell (Samaire Armstrong) is a pretty but hopelessly geeky teenage girl who loves Shakespeare and wants little more than to study literature at Yale when she graduates from high school in a few months Woody (Kevin Zegers), who lives next door, is the quarterback on the school's football team, and seems like a sure bet to land a lucrative football scholarship despite the fact he isn't especially bright. Nell and Woody are not at all friendly and normally have nothing to say to one another, but one day during a class field trip to a historical museum, the two fall under the spell of an Incan icon and when they awake the next morning, Woody's mind is in Nell's body, and vice versa. Neither is comfortable with their sudden gender switch or having to assume the other's personalities, but they quickly realize that until they can find a way to reverse the spell, they have to work together if Nell is to go to Yale and Woody is to get his scholarship and move away from this loutish parents (Sharon Osborne and Maury Chaykin. Elton John was an executive producer on It's A Boy Girl Thing, and songs from his back catalog appear on the soundtrack. |
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91
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It's In The Water |
Kelli Herd |
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A hidden well of gay-lesbian culture comes bubbling to the surface of a small Western town in this independent comedy/drama. In the Texas town of Azalea Springs, life for the most part still seems stuck in the 1950s; the women have big hair, they join the Junior League, and they don't buck the status quo. Also, homosexuality is something that just isn't talked about, so many of the townspeople are shocked when Hope House, a hospice for AIDS patients, opens in their little town. Alexandra "Alex" Stratton (Keri Jo Chapman), who is stuck in an unhappy marriage with her boorish husband Robert (Matthew S. Thompkins) and has an overbearing and prejudiced mom, Lily Talbot (Barbara Lasater), decides to volunteer at the hospice, which scandalizes most of the other ladies of the League. Alex soon discovers that her best friend from high school, Grace Miller (Teresa Garrett), is working there as a nurse; Grace recently went through a difficult divorce when her husband discovered that Grace was having an affair with one of her co-workers...who happened to be female. Alex soon finds herself looking at Grace in a new way, and friendship gives way to something much deeper. Meanwhile, Spencer (John Hallum), a very out-of-the-closet friend of Alex's, begins joking with people that homosexuality is being spread by something in the town's water supply. With Alex and Grace's affair the hot item in the town's gossip mill and newspaperman Mark (Derrick Sanders) falling in love with artist Thomas (Timothy Vahle), this witticism finds its way to many gullible ears, and fire and brimstone preacher Brother Daniel (John Addington) forms "Homo-No-Mo," a support group for gay men who want to return to the straight and narrow, so to speak. The supporting cast features Jerry Haynes, best known as "Mr. Peppermint," the host of a syndicated children's television series; he's also the father of Gibby Haynes, sometimes film actor and lead singer for the alternative rock band The Butthole Surfers.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
A hidden well of gay-lesbian culture comes bubbling to the surface of a small Western town in this independent comedy/drama. In the Texas town of Azalea Springs, life for the most part still seems stuck in the 1950s; the women have big hair, they join the Junior League, and they don't buck the status quo. Also, homosexuality is something that just isn't talked about, so many of the townspeople are shocked when Hope House, a hospice for AIDS patients, opens in their little town. Alexandra "Alex" Stratton (Keri Jo Chapman), who is stuck in an unhappy marriage with her boorish husband Robert (Matthew S. Thompkins) and has an overbearing and prejudiced mom, Lily Talbot (Barbara Lasater), decides to volunteer at the hospice, which scandalizes most of the other ladies of the League. Alex soon discovers that her best friend from high school, Grace Miller (Teresa Garrett), is working there as a nurse; Grace recently went through a difficult divorce when her husband discovered that Grace was having an affair with one of her co-workers...who happened to be female. Alex soon finds herself looking at Grace in a new way, and friendship gives way to something much deeper. Meanwhile, Spencer (John Hallum), a very out-of-the-closet friend of Alex's, begins joking with people that homosexuality is being spread by something in the town's water supply. With Alex and Grace's affair the hot item in the town's gossip mill and newspaperman Mark (Derrick Sanders) falling in love with artist Thomas (Timothy Vahle), this witticism finds its way to many gullible ears, and fire and brimstone preacher Brother Daniel (John Addington) forms "Homo-No-Mo," a support group for gay men who want to return to the straight and narrow, so to speak. The supporting cast features Jerry Haynes, best known as "Mr. Peppermint," the host of a syndicated children's television series; he's also the father of Gibby Haynes, sometimes film actor and lead singer for the alternative rock band The Butthole Surfers. |
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92
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It's Not Unusual: A Lesbian and Gay History |
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English |
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Archival footage and interviews with 22 lesbians and gay men give an overview of gay history in the UK from the 1920's. Clause 28, the Well of Lonliness, AIDS, the Pet shop Boys, it's all there in some form or another. |
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93
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Itty Bitty Titty Committee |
Jamie Babbit |
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A secretary turns small-scale revolutionary in this satiric comedy drama from director Jamie Babbit. Anna (Melonie Diaz) is a woman in her early twenties who has recently graduated from college but is still figuring out what she wants to do with her life. Anna works as a receptionist for a plastic surgeon, but has mixed feelings about how he manipulates women's negative self-image for profit. Anna is also single and a lesbian, and is having a hard time meeting new women after breaking up with her latest girlfriend. One evening, Anna sees a woman spray painting graffiti on the side of the building where she works, encouraging women to not get breast enlargement surgery; Anna is intrigued and introduces herself. The vandal is Sadie (Nicole Vicius), the leader of a group of lesbian counter-cultural pranksters who call themselves "C*nts in Action," or the CIA. Sadie takes a liking to Anna and invites her to join fellow members Shulamith (Carly Pope), Aggie (Lauren Mollica), and Meat (Deak Evgenikos) as they deface billboards and put up homemade sculptures of feminist icons in public parks. Anna likes the CIA and their aggressive style, and she is strongly attracted to Sadie; eventually, they sleep together, but Anna soon learns Sadie already has a longtime companion, Courtney (Melanie Mayron), and she begins to wonder if she can support every position the CIA has embraced. Itty Bitty Titty Committee was voted Best Feature Film at the 2007 South by Southwest Film Festival.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Jamie Babbit ... Director
Stacy Codikow ... Producer / Executive Producer
Andrea Sperling ... Producer
Lisa Thrasher ... Producer
Tina Mabry ... Screenwriter
Abigail Shafran ... Screenwriter
Christine A. Maier ... Cinematographer
Bikini Kill ... Composer (Music Score)
Peaches ... Composer (Music Score)
Sleater-Kinney ... Composer (Music Score)
Radio Sloan ... Composer (Music Score)
Tiger ... Composer (Music Score)
Jane Pia Abramowitz ... Editor
Nina Alexander ... Production Designer
Christina Hulen ... Art Director
Melissa Meister ... Costume Designer
Josh Bissett ... Sound/Sound Designer
Carmen Cuba ... Casting |
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94
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I've Heard the Mermaids Singing |
Patricia Rozema |
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Lensed on a smile and a shoeshine on 16 millimeter, I've Heard the Mermaids Singing effectively shifts from black and white to color and back again to make its artistic statement. Sheila McCarthy stars as a self-effacing amateur photographer who goes to work for yuppie art-curator Paule Baillargeon. Ms. McCarthy expresses her admiration for Ms. Baillargeon by secretly submitting the latter's paintings to some appreciative critics. Baillargeon responds by behaving atrociously towards McCarthy. This shakes up McCarthy to the point that she realizes she'll never succeed as an artist on her own terms long as she hides behind the accomplishments of others. This apparently autobiographical first film by director Patricia Rozema (we say "apparently" because Sheila McCarthy's character name is rhythmically and ethnically close to Rozema's) won the Prix de la Jeunesse at the Cannes Film Festival.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Patricia Rozema ... Producer / Director / Screenwriter / Editor
Don Haig ... Producer / Executive Producer
Alexandra Raffe ... Producer
Douglas Koch ... Cinematographer
Mark Korven ... Composer (Music Score)
Valanne Ridgeway ... Set Designer / Production Designer
Martine Matthews ... Costume Designer
Alexandra Z ... Costume Designer
Egidio Coccimiglio ... Sound/Sound Designer
Michelle Moses ... Sound/Sound Designer
Gordon Thompson ... Sound/Sound Designer
Steve Munro ... Sound Editor |
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95
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Je te mangerais |
Je Te Mangerais |
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| Marie quitte sa famille pour aller vivre ŕ Lyon et y étudier le piano au conservatoire. Pour des raisons économiques, elle partage l'appartement d'Emma, une amie d'enfance, qui y vit seule depuis la mort de son pčre et la désertion de sa mčre. Marie se soumet aux rčgles de vie imposées par sa colocataire, toujours plus oppressante. Emma la fascine, la domine, la bouleverse. Marie se débat entre son désir pour elle et son envie de lui échapper, puisant sa force dans l'amour pour le piano. |
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96
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Julie Johnson |
Bob Gosse |
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One woman's decision to improve her mind has unexpected, life-changing results in this drama. Hoboken-born housewife Julie Johnson (Lili Taylor) left high school at the wishes of Rick (Noah Emmerich), who was then her boyfriend and is now her husband; Julie spends her days cleaning house and looking after her two children, Lisa (Mischa Barton) and Franky (Gideon Jacobs). Julie, who likes to read Scientific American in her spare time, has always dreamed of going back to school, but loutish Rick strictly forbids it. Without Rick's knowledge, Julie and her best friend Claire (Courtney Love) enroll in an "Introduction to Computers" course at a local community college, where instructor Mr. Miranda (Spalding Gray) quickly senses Julie has a tremendous intellectual potential she's never tapped. With Mr. Miranda's coaching, Julie breezes through the computer course and is soon tackling advanced mathematical and scientific theory with other members of the college's faculty. Rick eventually gets wind of Julie's new academic career and isn't the least bit pleased, but Julie, whose accomplishments have done wonders for her self-confidence, responds by kicking him out of the house. Claire, impressed by Julie's stand against Rick, decides it's time to leave her abusive husband Mike (Patrick Fitzgerald), and she moves in with Julie while looking for a new place. As Mr. Miranda urges Julie to obtain a high-school equivalency certificate and move on to a four-year college (where he'll be able to arrange an academic scholarship), Julie and Claire discover their new independence has stirred new feelings within them, and they move from being close friends to tentative lovers. Julie Johnson was based on the play by Wendy Hammond, who co-wrote the screenplay with director Bob Gosse.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
One woman's decision to improve her mind has unexpected, life-changing results in this drama. Hoboken-born housewife Julie Johnson (Lili Taylor) left high school at the wishes of Rick (Noah Emmerich), who was then her boyfriend and is now her husband; Julie spends her days cleaning house and looking after her two children, Lisa (Mischa Barton) and Franky (Gideon Jacobs). Julie, who likes to read Scientific American in her spare time, has always dreamed of going back to school, but loutish Rick strictly forbids it. Without Rick's knowledge, Julie and her best friend Claire (Courtney Love) enroll in an "Introduction to Computers" course at a local community college, where instructor Mr. Miranda (Spalding Gray) quickly senses Julie has a tremendous intellectual potential she's never tapped. With Mr. Miranda's coaching, Julie breezes through the computer course and is soon tackling advanced mathematical and scientific theory with other members of the college's faculty. Rick eventually gets wind of Julie's new academic career and isn't the least bit pleased, but Julie, whose accomplishments have done wonders for her self-confidence, responds by kicking him out of the house. Claire, impressed by Julie's stand against Rick, decides it's time to leave her abusive husband Mike (Patrick Fitzgerald), and she moves in with Julie while looking for a new place. As Mr. Miranda urges Julie to obtain a high-school equivalency certificate and move on to a four-year college (where he'll be able to arrange an academic scholarship), Julie and Claire discover their new independence has stirred new feelings within them, and they move from being close friends to tentative lovers. Julie Johnson was based on the play by Wendy Hammond, who co-wrote the screenplay with director Bob Gosse. |
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97
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Just the Two of Us |
Jacque Deerson, Barbara Peeters |
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Two bored and neglected suburban housewives find themselves intrigued by lesbianism after they watch two female lovers having an intimate lunch on the Sunset Strip. They are both fascinated and repelled, and one of the wives is disturbed to find herself attracted to the other. Still a passionate affair begins between the two friends. Giddy with love and happiness, everything falls apart when the wife who began the affair abruptly ends it by getting involved with a virile young actor. The other wife is devastated, decides that she really is a lesbian and sets out to prove it with a strong-willed dyke during a party.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Sandra Brennan
Two bored and neglected suburban housewives find themselves intrigued by lesbianism after they watch two female lovers having an intimate lunch on the Sunset Strip. They are both fascinated and repelled, and one of the wives is disturbed to find herself attracted to the other. Still a passionate affair begins between the two friends. Giddy with love and happiness, everything falls apart when the wife who began the affair abruptly ends it by getting involved with a virile young actor. The other wife is devastated, decides that she really is a lesbian and sets out to prove it with a strong-willed dyke during a party. |
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98
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Kate's Addiction |
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In her attempts to prevent a wedding from happening, a woman goes the non-traditional route of seducing the bride.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby All Movie Guide
In her attempts to prevent a wedding from happening, a woman goes the non-traditional route of seducing the bride. |
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99
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Kissing Jessica Stein |
Charles Herman-Wurmfeld |
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A woman searching for the perfect man instead discovers the perfect woman in this romantic comedy. Jessica Stein (Jennifer Westfeldt) is a woman with a solid career as a copy editor, but her love life isn't much to write home about; she's been through a long series of disastrous first dates that refuse to evolve into second dates, and the well-intended advice of her best friend Joan (Jackie Hoffman) and former boyfriend Josh (Scott Cohen) isn't helping a bit. One day, Jessica is scanning personal ads in the newspaper with her friends, and she sees one with a quote from her favorite poet. Jessica reads on to discover that she has a lot in common with the person who placed the ad -- too much so, since it turns out the notice is from a woman, Helen Cooper (Heather Juergensen), who manages an art gallery. Jessica figures it would at least be nice to hang out with someone who shares her interests, and she gives Helen a call. Jessica and Helen quickly strike up a close friendship that evolves into something more intimate, though neither of them has ever been involved with another woman ... and Helen is a bit more avid about her new romantic horizons than Jessica. As their relationship progresses, Jessica finds herself struggling with her feelings about her new sexual outlook, and she isn't sure how to break the news about her relationship to her mother (Tovah Feldshuh) as she tries to decide if she should bring Helen along to her brother's wedding. Kissing Jessica Stein was based on the off-Broadway play Lipschtick, which was written by Jennifer Westfeldt and Heather Juergensen, who starred in the original stage production as well as this film adaptation; the film won both the Critics' Special Jury Award and the Audience Award at the 2001 Los Angeles Film Festival.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
A woman searching for the perfect man instead discovers the perfect woman in this romantic comedy. Jessica Stein (Jennifer Westfeldt) is a woman with a solid career as a copy editor, but her love life isn't much to write home about; she's been through a long series of disastrous first dates that refuse to evolve into second dates, and the well-intended advice of her best friend Joan (Jackie Hoffman) and former boyfriend Josh (Scott Cohen) isn't helping a bit. One day, Jessica is scanning personal ads in the newspaper with her friends, and she sees one with a quote from her favorite poet. Jessica reads on to discover that she has a lot in common with the person who placed the ad -- too much so, since it turns out the notice is from a woman, Helen Cooper (Heather Juergensen), who manages an art gallery. Jessica figures it would at least be nice to hang out with someone who shares her interests, and she gives Helen a call. Jessica and Helen quickly strike up a close friendship that evolves into something more intimate, though neither of them has ever been involved with another woman ... and Helen is a bit more avid about her new romantic horizons than Jessica. As their relationship progresses, Jessica finds herself struggling with her feelings about her new sexual outlook, and she isn't sure how to break the news about her relationship to her mother (Tovah Feldshuh) as she tries to decide if she should bring Helen along to her brother's wedding. Kissing Jessica Stein was based on the off-Broadway play Lipschtick, which was written by Jennifer Westfeldt and Heather Juergensen, who starred in the original stage production as well as this film adaptation; the film won both the Critics' Special Jury Award and the Audience Award at the 2001 Los Angeles Film Festival. |
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100
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La Pianiste |
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| Erika Kohut, la quarantaine, est un honorable professeur de piano au Conservatoire de Vienne. Menant une vie de célibataire endurcie chez sa vieille mčre possessive, cette musicienne laisse libre cours ŕ sa sexualité débridée en épiant les autres. Fréquentant secrčtement les peep-shows et les cinémas pornos, Erika Kohut plonge dans un voyeurisme morbide et s'inflige des mutilations par pur plaisir masochiste.Jusqu'au jour oů Walter, un élčve d'une vingtaine d'années, tombe amoureux d'elle. De cette affection naît une relation troublante, mouvementée et perverse entre le maître et son disciple. |
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101
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Larry Flynt: The Right to Be Left Alone |
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Whether you love him or you hate him, there's no denying that controversial Hustler Magazine published Larry Flynt is one of the most outspoken free speech advocates in modern times. In Flint's opinion, the fundamental rights of average Americans are slowly being stripped away, and he isn't afraid to name names when it comes to who's doing the stripping. By drawing on rarely seen documentary and television footage, filmmaker Joan Brooker-Marks offers an expansive overview of Flynt's landmark Supreme Court case, his much-publicized entanglement with adulterous televangelist Jerry Falwell, the jail sentence he received for refusing to divulge his source for incriminating tapes detailing the FBI's entrapment of John Delorian, and his campaign runs for both governor of California and President of the United States. Additionally, Brooker-Marks examines Flynt's frequent clashes with the Bush administration - including his successful lawsuit against Donald Rumsfeld and the Pentagon - as well as the assassination attempt that left him paralyzed and his first wife's valiant struggle with AIDS in a series of unguarded and deeply personal interviews.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Joan Brooker-Marks ... Director / Producer
Walter Marks ... Producer / Composer (Music Score)
T.J. Martin ... Cinematographer
Katharina Rohrer ... Cinematographer
Kamil Dobrowolski ... Editor / Sound/Sound Designer |
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102
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Late Bloomers |
Gretchen Dyer, Julia Dyer |
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Two women have a sudden and unexpected revelation about their sexuality -- and each other -- in this bittersweet comedy-drama. Dinah (Connie Nelson) is a math teacher and girl's basketball coach at Eleanor Roosevelt High School, a public school in a straight-laced Texas community. Dinah is in her early 40s and has settled comfortably, if grudgingly, into single life, while Carly (Dee Hennigan), who works as a secretary at the school, is about the same age and stuck in an unsatisfying relationship with Ron (Gary Carter), who is also on the school's staff as an algebra instructor. Dinah and Carly have known each other casually for some time and never gave each other much thought, until one day, when Carly hears a rumor that Dinah is having an affair with Ron. Carly confronts Dinah after basketball practice, and Dinah assures her that there's no truth to the gossip and then offers to teach her the fine points of the game. The two women sense something is in the air, and when they impulsively kiss, it finally dawns on them that they're attracted to each other. Before long, Carly decides to leave Ron, and she and Dinah go public with their romance. The reaction, however, is anything but charitable; both women become the subject of a wave of gossip and mean-spirited jokes, and after a highly contentious PTA meeting, they loose their jobs (which is bad news for the principle, since Dinah's team was on a winning streak). While Carly's young son is puzzled but accepting of his mother's decision, her teenage daughter Val (Lisa Peterson), still coming to terms with her feelings about boys, is confused and alienated by her mother's new lifestyle, and all the more upset when her boyfriend Jamie (Esteban Powell) breaks up with her in the wake of the flap over Carly's decision. Dinah, meanwhile, has to deal with the unwelcome attentions of male members of the faculty who want to "convert" her back to heterosexuality. Dee Hennigan has also appeared as a member of the stock company on the popular children's television show Wishbone.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
Two women have a sudden and unexpected revelation about their sexuality -- and each other -- in this bittersweet comedy-drama. Dinah (Connie Nelson) is a math teacher and girl's basketball coach at Eleanor Roosevelt High School, a public school in a straight-laced Texas community. Dinah is in her early 40s and has settled comfortably, if grudgingly, into single life, while Carly (Dee Hennigan), who works as a secretary at the school, is about the same age and stuck in an unsatisfying relationship with Ron (Gary Carter), who is also on the school's staff as an algebra instructor. Dinah and Carly have known each other casually for some time and never gave each other much thought, until one day, when Carly hears a rumor that Dinah is having an affair with Ron. Carly confronts Dinah after basketball practice, and Dinah assures her that there's no truth to the gossip and then offers to teach her the fine points of the game. The two women sense something is in the air, and when they impulsively kiss, it finally dawns on them that they're attracted to each other. Before long, Carly decides to leave Ron, and she and Dinah go public with their romance. The reaction, however, is anything but charitable; both women become the subject of a wave of gossip and mean-spirited jokes, and after a highly contentious PTA meeting, they loose their jobs (which is bad news for the principle, since Dinah's team was on a winning streak). While Carly's young son is puzzled but accepting of his mother's decision, her teenage daughter Val (Lisa Peterson), still coming to terms with her feelings about boys, is confused and alienated by her mother's new lifestyle, and all the more upset when her boyfriend Jamie (Esteban Powell) breaks up with her in the wake of the flap over Carly's decision. Dinah, meanwhile, has to deal with the unwelcome attentions of male members of the faculty who want to "convert" her back to heterosexuality. Dee Hennigan has also appeared as a member of the stock company on the popular children's television show Wishbone. |
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103
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Laurel Canyon |
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Writer/director Lisa Cholodenko follows up her much-acclaimed 1997 debut High Art with this examination of a young couple seduced into a hedonistic, left-coast lifestyle. Taking its title from its central locale, Laurel Canyon focuses on a pair of upper-middle class lovebirds from the East Coast who relocate to Los Angeles. Freshly minted from Harvard, Sam (Christian Bale) and Alex (Kate Beckinsale) are eager to continue their medical studies out West, but they need some lodging while they hunt for a home. Enter Jane (Frances McDormand), Sam's estranged, Age-of-Aquarius mom, who's more than willing to put the couple up in her lavish digs. Jane is a successful record producer whose latest charge -- both in the studio and in her bedroom -- is Ian (Alessandro Nivola), a brazen, libidinous twentysomething Brit-rocker. As Sam and Alex settle in at Jane's, they gradually lose their straight-and-narrow approach to life and begin to experiment. Alex takes to Ian and Jane, while Sam is wooed by co-worker Sara (Natascha McElhone). Laurel Canyon features a score by Shudder to Think's Craig Wedren; the music for Ian's band was provided by Sparklehorse's Mark Linkous and indie-rockers Folk Implosion.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Lisa Cholodenko ... Director / Screenwriter
Jeffrey Levy-Hinte ... Producer
Susan A. Stover ... Producer
Wally Pfister ... Cinematographer
Folk Implosion ... Featured Music
Mark Linkus ... Songwriter
Karyn Rachtman ... Musical Direction/Supervision
Craig Wedren ... Composer (Music Score)
Amy E. Duddleston ... Editor
Catherine Hardwicke ... Production Designer
Stephanie Gilliam ... Art Director
David McGiffert ... Co-producer / First Assistant Director
Dara Weintraub ... Co-producer
Scott Ferguson ... Executive Producer
Cindy Evans ... Costume Designer
Steve Nelson ... Sound/Sound Designer
Deborah Aquila ... Casting
Tricia Wood ... Casting |
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104
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les poupées russes |
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105
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Lianna |
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After helping to kick-start the independent film movement in America with The Return of the Secaucus Seven, John Sayles wrote, directed, and edited his second feature, about a woman who finds herself staring life over after coming out of the closet as a lesbian. Lianna (Linda Griffiths) is a woman in her early thirties who's married to Dick (Jon DeVries), who teaches film at a college in Boston. Lianna first met Dick when she was a student in his class, and while she's grown more assertive and independent with time, Dick has become bitter and difficult, though he tries to be patient with their two children, Spencer (Jesse Solomon) and Theda (Jessica Wight MacDonald). Lianna, who dropped out of college when she married Dick, has begun taking classes again, and strikes up a close friendship with one of her professors, Ruth (Jane Hallaren); Dick, however, would prefer that she spend her time helping him with research on his upcoming thesis. When Lianna discovers Dick has been having an affair with one of his students, she begins to wonder about her future with him as well as her own feelings, and one evening, after dinner and conversation with Ruth, Lianna discovers her new friend has romantic feelings toward her -- and that she feels the same way toward Ruth. When Lianna confronts Dick with the news of her relationship with Ruth, he's livid and makes her leave the house, forcing her to start a new life for herself as she comes to terms with her own sexuality. Comic actor Chris Elliott makes his screen debut in Lianna in a small role as a lighting technician for a dance troupe.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
After helping to kick-start the independent film movement in America with The Return of the Secaucus Seven, John Sayles wrote, directed, and edited his second feature, about a woman who finds herself staring life over after coming out of the closet as a lesbian. Lianna (Linda Griffiths) is a woman in her early thirties who's married to Dick (Jon DeVries), who teaches film at a college in Boston. Lianna first met Dick when she was a student in his class, and while she's grown more assertive and independent with time, Dick has become bitter and difficult, though he tries to be patient with their two children, Spencer (Jesse Solomon) and Theda (Jessica Wight MacDonald). Lianna, who dropped out of college when she married Dick, has begun taking classes again, and strikes up a close friendship with one of her professors, Ruth (Jane Hallaren); Dick, however, would prefer that she spend her time helping him with research on his upcoming thesis. When Lianna discovers Dick has been having an affair with one of his students, she begins to wonder about her future with him as well as her own feelings, and one evening, after dinner and conversation with Ruth, Lianna discovers her new friend has romantic feelings toward her -- and that she feels the same way toward Ruth. When Lianna confronts Dick with the news of her relationship with Ruth, he's livid and makes her leave the house, forcing her to start a new life for herself as she comes to terms with her own sexuality. Comic actor Chris Elliott makes his screen debut in Lianna in a small role as a lighting technician for a dance troupe. |
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106
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Liebesperlen Power up |
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POWER UP heisst "Professional Organization of Women In Entertainment Reaching UP". Der gemeinnützige Verein fördert lesbische Künstlerinnen in der Unterhaltungsbranche und in den Medien. Und so sind seit 2000 schon viele Kurzfilm-Highlights entstanden, die erfolgreich auf diversen Festivals liefen. POWER UP Filme sind bemerkenswert locker und professionell gemacht, haben viel Witz, sind nah an der Realität - und immer mit talentierten und attraktiven Schauspielerinnen besetzt. Diese Doppel-DVD präsentiert alle POWER UP Kurzfilme aus der noch jungen Geschichte der Non-Profit-Organisation - einige davon als Erstveröffentlichungen! 13 starke Filme von starken Frauen - die POWER UP Kurzfilme auf zwei DVDs!
Kurzfilme:
"Intent"
Ein Serienkiller, der es auf lesbische Paare abgesehen hat, geht um. Doch weiß er nicht, dass ihm längst eine attraktive Polizistin auf den Fersen ist und die macht kurzen Prozess.
"Fly Cherry"
Cherry ist genervt von ihrer Mutter und Freundinnen hat sie auch nicht. Am liebsten würde sie wegfliegen. Eine geheimnisvolle Nachbarin hilft ihr weiter.
"Give Or Take An Inch"
In dieser Familie ist nichts normal Charlotte ist lesbisch, ihr Bruder schwul und ihre Schwester Georgia will plötzlich ein Mann sein. Am Memorial Day kommen sie alle zusammen und müssen sich erst mal wieder neu kennen lernen.
"Chicken Night"
Wieder hat Mutter das tollste Hähnchen der Welt gebraten. Und wieder lässt ihr Mann sie sitzen. Da ergreift ihre Tochter die Initiative und bringt etwas emanzipatorischen Schwung in den Trailerpark.
"Getting To Know You"
Das Leben ist kein Cartoon. Und Rosen haben Dornen. Das muss jedenfalls die Zeichnerin Tenny feststellen, die einfach nicht die Richtige findet. Für Traumfrauen muss man sich eben etwas Zeit nehmen...
"Beyond Lovely"
Lovely ist ein Medium gegen ihren Willen. Zu allem Überfluss wird sie nun auch noch von einem schwulen Geist heimgesucht, dem sie den Wunsch nach einer eigenen Fernsehshow erfüllen soll. Als dessen attraktive Ex-Agentin bei ihr klingelt, sieht es so aus, als hätte auch sie was davon...
Außerdem die Kurzfilm-Hits:
- Billy's Dad Is A Fudgepacker
- D.E.B.S.
- Breaking Up Really Sucks
- Little Black Boot
- Zoe Cadwaulder
- Prom-Troversy
- Stuck |
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107
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Lost and Delirious |
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Three schoolgirls learn about the joys, sorrows, and varieties of love in this drama based on the novel The Wives of Bath by Susan Swan. Mary (Mischa Barton) is a quiet girl who is still recovering from the death of her mother. Mary's father and new stepmother, who are blind to her emotional needs, send her away to an all-girls college, where Mary becomes fast friends with her new roommates, sophisticated Paulie (Piper Perabo) and worldly Tory (Jessica Pare). But Mary soon discovers that Paulie and Tory are more than just friends, and have begun to pursue a passionate physical relationship. While initially puzzled by their lesbian leanings, Mary remains close friends with both of them; Tory's sister is not so open minded, however, and threatens to tell their parents about Tory's affair. Afraid and confused, Tory quickly breaks off her romance with Paulie and takes up with Jake (Luke Kirby), a student at a nearby boys' school. Paulie is heartbroken, and desperately struggles to win Tory back by writing her epic-length poems on the subject of love and loss. Paulie also finds a metaphor for her wounded heart as she finds an injured bird in the woods and struggles to restore it to health; in addition, she discovers an understanding soul in the person of Fay Vaughn (Jackie Burroughs), one of her teachers. Lost and Delirious was the first English-language feature for Québecois filmmaker Lea Pool; the film received its world premiere at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Léa Pool ... Director
Greg Dummett ... Producer
Lorraine Richard ... Producer
Louis-Philippe Rochon ... Producer
Susan Swan ... Book Author
Judith Thompson ... Screenwriter
Pierre Gill ... Cinematographer
Gaetan Huot ... Editor
Serge Bureau ... Production Designer
Gail Carr ... Costume Designer
Aline Gilmore ... Costume Designer
Claude Beaugrand ... Sound/Sound Designer
Yvon Benoit ... Sound/Sound Designer
Hans Peter Strobl ... Sound/Sound Designer
Lucie Robitaille ... Casting |
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108
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Love & Suicide |
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Director Mia Salsi spins this true life tale of the bond shared between two young girls and the pain they experienced when that bond was threatened. Upon arriving in New Orleans with her family, troubled teen Kaye soon forms a fast bond with rebellious high school senior Emily. As the relationship between the pair begins to intensify, friends and family soon begin pressuring Kaye and Emily to branch out in their friendships. Their passion subsequently soaring to dangerous new heights, Kaye and Emily vow to remain together no matter what extreme measures they must take to do so.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Jason Buchanan
Director Mia Salsi spins this true life tale of the bond shared between two young girls and the pain they experienced when that bond was threatened. Upon arriving in New Orleans with her family, troubled teen Kaye soon forms a fast bond with rebellious high school senior Emily. As the relationship between the pair begins to intensify, friends and family soon begin pressuring Kaye and Emily to branch out in their friendships. Their passion subsequently soaring to dangerous new heights, Kaye and Emily vow to remain together no matter what extreme measures they must take to do so. |
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109
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Love and Other Catastrophes |
Emma-Kate Croghan |
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Australian college students struggle to deal with school, romance, and life in general in first-time director Emma-Kate Croghan's comedy. The film's focus falls on cinema studies major Mia (France O'Connor) and her roommate Alice (Alice Garner), both of whom find themselves in romantic flux. Alice is torn between the cocky Ari (Matthew Dyktynski) and the shy but loyal Michael (Matt Day), while Mia is in the midst of a messy break-up with her girlfriend Danni (Radha Mitchell). Further complicating Mia's life are her unfinished thesis (on the feminist implications of Doris Day films) and her struggles with the college administration, which provide the opportunity for gentle satire of academia and the frustrations of bureaucracy. The characters deal with their troubles through articulate, questioning dialogue, and Croghan punctuates the film with title screens featuring famous quotes and with attempts to liven up the relatively familiar story with occasional forays into art-film stylization.Most critics viewed the film as a promising debut, with likable characters and a charming romantic tone, if an inconsequential narrative.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Judd Blaise
Australian college students struggle to deal with school, romance, and life in general in first-time director Emma-Kate Croghan's comedy. The film's focus falls on cinema studies major Mia (France O'Connor) and her roommate Alice (Alice Garner), both of whom find themselves in romantic flux. Alice is torn between the cocky Ari (Matthew Dyktynski) and the shy but loyal Michael (Matt Day), while Mia is in the midst of a messy break-up with her girlfriend Danni (Radha Mitchell). Further complicating Mia's life are her unfinished thesis (on the feminist implications of Doris Day films) and her struggles with the college administration, which provide the opportunity for gentle satire of academia and the frustrations of bureaucracy. The characters deal with their troubles through articulate, questioning dialogue, and Croghan punctuates the film with title screens featuring famous quotes and with attempts to liven up the relatively familiar story with occasional forays into art-film stylization.Most critics viewed the film as a promising debut, with likable characters and a charming romantic tone, if an inconsequential narrative. |
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110
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Love My Life |
Koji Kawano |
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Based on the josei manga by Ebine Yamaji, this feature film adaptation of the comic tells the story of Ichiko, a light hearted college student who, much to her own surprise, falls in love with Eri, a fellow female student. Ichiko can't wait to share her burgeoning relationship with her family, but she's in for a rude awakening when her parents' own secrets soon prove that gay romance isn't as readily accepted in society as it is in her own heart.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Cammila Albertson
Based on the josei manga by Ebine Yamaji, this feature film adaptation of the comic tells the story of Ichiko, a light hearted college student who, much to her own surprise, falls in love with Eri, a fellow female student. Ichiko can't wait to share her burgeoning relationship with her family, but she's in for a rude awakening when her parents' own secrets soon prove that gay romance isn't as readily accepted in society as it is in her own heart. |
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111
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Loving Annabelle |
Katherine Brooks |
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Writer/director Katherine Brooks adapts the classic lesbian drama Mädchen in Uniform with this tale of a precocious senator's daughter and Catholic boarding school student who falls desperately in love with her beautiful poetry teacher. Simone Bradley (Diane Gaidry) is a teacher who finds peace within the walls of Saint Theresa's school, and purpose in bringing the wonders of poetry to her young female students. Though newly arrived student Annabelle (Erin Kelly) has notable intelligence and charisma to spare, her fiery disobedience finds the stern headmistress imploring Simone to reign in the young rebel. But Annabelle's insubordination is about to become the least of Simone's concerns, because when the advances of the passionate young woman reveal her teacher's innermost desires, the devoted teacher will be forced to choose between her career and an affair that could quite possibly destroy her livelihood.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Jason Buchanan
Writer/director Katherine Brooks adapts the classic lesbian drama Mädchen in Uniform with this tale of a precocious senator's daughter and Catholic boarding school student who falls desperately in love with her beautiful poetry teacher. Simone Bradley (Diane Gaidry) is a teacher who finds peace within the walls of Saint Theresa's school, and purpose in bringing the wonders of poetry to her young female students. Though newly arrived student Annabelle (Erin Kelly) has notable intelligence and charisma to spare, her fiery disobedience finds the stern headmistress imploring Simone to reign in the young rebel. But Annabelle's insubordination is about to become the least of Simone's concerns, because when the advances of the passionate young woman reveal her teacher's innermost desires, the devoted teacher will be forced to choose between her career and an affair that could quite possibly destroy her livelihood. |
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112
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Maggie & Annie |
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When a contented housewife falls for an openly gay woman from her softball team, she learns that there may be more to life than she previously thought in director Kimberly Wilson's introspective drama. Annie has everything most women would ever want, including a loving husband and a precious daughter. Though Annie and her out-of-the-closet softball teammate Maggie develop a close bond both on and off of the field, Maggie suppresses her romantic feelings out of respect for Annie's family. When the pair shed their inhibitions following a long night of partying, Annie is forced to choose between a love that she never expected and a life she has built through years of caring and devotion.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Jason Buchanan
When a contented housewife falls for an openly gay woman from her softball team, she learns that there may be more to life than she previously thought in director Kimberly Wilson's introspective drama. Annie has everything most women would ever want, including a loving husband and a precious daughter. Though Annie and her out-of-the-closet softball teammate Maggie develop a close bond both on and off of the field, Maggie suppresses her romantic feelings out of respect for Annie's family. When the pair shed their inhibitions following a long night of partying, Annie is forced to choose between a love that she never expected and a life she has built through years of caring and devotion. |
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113
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Me Without You |
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The joys and horrors of female friendship are explored in writer/director Sandra Goldbacher's Me Without You. Bold, brash, and fashionable Marina (played by Anna Popplewell as a child, and Anna Friel as a teen and adult) comes from a broken home. Her mother, Linda (Trudie Styler, who executive produced Guy Ritchie's first two films, and is also Sting's wife) is a hip young divorcée who apologizes every time she yells at her children. Holly (Ella Jones as a child, Michelle Williams of Dawson's Creek and Dick as a teen and adult) is a timid bookworm, mildly ashamed of her Jewishness, and easily goaded into more outrageous behavior by Marina. Holly's mother (Deborah Findlay) tells her early on not to expect too much from men. She helps lower her daughter's expectations by telling her, "Some people are pretty people, and some are clever people, which is more important than looks." As girls in the early '70s, Marina and Holly form a pact to become "Harina," inseparable best friends. Next-door neighbors, they are never apart for long. But Holly harbors a secret crush on Marina's older brother, Nat (Oliver Milburn), and when the girls are teens, and Marina finds out about Holly's feelings, she does her best to keep the two apart. In college, when Holly bonds with a lit-crit professor, Daniel (Kyle Maclachlan), over Andrei Tarkovsky and Ingmar Bergman, Holly feels compelled to sabotage their budding relationship, by seducing Daniel first. Eventually, Nat, despite his lingering fondness for Holly, gets seriously involved with a French actress, Isabel (Marianne Denicourt). As the girls get older, their differences become more apparent to Holly, and she begins to question their friendship. The film covers three decades, with songs and costumes appropriate to each era.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Josh Ralske
The joys and horrors of female friendship are explored in writer/director Sandra Goldbacher's Me Without You. Bold, brash, and fashionable Marina (played by Anna Popplewell as a child, and Anna Friel as a teen and adult) comes from a broken home. Her mother, Linda (Trudie Styler, who executive produced Guy Ritchie's first two films, and is also Sting's wife) is a hip young divorcée who apologizes every time she yells at her children. Holly (Ella Jones as a child, Michelle Williams of Dawson's Creek and Dick as a teen and adult) is a timid bookworm, mildly ashamed of her Jewishness, and easily goaded into more outrageous behavior by Marina. Holly's mother (Deborah Findlay) tells her early on not to expect too much from men. She helps lower her daughter's expectations by telling her, "Some people are pretty people, and some are clever people, which is more important than looks." As girls in the early '70s, Marina and Holly form a pact to become "Harina," inseparable best friends. Next-door neighbors, they are never apart for long. But Holly harbors a secret crush on Marina's older brother, Nat (Oliver Milburn), and when the girls are teens, and Marina finds out about Holly's feelings, she does her best to keep the two apart. In college, when Holly bonds with a lit-crit professor, Daniel (Kyle Maclachlan), over Andrei Tarkovsky and Ingmar Bergman, Holly feels compelled to sabotage their budding relationship, by seducing Daniel first. Eventually, Nat, despite his lingering fondness for Holly, gets seriously involved with a French actress, Isabel (Marianne Denicourt). As the girls get older, their differences become more apparent to Holly, and she begins to question their friendship. The film covers three decades, with songs and costumes appropriate to each era. |
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114
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Monster |
Patty Jenkins |
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Model-turned-actress Charlize Theron leaves her glamorous image behind for this gritty drama, in which she plays a disturbed prostitute who becomes a serial killer. Aileen Wuornos (Theron) was a woman who survived a brutal and abusive childhood in Michigan to become a thick-skinned but emotionally damaged adult. Homeless most of her life, Wuornos subsisted by working as a street prostitute; later, when she was in Florida, down to her last five dollars and pondering suicide, she stopped into a bar for a beer. There, Aileen met Selby Wall (Christina Ricci), a woman in her early twenties who had been sent to live with relatives after her Christian parents became aware of her lesbian lifestyle. Selby is immediately attracted to Aileen, and while Aileen tells Selby she's never been in a lesbian relationship, she soon finds herself equally infatuated with her. Selby runs away from her family and moves into a cheap hotel with Aileen, who initially pays the bills by hooking. However, as their money runs low and Aileen finds herself unable to land a regular job, tensions mount between the two. One night, after a john attacks her, Aileen pulls a gun and kills the man. Although her first murder can be categorized as self-defense, Aileen's loathing for the men who pay her for sex becomes so extreme that she begins killing her customers regardless of their behavior. Meanwhile, Selby slowly becomes aware of the full extent of her lover's instability and the bloody consequences of her actions. Monster was inspired by the true story of Aileen Wuornos, whose life and death was chronicled in two documentaries by filmmaker Nick Broomfield, Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer, and Aileen: The Life and Death of a Serial Killer.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Patty Jenkins ... Director / Screenwriter
Mark Damon ... Producer
Donald Kushner ... Producer
Clark Peterson ... Producer
Charlize Theron ... Producer
Brad Wyman ... Producer
Steven Bernstein ... Cinematographer
BT ... Composer (Music Score)
Howard Paar ... Musical Direction/Supervision
Arthur Coburn ... Editor
Jane Kurson ... Editor
Edward Mcavoy ... Production Designer
Orvis Rigsby ... Art Director
Brent Morris ... Co-producer
Andreas Grosch ... Executive Producer
Stewart Hall ... Executive Producer
Sammy Lee ... Executive Producer
Meagan Riley-Grant ... Executive Producer
Andreas Schmid ... Executive Producer
Shawn R. McFall ... Set Designer
Rhona Meyers ... Costume Designer
Peter Devlin ... Sound/Sound Designer
David Allen Cluck ... First Assistant Director
Ferne Cassel ... Casting
Stephen F. Campbell ... Additional Cinematography
Toni G ... Key Make-up
Guy Livneh ... Second Unit Director / Additional Cinematography |
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115
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Mulholland Dr. |
David Lynch |
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David Lynch wrote and directed this look at two women who find themselves walking a fine line between truth and deception in the beautiful but dangerous netherworld of Hollywood. A beautiful woman (Laura Elena Harring) riding in a limousine along Los Angeles' Mulholland Drive is targeted by a would-be shooter, but before he can pull the trigger, she is injured when her limo is hit by another car. The woman stumbles from the wreck with a head wound, and in time makes her way into an apartment with no idea of where or who she is. As it turns out, the apartment is home to an elderly woman who is out of town, and is allowing her niece Betty (Naomi Watts) to stay there; Betty is a small-town girl from Canada who wants to be an actress, and her aunt was able to arrange an audition with a film director for her. Betty befriends the injured woman, who begins calling herself "Rita" after seeing a poster of Rita Hayworth. While Betty's audition impresses a casting agent, and she catches the eye ofhotshot director Adam Kesher (Justin Theroux), Kesher's producers and moneymen insist with no small vehemence that he instead cast a woman named Camilla Rhodes. As Rita attempts to put the pieces of her life back together, she pulls the name Diane Selwyn from her memory; Rita thinks it could be her real name, but when she and Betty find a listing for Diane Selwyn and visit her apartment, they discover the latest victim of a mysterious killer who is eluding police detective Harry McKnight (Robert Forster). Rita's emotional identity soon takes a left turn, and it turns out that neither woman is quite who she once appeared to be. David Lynch originally conceived Mulholland Drive as the pilot film for a television series; after the ABC television network rejected the pilot and declined to air it, the French production film StudioCanal took over the project, and Lynch reshot and re-edited the material into a theatrical feature. The resulting version of Mulholland Drive premiered at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival, where David Lynch shared Best Director honors with Joel Coen.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
David Lynch ... Director / Screenwriter / Sound/Sound Designer
Neal Edelstein ... Producer
Tony Krantz ... Producer
Michael Polaire ... Producer
Alain Sarde ... Producer
Mary Sweeney ... Producer / Editor
Peter Deming ... Cinematographer
Angelo Badalamenti ... Composer (Music Score)
Jack Fisk ... Production Designer
Peter Jamison ... Art Director
Pierre Edelman ... Executive Producer
Amy Stofsky ... Costume Designer
Ed Novick ... Sound/Sound Designer
Scott Cameron ... First Assistant Director
Mark Cotone ... First Assistant Director
Johanna Ray ... Casting
Ron Eng ... Supervising Sound Editor
Christine Kim ... Assistant Editor |
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116
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My Baby's Daddy |
Cheryl Dunye |
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Three lazy pals find they're facing fatherhood simultaneously in this light-hearted comedy co-written by star Eddie Griffin. Lonnie (Griffin), G. (Anthony Anderson), and Dominick (Michael Imperioli) live stress-free lives with Lonnie's trash-talking Uncle Virgil (John Amos). But when all three young men's girlfriends get knocked up at the same time, they're forced to take a long, hard look at their lifestyles. For G., who works at the family grocery store of his girlfriend Xi Xi (Bai Ling), that means saying no to criminal temptation and staying on the straight and narrow; for Dominick, it means taking time out from his busy career as a record producer and coming to terms with surprise revelations from his baby's momma; and for Lonnie, it means recognizing ghetto-fabulous girlfriend Rolonda (Paula Jai Parker) as the gold-digger she is and finding a new lady love without sacrificing his individuality. Directed by Cheryl Dunye, whose previous features were low-budget indies, My Baby's Daddy also stars rapper Method Man as imposing ex-con No Good.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Brian J. Dillard
Three lazy pals find they're facing fatherhood simultaneously in this light-hearted comedy co-written by star Eddie Griffin. Lonnie (Griffin), G. (Anthony Anderson), and Dominick (Michael Imperioli) live stress-free lives with Lonnie's trash-talking Uncle Virgil (John Amos). But when all three young men's girlfriends get knocked up at the same time, they're forced to take a long, hard look at their lifestyles. For G., who works at the family grocery store of his girlfriend Xi Xi (Bai Ling), that means saying no to criminal temptation and staying on the straight and narrow; for Dominick, it means taking time out from his busy career as a record producer and coming to terms with surprise revelations from his baby's momma; and for Lonnie, it means recognizing ghetto-fabulous girlfriend Rolonda (Paula Jai Parker) as the gold-digger she is and finding a new lady love without sacrificing his individuality. Directed by Cheryl Dunye, whose previous features were low-budget indies, My Baby's Daddy also stars rapper Method Man as imposing ex-con No Good. |
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117
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My Brother's War |
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The premise of writer-director Whitney Hamilton's period picture My Brother's War springs from a little-known historical footnote: the fact that in the Civil War, an excess of 400 young women disguised themselves as men and trekked off to the battlefront in drag.As this story opens, young Grace Kieler (Hamilton) perceives the ideological divisions in her own clan - her fiancé marches off to vie for the Union, while her brother vows to support the Confederacy. Kieler fulfills a promise to her dying father by attempting to protect her brother's life. She does so by cropping her hair short, donning her sibling's uniform, and heading off to the front lines herself, as a man. She soon finds herself drawn magnetically into the life and world of a war widow, Virginia. A romance blossoms between the two, guided by Virginia's assumption that Grace is a man; when Virginia learns the truth, the two women must confront the fact that, despite the morals and behavioral limitations of the period, their passion for one another knows no boundaries.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Nathan Southern
The premise of writer-director Whitney Hamilton's period picture My Brother's War springs from a little-known historical footnote: the fact that in the Civil War, an excess of 400 young women disguised themselves as men and trekked off to the battlefront in drag.As this story opens, young Grace Kieler (Hamilton) perceives the ideological divisions in her own clan - her fiancé marches off to vie for the Union, while her brother vows to support the Confederacy. Kieler fulfills a promise to her dying father by attempting to protect her brother's life. She does so by cropping her hair short, donning her sibling's uniform, and heading off to the front lines herself, as a man. She soon finds herself drawn magnetically into the life and world of a war widow, Virginia. A romance blossoms between the two, guided by Virginia's assumption that Grace is a man; when Virginia learns the truth, the two women must confront the fact that, despite the morals and behavioral limitations of the period, their passion for one another knows no boundaries. |
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118
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My insignificant other |
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| Chef Wendy Weinberg is cheated out of her house, car, money, and her own restaurant by Victoria...also known as her ex-lover. With nowhere else to go, Wendy (an exuberant puppy but a bit of a slob) shows up on the doorstep of her old lover, Mel McEnzie, a vegetarian, exercising, control freak of a hypochondriac. Can two ex lovers, complete opposites with nothing in common, live together without killing each other? Written by Liz Lachman & Caroline Medlen |
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119
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My Mother Likes Women |
Daniela Fejerman, Inés París |
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The debut film from the filmmaking team of Daniela Fejerman and Inés París, A Mi Madre le Gustan las Mujeres is a racy comedy starring Rosa María Sardŕ as Sofía. Divorced for years, Sofía gathers her three daughters, Sol (Silvia Abascal), Gimena (María Pujalte), andElvira (Leonor Watling), together to celebrate her birthday and to make an announcement. It seems Elvira has fallen in love, which excites the girls until she reveals that it is a woman that she's been seeing. The title, A Mi Madre le Gustan las Mujeres, is Spanish for My Mother Likes Women.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Matthew Tobey
The debut film from the filmmaking team of Daniela Fejerman and Inés París, A Mi Madre le Gustan las Mujeres is a racy comedy starring Rosa María Sardŕ as Sofía. Divorced for years, Sofía gathers her three daughters, Sol (Silvia Abascal), Gimena (María Pujalte), andElvira (Leonor Watling), together to celebrate her birthday and to make an announcement. It seems Elvira has fallen in love, which excites the girls until she reveals that it is a woman that she's been seeing. The title, A Mi Madre le Gustan las Mujeres, is Spanish for My Mother Likes Women. |
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120
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My Summer of Love |
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Two young women find love under difficult circumstances in this distinctive drama. Mona (Natalie Press) is a 16-year-old girl living in a small English town. There has never been much to do the neighborhood, and there's even less going on now that her older brother, Phil (Paddy Considine), who runs the local pub, has become a fanatical born-again Christian and is turning the tavern into a hall for prayer meetings. Tamsin (Emily Blunt) is another teenage girl who lives nearby; her mother is a successful actress who is usually away on projects, and her businessman father is too busy with his mistress to pay his daughter much attention. When Mona and Tamsin meet, they fall instantly in love and begin an erotic involvement. However, they soon discover that it isn't easy to keep their budding romance a secret in such a small town. My Summer of Love was enthusiastically received in its premiere screenings at the 2004 Edinburgh Film Festival.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Pawel Pawlikowski ... Director / Screenwriter
Christopher Collins ... Producer
Tanya Seghatchian ... Producer
Helen Cross ... Book Author
Ryszard Lenczewski ... Cinematographer
Alison Goldfrapp ... Composer (Music Score)
Will Gregory ... Composer (Music Score)
David Charap ... Editor
John Stevenson ... Production Designer
Netty Chapman ... Art Director
Chris Auty ... Executive Producer
Emma Hayter ... Executive Producer
David M. Thompson ... Executive Producer
Julian Day ... Costume Designer
John Pearson ... Sound/Sound Designer
Buffy Hall ... Casting
Michael Wynne ... Screenplay Consultant |
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121
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Nina's Heavenly Delights |
Pratibha Parmar |
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A woman comes to terms with her sexuality while trying to save the family business in this flavorful romantic comedy. Nina Shah (Shelley Conn) is the daughter of an Indian expatriate family who settled in Glasgow and run an Indian restaurant, the New Taj Mahal. While Nina was always close to her father, when he insisted she wed a man she didn't love as part of an arranged marriage, she left Glasgow and began a new life in London. However, word of her father's passing brings her back to Glasgow to look after her mother and help run the New Taj. Nina learns that the restaurant is deep in debt and needs a sharp increase in business if its to stay open; shortly before his death, father arranged for the New Taj to take part in a televised cooking competition to find the best Indian food in Glasgow, and so Nina and the restaurant's head chef Lisa (Laura Fraser) are on the spot to come up with something special. As Nina and Lisa spend many hours in the kitchen together, they begin to develop a personal relationship as spicy as anything on the menu. As Nina tries to decide how to explain her new romance to her family, she finds emotional support from her very out of the closet friend Bobbi (Ronny Jhutti) and her younger sister, who has developed a passion for Scottish folk dancing. But Nina's effort to save the New Taj may become a grudge match when she learns that her biggest competition comes from a new eatery run by Sanjay (Raji James), the man Nina refused to marry. Nina's Heavenly Delights also stars Art Malik as Sanjay's father.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
A woman comes to terms with her sexuality while trying to save the family business in this flavorful romantic comedy. Nina Shah (Shelley Conn) is the daughter of an Indian expatriate family who settled in Glasgow and run an Indian restaurant, the New Taj Mahal. While Nina was always close to her father, when he insisted she wed a man she didn't love as part of an arranged marriage, she left Glasgow and began a new life in London. However, word of her father's passing brings her back to Glasgow to look after her mother and help run the New Taj. Nina learns that the restaurant is deep in debt and needs a sharp increase in business if its to stay open; shortly before his death, father arranged for the New Taj to take part in a televised cooking competition to find the best Indian food in Glasgow, and so Nina and the restaurant's head chef Lisa (Laura Fraser) are on the spot to come up with something special. As Nina and Lisa spend many hours in the kitchen together, they begin to develop a personal relationship as spicy as anything on the menu. As Nina tries to decide how to explain her new romance to her family, she finds emotional support from her very out of the closet friend Bobbi (Ronny Jhutti) and her younger sister, who has developed a passion for Scottish folk dancing. But Nina's effort to save the New Taj may become a grudge match when she learns that her biggest competition comes from a new eatery run by Sanjay (Raji James), the man Nina refused to marry. Nina's Heavenly Delights also stars Art Malik as Sanjay's father. |
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122
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Notes on a Scandal |
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Lust, jealousy, and revenge come cloaked in the guise of friendship in this psychological drama. Barbara Covett (Judi Dench) is a history teacher at a high school in London; while elderly Barbara is very bright, she's also severe and domineering, with a strong personality that tends to put people off. Barbara also takes a voyeuristic delight in recording the actions of those around her in her diary in the most minute detail. When Sheba Hart (Cate Blanchett), a bright and attractive woman in her mid-thirties, is hired as the school's new art teacher, Barbara believes she may have found someone worthy of her friendship, though she's soon disappointed to discover that Sheba has a husband and two children, a lifestyle that she finds offensively bourgeois. However, Barbara's obsessive interest in Sheba is rewarded when the younger teacher confesses that one of her students, Steven (Andrew Simpson), has developed an obviously sexual interest in her. However, in fact, Steven's crush on Sheba is hardly one-sided, and in time Barbara discover that the two have been making love on a regular basis for months. When circumstances turn Barbara against Sheba, she uses what she knows about the affair to destroy the life of her "friend." Based on the novel by Zoe Heller, Notes on a Scandal also stars Bill Nighy.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Richard Eyre ... Director
Robert Fox ... Producer
Scott Rudin ... Producer
Zoe Heller ... Book Author
Patrick Marber ... Screenwriter
Chris Menges ... Cinematographer
Craig Menges ... Cinematographer
Philip Glass ... Composer (Music Score)
Hothouse Music Limited ... Musical Direction/Supervision
John Bloom ... Editor
Antonia Van Drimmelen ... Editor
Tim Hatley ... Production Designer / Costume Designer
Hannah Moseley ... Art Director
Mark Raggett ... Supervising Art Director
Raymond Morris ... Executive Producer
Redmond Morris ... Executive Producer
Peter Watson ... Set Designer
Ben Wilkinson ... Set Designer
Kirsty Wilkinson ... Set Designer
Caroline Smith ... Set Decorator
Jim Greenhorn ... Sound/Sound Designer
Buxton Jayne ... Makeup / Hair Styles
Helen Johnson ... Makeup / Hair Styles
Rebecca Lafford ... Makeup
Mark Haddenham ... Special Effects
Martin Harrison ... First Assistant Director
Keziah Barton-White ... Camera Operator
Paul Bond ... Camera Operator
Robert B. Hunt ... Stunts
Tina Maskell ... Stunts
Peter Pedrero ... Stunts
John Street ... Stunts
Shaheen Baig ... Casting
Maggie Lunn ... Casting
Air Studios ... Recording
Randall Balsmeyer ... Title Design
Balsmeyer & Everett ... Title Design
Sam Barnes ... Clapper Loader
Ian Bee ... Head Carpenter
Big Film Design ... Title Design
Gary Birmingham ... Transportation Coordinator
Steve Blythe ... Electrician
Ashley Bond ... Second Assistant Camera
Paul Bowring ... Carpenter
Stuart Brisdon ... Special Effects Coordinator
Peter Burgis ... Foley Artist
Francesca Castellano ... Production Coordinator
Missy Coen ... Music Editor
Edward Colyer ... Voice Casting
Clive Coote ... Still Photographer
Martin Corbett ... Assistant Editor
Cutting Edge ... Negative Cutter
Martin Czembor ... Re-Recording Mixer
John Davies ... Painter
Andi Derrick ... Foley Artist
Nrinder Dhudwar ... Stunts Coordinator
Lee Dichter ... Re-Recording Mixer
Diana Dill ... Script Supervisor
Sara Dony ... Set Medic/First Aid
Polly Duval ... Post Production Supervisor
Dan Erstad ... Personal Assistant
Lucy Eyre ... Assistant Set Decorator
Eamonn Fitzgerald ... Electrician
Kevin Fitzpatrick ... Electrician
Polly Fletcher ... First Assistant Accountant
Linda Gamble ... Unit Publicist
Heidi Gower ... Third Assistant Director
Emily Graham ... Runner
Ruth Halliday ... Research
Tarn Harper ... Post Production Accountant
Jimmy Harris ... Electrician
Peter Harris ... Electrician
Jane Harwood ... Assistant Art Director
Richard Hill ... Assistant Location Manager
Dan Hillsdon ... First Assistant Accountant
Alex Hobbs ... Video Playback
Vandra Howard ... Costumes Assistant
Eamonn Hughes ... Hair Styles
Gary Hymns ... Grip
Lionel Johnson ... Assistant Sound Editor
Jemma Kearney ... Personal Assistant
Nathan Kelly ... Personal Assistant
Jane Leonard ... Costumes Assistant
David Martin ... Carpenter
Maxie McDonald ... Properties Master
Barney Miller ... Runner
Mark Milsome ... Second Assistant Camera
Katherine Morath ... Boom Operator
Rachel Neale ... Unit Production Manager
Cian O'Clery ... Art Department Assistant
Harriet Orman ... Buyer
David Otzen ... Costumes Assistant
Tim Owens ... Dialogue Editor
Vanraaj Padhaal ... Production Secretary
Emily Plant ... Electrician
Urszula Pontikos ... Grip
Jacob Ribikoff ... Supervising Sound Editor
Sarah Richardson ... Personal Assistant
Michael Riesman ... Conductor
Lee Robertson ... Assistant Location Manager
Danny Roman ... Personal Assistant
Martin Scoones ... Color Timing
Set Meals ... Craft Service/Catering
Shruti Shah ... Production Accountant
Mira Shin ... Personal Assistant
Diana Smith ... Assistant Sound Editor
Mike Prestwood Smith ... Re-Recording Mixer
Derek Somaru ... Assistant Music Editor
Stuart Stanley ... Sound Editor
Amanda Stevens ... Location Manager
Chris Stoaling ... Second Assistant Director
Nigel Stone ... ADR Editor
Joseph Park-Stracey ... Special Effects Editor
Graham Sutton ... Music Editor
Mark Thomas ... Electrician
Derek Trigg ... Foley Editor
Amanda Waddington ... Painter
Helen Walker ... First Assistant Accountant
Charlie Waller ... Second Second Assistant Director
Gavin Walters ... Gaffer
Lee Walters ... Gaffer
Joan Washington ... Vocal Coach
Lisa Westcott ... Department Head Makeup / Department Head Hair
Kem White ... Graphic Design
Ben Wilson ... Focus Puller
Allison Wyldeck ... Costumes Supervisor |
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123
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November Moon |
Alexandra Von Grote |
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Homosexual love among the ravages of war would be more convincing in this tale of a lesbian relationship if the war itself were more than just a vague backdrop to the story. November Messing (Gabriele Osburg) is a young Jewish woman forced to flee the growing Nazi menace in Germany in 1933. She finds a safe haven with a family in Paris, but then both the young man in the family and his sister, develop a romantic attachment to November. The relationship between November and the sister wins out, and although November is Jewish, there is no regard for the Gestapo who take over the city or the panic that forces many to leave Paris as soon as possible -- the Jewish woman and her lesbian relationship are oddly isolated. This split with reality influences other aspects of the film and may raise the objections of some viewers.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Eleanor Mannikka
Homosexual love among the ravages of war would be more convincing in this tale of a lesbian relationship if the war itself were more than just a vague backdrop to the story. November Messing (Gabriele Osburg) is a young Jewish woman forced to flee the growing Nazi menace in Germany in 1933. She finds a safe haven with a family in Paris, but then both the young man in the family and his sister, develop a romantic attachment to November. The relationship between November and the sister wins out, and although November is Jewish, there is no regard for the Gestapo who take over the city or the panic that forces many to leave Paris as soon as possible -- the Jewish woman and her lesbian relationship are oddly isolated. This split with reality influences other aspects of the film and may raise the objections of some viewers. |
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124
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Only the Brave |
Sonia Herman Dolz |
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This hour-long Australian coming-of-age film explores the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of two teenage friends. Alex (Elena Mandalis) and Vicki (Dora Kaskanis) escape the brutality of their parents through drugs and petty vandalism. Eventually, they realize that their friendship may have the potential to be something more.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Michael Hastings
This hour-long Australian coming-of-age film explores the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of two teenage friends. Alex (Elena Mandalis) and Vicki (Dora Kaskanis) escape the brutality of their parents through drugs and petty vandalism. Eventually, they realize that their friendship may have the potential to be something more. |
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125
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Out at the Wedding |
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Lee Friedlander's comedy Out at the Wedding concerns a woman named Alex who takes efforts to hide the fact she is engaged to a bi-racial man from her judgmental family. After a series of misunderstandings, many people think Alex is a lesbian, but the issue gets complicated when Alex's newlywed sister meets the woman she thinks is Alex's significant other.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Lee Friedlander ... Director
Gina G. Goff ... Producer
Laura A. Kellam ... Producer
Paula Goldberg ... Screenwriter
Alex Vendler ... Cinematographer
Laura Karpman ... Composer (Music Score)
Christian White ... Editor
Ariana Nakata ... Production Designer
Sean McVity ... Executive Producer
Yasmeen Mustaklim ... Costume Designer
Adele Ashley ... Casting |
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126
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Paris Was a Woman |
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The Left Bank of Paris is a notorious bohemian hot-spot where some of the world's greatest artists and intellectuals found a haven in which to freely express themselves. Though traditional chronicles have focused on the illustrious men who lived there, this British documentary looks at some of the women who lived there including Gertrude Stein and her lover Alice B. Toklas, publishers Sylvia Beach and Adrienne Monnier, painter Romaine Brooks, and Natalie Barney. Many of their stories are told with archival film clips coupled with modern interviews.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Sandra Brennan
The Left Bank of Paris is a notorious bohemian hot-spot where some of the world's greatest artists and intellectuals found a haven in which to freely express themselves. Though traditional chronicles have focused on the illustrious men who lived there, this British documentary looks at some of the women who lived there including Gertrude Stein and her lover Alice B. Toklas, publishers Sylvia Beach and Adrienne Monnier, painter Romaine Brooks, and Natalie Barney. Many of their stories are told with archival film clips coupled with modern interviews. |
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127
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Personal Best |
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In 1982, there was a brief cycle of homosexual-relationship films, none of which were successful enough to form the basis of a trend. Producer/director/writer Robert Towne's Personal Best is one of the finest. It stars Mariel Hemingway and Patrice Donnelly as athletes participating in the 1980 Olympics. Growing ever closer during the training process, Chris (Hemingway) and Tory (Donnelly) fall in love. Up to this point, Chris has been "straight," thus has trouble sustaining the relationship with older Tory. Their relationship is counterbalanced with the attitudes held by their male coach, Terry (Scott Glenn). While the homosexual element of the film is secondary to the endless shots of athletes in training, the critics latched on to the film's romantic angle, which may have sabotaged its chances for box-office success (the world was a different place in 1982). Personal Best was the directorial debut for Robert Towne, who was not to direct another film until 1987's Tequila Sunrise.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Hal Erickson
In 1982, there was a brief cycle of homosexual-relationship films, none of which were successful enough to form the basis of a trend. Producer/director/writer Robert Towne's Personal Best is one of the finest. It stars Mariel Hemingway and Patrice Donnelly as athletes participating in the 1980 Olympics. Growing ever closer during the training process, Chris (Hemingway) and Tory (Donnelly) fall in love. Up to this point, Chris has been "straight," thus has trouble sustaining the relationship with older Tory. Their relationship is counterbalanced with the attitudes held by their male coach, Terry (Scott Glenn). While the homosexual element of the film is secondary to the endless shots of athletes in training, the critics latched on to the film's romantic angle, which may have sabotaged its chances for box-office success (the world was a different place in 1982). Personal Best was the directorial debut for Robert Towne, who was not to direct another film until 1987's Tequila Sunrise. |
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128
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Portrait of a Marriage |
Stephen Whittaker |
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Adapted from the autobiographical novel by Nigel Nicolson, the four-part British miniseries Portrait of a Marriage was inspired by the marriage of convenience between Nicolson's parents, historian Harold Nicolson and novelist Vita Sackville-West (Janet McTeer). Although the elder Nicolson was homosexual, his wife Vita was not only forgiving, but also obliging when he strayed from home and hearth to pursue partners of his own gender. After all, Vita was herself embroiled in a torrid -- and ultimately tragic -- affair with one Violet Keppel (Cathryn Harrison). The winner of a BAFTA award for Best Costume Design (Dinah Collin), Portrait of a Marriage was telecast in Britain and New Zealand in 1990, and in the United States two years later.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Hal Erickson
Adapted from the autobiographical novel by Nigel Nicolson, the four-part British miniseries Portrait of a Marriage was inspired by the marriage of convenience between Nicolson's parents, historian Harold Nicolson and novelist Vita Sackville-West (Janet McTeer). Although the elder Nicolson was homosexual, his wife Vita was not only forgiving, but also obliging when he strayed from home and hearth to pursue partners of his own gender. After all, Vita was herself embroiled in a torrid -- and ultimately tragic -- affair with one Violet Keppel (Cathryn Harrison). The winner of a BAFTA award for Best Costume Design (Dinah Collin), Portrait of a Marriage was telecast in Britain and New Zealand in 1990, and in the United States two years later. |
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129
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Potseluy sestry |
A sister's kiss |
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| The story takes place in St. Petersburg, Russia. Two Russian schoolgirls suffer crash in natural love. Once they've met each other and fall in love. But once they've found that they are sisters... |
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130
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Pourquoi pas Moi? |
Stephane Giusti |
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The story of this gay comedy reminds one of the fashionable boulevard theatre of 1950's Paris whose major theme was bourgeois adultery. A couple would invite another couple to dinner, and half way through the second course it would be revealed that the husband was having an affair with his best friend's wife. Pourquoi pas Moi? also starts off with a dinner party, but today revelations come with a difference -- and it is no big deal. Nico, Eva and Ariane are gay and just about to confess it to their parents. Camille, who lives with Ariane, has already told her mother.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Gönül Dönmez-Colin
The story of this gay comedy reminds one of the fashionable boulevard theatre of 1950's Paris whose major theme was bourgeois adultery. A couple would invite another couple to dinner, and half way through the second course it would be revealed that the husband was having an affair with his best friend's wife. Pourquoi pas Moi? also starts off with a dinner party, but today revelations come with a difference -- and it is no big deal. Nico, Eva and Ariane are gay and just about to confess it to their parents. Camille, who lives with Ariane, has already told her mother. |
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131
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Preaching to the Perverted |
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A young man learns that love hurts (or at least it does if you're doing it right) in this saucy comedy from England. Henry Harding (Tom Bell) is a member of British Parliament and a self-styled moral crusader who is deeply disturbed by reports that Tanya Cheex (Guinevere Turner), a dominatrix from the U.S., has opened a night club for S&M enthusiasts in England. Harding is determined to put Cheex out of business, but first he needs to collect evidence of her activities, so Harding persuades Peter Emery (Christian Anholt) -- a young man with political ambitions, Christian principles, and his virginity intact -- to attend the club incognito and videotape the proceedings. To Peter's great surprise, he discovers that he rather likes a bit of spanking and leather fetishism, and he soon becomes quite infatuated with Tanya, making him all the less inclined to help shut down her club. Preaching to the Perverted presented Guinevere Turner in her first starring role after her breakthrough in the acclaimed independent feature Go Fish.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
A young man learns that love hurts (or at least it does if you're doing it right) in this saucy comedy from England. Henry Harding (Tom Bell) is a member of British Parliament and a self-styled moral crusader who is deeply disturbed by reports that Tanya Cheex (Guinevere Turner), a dominatrix from the U.S., has opened a night club for S&M enthusiasts in England. Harding is determined to put Cheex out of business, but first he needs to collect evidence of her activities, so Harding persuades Peter Emery (Christian Anholt) -- a young man with political ambitions, Christian principles, and his virginity intact -- to attend the club incognito and videotape the proceedings. To Peter's great surprise, he discovers that he rather likes a bit of spanking and leather fetishism, and he soon becomes quite infatuated with Tanya, making him all the less inclined to help shut down her club. Preaching to the Perverted presented Guinevere Turner in her first starring role after her breakthrough in the acclaimed independent feature Go Fish. |
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132
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Prey for Rock & Roll |
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Jacki (Gina Gershon, who also served as a producer) has always wanted to be a rock star. But after years of struggling to make it, she's turning 40, and she's thinking of giving it up. "Do you ever think about being 50 or 60 years old, hauling our gear around, passing out flyers, fighting with bookers, and still sweating around?" she asks her bandmates. Faith (Lori Petty), the talented lead guitarist, gives guitar lessons to hyperactive teens on the side. Faith is seriously involved with the much younger Sally (Shelly Cole of TV's Gilmore Girls), the band's good-natured drummer. Tracy (Drea de Matteo of HBO's The Sopranos), the bass player, is a trust-fund baby with a substance abuse problem and a manipulative lowlife boyfriend, Nick (Ivan Martin). Jacki's thoughts of quitting are put on hold when the band gets a shot at a recording contract for an independent label and a gig opening for X. Then Sally's big brother, Animal (Marc Blucas, formerly of TV's Buffy the Vampire Slayer), arrives in town, fresh out of prison, and stirs up Jacki's romantic life. But when two tragic events shake the band, Jacki is again forced to consider finding something else to do with her life. Prey for Rock & Roll was written by Cheri Lovedog, based on her own experiences in the rock world. It was originally performed as a stage play at CBGB in New York. The stage production was directed by Robin Whitehouse, who gets a writing credit for the screenplay. The film marks the directorial debut of accomplished film music producer Alex Steyermark. It was shown at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival and the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Alex Steyermark ... Director
Gina Gershon ... Songwriter / Producer
Donovan Mannato ... Producer
Gina Resnick ... Producer
Cheri Lovedog ... Screenwriter / Play Author / Songwriter
Robin Whitehouse ... Screenwriter / Executive Producer
Antonio Calvache ... Cinematographer
Linda Cohen ... Musical Direction/Supervision
Allyson C. Johnson ... Editor
John Chichester ... Production Designer
Alexis Magagni-Seely ... Co-producer
Vanessa Vogel ... Costume Designer
Tim O'Heir ... Sound/Sound Designer
Steven M. Weiss ... Sound/Sound Designer |
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133
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Puccini for Beginners |
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A woman who loves opera finds herself playing a romantic version of musical chairs in this independent comedy from writer and director Maria Maggenti. Allegra (Elizabeth Reaser) is a writer who has been involved with Samantha (Julianne Nicholson) for some time, but Allegra just isn't willing to make a commitment. Eventually, Samantha decides she's had enough, and she not only leaves Allegra, she jumps to the other side of the gender divide and starts dating a man. While Allegra is none too pleased with Samantha's actions, she unwittingly finds herself following suit when she meets Philip (Justin Kirk), a college professor, at a party. After a few cocktails, Allegra and Philip end up in bed, and while Allegra is content to leave it as a one-night stand, Philip has different ideas, and goes so far as to dump his girlfriend to pursue a relationship with Allegra, even though she's made it clear to him she's not at all serious about him. At the same time, Allegra strikes up a new romance with Grace (Gretchen Mol), but she doesn't know all that much about Grace's previous lovers -- who happen to include Philip. Puccini for Beginners was screened in competition at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
A woman who loves opera finds herself playing a romantic version of musical chairs in this independent comedy from writer and director Maria Maggenti. Allegra (Elizabeth Reaser) is a writer who has been involved with Samantha (Julianne Nicholson) for some time, but Allegra just isn't willing to make a commitment. Eventually, Samantha decides she's had enough, and she not only leaves Allegra, she jumps to the other side of the gender divide and starts dating a man. While Allegra is none too pleased with Samantha's actions, she unwittingly finds herself following suit when she meets Philip (Justin Kirk), a college professor, at a party. After a few cocktails, Allegra and Philip end up in bed, and while Allegra is content to leave it as a one-night stand, Philip has different ideas, and goes so far as to dump his girlfriend to pursue a relationship with Allegra, even though she's made it clear to him she's not at all serious about him. At the same time, Allegra strikes up a new romance with Grace (Gretchen Mol), but she doesn't know all that much about Grace's previous lovers -- who happen to include Philip. Puccini for Beginners was screened in competition at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. |
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134
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Pure |
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After forays into period war drama (Regeneration) and globe-trotting bohemia (Hideous Kinky), Scottish director Gillies MacKinnon returns to social realist melodrama with this tale of a ten-year-old desperately trying to parent his heroin-addicted mother. Pure revolves around Paul (Harry Eden), a young boy who finds his life torn apart after the untimely demise of his father. Despondent in the wake of her husband's death, Paul's mother, Mel (Molly Parker), turns to a less-than-reputable old friend for consolation: Lenny (David Wenham), a long-time acquaintance of her husband's who also happens to be the main drug dealer in their West London neighborhood. Lenny divides his time between Mel and his other customers, including Louise (Keira Knightley), a pregnant, crack-addicted waitress. Paul is so accustomed to his mother's addiction that it doesn't occur to him that it's a problem, but as Mel's behavior grows more and more unstable -- and as local police start investigating the area drug scene -- Paul realizes that it's his responsibility to take care of himself and his younger brother. Pure premiered at the 2002 Toronto Film Festival.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Michael Hastings
After forays into period war drama (Regeneration) and globe-trotting bohemia (Hideous Kinky), Scottish director Gillies MacKinnon returns to social realist melodrama with this tale of a ten-year-old desperately trying to parent his heroin-addicted mother. Pure revolves around Paul (Harry Eden), a young boy who finds his life torn apart after the untimely demise of his father. Despondent in the wake of her husband's death, Paul's mother, Mel (Molly Parker), turns to a less-than-reputable old friend for consolation: Lenny (David Wenham), a long-time acquaintance of her husband's who also happens to be the main drug dealer in their West London neighborhood. Lenny divides his time between Mel and his other customers, including Louise (Keira Knightley), a pregnant, crack-addicted waitress. Paul is so accustomed to his mother's addiction that it doesn't occur to him that it's a problem, but as Mel's behavior grows more and more unstable -- and as local police start investigating the area drug scene -- Paul realizes that it's his responsibility to take care of himself and his younger brother. Pure premiered at the 2002 Toronto Film Festival. |
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135
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queer as folk 206 |
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136
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Red Doors |
Georgia Lee |
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The retired patriarch of a New York-based Chinese-American family finds that escaping the insanity of his decidedly dysfunctional clan is more difficult than he anticipated in a thoughtful family drama from writer/director Georgia Lee. There was a time when the Wong's were happy, but time has a strange way of transforming relationships and now all that Ed Wong (Tzi Ma) can see in his family is frustration and rebellion. Though he longs to flee to the calming confines of an upstate Buddhist monastery, Ed is about to find out just how the actions of his three mischievous daughters can throw his outwardly perfect plan for the future into question. As his well-heeled oldest daughter Samantha (Jacqueline Kim) reevaluates her love life and professional career while preparing for an upcoming wedding, middle daughter Julie (Elaine Kao) strives to improve the failing social life that has taken a back seat to her demanding schedule as a medical student, and youngest daughter Katie (Kathy Shao-lin Lee) enters into an increasingly dangerous prank war with longtime neighbor and determined nemesis Simon. Though a look back at the family's old home movies offer Ed a nostalgic glimpse into a happier time when the Wong's were actually able to communicate their feelings to one and other, the dejected father soon discovers that the stories and images from the past may provide new hope for the future as well.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Jason Buchanan
The retired patriarch of a New York-based Chinese-American family finds that escaping the insanity of his decidedly dysfunctional clan is more difficult than he anticipated in a thoughtful family drama from writer/director Georgia Lee. There was a time when the Wong's were happy, but time has a strange way of transforming relationships and now all that Ed Wong (Tzi Ma) can see in his family is frustration and rebellion. Though he longs to flee to the calming confines of an upstate Buddhist monastery, Ed is about to find out just how the actions of his three mischievous daughters can throw his outwardly perfect plan for the future into question. As his well-heeled oldest daughter Samantha (Jacqueline Kim) reevaluates her love life and professional career while preparing for an upcoming wedding, middle daughter Julie (Elaine Kao) strives to improve the failing social life that has taken a back seat to her demanding schedule as a medical student, and youngest daughter Katie (Kathy Shao-lin Lee) enters into an increasingly dangerous prank war with longtime neighbor and determined nemesis Simon. Though a look back at the family's old home movies offer Ed a nostalgic glimpse into a happier time when the Wong's were actually able to communicate their feelings to one and other, the dejected father soon discovers that the stories and images from the past may provide new hope for the future as well. |
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137
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Reform School Girl |
Jonathan Kaplan |
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Crime, sex, and the 100-yard-dash are the ingredients of this tongue-in-cheek drama about kids in trouble. Donna Patterson (Aimee Graham) is in love with Vince (Matt LeBlanc) -- so much so that when he gets in trouble with the law, she willingly takes the rap and ends up in a training school for female juvenile delinquents. While inside, Donna learns that the warden is keen on discovering track and field stars among her inmates, and Donna wins her favor when it's discovered she's a good runner. However, when Donna finds herself attracted to another girl who is a star of the school's track team, her allies of the school's staff quickly become her sworn enemies. Reform School Girl was loosely based on the 1957 teen-exploitation classic of the same name; this version was produced for theShowtime premium cable network as part of their "Rebel Highway" series.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
Crime, sex, and the 100-yard-dash are the ingredients of this tongue-in-cheek drama about kids in trouble. Donna Patterson (Aimee Graham) is in love with Vince (Matt LeBlanc) -- so much so that when he gets in trouble with the law, she willingly takes the rap and ends up in a training school for female juvenile delinquents. While inside, Donna learns that the warden is keen on discovering track and field stars among her inmates, and Donna wins her favor when it's discovered she's a good runner. However, when Donna finds herself attracted to another girl who is a star of the school's track team, her allies of the school's staff quickly become her sworn enemies. Reform School Girl was loosely based on the 1957 teen-exploitation classic of the same name; this version was produced for theShowtime premium cable network as part of their "Rebel Highway" series. |
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138
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Requiem for a Dream |
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Based on the novel by Hubert Selby Jr., this gritty drama concerns four people trapped by their addictions. Harry (Jared Leto), and his best friend Tyrone (Marlon Wayans) are impoverished heroin addicts living in Coney Island, NY, while Harry's girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly) is a fellow addict trying to distance herself from her wealthy father. Harry dreams of scoring a pound of smack, from which he could make enough money to open a clothing boutique with Marion, but so far he and his friends can barely scrape by supporting their own habits. Meanwhile, Harry's mother Sara (Ellen Burstyn), who spends her days watching television, is told she has the opportunity to appear on her favorite game show; wanting to lose enough weight to fit into her favorite red dress, she visits a sleazy doctor who gives her a prescription for amphetamines. Soon Sara has a drug habit of her own that is spiraling out of control. Requiem for a Dream was directed by Darren Aronofsky, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Selby; it was Aronofsky's second feature, following his acclaimed independent film Pi.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Darren Aronofsky ... Director / Screenwriter
Eric Watson ... Producer
Hubert Selby, Jr. ... Screenwriter
Matthew J. Libatique ... Cinematographer
Clint Mansell ... Composer (Music Score)
Jay Rabinowitz ... Editor
Randy Simon ... Co-producer
Ben Barenholtz ... Executive Producer
Beau Flynn ... Executive Producer
Stefan Simchowitz ... Executive Producer
Nick Wechsler ... Executive Producer
Laura Jean Shannon ... Costume Designer |
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139
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Rescuing Desire |
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A mother mourning her son's suicide finds herself thrown into a sexual tailspin when she finds herself attracted to women in this romantic comedy. The comedy comes in as she tries to court a stripper in a local gay bar. Unfortunately the stripper has other things in mind for the bereaved mother.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Sandra Brennan
A mother mourning her son's suicide finds herself thrown into a sexual tailspin when she finds herself attracted to women in this romantic comedy. The comedy comes in as she tries to court a stripper in a local gay bar. Unfortunately the stripper has other things in mind for the bereaved mother. |
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140
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Revoir Julie |
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In this film, an innocent-seeming reunion between two old friends opens old, painful wounds. Following the demise of her latest relationship, Juliet (Stephanie Morgenstern) compiles a list of things to accomplish. Contacting her estranged friend Julie (Dominique Leduc), whom she hasn't seen in 15 years, ranks first among those tasks. When Juliet suddenly shows up at the door of Julie's farmhouse, the latter doesn't seem that thrilled; for a while the conversation is stilted and fraught with unspoken feeling, but as the day progresses, the two loosen up. By nightfall Julie and Juliet are fast friends again. Too much wine spoils the evening when an emboldened Juliet suddenly leans forward and kisses Julie on the lips. At this point it's revealed that it was a similar incident that caused their estrangement. Time has not made it easier on either the love-lorn Juliet or the repulsed Julie, both of whom feel compelled to finally address their feelings directly. Their attempts to reconcile their divergent emotions with their bonds of friendship comprise the rest of the story. This low-budget, independent Canadian drama from first-time director Jeanne Crépeau first screened at the Montreal Festival of New Cinema & New Media.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Sandra Brennan
In this film, an innocent-seeming reunion between two old friends opens old, painful wounds. Following the demise of her latest relationship, Juliet (Stephanie Morgenstern) compiles a list of things to accomplish. Contacting her estranged friend Julie (Dominique Leduc), whom she hasn't seen in 15 years, ranks first among those tasks. When Juliet suddenly shows up at the door of Julie's farmhouse, the latter doesn't seem that thrilled; for a while the conversation is stilted and fraught with unspoken feeling, but as the day progresses, the two loosen up. By nightfall Julie and Juliet are fast friends again. Too much wine spoils the evening when an emboldened Juliet suddenly leans forward and kisses Julie on the lips. At this point it's revealed that it was a similar incident that caused their estrangement. Time has not made it easier on either the love-lorn Juliet or the repulsed Julie, both of whom feel compelled to finally address their feelings directly. Their attempts to reconcile their divergent emotions with their bonds of friendship comprise the rest of the story. This low-budget, independent Canadian drama from first-time director Jeanne Crépeau first screened at the Montreal Festival of New Cinema & New Media. |
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141
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Same Sex Parents |
Des parents pas comme les autres |
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Laurence Katrian's drama Same Sex Parents concerns a teenager who is discovering both her own sexuality and the sexual orientation of her parents. The film opens with Olympia and her boyfriend Leo taking their relationship to a physical level. This fact makes Olympia's classmate Geraldine jealous, so she retaliates by telling everyone that Olympia's mother is a lesbian. Olympia confronts her mother about the issue but is not satisfied about the answers she gets. Olympia heads off to Paris to find her biological father, who turns out to be gay. Upon Olympia's return, she discovers unmistakable proof that Geraldine was correct.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Perry Seibert
Laurence Katrian's drama Same Sex Parents concerns a teenager who is discovering both her own sexuality and the sexual orientation of her parents. The film opens with Olympia and her boyfriend Leo taking their relationship to a physical level. This fact makes Olympia's classmate Geraldine jealous, so she retaliates by telling everyone that Olympia's mother is a lesbian. Olympia confronts her mother about the issue but is not satisfied about the answers she gets. Olympia heads off to Paris to find her biological father, who turns out to be gay. Upon Olympia's return, she discovers unmistakable proof that Geraldine was correct. |
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142
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Saving Face |
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An Asian-American woman and her mother both find their private lives are becoming a family matter in this romantic comedy-drama. Wilhelmina Pang (Michelle Krusiec) is a surgeon living in Manhattan whose mother (Joan Chen) is eager for her to settle down with a nice man and get married. What Ma doesn't know is that Wilhelmina happens to be a lesbian -- or rather, Ma prefers not to acknowledge it, since she once walked in on Wilhelmina and her girlfriend several years before. As it happens, Wilhelmina is looking for someone special in her life, and thinks she may have found her in Vivian (Lynn Chen), a beautiful dancer, but a fear of commitment and a desire to keep her medical career on track is making their relationship problematic. As Wilhelmina tries to get her love life in order, her mother's shifts into crisis mode. Ma, a 48-year-old widow, has just discovered she's pregnant, and her staunchly traditional father (Li Zhiyu) will not allow her back into the home they share until she's married someone respectable. Unwilling to name the father of her baby, Ma is forced to move in with Wilhelmina, and while enduring the emotional roller coaster of pregnancy she is being pressured by friends and relatives to marry Cho (Nathaniel Geng), a sweet but boring man she doesn't especially like. Saving Face was the first feature film from writer and director Alice Wu.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
An Asian-American woman and her mother both find their private lives are becoming a family matter in this romantic comedy-drama. Wilhelmina Pang (Michelle Krusiec) is a surgeon living in Manhattan whose mother (Joan Chen) is eager for her to settle down with a nice man and get married. What Ma doesn't know is that Wilhelmina happens to be a lesbian -- or rather, Ma prefers not to acknowledge it, since she once walked in on Wilhelmina and her girlfriend several years before. As it happens, Wilhelmina is looking for someone special in her life, and thinks she may have found her in Vivian (Lynn Chen), a beautiful dancer, but a fear of commitment and a desire to keep her medical career on track is making their relationship problematic. As Wilhelmina tries to get her love life in order, her mother's shifts into crisis mode. Ma, a 48-year-old widow, has just discovered she's pregnant, and her staunchly traditional father (Li Zhiyu) will not allow her back into the home they share until she's married someone respectable. Unwilling to name the father of her baby, Ma is forced to move in with Wilhelmina, and while enduring the emotional roller coaster of pregnancy she is being pressured by friends and relatives to marry Cho (Nathaniel Geng), a sweet but boring man she doesn't especially like. Saving Face was the first feature film from writer and director Alice Wu. |
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143
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Scrubbers |
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A grim British reform school for girls provides the backdrop for this gritty drama that focuses on two young inmates. One is hoping to find security in the prison while the other is desperate to be reunited with her baby. While in the prison, they must cope with many different women, but in the end learn to survive and how to fight the system.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Sandra Brennan
A grim British reform school for girls provides the backdrop for this gritty drama that focuses on two young inmates. One is hoping to find security in the prison while the other is desperate to be reunited with her baby. While in the prison, they must cope with many different women, but in the end learn to survive and how to fight the system. |
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144
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Secret Places |
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In this film, set in a British girls school just before the outbreak of WW II, two young girls build a beautiful friendship despite their disparate backgrounds. Their teachers disapprove of their close relationship and try to discourage it, which suggests to the viewer that they suspect a lesbian affair could evolve, but as was true to the era being portrayed, this was never verbalized. This film gently touches upon the vulnerable days of adolescence.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby All Movie Guide
In this film, set in a British girls school just before the outbreak of WW II, two young girls build a beautiful friendship despite their disparate backgrounds. Their teachers disapprove of their close relationship and try to discourage it, which suggests to the viewer that they suspect a lesbian affair could evolve, but as was true to the era being portrayed, this was never verbalized. This film gently touches upon the vulnerable days of adolescence. |
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145
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She Hate Me |
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Directed by Spike Lee, She Hate Me follows John Henry "Jack" Armstrong (Anthony Mackie), who is fired from a posh job in biotechnology after informing the proper authorities of some sketchy business dealings from within the company. Unemployed and desperate for some quick cash, Jack accepts a strange offer -- his ex-girlfriend Fatima (Kerry Washington) says she will pay him generously if he successfully impregnates her. Once word gets out among the lesbian community, Jack is inundated with requests, and is initially quite happy with his new direction in life. However, things -- as they are wont to do -- get complicated. There's his former employer, who is actively trying to pin the blame for their wrongdoings on his shoulders, for one thing, and it isn't long before the moral implications of his life as a sperm donor come to the forefront. The film co-stars John Turturro, Ellen Barkin, Woody Harrelson, Monica Bellucci, and Q-Tip.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Tracie Cooper
Directed by Spike Lee, She Hate Me follows John Henry "Jack" Armstrong (Anthony Mackie), who is fired from a posh job in biotechnology after informing the proper authorities of some sketchy business dealings from within the company. Unemployed and desperate for some quick cash, Jack accepts a strange offer -- his ex-girlfriend Fatima (Kerry Washington) says she will pay him generously if he successfully impregnates her. Once word gets out among the lesbian community, Jack is inundated with requests, and is initially quite happy with his new direction in life. However, things -- as they are wont to do -- get complicated. There's his former employer, who is actively trying to pin the blame for their wrongdoings on his shoulders, for one thing, and it isn't long before the moral implications of his life as a sperm donor come to the forefront. The film co-stars John Turturro, Ellen Barkin, Woody Harrelson, Monica Bellucci, and Q-Tip. |
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146
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She likes girls 3 |
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Director: T.M. Scorzafava, Erin Greenwell & Julie Goldman, Roberta Marie Munroe, Christy Wegener, Guinevere Turner, Cassandra Nicolaou, Lauren Wolkstein, Kami Chisholm
Starring: Skyler Cooper, Breeda Wool, Alexis Clemente, Stef Willen, Lisa Branch, Yolonda Ross, Julie Goldman, Deak Evgenikos, Kate McKinnon, Natasha Alam
Languages: English
Run Time: 92 (min)
Year Produced: 2008 |
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147
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She likes girls 4 |
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She Likes Girls 4: Tomboys & Tough Girls
Tomboys and tough girls abound in this wonderful new installment in the She Likes Girls lesbian shorts series featuring eight terrific portrayals of girls who like girls!
Babysitting Andy (11 mins, Canada)
Dir. Pat Mills
A deviously precocious nine-year old tomboy interrogates her gay uncle and his boyfriend in this hilarious short film.
Pitstop (15 mins. USA)
Dir. Melanie McGraw
Winner: Student Academy Award
Accidentally left behind by her family at a desolate gas station, a young tomboy has a poignant platonic encounter with an older lesbian in this beautiful tale.
No Bikini (9 mins. USA)
Dir. Claudia Morgado Escanilla
Grand Prize Winner: PlanetOut Short Movie Awards
A delightful short film about a little girl who abandons her bikini top at swim camp and passes as a boy.
Gay Bash (5 mins. USA)
Dir. Camrin Pitts
Best Music Video of 2007 on MTV Logos Click List
A fresh anthem of pride from lesbian Hip-Hop artist Melange Lavonne.
Don't Mess with Texas (6 mins. USA)
Dir. Carrie Schrader & Tricia Cooke
A pair of wild young activist dykes on a road trip have an eye-opening experience at a small-town diner in this winning little movie that co-stars queer icon Silas Howard (By Hook or By Crook).
Mars (15 mins, USA)
Dir. Marcus Richardt
Lilly is the leader of a violent girl gang. Anna is a strong-willed nice girl photographer. This unique tale of teenage loyalties follows the budding affection between two opposites: attracted. In German with English subtitles.
I Heart Veronica Martin (18 mins. USA)
Dir. Sarah Howard
Loner Darby falls for cheerleader Veronica who has just broken up with her boyfriend in this spot-on portrayal of teenage lesbian lust.
Pages Of A Girl (19 mins. Brazil)
Dir. Monica Palazzo
The bookish, lesbian librarian's wet dream. LesbiaNation.com
Ingrid and Silvia meet at the bookstore and a languid romance follows in this gorgeous 1950s Brazilian period piece. In Portugese with English subtitles.
Bonus Featurette: NCLR at 30
An uplifting portrait of the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR). |
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148
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She Must Be Seeing Things |
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Whenever lesbian filmmaker Lois Weaver is hard at work on a new film, she has little time for a personal life. This bothers her lover, lawyer Sheila Dabney, to no end. While Weaver is away on a shoot, the jealous Dabney retreats to her distorted fantasy world. Gradually the two women learn to live with one another's eccentricities. By its very nature doomed to a limited theatrical release, She Must Be Seeing Things was given a good showcase at the San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Hal Erickson
Whenever lesbian filmmaker Lois Weaver is hard at work on a new film, she has little time for a personal life. This bothers her lover, lawyer Sheila Dabney, to no end. While Weaver is away on a shoot, the jealous Dabney retreats to her distorted fantasy world. Gradually the two women learn to live with one another's eccentricities. By its very nature doomed to a limited theatrical release, She Must Be Seeing Things was given a good showcase at the San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. |
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149
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Shugar Shank |
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| In "Shugar Shank" teenage musician Matt forms her dream band only to find the dream flawed. Band practice doesn't always seem to require the kinds of tools she had in mind, and despite her efforts, she's losing control. Meanwhile, her adoring younger brother waits in the wings, looking to her for leadership. Matt must discover her own path however elusive it may prove |
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150
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Silkwood |
Mike Nichols |
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Based on a true story, Silkwood begins and ends with Karen Silkwood (Meryl Streep) driving along a lonely road in 1974, heading to a meeting with a New York Times reporter to deliver evidence of negligence at the Kerr-McGee Plant in Cimarron, Oklahoma. The balance of the film flashes back to Karen's ribald private life with her lover (Kurt Russell) and her loose-living friends (Cher and Diana Scarwid). This is in contrast to her humdrum job at Kerr-McGee--or it least it was humdrum until Karen and several other employees become contaminated by radiation. The higher-ups want to sweep this incident under the rug, but Karen thinks that something's fishy, and informs the union of that fact. X-rays of the faulty fuel rods and written proof of the inadequate safety measures that caused Karen's illness are tampered with, forcing Karen to conduct her own private investigation. As she gathers evidence, Karen becomes a pariah to her boyfriend because of her obsession. She finally organizes the evidence into a briefcase, and heads off to her meeting with the Times reporter. She never makes it; the "official" report on her fatal auto accident is that Ms. Silkwood had been drinking and was under the influence of tranquilizers. Kerr-McGee was eventually forced to pay the Silkwood family an enormous settlement because of her contamination, but the full facts behind her convenient accident have never been revealed (though the filmmakers clearly indictate whom they hold responsible). Director Mike Nichols and screenwriters Nora Ephron and Alice Arlen surround this true story with a lively, improvisational atmosphere that gets the best out of Streep, Russell, and Cher, while providing perhaps the fullest on-screen realization of Nichols' theater-based techniques of realistic, character-centered, dialogue-driven filmmaking, as well as one of the first movie screenplays from future director Ephron.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Mike Nichols ... Director / Producer
Michael Hausman ... Producer
Alice Arlen ... Screenwriter
Nora Ephron ... Screenwriter
Miroslav Ondrícek ... Cinematographer
Georges Delerue ... Composer (Music Score)
Sam O'Steen ... Editor
Patrizia Von Brandenstein ... Production Designer
Richard James ... Art Director
Tom Stovall ... Associate Producer
Joel Tuber ... Associate Producer
Larry Cano ... Executive Producer
Buzz Hirsch ... Executive Producer
Derek R. Hill ... Set Designer
Dennis Peeples ... Set Designer
Ann Roth ... Costume Designer
Larry Jost ... Sound/Sound Designer
Bob Mills ... Makeup
Tom Priestley Jr. ... Camera Operator
Richard Brick ... Production Manager
Mary Goldberg ... Casting |
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151
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Siren |
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152
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Sister My Sister |
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In this stark drama based on actual events in a small French town in the early '30s, a pair of repressed sisters slowly lose their grip on reality, leading to horrific consequences at the home where they're employed as maids. Christine (Joely Richardson), a domestic servant in the home of haughty widow Madame Danzard (Julie Walters), takes pride in her efficiency and deference. Raised by nuns, Christine bitterly resents her penniless mother, but remains devoted to her younger, similarly convent-reared sister, Lea (Jodhi May). When Lea, too, comes to work for Madame Danzard, Christine trains her dutifully while also driving a wedge between the girl and their mother. The sisters' emotional bond eventually becomes a sexual one, too, and as they turn inward their work suffers, leading to increasing disapproval from their employer. Meanwhile, Christine is driven mad with jealousy at what she perceives as a flirtation between Lea and Madame Danzard's sullen daughter, Isabelle (Sophie Thursfield). Tensions reach a boiling point when the widow and her daughter return home one evening to find burned garments, uncompleted housework, and the sisters holed up in their room together, smelling of sex. Adapted by Wendy Kesselman from her Pulitzer Prize-winning play, My Sister in This House, Sister My Sister was based on the true story of Christine and Lea Papin, whose grisly 1933 murders have also inspired several other works. In addition to Jean Genet's 1948 play The Maids, the incident was the basis for Jean-Pierre Denis' feature Les Blessures Assassines and the documentary En Quete Des Soeurs Papin, both released in 2000. The real-life Christine Papin died after four years in prison, but Lea was released after ten years of hard labor and lived for several more decades in another small French town.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Brian J. Dillard
In this stark drama based on actual events in a small French town in the early '30s, a pair of repressed sisters slowly lose their grip on reality, leading to horrific consequences at the home where they're employed as maids. Christine (Joely Richardson), a domestic servant in the home of haughty widow Madame Danzard (Julie Walters), takes pride in her efficiency and deference. Raised by nuns, Christine bitterly resents her penniless mother, but remains devoted to her younger, similarly convent-reared sister, Lea (Jodhi May). When Lea, too, comes to work for Madame Danzard, Christine trains her dutifully while also driving a wedge between the girl and their mother. The sisters' emotional bond eventually becomes a sexual one, too, and as they turn inward their work suffers, leading to increasing disapproval from their employer. Meanwhile, Christine is driven mad with jealousy at what she perceives as a flirtation between Lea and Madame Danzard's sullen daughter, Isabelle (Sophie Thursfield). Tensions reach a boiling point when the widow and her daughter return home one evening to find burned garments, uncompleted housework, and the sisters holed up in their room together, smelling of sex. Adapted by Wendy Kesselman from her Pulitzer Prize-winning play, My Sister in This House, Sister My Sister was based on the true story of Christine and Lea Papin, whose grisly 1933 murders have also inspired several other works. In addition to Jean Genet's 1948 play The Maids, the incident was the basis for Jean-Pierre Denis' feature Les Blessures Assassines and the documentary En Quete Des Soeurs Papin, both released in 2000. The real-life Christine Papin died after four years in prison, but Lea was released after ten years of hard labor and lived for several more decades in another small French town. |
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153
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Songcatcher |
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Janet McTeer follows up her Oscar-nominated performance in Tumbleweeds (1999) with this period drama set during the 1910s. Dr. Lily Penleric (McTeer), an uptight musicologist, is furious after getting denied tenure again at an elite all-male East Coast university. She promptly quits out of protest, and having nowhere else to go, she joins her sister in a remote mountain school. Her high-minded, refined ways quickly clash with the locals, yet her academic interests are peaked when she realizes that this bucolic mountain culture is thoroughly infused with music that harkens back to traditional English and Scottish folk ballads. After retrieving some tools, including a primitive recording device, from the East Coast, she sets out collecting songs. The locals react with a mixture of amusement, bafflement, and suspicion. Meanwhile, a mining company is strong-arming the impoverished residences into selling their coal-rich land for a pittance. Lily soon realizes that the culture she's seeking to preserve is quickly being torn asunder. Aidan Quinn and David Patrick Kelly also appear in this film, which was screened at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Maggie Greenwald ... Director / Screenwriter
Richard Miller ... Producer
Enrique Chediak ... Cinematographer
David Mansfield ... Composer (Music Score)
Keith Reamer ... Editor
Ginger Tougas ... Production Designer
Jennifer Roth ... Co-producer
Caroline Kaplan ... Executive Producer
Jonathan Sehring ... Executive Producer
Kasia Walicka Maimone ... Costume Designer
Jennifer Murphy ... Sound/Sound Designer
Adam Escott ... First Assistant Director
Tracy Kilpatrick ... Casting
Ellen Parks ... Casting |
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154
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Sonja |
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A teenage girl learns some valuable lessons about love and self-acceptance in this coming-of-age drama from filmmaker Kirsi Liimatainen. Sonja (Sabrina Kruschwitz) has just turned sixteen, and is going through a summer where nothing seems to feel right anymore. Sonja can't get along with her mother (Nadja Engel), their apartment feels uncomfortably small, a recent spurt of growth has left her physically awkward, and she's lost all interest in her boyfriend. The one person who seems to understand Sonja is her best friend Julia (Julia Kaufmann), but as Sonja spends more and more time with Julia, she begins to realize that her feelings for her have moved beyond friendship. Hoping to sort out her feelings, Sonja pays a visit to her estranged father, but an upsetting encounter with a neighborhood boy only confirms in her mind that her sexuality follows a different course. Sonja received its North American premiere at the 2006 Miami International Film Festival.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Kirsi Liimatainen ... Director / Screenwriter
Konrad Wolf ... Producer
Yoliswa Gertig ... Cinematographer
Friedemann Matzeit ... Composer (Music Score)
Ronny Bischoff ... Editor
Jenny Roesler ... Production Designer
Silvio Naumann ... Sound/Sound Designer |
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155
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Thank God I'm A Lesbian |
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In this documentary, which won numerous awards at gay and lesbian film festivals around the world, articulate lesbians from all walks of life discuss their experiences and views on a variety of subjects pertaining both to their own sexuality and to their relationships within society at large. Stock news footage illuminates some of the womens' discussions.
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156
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The Aggressives |
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Filmmaker Daniel Peddle offers a look at a little-examined side of lesbian culture in this documentary. "Aggressives" is a name used by some for women who prefer relationships with women, but choose to emphasize the masculine side of their personalities -- often to the extent of living in male drag, and through dress and exercise emphasizing their resemblance to men while toning down their female side. In The Aggressives, Peddle introduces us to six women who feel most comfortable while they embrace their inner male, including Kisha, a messenger whose clients don't all realize she's a woman; Rjai, who is seen getting fitted for a new suit while enjoying a small degree of celebrity after appearing on The Ricki Lake Show; Tiffany, whose persona is that of a gay man and is in a relationship with a man who is undergoing gender reassignment treatments; Octavia, who after being sent to prison on drug charges finds herself forced to take on a new and more violent persona while behind bars; and Marquise, who undergoes a similar crisis when she joins the Army. The Aggressives was Daniel Peddle's first feature film.
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157
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The Black Dahlia |
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Director Brian De Palma returns to the helm for the first time since 2002's Femme Fatale with this stylish screen adaptation of James Ellroy's novel detailing one of the most notorious unsolved murders in Hollywood history. Elizabeth Short (Mia Kirshner) was a struggling actress looking to make a name for herself in 1940s-era Tinseltown. Unfortunately for Elizabeth, it was her grim fate that would ultimately overshadow anything she would accomplish during her short and tragic career. When police discover Elizabeth's body cut clean in half and with all of her organs missing, ex-pugilist detectives Lee Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart) and Bucky Bleichert (Josh Hartnett) are the men charged with cracking the case and apprehending the killer. This isn't your average murder case, however, and as Blanchard's marriage to Kay (Scarlett Johansson) begins to suffer due to his obsession with the sensational crime, his partner Bleichert discovers a troubling link between the victim and the mysterious Madeleine Linscott (Hilary Swank), a prominent socialite and the daughter of one of the town's most connected key players.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Brian De Palma ... Director
Rudy Cohen ... Producer
Moshe Diamant ... Producer
Avi Lerner ... Producer
Art Linson ... Producer
James Ellroy ... Book Author
Josh Friedman ... Screenwriter
Vilmos Zsigmond ... Cinematographer
Mark Isham ... Composer (Music Score) / Musical Performer
Ashley Miller ... Musical Direction/Supervision
Bill Pankow ... Editor
Dante Ferretti ... Production Designer
Pier Luigi Basile ... Art Director
Dana Ross ... Art Director
Christopher Tandon ... Art Director
Jordan Kessler ... Associate Producer
Boaz Davidson ... Executive Producer
Rolf Dehyle ... Executive Producer
Rolf Deyhle ... Executive Producer
Danny Dimbort ... Executive Producer
James B. Harris ... Executive Producer
Henrik Huydts ... Executive Producer
Josef Lautenschlager ... Executive Producer
Trevor Short ... Executive Producer
Andreas Thiesmeyer ... Executive Producer
John Thompson ... Executive Producer
Jenny Beavan ... Costume Designer
Elli Griff ... Set Decorator
Jean-Paul Mugel ... Sound/Sound Designer
Sofi Hvurleva ... Makeup
Ivon Ivanova ... Makeup
Violeta Lazarova ... Makeup
Atanaska Popova ... Makeup
Didi Stoyanova ... Makeup
Mark Egerton ... First Assistant Director
Ross Clarkson ... Camera Operator
Larry McConkey ... Camera Operator
Jaromir Sedina ... Camera Operator / Steadicam Operator
Joseph Urbancszyk ... Camera Operator
Mia Frye ... Choreography
Lucy Boulting ... Casting
Johanna Ray ... Casting
Johnny Ray ... Casting
Maryana Stanisheva ... Casting
Marisa Aboitiz ... Costumes Supervisor
Todd Beckett ... Re-Recording Mixer
Anne Berger ... Assistant Director
Willie Botha ... Special Effects Supervisor
Dirk Buchmann ... Properties Master
David T.F Cannon ... Construction Coordinator
Rosica Canovska ... Key Hairstylist
John Cazin ... Special Effects Foreman
Scott E. Chester ... Production Supervisor
Michael A. Clifford ... Pyrotechnic Special Effects
Jeffrey H. Cohen ... Production Accountant
Elie Cohn ... Unit Production Manager
Custom Film Effects ... Visual Effects
David Diamond ... Location Manager
Mark Dornfeld ... Visual Effects Supervisor
Zoltan Elek ... Key Make-up
Keith Elliot ... Re-Recording Mixer
Petya Evitoma ... Assistant Director
Paula Fairfield ... Supervising Sound Editor
Sue Field ... Script Supervisor
Michael P. Flannigan ... Line Producer
Ed French ... Makeup Special Effects
Nimi Getter ... Gaffer
Samuel Hadida ... Co-Executive Producer
Victor Hadida ... Co-Executive Producer
David Hartley ... Musical Performer
Manfred Heid ... Co-Executive Producer
Gary Hymes ... Stunts Coordinator
Bob Jason ... Gaffer
Lara Johnston ... Associate Editor
Jochen Kamlah ... Co-Executive Producer
John Kelly ... Line Producer
Gerd Koechlin ... Co-Executive Producer
Kalina Kottas ... Production Accountant
Jane Marshall ... Musical Performer
Cindy O'Connor ... Additional Music
Sarah R. Parker ... Post Production Supervisor
Carol Pershing ... Key Hairstylist
Anthony Simonaitis ... Special Effects Supervisor
Iliya Sotirov ... Unit Production Manager
Velislav Velev ... Pyrotechnic Special Effects
Kaloyan Vodenicharov ... Stunts Coordinator
Mark Zsifkovits ... Re-Recording Mixer |
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158
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the book club |
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| Romantic, fun |
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159
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The Business of Strangers |
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Two women on different ends of the spectrum of corporate power come together with explosive results in this drama. Julie Styron (Stockard Channing) is a successful executive with a major international corporation who is starting to feel the pressure of her position; she has few friends and no family to buffer her from the responsibilities of her work, and she suspects that the company's CEO is thinking about replacing her. Trying to get one step ahead, she meets with the slightly manipulative headhunter Nick Harris (Frederick Weller). Julie's anxieties come to a head when she has to give a major out-of-town presentation without the help of her assistant Paula Murphy (Julia Stiles), who failed to show up on time. Furious, Julie gives Paula a severe dressing down before firing her, but then Julie is called into a meeting with Nick in which she gets some unexpected news -- she's going to be taking over his job. Eager to celebrate, Julie runs into Paula, and tries to apologize for their earlier encounter by offering her a hotel room for the night and a few drinks. In time, Nick also turns up at the hotel and the women - upon running into him - realize that he is a mutual acquaintance. Later, Paula shares a secret with Julie -- Nick raped one of her friends while they were in college, and since then Paula has pondered taking revenge against him. Julie is eventually drawn into Paula's plan when they encounter Nick later that evening. But there may be more to Paula than meets the eye. The Business of Strangers was the first feature from writer and director Patrick Stettner; the film was shown in competition at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
Two women on different ends of the spectrum of corporate power come together with explosive results in this drama. Julie Styron (Stockard Channing) is a successful executive with a major international corporation who is starting to feel the pressure of her position; she has few friends and no family to buffer her from the responsibilities of her work, and she suspects that the company's CEO is thinking about replacing her. Trying to get one step ahead, she meets with the slightly manipulative headhunter Nick Harris (Frederick Weller). Julie's anxieties come to a head when she has to give a major out-of-town presentation without the help of her assistant Paula Murphy (Julia Stiles), who failed to show up on time. Furious, Julie gives Paula a severe dressing down before firing her, but then Julie is called into a meeting with Nick in which she gets some unexpected news -- she's going to be taking over his job. Eager to celebrate, Julie runs into Paula, and tries to apologize for their earlier encounter by offering her a hotel room for the night and a few drinks. In time, Nick also turns up at the hotel and the women - upon running into him - realize that he is a mutual acquaintance. Later, Paula shares a secret with Julie -- Nick raped one of her friends while they were in college, and since then Paula has pondered taking revenge against him. Julie is eventually drawn into Paula's plan when they encounter Nick later that evening. But there may be more to Paula than meets the eye. The Business of Strangers was the first feature from writer and director Patrick Stettner; the film was shown in competition at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. |
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160
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The Children's Hour |
William Wyler |
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Based on the 1934 play by Lillian Hellman, The Children's Hour is set at an exclusive girl's school managed by best friends Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine. When student Karen Balkin is punished for one of her many misdeeds, the mean-spirited youngster rushes to her wealthy aunt Fay Bainter, and, randomly choosing a phrase she has undoubtedly read in some magazine, accuses Hepburn and MacLaine of having an "unnatural relationship." As Balkin's lies grow in viciousness, the student's parents withdraw their children from the school. Hepburn and MacLaine sue Bainter for libel, only to lose their case when MacLaine's aunt Miriam Hopkins refuses to testify as a character witness. The trial takes its toll on the relationship between Hepburn and her boyfriend James Garner. When Bainter discovers that her niece has been lying, she tries to make amends, but it is too late. Director William Wyler had also helmed the first film version of Children's Hour, 1936's These Three, which due to censorship restrictions of the time did without the lesbian angle (the little girl's accusations involved a supposed romantic triangle between the two ladies and a male friend). Miriam Hopkins, who plays a supporting role in The Children's Hour, originally essayed the Shirley MacLaine role in These Three.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
William Wyler ... Director / Producer
Robert Wyler ... Producer
John Michael Hayes ... Screenwriter
Lillian Hellman ... Play Author
Franz Planer ... Cinematographer
Alex North ... Composer (Music Score)
Robert Swink ... Editor
Fernando Carrere ... Art Director
Edward Boyle ... Set Designer
Dorothy Jeakins ... Costume Designer
Fred Lau ... Sound/Sound Designer
Emile LaVigne ... Makeup
Robert E. Relyea ... First Assistant Director |
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161
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The Chinese Botanist's Daughters |
Dai Sijie |
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Dai Sijie's dramatic story of star-crossed lesbian love, The Chinese Botanist's Daughters stars Mylene Jampanoi as Li Min, an orphan since the age of three who gets a job as assistant to a botanist. While on the island where they do their research, Li Min falls in love with the botanist's daughter. The two secretly engage in a sexually charged relationship that blossoms into true love. When the scientist's son arrives home after some time in the military, the commanding old man forces the son to marry Li Min. When the son discovers that his new bride has had sex before their wedding night, tragedy ensues.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Perry Seibert
Dai Sijie's dramatic story of star-crossed lesbian love, The Chinese Botanist's Daughters stars Mylene Jampanoi as Li Min, an orphan since the age of three who gets a job as assistant to a botanist. While on the island where they do their research, Li Min falls in love with the botanist's daughter. The two secretly engage in a sexually charged relationship that blossoms into true love. When the scientist's son arrives home after some time in the military, the commanding old man forces the son to marry Li Min. When the son discovers that his new bride has had sex before their wedding night, tragedy ensues. |
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162
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The Color Purple |
Steven Spielberg |
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Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker, The Color Purple spans the years 1909 to 1949, relating the life of Celie (Whoopi Goldberg), a Southern black woman virtually sold into a life of servitude to her brutal husband, sharecropper Albert (Danny Glover). Celie pours out her innermost thoughts in letter form to her sister Nettie (Akousa Busia), but Albert has been hiding the letters Nettie writes back, allowing Celie to assume that Nettie is dead. Finally, Celie finds a champion in the don't-take-no-guff Sofia (Oprah Winfrey), the wife of Glover's son from a previous marriage. Alas, Sofia is "humbled" when she is beaten into submission by angry whites. Later, Celie is able to forge a strong friendship with Albert's mistress Shug (Margaret Avery). Emboldened by this, Celie begins rifling through her husband's belongings and finds Nettie's letters. Able at last to stand up to her husband, Celie leaves him to search for a new life on her own. A major box-office hit, The Color Purple was nominated for eleven Oscars. The film was co-produced by Quincy Jones, who also wrote the score.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Steven Spielberg ... Director / Producer
Peter Guber ... Producer
Quincy Jones ... Producer / Composer (Music Score)
Kathleen Kennedy ... Producer
Frank Marshall ... Producer
Jon Peters ... Producer
Menno Meyjes ... Screenwriter
Alice Walker ... Book Author
Allen Daviau ... Cinematographer
Chris Boardman ... Composer (Music Score)
Jorge Calandrelli ... Composer (Music Score)
Andrae Crouch ... Composer (Music Score)
Jack Hayes ... Composer (Music Score)
Jerry Hey ... Composer (Music Score)
Randy Kerber ... Composer (Music Score)
Lionel Richie ... Songwriter
Joel Rosenbaum ... Composer (Music Score)
Caiphus Semenya ... Composer (Music Score)
Fred Steiner ... Composer (Music Score)
Rod Temperton ... Composer (Music Score)
Michael Kahn ... Editor
Gerald R. Molen ... Production Designer
J. Michael Riva ... Production Designer
Robert W. Welch III ... Production Designer
Carole Isenberg ... Associate Producer
Linda de Scenna ... Set Designer
Tom McCown ... Set Designer
Aggie Guerard Rodgers ... Costume Designer
Richard Alonzo ... Makeup
Steve LaPorte ... Makeup
Michael Laudati ... Makeup
Greg W. Elam ... Stunts
Jo Ann Doster ... Casting
Richard L. Anderson ... Supervising Sound Editor
Lata Ryan ... Production Coordinator |
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163
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The Edge of Heaven |
Auf der anderen Seite 2007 |
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The winner of the Best Screenplay award at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, director Fatih Akin's deeply humanistic, multi-layered drama follows the stories of six people -- four Turks and two Germans -- as they realize the meaning of love while facing the harsh realities of the world we live in. Nejat is a second-generation Turkish immigrant living in Germany. His father Ali is a retired widower. When lonely Ali invites pretty prostitute Yeter to move in with him, Nejat makes no attempt to mask his disapproval. Nejat's opinion of Yeter begins to soften a bit, however, when he learns that she regularly sends tuition money to her daughter Ayten in Turkey. Suddenly, Yeter is dead, the unfortunate victim of Ali's violent temper. In the wake of Yeter's death, Nejat is determined to do the right thing for Ayten, and prepares to travel to Turkey to find the girl. But Ayten is a political activist who has recently fled from Turkey to Germany, where she befriended a German student named Lotte. Lotte's conservative mother Susanne isn't comfortable with her daughter's decision to invite a fugitive to live with their family, and when Ayten is arrested by German police and deported back to Turkey, the rebellious daughter rejects her mother and sets out in search of her friend. Later, in Istanbul, Nejat and Lotte are brought together by fate and Susanne is prompted to reexamine her values while searching for her daughter and being confronted with life on the other side.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Fatih Akin ... Producer / Screenwriter / Director
Klaus Maeck ... Producer
Andreas Thiel ... Producer
Rainer Klausmann ... Cinematographer
Shantel ... Composer (Music Score) / Musical Direction/Supervision
Andrew D. Bird ... Editor
Sirma Bradley ... Art Director
Tamo Kunz ... Art Director
Ali Akdeniz ... Co-producer
Funda Odemis ... Co-producer
Erhan Özogul ... Co-producer
Paolo Colombo ... Associate Producer
Alberto Fanni ... Associate Producer
Flaminio Zadra ... Associate Producer
Katrin Aschendorf ... Costume Designer
Richard Borowski ... Sound/Sound Designer
Joerg Krieger ... Sound/Sound Designer
Kai Lüde ... Sound/Sound Designer
Daniel Schröder ... Makeup
Ayse Barim ... Consultant/advisor
Monique Akin ... Casting
Christian Springer ... Line Producer |
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164
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The Getting of Wisdom |
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The suffocating repressiveness of the Victorian era is superbly realized by director Bruce Beresford in The Getting of Wisdom. Thirteen-year-old Laura (Susannah Fowle), an incorrigible free spirit from the Australian outback, is enrolled in a prestigious girl's boarding school. The indoctrination process is a rough one, and Laura very nearly loses her individuality and sense of self-worth. When she does mature, however, it is on her terms, and not the school's. Intriguingly, The Getting of Wisdom is based on the reminiscences of a 19th-century female writer who used the pen name of Henry Handel Richardson. Despite its somber dramatic overtones, the film contains moments of uninhibited humor, a trademark of director Beresford.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Hal Erickson
The suffocating repressiveness of the Victorian era is superbly realized by director Bruce Beresford in The Getting of Wisdom. Thirteen-year-old Laura (Susannah Fowle), an incorrigible free spirit from the Australian outback, is enrolled in a prestigious girl's boarding school. The indoctrination process is a rough one, and Laura very nearly loses her individuality and sense of self-worth. When she does mature, however, it is on her terms, and not the school's. Intriguingly, The Getting of Wisdom is based on the reminiscences of a 19th-century female writer who used the pen name of Henry Handel Richardson. Despite its somber dramatic overtones, the film contains moments of uninhibited humor, a trademark of director Beresford. |
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165
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The Girl Next Door |
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Boy meets girl who's already met all sorts of boys and girls in this teen-slanted comedy. Matthew Kidman (Emile Hirsch) is a straight-laced and highly ambitious high school student who plans to study at Georgetown University and dreams of a career in politics. While most of his classmates are in the throes of an epidemic of senioritis, Matthew is obsessed with schoolwork and has a hard time relaxing and having fun. But he finds himself a bit less focused on his future career when Danielle (Elisha Cuthbert), a beautiful 19-year-old blonde, moves in next door. Danielle is playful, spontaneous, and doesn't always remember to draw her shades, and before long Matthew is head over heels in love. Danielle soon finds herself taken with Matthew as well, but their relationship takes an unusual turn when he discovers that, before she moved to town, Danielle had a successful career as a porn actress. Matthew is able to convince Danielle that she's cut out for better things in life than appearing in porn videos, but his advice doesn't especially please Kelly (Timothy Olyphant) or Hugo (James Remar), two porn moguls who figure Matthew owes them big-time after convincing their leading lady to drop out of the adult industry. The Girl Next Door -- which, appropriately enough, shares its title with a 1999 documentary about adult film superstar Stacy Valentine -- also features Timothy Bottoms, Paul Dano, and Chris Marquette.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
Boy meets girl who's already met all sorts of boys and girls in this teen-slanted comedy. Matthew Kidman (Emile Hirsch) is a straight-laced and highly ambitious high school student who plans to study at Georgetown University and dreams of a career in politics. While most of his classmates are in the throes of an epidemic of senioritis, Matthew is obsessed with schoolwork and has a hard time relaxing and having fun. But he finds himself a bit less focused on his future career when Danielle (Elisha Cuthbert), a beautiful 19-year-old blonde, moves in next door. Danielle is playful, spontaneous, and doesn't always remember to draw her shades, and before long Matthew is head over heels in love. Danielle soon finds herself taken with Matthew as well, but their relationship takes an unusual turn when he discovers that, before she moved to town, Danielle had a successful career as a porn actress. Matthew is able to convince Danielle that she's cut out for better things in life than appearing in porn videos, but his advice doesn't especially please Kelly (Timothy Olyphant) or Hugo (James Remar), two porn moguls who figure Matthew owes them big-time after convincing their leading lady to drop out of the adult industry. The Girl Next Door -- which, appropriately enough, shares its title with a 1999 documentary about adult film superstar Stacy Valentine -- also features Timothy Bottoms, Paul Dano, and Chris Marquette. |
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166
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The Good Father |
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Anthony Hopkins stars in The Good Father as a publishing executive whose wife Julie Walters has left him, taking their son with her. Walking around like a zombie after this blow, Hopkins is brought back to life by involving himself in the profound problems of his friend Jim Broadbent. Feeling that his misguided pro-feminist stance has caused him all his trouble, Hopkins encourages Broadbent, whose own wife is leaving him with their son in tow, to fight for custody of the child in court. Hopkins even agrees to finance Broadbent's legal fees. As Broadbent's custody battle intensifies into a bitter, all-out war, Hopkins becomes more relaxed concerning his own domestic difficulties. Allowing Broadbent to be his emotional surrogate, a becalmed Hopkins feels secure enough to try to reconcile with his ex-wife Walters. But she is aware, even if he isn't, that his problems stem not from his relationship with women, but from his resentment of his son, whose birth was the beginning of the end of his marriage. Contrary to the title and his own self-deceptions, Hopkins is not "the good father." The film was scripted by Christopher Hampton from a novel by Peter Prince.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Hal Erickson
Anthony Hopkins stars in The Good Father as a publishing executive whose wife Julie Walters has left him, taking their son with her. Walking around like a zombie after this blow, Hopkins is brought back to life by involving himself in the profound problems of his friend Jim Broadbent. Feeling that his misguided pro-feminist stance has caused him all his trouble, Hopkins encourages Broadbent, whose own wife is leaving him with their son in tow, to fight for custody of the child in court. Hopkins even agrees to finance Broadbent's legal fees. As Broadbent's custody battle intensifies into a bitter, all-out war, Hopkins becomes more relaxed concerning his own domestic difficulties. Allowing Broadbent to be his emotional surrogate, a becalmed Hopkins feels secure enough to try to reconcile with his ex-wife Walters. But she is aware, even if he isn't, that his problems stem not from his relationship with women, but from his resentment of his son, whose birth was the beginning of the end of his marriage. Contrary to the title and his own self-deceptions, Hopkins is not "the good father." The film was scripted by Christopher Hampton from a novel by Peter Prince. |
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167
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The Guitar |
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A doomed woman discovers her creative spirit during a final fling with life in this independent drama. Melody Wilder (Saffron Burrows) is already having a bad day when she visits her doctor about a troubling lump in her throat -- her boyfriend has left her, and she's lost her job. However, this news pales in comparison to what her doctor (Janeane Garofalo) has to say: the lump is an inoperable cancer, and Melody has only a short time to live. Throwing caution to the wind, Melody rents a huge, luxurious apartment and furnishes it in high style, putting her purchases on a handful of credit cards she won't be around to pay off. Melody also permits herself affairs with a few of the deliverymen who have become regular visitors to her loft, but she spends most her days alone, enjoying the trappings of wealth as she ponders what little future she has left. One day, Melody makes an impulse purchase, a red electric guitar that looks like one she wanted as a girl. While Melody isn't schooled on the instrument, she begins teaching herself to work out chord patterns and melody lines, and in the last chapter of her life discovers a way to give voice to the pain and confusion she's buried within her. Written by veteran underground filmmaker Amos Poe, The Guitar was the first feature film from director Amy Redford.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Amy Redford ... Director / Producer
Heyward Collins ... Producer
Bob Jason ... Producer
Amos Poe ... Screenwriter / Producer
Michael Roban ... Producer / Executive Producer
Brad Zions ... Producer
Bobby Bukowski ... Cinematographer
David Mansfield ... Composer (Music Score)
Tracy McNight ... Musical Direction/Supervision
David Leonard ... Editor
Marla Weinhoff ... Production Designer
Ged Dickersin ... Co-producer
Michael Brody ... Associate Producer
Philippe Rebboah ... Associate Producer
Andy Emilio ... Executive Producer
Rose Ganguzza ... Executive Producer
Robert Kravitz ... Executive Producer
Robert Lewis ... Executive Producer
Damon Martin ... Executive Producer
Milena Pappas ... Executive Producer
Eric Daman ... Costume Designer
Avy Kaufman ... Casting
Leeba Zacharov ... Casting |
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168
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The Gymnast |
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A down-and-out gymnast receives a second chance at success and happiness in the debut feature from director Ned Farr. After being sidelined by an injury, Jane (Dreya Weber) settles into an unfulfilling life. But when she teams with Serena (Addie Yungmee) for an aerial gymnastics act, Jane gets a new opportunity to perform. Along the way, an unexpected attraction develops between the two women. The Gymnast won both the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Award at the 2006 L.A. Outfest and received honors at a number of other gay and lesbian film festivals.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Matthew Tobey
A down-and-out gymnast receives a second chance at success and happiness in the debut feature from director Ned Farr. After being sidelined by an injury, Jane (Dreya Weber) settles into an unfulfilling life. But when she teams with Serena (Addie Yungmee) for an aerial gymnastics act, Jane gets a new opportunity to perform. Along the way, an unexpected attraction develops between the two women. The Gymnast won both the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Award at the 2006 L.A. Outfest and received honors at a number of other gay and lesbian film festivals. |
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169
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The Holy Girl |
Lucrecia Martel |
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Lucrecia Martel directed this potent drama of love, sex, misunderstanding, and coming-of-age. Amalia (María Alche) is a girl edging into her early teens who has begun to ripen into adulthood. Amalia lives in a big hotel owned and operated by her divorced mother, Helena (Mercedes Morán), and her uncle Freddy (Alejandro Urdapilleta). Amalia and her best friend, Josefina (Julieta Zylberberg), are becoming increasingly aware of their own desires and are curious about sex, but between their Catholic education and Helena's unwillingness to discuss such matters with her daughter, their speculation outstrips their actual knowledge. A convention for medical workers brings Dr. Jano (Carlos Belloso) and a number of his colleagues to the hotel. Emboldened by the festive atmosphere, the timid doctor presses his body up against Amalia's, unaware of her age. The married Dr. Jano is embarrassed by his actions and troubled by his strong attraction to Helena; Amalia, meanwhile, is convinced the doctor has become overcome with unholy lust, and she and Josefina take it upon themselves to save him from himself before it is too late. La Nińa Santa (aka The Holy Child) was produced in part by internationally acclaimed filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Lucrecia Martel ... Director / Screenwriter
Lita Stantic ... Producer
Felix Monti ... Cinematographer
Andres Gerszenzon ... Composer (Music Score)
Santiago Ricci ... Editor
Graciela Oderigo ... Production Designer
Tilde Corsi ... Associate Producer
Alfredo Ghirardo ... Associate Producer
Mora Kohen ... Associate Producer
Cesare Petrillo ... Associate Producer
Vieri Razzini ... Associate Producer
Gianni Romoli ... Associate Producer
Agustín Almodóvar ... Executive Producer
Pedro Almodóvar ... Executive Producer
Esther Garcia ... Executive Producer
Guido Beremblum ... Sound/Sound Designer
Marcos De Aguirre ... Sound/Sound Designer
David Miranda ... Sound/Sound Designer
Julio César Suarez ... Coordinator
Matías Mosterín ... Line Producer |
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170
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The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love |
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This endearing romantic comedy about two high school girls, blue collar tomboy Randy (Laurel Holloman) and privileged, popular Evie (Nicole Ari Parker), was the first mainstream success for director Maria Maggenti, who chronicles the odd couple's relationship from tentative first steps to full-blossoming romance. Cast almost entirely with newcomers, The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love brings Randy's family (a lesbian aunt and an assortment of current and past partners), Evie's well-heeled and overprotective mother (Stephanie Barry), and a collection of friends, enemies, one ex-boyfriend (Andrew Wright), and one unsatisfactory affair (Maggie Moore) into the mix, balancing the excitement and passion of adolescent romance with the pitfalls of social and familial rejection. Maintains a light and quirky tone throughout, reminiscent in many ways of the teen comedies of John Hughes.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Genevieve Williams
This endearing romantic comedy about two high school girls, blue collar tomboy Randy (Laurel Holloman) and privileged, popular Evie (Nicole Ari Parker), was the first mainstream success for director Maria Maggenti, who chronicles the odd couple's relationship from tentative first steps to full-blossoming romance. Cast almost entirely with newcomers, The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love brings Randy's family (a lesbian aunt and an assortment of current and past partners), Evie's well-heeled and overprotective mother (Stephanie Barry), and a collection of friends, enemies, one ex-boyfriend (Andrew Wright), and one unsatisfactory affair (Maggie Moore) into the mix, balancing the excitement and passion of adolescent romance with the pitfalls of social and familial rejection. Maintains a light and quirky tone throughout, reminiscent in many ways of the teen comedies of John Hughes. |
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171
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The Jane Austen Book Club |
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Robin Swicord's adaptation of the novel The Jane Austen Book Club concerns a group of women and a man who meet regularly to discuss the works of the popular author, but soon discover their lives are playing out much like one of the author's fictional worlds. Among the members of the club are Sylvia (Amy Brenneman), a recent divorcée; Bernadette (Kathy Baker), who has decided to accept her advancing age; and Prudie (Emily Blunt), who feels guilty about her persistent fantasies of cheating on her loving husband.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Robin Swicord ... Director / Screenwriter
John Calley ... Producer
Julie Lynn ... Producer
Diana Napper ... Producer
Karen Joy Fowler ... Book Author
John Toon ... Cinematographer
Barklie K. Griggs ... Musical Direction/Supervision
Aaron Zigman ... Composer (Music Score)
Maryann Brandon ... Editor
Rusty Smith ... Production Designer
Sebastian Schroder ... Art Director
Kelly Thomas ... Co-producer
Marshall Rose ... Executive Producer
Johnetta Boone ... Costume Designer
Meg Everist ... Set Decorator
Peter Devlin ... Sound/Sound Designer
Vincent Lascoumes ... First Assistant Director
Deborah Aquila ... Casting
Jennifer Smith ... Casting
Tricia Wood ... Casting |
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172
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The Killing of Sister George |
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A year after helming The Dirty Dozen, director Robert Aldrich took on this controversial drama based on the play of the same name by Frank Marcus. Beryl Reid stars as soap opera star June, an alcoholic lesbian who spends most of her time with her younger lover, Alice (Susannah York). When vindictive television executive Mercy Croft (Coral Browne) takes a liking to Alice, she arranges to have June's character, Sister George, killed off the show. Drunk and paranoid, June struggles to keep it together or risk losing Alice. Because of its exploration of a subject as taboo as homosexuality, The Killing of Sister George earned an X rating.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Robert Aldrich ... Director / Producer
Lukas Heller ... Screenwriter
Frank Marcus ... Play Author
Joseph Biroc ... Cinematographer
Brian West ... Cinematographer
Gerald Fried ... Composer (Music Score)
Michael Luciano ... Editor
William Glasgow ... Production Designer / Art Director
Walter Blake ... Associate Producer
Edgar J. Scherick ... Executive Producer
Renie ... Costume Designer
Dick Church ... Sound/Sound Designer
Dean Hodges ... Sound/Sound Designer
William Turner ... Makeup
Lynn Stalmaster ... Casting
William Aldrich ... Producer's Assistant |
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173
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The Monkey's Mask |
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A female detective discovers the dark side of the world of contemporary literature in this unusual thriller from Australia. Mickey (Abbie Cornish) is a brash young female poet who is gaining a potent reputation for her powerful verse about love and sex. When she suddenly disappears, private detective Jill Fitzpatrick (Susie Porter) is hired to help find her. Jill doesn't know much about poetry, so she starts her investigation by tracking down Mickey's teacher and mentor, Diana (Kelly McGillis), to learn more about Mickey and the circles in which she traveled. Jill is a lesbian, and quickly finds herself strongly attracted to Diana; though Diana is married to Nick (Marton Csokas), she finds herself equally infatuated with Jill, and the two are soon having an affair. When Mickey is found murdered, her parents ask Jill to step up the investigation, and Jill digs deeper into the facts of Mickey's life -- learning the young woman was willing to sleep with nearly anyone who could advance her career. She also discovers that the two older male poets with whom Mickey had become involved are not at all eager to answer questions about her disappearance. The Monkey's Mask is based on a mystery novel written in verse form by Dorothy Porter; the novel became an international bestseller and the biggest-selling book of poetry published in Australia since World War II .
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
A female detective discovers the dark side of the world of contemporary literature in this unusual thriller from Australia. Mickey (Abbie Cornish) is a brash young female poet who is gaining a potent reputation for her powerful verse about love and sex. When she suddenly disappears, private detective Jill Fitzpatrick (Susie Porter) is hired to help find her. Jill doesn't know much about poetry, so she starts her investigation by tracking down Mickey's teacher and mentor, Diana (Kelly McGillis), to learn more about Mickey and the circles in which she traveled. Jill is a lesbian, and quickly finds herself strongly attracted to Diana; though Diana is married to Nick (Marton Csokas), she finds herself equally infatuated with Jill, and the two are soon having an affair. When Mickey is found murdered, her parents ask Jill to step up the investigation, and Jill digs deeper into the facts of Mickey's life -- learning the young woman was willing to sleep with nearly anyone who could advance her career. She also discovers that the two older male poets with whom Mickey had become involved are not at all eager to answer questions about her disappearance. The Monkey's Mask is based on a mystery novel written in verse form by Dorothy Porter; the novel became an international bestseller and the biggest-selling book of poetry published in Australia since World War II . |
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174
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The Secrets Ha Sodot |
Avi Nesher |
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Within the Orthodox Jewish Community, the attitudes toward females have remained virtually unchanged for 2,000 years. In this religious-themed drama, accomplished Israeli filmmaker Avi Nesher explores the complications that arise when the relationships between a group of women residing in a midrasha (all female seminary) in Safed turn suddenly volatile. Every girl has a different motivation for enrolling in the midrasha: for Naomi (Ania Bukstein) enrollment in the seminary meant avoiding a marriage that she didn't want, and for the rebellious Michelle (Michal Shtamler) it was simply an effective means for her parents to keep her out of serious trouble. Unlikely allies at first, Naomi and Michelle soon forge a powerful bond that is later threatened by the ailing Anouk (Fanny Ardant). Anouk is a much older woman who has come to Safed in search of redemption. Despite her outward sincerity, however, Anouk is quickly turned away by the powers that be. Realizing that the brilliant Naomi can certainly find the kabbalistic texts that could restore Anouk's purity, compassionate Michelle volunteers her scholarly friend to help the desperate woman in her time of need. While her initial hesitation is soon compounded by the fact that the head mistress forbids both students from any further contact with the mysterious Anouk, Naomi selflessly vows to expunge the sins of Anouk's past even if it means putting her own future at risk.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Avi Nesher ... Director / Producer / Screenwriter
David Silber ... Producer
Hadar Galron ... Screenwriter
Michel Abramowicz ... Cinematographer
Daniel Salomon ... Composer (Music Score)
Eyal Sela ... Composer (Music Score)
Isaac Sehayek ... Editor
Yoram Shayer ... Production Designer
Leon Edery ... Executive Producer
Moshe Edery ... Executive Producer
Sharon Harel ... Executive Producer
André Malignac ... Executive Producer
Edgar Tenembaum ... Executive Producer
Inbal Shuki ... Costume Designer
Stéphane de Rocquigny ... Sound/Sound Designer |
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175
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The Truth About Jane |
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A teenager going through the typical traumas of adolescence has to confront an especially big hurdle in this made-for-TV drama. Jane (Ellen Muth) is a seemingly typical 15-year-old high school student; she's popular at school, does well in her classes, and has a good relationship with her parents, Janice (Stockard Channing) and Robert (James Naughton). Despite all this, Jane has always felt as if she's different in some way from the other kids at school, though she's not sure how. When Taylor (Alicia Lagano) moves into town and transfers into the same school as Jane, the two girls become fast friends. Before long, Jane and Taylor are inseparable, and Jane senses this is not an ordinary friendship; one night, Jane kisses Taylor, and Jane finally comes to the realization that she's attracted to women and has fallen in love with Taylor. While Jane and Taylor are happy together, Jane now faces the responsibility of telling her family that she's a lesbian, and her parents are not readily accepting of this news. The Truth About Jane features RuPaul in a rare dramatic role as Jimmy, a close friend of Janice who is also a gay man.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
A teenager going through the typical traumas of adolescence has to confront an especially big hurdle in this made-for-TV drama. Jane (Ellen Muth) is a seemingly typical 15-year-old high school student; she's popular at school, does well in her classes, and has a good relationship with her parents, Janice (Stockard Channing) and Robert (James Naughton). Despite all this, Jane has always felt as if she's different in some way from the other kids at school, though she's not sure how. When Taylor (Alicia Lagano) moves into town and transfers into the same school as Jane, the two girls become fast friends. Before long, Jane and Taylor are inseparable, and Jane senses this is not an ordinary friendship; one night, Jane kisses Taylor, and Jane finally comes to the realization that she's attracted to women and has fallen in love with Taylor. While Jane and Taylor are happy together, Jane now faces the responsibility of telling her family that she's a lesbian, and her parents are not readily accepting of this news. The Truth About Jane features RuPaul in a rare dramatic role as Jimmy, a close friend of Janice who is also a gay man. |
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176
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The Unbearable Lightness of Being |
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In Philip Kaufman's surprisingly successful film adaptation of Czech author Milan Kundera's demanding 1984 bestseller, Daniel Day-Lewis stars as Tomas, an overly amorous Prague surgeon, while Juliette Binoche plays Tereza, the waiflike beauty whom he marries. Even though he's supposedly committed, Tomas continues his wanton womanizing, notably with his silken mistress Sabina (Lena Olin). Escaping the 1968 Russian invasion of Prague by heading for Geneva, Sabina takes up with another man and unexpectedly develops a friendship with Tereza. Meanwhile, Tomas, who previously was interested only in sex, becomes politicized by the collapse of Czechoslovakia's Dubcek regime. The Unbearable Lightness of Being may be too leisurely for some viewers, but other viewers may feel the same warm sense of inner satisfaction that is felt after finishing a good, long novel.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Philip Kaufman ... Director / Screenwriter
Saul Zaentz ... Producer
Jean-Claude Carričre ... Screenwriter
Milan Kundera ... Book Author
Sven Nykvist ... Cinematographer
Mark Adler ... Composer (Music Score)
Ernie Fosselius ... Composer (Music Score)
Leos Janácek ... Featured Music
Keith Richards ... Composer (Music Score)
Vivian Hillgrove Gilliam ... Editor
Stephen A. Rotter ... Editor
B.J. Sears ... Editor
Pierre Guffroy ... Production Designer
Gerard Viard ... Art Director
Paul Zaentz ... Associate Producer
Bertil Ohlsson ... Executive Producer
Ann Roth ... Costume Designer
Chris Newman ... Sound/Sound Designer
Alan Splet ... Sound/Sound Designer
Suzanne Benoit ... Makeup
Trielli Brothers ... Special Effects
Eric Bartonio ... First Assistant Director
Remy Julienne ... Stunts
Margot Capelier ... Casting
Dianne Crittenden ... Casting
Walter Murch ... Supervising Editor |
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177
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The Watermelon Woman |
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The first film by and about an African-American lesbian, writer-director Cheryl Dunye's fantasy is a "mockumentary," focusing on recapturing the life and times of a fictionalized 1930s Hollywood actress. Dunye plays herself as a video store employee who yearns to be a director. She decides to make a documentary about Fae Richards (Lisa Marie Bronson), a forgotten African-American actress from the 1930s. Dunye discovers the woman, who often played degrading roles as a "mammy" in Hollywood films, was the secret lover of a white director, Martha Paige. Dunye interviews feminist historian Camille Paglia (playing herself), who explains Richards' career and its importance. While researching the project, Dunye falls in love with Diana (Guinevere Turner), a white customer. But her unceasing work on the film project interferes with her relationships with Diana and also with her friend and fellow video store employee Tamara (Valarie Walker).
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Michael Betzold
The first film by and about an African-American lesbian, writer-director Cheryl Dunye's fantasy is a "mockumentary," focusing on recapturing the life and times of a fictionalized 1930s Hollywood actress. Dunye plays herself as a video store employee who yearns to be a director. She decides to make a documentary about Fae Richards (Lisa Marie Bronson), a forgotten African-American actress from the 1930s. Dunye discovers the woman, who often played degrading roles as a "mammy" in Hollywood films, was the secret lover of a white director, Martha Paige. Dunye interviews feminist historian Camille Paglia (playing herself), who explains Richards' career and its importance. While researching the project, Dunye falls in love with Diana (Guinevere Turner), a white customer. But her unceasing work on the film project interferes with her relationships with Diana and also with her friend and fellow video store employee Tamara (Valarie Walker). |
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178
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The Well |
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In her feature film directorial debut, Samantha Lang offers a subtle and moving psychological portrait of a female friendship and the effects of an unexpected tragedy upon it. Dowdy, tired, middle-aged and sexually frustrated Hester Harper and free-spirited, young, beautiful dancer Katherine are an unlikely pair of friends, but somehow the relationship works. In the prologue the two are seen at a local community dance. Katherine is having too much fun dancing crazily by herself in front of everyone. Hester, who is lame, watches her silently. Tired, she decides it's time to leave and must wrest Katherine away from the crowd. Katherine ignores Hester's protestations and insists on driving the narrow, winding road home. Unfortunately, Katherine isn't paying attention, disaster strikes and the screen goes black. After the credits, the story shows how Katherine and Hester became friends and then roommates. Eventually the story jumps past the beginning incident to chronicle the aftermath of the accident which left a stranger dead. The women decide to dispose of the body in a deep, dry well near their cottage. They return home and discover that someone has stolen the small fortune they'd been saving. Could the thief be the man in the well? While wrestling with the logistics of whether they can or should get him out, cracks appear in their friendship that are only worsened when the two find themselves plagued by supernatural occurrences.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Samantha Lang ... Director
Sandra Levy ... Producer
Elizabeth Jolley ... Book Author
Laura Jones ... Screenwriter
Mandy Walker ... Cinematographer
Stephen Rae ... Composer (Music Score)
Dany Cooper ... Editor
Michael Philips ... Production Designer
Anne Beauchamp ... Art Director
Maureen Barron ... Executive Producer
Noel Ferrier ... Executive Producer
Errol Sullivan ... Executive Producer
Anna Borghesi ... Costume Designer
Bronwyn Murphy ... Sound/Sound Designer
P.J. Voeten ... First Assistant Director
Ann Robinson ... Casting
Stephen Jones ... Line Producer |
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179
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The World Unseen |
Shamim Sarif |
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The owner of an apartheid-era Cape Town café experiences an attraction that threatens to change her life forever in director Shamim Sarif's look into a South Asian community in a divided South Africa. Amina (Sheetal Sheth) is the rebellious proprietor of the popular Location Café -- a destination spot for adventurous social outlaws who resent having their lives dictated by racist laws. From the black waitress who doesn't realize her place in South African society to the older white woman who makes eyes at the handsome brown-skinned bachelor, these people like to have a little fun, and they know that they can just be themselves in the Location Café. When the apartheid police come knocking and Amina's conservative Indian neighbors cast an accusing eye, the emboldened café owner always stands up for her rights. Yet, despite her defiant exterior, Amina instantly turns soft when she meets the gaze of the beautiful Miriam (Lisa Ray). Despite the fact that Miriam is a married woman, she is endlessly fascinated by the free-thinking Amina. Eventually, Amina works up the courage to invite Miriam along for driving lessons, and both women succumb to the true power of their mutual attraction.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Shamim Sarif ... Director / Screenwriter / Book Author
Hanan Kattan ... Producer / Casting
Mike Downie ... Cinematographer
Shigeru Umebayashi ... Composer (Music Score)
Ronelle Loots ... Editor
Tanya van Tonder ... Production Designer
Brigid Olen ... Co-producer
Daisy Allsop ... Associate Producer
Lisa Tchenguiz-Imerman ... Executive Producer
Katherine Priestley ... Executive Producer
Danielle Knox ... Costume Designer
Rajendra Hegde ... Sound/Sound Designer
Ferdi Burger ... First Assistant Director
Christa Schamberger ... Casting
Mito Skellern ... Casting |
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180
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Thin Ice |
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Lesbians on ice provide the focus of this British drama. Steffi and Natalie are amateur skaters at the same rink in London. Steffi and her partner, a journalist, are going to write a mainstream article about lesbian participation in the June 1994 Gay Games in New York. Steffi's partner bows out just before they are to go so Steffi tries to get Natalie involved. Natalie has two things against her. One, she is an average skater. Two, she is straight. Steffi successfully seduces Natalie one weekend and Natalie falls in love. Trouble erupts when Natalie discovers that Steffi and her lover were only using her to get a story. Natalie drops out the night before their trip to New York.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Sandra Brennan
Lesbians on ice provide the focus of this British drama. Steffi and Natalie are amateur skaters at the same rink in London. Steffi and her partner, a journalist, are going to write a mainstream article about lesbian participation in the June 1994 Gay Games in New York. Steffi's partner bows out just before they are to go so Steffi tries to get Natalie involved. Natalie has two things against her. One, she is an average skater. Two, she is straight. Steffi successfully seduces Natalie one weekend and Natalie falls in love. Trouble erupts when Natalie discovers that Steffi and her lover were only using her to get a story. Natalie drops out the night before their trip to New York. |
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181
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Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her |
Rodrigo García |
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Although Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her does bear some similarities to Short Cuts and Magnolia in its setting (Southern California) and mood (modern malaise), and its multiple story format, its focus is exclusively on female characters, and it's possible to view each story on its own. The film begins with a prologue: Police detectives are investigating the apparent suicide of a Hispanic woman (Elpidia Carillo). "This Is Dr. Keener" deals with Dr. Elaine Keener (Glenn Close), a single professional woman attempting to care for her aging and infirm mother and deal with her own loneliness. She invites Christine (Calista Flockhart), a tarot card reader, into her home to make some sense of her life. "Fantasies About Rebecca" profiles a successful bank manager (Holly Hunter) involved with a married man (Gregory Hines). When she learns that she is pregnant, he coldly advises her to take care of the "problem." Before she visits Dr. Keener to have an abortion, she impulsively has a fling with a colleague (Matt Craven). She is also confronted by a female street person in the bank's parking lot. "Someone for Rose" is about a single mother (Kathy Baker), a writer of children's books. She is attracted to a new neighbor, a dwarf (Danny Woodburn), and he catches her spying on him in his house. She's also amazed to find that her son is more sexually active than she knew -- and more than she is herself. "Good Night Lilly, Good Night Christine" details the relationship between the tarot card reader Christine and her lover, Lilly (Valeria Golino), who is critically ill with an unnamed disease. The final story, "Love Waits for Kathy," concerns two sisters, Carol (Cameron Diaz), a lovely blind woman with an active social life, and her police detective sibling, Kathy (Amy Brenneman), one of the detectives who appeared in the prologue. Kathy is attracted to the medical examiner in the suicide case, and her story ends with him taking her out on a date. In an epilogue, Dr. Keener drops in to a bar, where she meets a male character from one of the earlier stories. Debuting director Rodrigo Garcia, a noted cinematographer, is the son of writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Things You Can Tell made its debut on cable television, although it was originally intended to be a theatrical release.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Tom Wiener
Although Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her does bear some similarities to Short Cuts and Magnolia in its setting (Southern California) and mood (modern malaise), and its multiple story format, its focus is exclusively on female characters, and it's possible to view each story on its own. The film begins with a prologue: Police detectives are investigating the apparent suicide of a Hispanic woman (Elpidia Carillo). "This Is Dr. Keener" deals with Dr. Elaine Keener (Glenn Close), a single professional woman attempting to care for her aging and infirm mother and deal with her own loneliness. She invites Christine (Calista Flockhart), a tarot card reader, into her home to make some sense of her life. "Fantasies About Rebecca" profiles a successful bank manager (Holly Hunter) involved with a married man (Gregory Hines). When she learns that she is pregnant, he coldly advises her to take care of the "problem." Before she visits Dr. Keener to have an abortion, she impulsively has a fling with a colleague (Matt Craven). She is also confronted by a female street person in the bank's parking lot. "Someone for Rose" is about a single mother (Kathy Baker), a writer of children's books. She is attracted to a new neighbor, a dwarf (Danny Woodburn), and he catches her spying on him in his house. She's also amazed to find that her son is more sexually active than she knew -- and more than she is herself. "Good Night Lilly, Good Night Christine" details the relationship between the tarot card reader Christine and her lover, Lilly (Valeria Golino), who is critically ill with an unnamed disease. The final story, "Love Waits for Kathy," concerns two sisters, Carol (Cameron Diaz), a lovely blind woman with an active social life, and her police detective sibling, Kathy (Amy Brenneman), one of the detectives who appeared in the prologue. Kathy is attracted to the medical examiner in the suicide case, and her story ends with him taking her out on a date. In an epilogue, Dr. Keener drops in to a bar, where she meets a male character from one of the earlier stories. Debuting director Rodrigo Garcia, a noted cinematographer, is the son of writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Things You Can Tell made its debut on cable television, although it was originally intended to be a theatrical release. |
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182
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This Girl's Life |
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A slice-of-life view of modern morality filtered through the eyes of a young and down-to-earth porn star, writer/director Ash's character-driven drama offers a unique perspective of the adult film industry. Moon (Juliette Marquis) is one of the most popular adult film stars around, and she finds no fault in using her sexuality as a means of profit. As she continues the process of renewing her contract, Moon's personal life remains a delicate issue due to her father's (James Woods) degeneration due to Parkinson's disease and a blind date (Kip Pardue) who remains hesitant to get close to Moon after learning of her profession. Although she makes a healthy living and sees nothing in particular wrong with her profession, Moon must ultimately reevaluate her life in order to understand what is best for both her and the people she cares most about.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Jason Buchanan
A slice-of-life view of modern morality filtered through the eyes of a young and down-to-earth porn star, writer/director Ash's character-driven drama offers a unique perspective of the adult film industry. Moon (Juliette Marquis) is one of the most popular adult film stars around, and she finds no fault in using her sexuality as a means of profit. As she continues the process of renewing her contract, Moon's personal life remains a delicate issue due to her father's (James Woods) degeneration due to Parkinson's disease and a blind date (Kip Pardue) who remains hesitant to get close to Moon after learning of her profession. Although she makes a healthy living and sees nothing in particular wrong with her profession, Moon must ultimately reevaluate her life in order to understand what is best for both her and the people she cares most about. |
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183
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This Kiss |
Kylie Eddy |
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Two high-school friends who grew apart after graduation reconnect during the week of their high-school reunion, and the cracks in their smiling facades quickly begin to show in director Kylie Eddy's thoughtful drama. In high school Juliet and Lucy were inseparable, but these days the former has emerged as a successful businesswoman while the later functions as a stay-at-home mom. When Juliet comes knocking on Lucy's door as their high-school reunion draws near, it doesn't take long for either to realize that they aren't really satisfied with the way their lives turned out. Later, after a long day of boozing and confessions in the warm Australian sun, Juliet and Lucy tentatively attempt to address an incident from the past that has long lingered in the minds of both.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Jason Buchanan
Two high-school friends who grew apart after graduation reconnect during the week of their high-school reunion, and the cracks in their smiling facades quickly begin to show in director Kylie Eddy's thoughtful drama. In high school Juliet and Lucy were inseparable, but these days the former has emerged as a successful businesswoman while the later functions as a stay-at-home mom. When Juliet comes knocking on Lucy's door as their high-school reunion draws near, it doesn't take long for either to realize that they aren't really satisfied with the way their lives turned out. Later, after a long day of boozing and confessions in the warm Australian sun, Juliet and Lucy tentatively attempt to address an incident from the past that has long lingered in the minds of both. |
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184
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Tipping the Velvet |
Geoffrey Sax |
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Originally produced in the U.K. for BBC1, where it first aired on October 9, 2002, the three-part miniseries Tipping the Velvet was adapted from Sarah Waters' best-selling debut novel of the same name. Set in the 1890s, the series focuses on the romance between Nan Astley (played by Rachel Stirling, daughter of actress Diana Rigg), a cook in the seaside restaurant owned by her father, and Kitty Butler (Keeley Hawes), a musical hall entertainer specializing in male impersonation. Given the strict (and somewhat hypocritical) moral restrictions of the Victorian era, the lesbian relationship between Nancy and Kitty must be kept a closely guarded secret, except in the hedonistic underground circles in which the actress and her libertine friends travel. Tipping the Velvet was brought to the US by way of the BBC America digital-cable service beginning May 23, 2003.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Hal Erickson
Originally produced in the U.K. for BBC1, where it first aired on October 9, 2002, the three-part miniseries Tipping the Velvet was adapted from Sarah Waters' best-selling debut novel of the same name. Set in the 1890s, the series focuses on the romance between Nan Astley (played by Rachel Stirling, daughter of actress Diana Rigg), a cook in the seaside restaurant owned by her father, and Kitty Butler (Keeley Hawes), a musical hall entertainer specializing in male impersonation. Given the strict (and somewhat hypocritical) moral restrictions of the Victorian era, the lesbian relationship between Nancy and Kitty must be kept a closely guarded secret, except in the hedonistic underground circles in which the actress and her libertine friends travel. Tipping the Velvet was brought to the US by way of the BBC America digital-cable service beginning May 23, 2003. |
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185
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Tous les papas ne font pas pipi debout |
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186
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Trapped |
Rex Piano |
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Nick Turturro, Dennis Christopher, and Alexandra Paul star in director Rex Piano's tightly-wound thriller concerning a group of group of kidnappers who take over an abandoned hotel while forcing the daughter of a well-known software engineer to access crucial government data.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Jason Buchanan
Nick Turturro, Dennis Christopher, and Alexandra Paul star in director Rex Piano's tightly-wound thriller concerning a group of group of kidnappers who take over an abandoned hotel while forcing the daughter of a well-known software engineer to access crucial government data. |
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187
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Treading Water |
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A woman trying to come out of the closet must contend with her family, whose closets have some skeletons of their own in this independent drama. Casey (Angela Redman) is a woman from an upper class Massachusetts family whose mother (Annette Miller) expected her to go into business or one of the professions. Casey, however, has developed an interest in commercial fishing and is pursuing that as an occupation, much to her mother's chagrin. However, this is hardly Casey's biggest point of contention with her parents; Casey is a lesbian, but her parents not only openly disapprove of her lifestyle, they're openly hostile to Alex (Nina Landey), Casey's significant other. While Casey is grudgingly invited to the family's holiday celebration, Alex is not, but it turns out that Alex knows Casey's family better than they imagine; Alex makes her living counseling young people with drug problems, and one of her new clients is Casey's younger brother. Treading Water was the first feature from director Lauren Himmel; the film was shown in competition at the 2001 Seattle Film Festival, as well as the same year's Los Angeles Outfest.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Mark Deming
A woman trying to come out of the closet must contend with her family, whose closets have some skeletons of their own in this independent drama. Casey (Angela Redman) is a woman from an upper class Massachusetts family whose mother (Annette Miller) expected her to go into business or one of the professions. Casey, however, has developed an interest in commercial fishing and is pursuing that as an occupation, much to her mother's chagrin. However, this is hardly Casey's biggest point of contention with her parents; Casey is a lesbian, but her parents not only openly disapprove of her lifestyle, they're openly hostile to Alex (Nina Landey), Casey's significant other. While Casey is grudgingly invited to the family's holiday celebration, Alex is not, but it turns out that Alex knows Casey's family better than they imagine; Alex makes her living counseling young people with drug problems, and one of her new clients is Casey's younger brother. Treading Water was the first feature from director Lauren Himmel; the film was shown in competition at the 2001 Seattle Film Festival, as well as the same year's Los Angeles Outfest. |
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188
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Trembling Before G-d |
Sandi Simcha DuBowski |
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Director Sandi Simcha DuBowski makes his feature-length film debut with the documentary Trembling Before G-d, a look at gays and lesbians in Hasidic and Orthodox Judaism. Made over several years in New York, California, Israel, Britain, and Florida, the film follows the lives of several people struggling to express both their faith and their sexuality. In L.A., pianist David is an Orthodox gay man who has been through over ten years of therapy to supposedly "cure" his homosexuality. He visits the Chabad rabbi whom he first came out to over 20 years before. Michelle is a Hasidic lesbian who lives in Brooklyn. Having married only to please her family, she's been ostracized from her community ever since the divorce. Also in Brooklyn, Israel is a gay man who's abandoned much of his Hasidic life and hasn't seen his father in over 20 years. In London, twentysomething Mark is a the son of an Orthodox rabbi. He came out during a trip to Israel, which was supposed to rid him of his sexual questioning. Some participants prefer to remain anonymous or at least slightly obscured, including a lesbian couple who met in Hebrew school and an ultra-Orthodox closeted lesbian. The film also features some footage with various doctors and religious leaders, including the progressive psychotherapist Shlomo Ashkinazy and the first openly gay Orthodox rabbi, Steve Greenberg.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Andrea LeVasseur
Director Sandi Simcha DuBowski makes his feature-length film debut with the documentary Trembling Before G-d, a look at gays and lesbians in Hasidic and Orthodox Judaism. Made over several years in New York, California, Israel, Britain, and Florida, the film follows the lives of several people struggling to express both their faith and their sexuality. In L.A., pianist David is an Orthodox gay man who has been through over ten years of therapy to supposedly "cure" his homosexuality. He visits the Chabad rabbi whom he first came out to over 20 years before. Michelle is a Hasidic lesbian who lives in Brooklyn. Having married only to please her family, she's been ostracized from her community ever since the divorce. Also in Brooklyn, Israel is a gay man who's abandoned much of his Hasidic life and hasn't seen his father in over 20 years. In London, twentysomething Mark is a the son of an Orthodox rabbi. He came out during a trip to Israel, which was supposed to rid him of his sexual questioning. Some participants prefer to remain anonymous or at least slightly obscured, including a lesbian couple who met in Hebrew school and an ultra-Orthodox closeted lesbian. The film also features some footage with various doctors and religious leaders, including the progressive psychotherapist Shlomo Ashkinazy and the first openly gay Orthodox rabbi, Steve Greenberg. |
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189
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un amour au féminin |
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190
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Under the Tuscan Sun |
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A woman starts her life over with a new home in a new land in this romantic comedy drama . Frances (Diane Lane) is a writer in her mid-'30s who feels emotionally derailed after her divorce. Unhappy and unable to write, she isn't sure what to do with her life, and her best friend Patti (Sandra Oh) decides she needs some time away from her problems. With that in mind, Patti gives Frances a ticket for a two-week tour of the Tuscany region of Italy; while there, Frances finds a dilapidated old villa. Charmed by the warmth, beauty, and charm of the small town of Cortona, Frances impulsively decides to buy the villa, thinking she can fix it up herself. The home proves to be more of a handyman's special than she imagined, but as she slowly gets the hang of household maintenance, Italian style, Frances develops a new confidence as she makes friends with her neighbors and finds love with a handsome local named Marcello (Raoul Bova). Under the Tuscan Sun is loosely adapted from the memoir by Frances Mayes, who (unlike the leading character of the film) remained happily married during her sojourn in Tuscany.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Audrey Wells ... Director / Screenwriter / Producer
Tom Sternberg ... Producer
Frances Mayes ... Book Author
Geoffrey Simpson ... Cinematographer
Christophe Beck ... Composer (Music Score)
Arthur Coburn ... Editor
Andrew Marcus ... Editor
Stephen McCabe ... Production Designer
Gianfranco Fumagalli ... Art Director
Gianni Giovagnoni ... Art Director
Kate Dimento ... Associate Producer
Jonathan Goldman ... Associate Producer
Eduardo Petti ... Associate Producer
Laura Fattori ... Executive Producer
Mark Gill ... Executive Producer
Sandy Kroopf ... Executive Producer
Nicholas Evans ... Set Designer
Cinzia Sleiter ... Set Decorator / Set Designer
Nicoletta Ercole ... Costume Designer
Mauro Passi ... Set Decorator
Alberto Mangiante ... First Assistant Director
John Brace ... Casting
Beatrice Kruger ... Casting
Linda Lowy ... Casting
Giovanni Fiore Coltellacci ... Additional Cinematography
Aaron Glascock ... Supervising Sound Editor
John Radzik ... Additional Cinematography
Curt Schulkey ... Supervising Sound Editor |
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191
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Victor/Victoria |
Blake Edwards |
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On the verge of starvation in 1930s Paris, erstwhile entertainer Victoria (Julie Andrews) is rescued by gay cabaret performer Toddy (Robert Preston). What she needs to succeed, opines Toddy, is a gimmick. What if she becomes a male impersonator? Better still: what if she becomes a male impersonator, pretending to be a female impersonator? As "Victor/Victoria," s/he becomes the toast of Paree, and an object of fascination for big-time Chicago gangster King Marchan (James Garner), who can't quite understand the teasing sensations he experiences whenever watching her in action-especially since he, like everyone else, assumes that she is a he. Enjoyable though the stars of Blake Edwards' comedy may be, the film is stolen by Lesley Ann Warren, who won an Oscar nomination as King's screechy-voiced moll, and Alex Karras as King's chief henchman, who, assuming that his boss is "that way," literally comes out of the closet. Victor/Victoria was a remake of the 1931 German film Viktor und Viktoria, which had previously be reworked in 1937 as the Jessie Mathews vehicle First a Girl. In 1996, Victor/Victoria was transformed into a Broadway musical, again directed by Edwards and starring Andrews.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Blake Edwards ... Director / Screenwriter / Producer
Tony Adams ... Producer
Dick Bush ... Cinematographer
Leslie Bricusse ... Songwriter / Composer (Music Score)
Henry Mancini ... Composer (Music Score)
Ralph Winters ... Editor
Harry Cordwell ... Set Designer / Production Designer
Rodger Maus ... Production Designer
Tim Hutchinson ... Art Director
William Craig Smith ... Art Director
Pat Norris ... Costume Designer
Paul Engelen ... Makeup
Harry Frampton ... Makeup
Peter Frampton ... Makeup
Paddy Stone ... Choreography
Roy Charman ... Sound Mixer
Mary Selway ... Casting |
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192
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Water Lilies |
Céline Sciamma |
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Three 15-year-old girls living in the ultra-modern Paris suburb of Cergy-Pontoise find the dynamics of their relationships gradually beginning to shift in first-time filmmaker Céline Sciamma's intimate look into the world of synchronized swimming. Floriane (Adele Haenel) is a beautiful blonde with a perfect body and remarkable talent in the pool. Marie (Pauline Acquart) is something of a tomboy taken to water, and Anne (Louise Blachere) is an overweight-but-outgoing swimmer whose crush on a male swimmer (who only has eyes for the physically flawless Floriane) is about to forever change the way these three disparate souls relate to one another.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Céline Sciamma ... Director / Screenwriter
Benedicte Couvreur ... Producer
Jerome Dopffer ... Producer
Crystel Fournier ... Cinematographer
Para One ... Composer (Music Score)
Julien Lacheray ... Editor
Gwendal Bescond ... Production Designer / Set Decorator
Marine Chauveau ... Costume Designer
Régie Maud Quiffet ... Set Decorator
Pierre Andre ... Sound/Sound Designer
Daniel Sobrino ... Sound/Sound Designer
Marie Luiset ... Makeup
Christel Baras ... Casting
Laure Cochener ... Casting
Roselyne Bellec ... Script Supervisor
Delphine Daull ... Assistant Director |
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193
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Wave Babes |
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Directed by Lisa Knox-Nervig, Wave Babes is a campy sports comedy that centers around the reunion of three childhood friends. The film has won prizes at several gay and lesbian film festivals, including the 2003 Ft Worth Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, and stars Georgia Ragsdale, Christina Carlisi, Carolyn Hennesy, and Will Gotay.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Tracie Cooper
Directed by Lisa Knox-Nervig, Wave Babes is a campy sports comedy that centers around the reunion of three childhood friends. The film has won prizes at several gay and lesbian film festivals, including the 2003 Ft Worth Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, and stars Georgia Ragsdale, Christina Carlisi, Carolyn Hennesy, and Will Gotay. |
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194
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What Makes a Family |
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Co-produced by Barbra Streisand and Whoopi Goldberg, the made-for-TV What Makes a Family stars Brooke Shields, cast against type as a woman happily committed to a lesbian relationship. Yearning for a family of their own, Janine Nielsen (Shields) and her partner, Sandy Cataldi (Cherry Jones), elect to have a baby via artificial insemination, with Sandy as the biological mother. Alas, Sandy dies not long after the birth of her child, whereupon Janine is plunged into a legal hell by Sandy's parents (Anne Meara and Al Waxman), who sue to gain custody of the baby. Poignantly addressing a myriad of moral, legal, and ethical issues, What Makes a Family was ideally suited to air over the Lifetime cable network, where the film first aired on January 31, 2001.
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195
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What's Up Scarlett? |
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An L.A. matchmaker and an unemployed actress forge an unlikely romance in this comedy starring Susan Priver and Sally Kirkland. Scarlet Zabrinski (Priver) may be a born cupid, but when it comes to her own love life things aren't going too well; her mother Ruth (Kirkland) insists on setting her up, despite repeated pleas by the put-upon daughter to kindly relent. When Scarlet's mistakenly sets up her unemployed pothead brother with a porn star, family ties quickly begin to fray. Then, one day, while driving along and enjoying the sunshine, Scarlet is rear-ended by homeless foreign actress Sabrina Fisser (Musetta Vander). Feeling bad for the vagabond, Scarlet offers Sabrina a place to stay for the night. But one night quickly stretches into another, and then a week, leaving Scarlet to wonder whether she will ever get her privacy back. Then, just as Scarlet starts to feel like she's completely helpless, her brother hits on Sabrina and everything starts to change. Is Scarlet simply being protective of her new roommate, or could her growing affection for Sabrina be a sign of true love?
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Jason Buchanan
An L.A. matchmaker and an unemployed actress forge an unlikely romance in this comedy starring Susan Priver and Sally Kirkland. Scarlet Zabrinski (Priver) may be a born cupid, but when it comes to her own love life things aren't going too well; her mother Ruth (Kirkland) insists on setting her up, despite repeated pleas by the put-upon daughter to kindly relent. When Scarlet's mistakenly sets up her unemployed pothead brother with a porn star, family ties quickly begin to fray. Then, one day, while driving along and enjoying the sunshine, Scarlet is rear-ended by homeless foreign actress Sabrina Fisser (Musetta Vander). Feeling bad for the vagabond, Scarlet offers Sabrina a place to stay for the night. But one night quickly stretches into another, and then a week, leaving Scarlet to wonder whether she will ever get her privacy back. Then, just as Scarlet starts to feel like she's completely helpless, her brother hits on Sabrina and everything starts to change. Is Scarlet simply being protective of her new roommate, or could her growing affection for Sabrina be a sign of true love? |
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196
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When Night Is Falling |
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This Canadian drama tells the tale of Camille, who works at an uptight Protestant college as a professor of mythology. She has been going out with career theologian Martin for three years, but it appears her real true love is her dog, Bob. Bob dies in a tragic car accident and poor Camille is devastated. She is so upset that she grabs the wrong clothes from the laundromat. The clothes belong to the beautifully predatory Petra. Camille discovers the error and returns them to Petra's workplace, an avant-garde circus in an empty warehouse where Petra confesses that she switched them on purpose so she could seduce Camille. Camille demurs. Petra begins following her, and gets to kiss her in the lobby. Eventually the persistent Petra succeeds and the two become lovers.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Patricia Rozema ... Director / Screenwriter
Barbara Tranter ... Producer
Douglas Koch ... Cinematographer
Lesley Barber ... Composer (Music Score)
Susan Shipton ... Editor
John Dondertman ... Production Designer
Sandra Cunningham ... Associate Producer
Linda Muir ... Costume Designer
Alan Geldart ... Sound/Sound Designer
John Hazen ... Sound/Sound Designer
Cynthia Gillespie ... First Assistant Director
Stephen Reynolds ... First Assistant Director
Michael Robertson ... Stunts
Deirdre Bowen ... Casting |
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197
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Wild Side |
Franklin Brauner |
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Alex (Anne Heche) is a corporate banker who refuses to prostitute herself for the company but has house payments to make so she becomes a call girl on her own terms. After hooking with bad-boy criminal Bruno Buckingham (Christopher Walken), she is then approached and raped by FBI-agent Tony who is posing as Bruno's driver. Alex is caught in a squeeze where she has to keep seeing Bruno, working with the FBI. Her first job as Bruno's new girl is to set up an account for Bruno's wife, Virginia (Joan Chen), at her bank. Suddenly Alex discovers she's a lesbian as she falls for Virginia and the two have a sexual encounter. Together, Alex and Virginia attempt to send up Bruno and leave the country together. The story for this soft-core crime film is as loose as the characters, most of it feeling like it was improvised. The entire plot seems to take back seat to the sexuality and works as little more.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Sean D. MacLaggan
Alex (Anne Heche) is a corporate banker who refuses to prostitute herself for the company but has house payments to make so she becomes a call girl on her own terms. After hooking with bad-boy criminal Bruno Buckingham (Christopher Walken), she is then approached and raped by FBI-agent Tony who is posing as Bruno's driver. Alex is caught in a squeeze where she has to keep seeing Bruno, working with the FBI. Her first job as Bruno's new girl is to set up an account for Bruno's wife, Virginia (Joan Chen), at her bank. Suddenly Alex discovers she's a lesbian as she falls for Virginia and the two have a sexual encounter. Together, Alex and Virginia attempt to send up Bruno and leave the country together. The story for this soft-core crime film is as loose as the characters, most of it feeling like it was improvised. The entire plot seems to take back seat to the sexuality and works as little more. |
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198
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Your Friends and Neighbors |
Neil LaBute |
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For the follow-up to In the Company of Men, the misogyny-on-parade debut that became an out of nowhere indie hit, auteur Neil LaBute wrote and directed a piece that gives more equal representation to the shortcomings of both genders than his earlier film. Three men stand on one side: Cary (Jason Patrick), a womanizing doctor who rehearses make-out lines and keeps his body almost grotesquely ripped; Jerry (Ben Stiller), a self-obsessed theater instructor who chews over every emotion like a morsel of dessert; and Barry (Aaron Eckhart), a man grown soft in his marriage to a woman who can't satisfy him sexually as well as he can himself. On the other side we have three equally well-defined women: Terri (Catherine Keener), a writer/editor whose prefers to keep words out of the bedroom, much to the chagrin of live-in beau Jerry; Mary (Amy Brenneman), a freelance writer whose attempts to find her own sexual fulfillment with both husband Barry and paramour Jerry meet with a similar lack of success; and Cheri (Nastassja Kinski), an art assistant who meets most of the other characters one by one at a gallery but directs her sylph-like affections in an unexpected direction. The lies, double-crosses, and confrontations between these characters resolve into a sinisterly comic indictment of the very idea of romantic fulfillment.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Plot Synopsisby Brian J. Dillard
For the follow-up to In the Company of Men, the misogyny-on-parade debut that became an out of nowhere indie hit, auteur Neil LaBute wrote and directed a piece that gives more equal representation to the shortcomings of both genders than his earlier film. Three men stand on one side: Cary (Jason Patrick), a womanizing doctor who rehearses make-out lines and keeps his body almost grotesquely ripped; Jerry (Ben Stiller), a self-obsessed theater instructor who chews over every emotion like a morsel of dessert; and Barry (Aaron Eckhart), a man grown soft in his marriage to a woman who can't satisfy him sexually as well as he can himself. On the other side we have three equally well-defined women: Terri (Catherine Keener), a writer/editor whose prefers to keep words out of the bedroom, much to the chagrin of live-in beau Jerry; Mary (Amy Brenneman), a freelance writer whose attempts to find her own sexual fulfillment with both husband Barry and paramour Jerry meet with a similar lack of success; and Cheri (Nastassja Kinski), an art assistant who meets most of the other characters one by one at a gallery but directs her sylph-like affections in an unexpected direction. The lies, double-crosses, and confrontations between these characters resolve into a sinisterly comic indictment of the very idea of romantic fulfillment. |
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