Exclusive cineGLAAD Video: Dustin Lance Black, Joe Solmonese, and Reed Cowan Discuss 8: The Mormon Proposition
January 29, 2010
This past Sunday at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, cineGLAAD hosted the panel discussion LGBT Civil Rights & The Power of Film – 8: The Mormon Proposition, which featured leaders in the fight for marriage equality debating the ways in which film and media can sway public opinion as we strive to change the hearts and minds of voters who oppose equality. Panelists also provided fascinating insight into the current efforts to overturn California’s anti-gay Proposition 8.
The powerful documentary 8: The Mormon Proposition investigates the decades long campaign the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has been waging against the rights of gays and lesbians to marry, and also examines the psychological toll that anti-gay bigotry takes on LGBT Mormon youth.
Kate Kendell, Executive Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, moderated the thought-provoking discussion featuring several of the people behind 8: The Mormon Proposition: Reed Cowan (Director); Dustin Lance Black (Narrator); Bruce Bastian (Executive Producer); and featured cast Joe Solmonese (President – Human Rights Campaign) and Dennis Herrera (San Francisco City Attorney).
In the first video below, Black and Solmonese discuss the lessons we’ve learned since Prop 8’s passage in California. In the second video, Cowan, seated next to Kendell, discusses his film’s focus on the harms done to LGBT youth.
Related Posts:Exclusive cineGLAAD Video: David Hyde Pierce at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, Part 2 of 2
January 29, 2010
Yesterday we brought you part one of cineGLAAD’s exclusive interview with out actor David Hyde Pierce at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival in which he discussed his role in the film The Perfect Host.
In part two below, Pierce discusses the positive change he has experienced in his personal life since coming out publicly in 2007. He also talks about his Grammy-nominated work on the audiobook for the classic children’s book The Phantom Tollbooth. Tune in to the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards this Sunday, January 31, on CBS at 8:00 PM to see if David Hyde Pierce goes home with yet another prestigious award for his mantel.
Related Posts:Exclusive cineGLAAD Video: David Hyde Pierce at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, Part 1 of 2
January 28, 2010
Among the bevy of stars that have flocked to Park City, Utah this week for the 2010 Sundance Film Festival is Emmy and Tony Award-winning actor David Hyde Pierce, who is here promoting his new film, The Perfect Host.
Pierce came out publicly in 2007 in an interview with the Associated Press about his success on the Broadway stage. When he won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical for Curtains, Pierce thanked his partner, saying: “my partner, Brian, because it’s 24 years of listening to your damn notes — that’s why I’m up here tonight.” The pair married in California, just before the passage of Prop 8.
In The Perfect Host, Pierce veers far from his most well-known character, Dr. Niles Crane on the beloved NBC classic show Frasier. In this dark comedy, Pierce plays Warwick Wilson, a man who unintentionally invites a criminal to dinner. Yet as the film goes on, Wilson is revealed to not be who he first appears to be. Broadway and recording legend Helen Reddy co-stars as Warwick’s nosy neighbor.
In the video below, Pierce talks to GLAAD’s Director of Entertainment Media, Taj Paxton, about his new film, which will be playing at the Library Center Theatre at 11:30 pm on Friday, January 29 and 11:30 am on Saturday, January 30. To find out more, please visit the film’s page at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival website.
Related Posts:Cocktails with cineGLAAD & The Four-Faced Liar Toast Park City Festival-goers
January 28, 2010
On Monday Night, GLAAD stepped into the snow for a “reel” good time and held its first “Cocktails with cineGLAAD” filmmaker appreciation event at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. This intimate cocktail reception supported LGBT filmmakers and allies at the festival and served as a networking opportunity for industry professionals from across the country.
Partnering with GLAAD in this event were Associated Film partners OneZero Productions and 6140 Productions, whose 2010 Slamdance film, The Four-Faced Liar, screened twice earlier in the week to sold-out crowds and standing ovations.
“The Four-Faced Liar” chronicles a story of love and lies for four twenty-somethings, looking to find themselves in New York City. Audience members found themselves following a Bohemian, adventurous pair of best friends who meet a seemingly perfect couple at a local Irish pub in the West Village. Through their chance meeting, the four bond and, over time, their relationships with one another morph into love, betrayal and heartbreak for all.
Bridgit (Marja-Lewis Ryan; Actor/Writer/Producer) offered a compelling performance and was said to have captured the complexities of a young lesbian girl wanting something she never thought she could have. In her commanding, honest illustration of the struggles one faces when dealing with a long-term, committed relationship and coming to terms with her own sexuality, Molly (Emily Peck) shone brightly throughout the story. Trip (Todd Kubrak), Greg (Daniel Carlisle) & Cory (Liz Osborne) delivered rousing performances as well, offering wonderful, intelligent support and quirky hilarity. The palpable progression of these youthful characters, who each in their own way, come to deal with shifting paradigms and paramours, tangibly resonated with audience members, many of whom echoed empathetic sentiments of an all-too-familiar urban queer experience, newly captured in a story that truly shines.
For more information about “The Four-Faced Liar” film, cast & crew, please visit http://www.thefourfacedliarmovie.com.
(This blog entry was written by GLAAD’s Membership Event Coordinator, Elliott Elsner)
Related Posts:Exclusive cineGLAAD Video: Yony Leyser, Director of William S. Burroughs: A Man Within
January 28, 2010
While at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, GLAAD was proud to include Yony Leyser, the director of the Slamdance Film Festival documentary William S. Burroughs: A Man Within, on our panel discussion Out Loud: The Role of a Publicist & Creating Buzz For Your LGBT Festival Film.
William S. Burroughs: A Man Within is the 25-year-old filmmaker’s passion project on which he has worked for the past four years. The fascinating film features never-before-seen footage of Burroughs, a trailblazing author who wrote of his experiences in queer culture in the 1950’s, most notably in his novel Naked Lunch. Additionally, the film features interviews with out directors Gus Van Sant and John Waters, as well as Patti Smith, Iggy Pop and many more notable figures.
In the video below, GLAAD’s Director of Entertainment Media, Taj Paxton interviews Leyser about his experiences as a young openly gay filmmaker promoting his first festival film. To view the trailer and learn more, please visit the official website of William S. Burroughs: A Man Within.
The Runaways Has World Premiere at 2010 Sundance Film Festival
January 26, 2010
The Runaways, the first feature-length film from writer/director Floria Sigismondi, made a splash at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival when it had its world premiere. The buzzed about biopic follows the rise and fall of The Runaways, an all-girl punk rock band fronted by guitarist Joan Jett (Kristen Stewart) and singer Cherie Currie (Dakota Fanning).
Dakota Fanning (l.) and Kristen Stewart (r.) star as Cherie Currie and Joan Jett in The Runaways
Though Jett has always declined to comment publicly on her sexuality, she has never shied away from the topic in her music, frequently using female pronouns in her lyrics. She has previously stated: “But I do it in my music, and I always have. If you don’t know who I am from listening to my music, then you’re not going to figure it out from me talking to you, either.” The song “A.C.D.C.” from her Sinner album is about bisexuality.
As an executive producer on The Runaways, Jett had significant input on her depiction in the film. Stewart, best known for her role in the Twilight films, dives into the role, perfectly capturing the spirit of a punk rock teenage girl who dared to challenge conventional gender roles. As The Runaways toiled away doing club shows, Jett developed a strong bond with Currie that ultimately became sexual. The film has gained notoriety as “the film in which Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning kiss,” but their bond as depicted in the film is much deeper than that. Though the friendship never develops into a romantic relationship, the affection Jett feels for Currie is touchingly portrayed, even as Currie continues to sleep with the band’s road manager.
The Runaways alerted the sonic landscape, creating new possibilities for women in rock music and now a new generation will have the opportunity to learn more about this groundbreaking band. Additionally, the film brings important exposure to LGBT youth that is often missing from major motion pictures.
The Runaways is an exciting film made all the more vibrant by Stewart and Fanning’s engaging performances. Be sure to check it out when it’s released nationwide by indie film distributor Apparition on March 19, 2010.
Related Posts:Exclusive cineGLAAD Video: Dustin Lance Black at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival
January 25, 2010
Attendees of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival packed into the Filmmaker Lodge yesterday for cineGLAAD’s panel, LGBT Civil Rights and the Power of Film: 8: The Mormon Proposition. Kate Kendell, Executive Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, moderated the thought-provoking discussion featuring several of the people behind the festival documentary 8: The Mormon Proposition: Reed Cowan (Director); Dustin Lance Black (Narrator); Bruce Bastian (Executive Producer); and featured cast Joe Solmonese (President – Human Rights Campaign) and Dennis Herrera (San Francisco City Attorney).
8: The Mormon Proposition investigates the decades long campaign the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has been waging against the rights of gays and lesbians to marry. Panelists debated the ways in which film and media can sway public opinion as we strive to change the hearts and minds of voters who oppose equality and also provided fascinating insight into the current efforts to overturn California’s anti-gay Proposition 8.
In the coming days, check out glaadBLOG.org for exclusive video from the panel. In the meantime, below you can check out GLAAD’s Director of Entertainment Media Taj Paxton’s interview with Academy Award-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black in which he discusses the ways LGBT youth can take an active role in the movement.
Related Posts:Exclusive cineGLAAD Video: In-Demand Publicists John Murphy & Mark Pogachefsky Dispense Advice to Up and Coming Filmmakers
January 24, 2010
Last night at cineGLAAD’s Out Loud: The Role of a Publicist & Creating Buzz for Your LGBT Festival Film panel discussion, moderator Orly Ravid asked in-demand publicists John Murphy and Mark Pogachefsky about their efforts behind marketing the Academy Award-winning film Milk.
In the video below, Murphy and Pogachefsky reveal fascinating details surrounding the behind the scenes publicity of Milk and get specific about ways that 2010 Sundance Film Festival filmmakers can reach audiences with their films.
Live from the 2010 Sundance Film Festival – cineGLAAD’s Out Loud: The Role of a Publicist & Creating Buzz For Your LGBT Festival Film
January 24, 2010
In 2010, GLAAD is excited to announce a partnership with the Sundance Institute and to unveil its new multi-day programmatic event, cineGLAAD. cineGLAAD will celebrate and elevate the voices of filmmakers whose storytelling highlights the visibility and inclusion of the LGBT community.
While cineGLAAD is in the 2010 Sundance Film Festival Filmmaker Lodge, it will host three educational panel discussions where LGBT filmmakers can learn best practices for sharing their important stories with the world.
Our first panel, held yesterday, featured publicists Annie Jeeves (Fifteen Minutes PR – William S. Burroughs: A Man Within), John Murphy (Murphy PR – A Serious Man) and Mark Pogachefsky (mPRm – Howl), filmmakers Javier Fuentes-Leon (Contracorriente) and Yony Leyser (William S. Burroughs: A Man Within) and GLAAD Director of Entertainment Media, Taj Paxton as they dispensed advice to LGBT filmmakers on how to leverage their visibility and speak to the media about their films’ LGBT content.
Stay tuned later today when we bring you video of Murphy and Pogachefsky as they discuss their efforts surrounding the release of the Academy Award-winning film Milk and get specific about ways that 2010 Sundance Film Festival filmmakers can reach audiences with their films.
Related Posts:Precious Opens in Limited Release Friday, November 6
November 4, 2009
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, the deeply affecting new film from openly gay director Lee Daniels and executive producers Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, opens in select theaters nationwide this Friday, November 6.
Gabourey "Gabby" Sidibe (l.) and Paula Patton (r.) in Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, Precious follows the life of Clareece “Precious” Jones (Gabourey “Gabby” Sidibe), an overweight, illiterate teenager who is preganant for the second time by her abusive father. After being expelled, Precious begins attending “Each One, Teach One,” an alternative GED program, against the wishes of her physically and emotionally abusive mother, Mary, played masterfully by Mo’Nique. It is at this school that Precious is finally free to begin her life anew with the help of her classmates and Ms. Rain (Paula Patton), the lesbian teacher who becomes the loving mother figure Precious had always been lacking.
The three primary actresses all deliver powerful performances, but Paula Patton is particularly refreshing as Ms. Rain. Patton infuses Ms. Rain with warmth so crucial in a film with numerous wrenching scenes. The film is unquestionably hard to watch at times, but it is also very inspirational and even, at times, quite humorous.
As awards season approaches, Precious looks rightfully to be a strong contender to add to its list of accolades (in addition to Sundance, it also won the People’s Choice Award at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival) so be sure to catch it this weekend. This is one LGBT film that is not to be missed!
Related Posts:Outfest Begins Tonight
July 9, 2009
Outfest, the 27th Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, begins tonight and features 182 films from 25 countries over the span of 11 days.The Opening Night Gala is tonight at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles and features La Mission, a powerful film from writer/director Peter Bratt. The film stars Peter’s brother, Benjamin Bratt, as Che, a former inmate and recovering alcoholic who reacts violently when he discovers his beloved son Jesse is gay.
The film premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival and the cast participated in a Q&A at the Queer Lounge, a program of GLAAD:
In related news, Variety printed an excellent article about the prominence of lesbian films at this year’s Outfest:
Chasity Kershal Hammitte in Mississippi Damned
“We have two centerpieces geared toward women, Tina Mabry’s ‘Mississippi Dammed’ and Lucia Puenzo’s ‘El Nino Pas,’” says Outfest exec director Kirsten Schaffer. “And the Legacy Project gala is ‘Choosing Children’ (1984), which is more oriented toward lesbians. We also have Nancy Kissam’s ‘Drool,’ which was a huge success at Slamdance this year. And there’s ‘Ghosted’ from Monika Treut, who has a huge lesbian following.”
Diversity is key at Outfest, yet it’s an uphill battle for women, if only because there are always so many gay-male pics to contend with. “Any year we have the opportunity to highlight films by female directors we do,” says Schaffer. Last year, “there were definitely films that were lesbian, but they tended to be international and smaller films.”
Tickets are still available for numerous screenings and may be purchased at the Outfest website.
Related Posts:Lee Daniels’ Push Makes Sweet Post-Sundance Deal
February 3, 2009
Out director Lee Daniels saw his film Push: Based on the novel by Sapphire make Sundance history last month when it became only the third fest film to win both the grand jury prize and the audience award. Now Lionsgate has acquired the movie in a multi-million dollar pact, the biggest to come out of this year’s Sundance.
According to Daily Variety, Lionsgate reportedly paid north of $5 million for the film, based on the 1996 book about a Harlem teenager, and will release the film this year.
The deal was sweetened by the fact that both Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry have signed on to throw their marketing muscle behind the film’s release through their respective companies, Harpo Films and 34th Street Films.
Feel Like an OUTSIDER?
January 21, 2009
Queer Lounge hosted a panel this morning entitled, “The Outsiders: Forming Identities from the Margins.” It was a fascinating hour, moderated by Kyle Buchanan, film critic for The Advocate, and featured Mary Jane Sklaski and David Brind (Dare), Lee Daniels and Gabourey Sidibe (Push) and Steve Kelly (City Rats).
These three LGBT-inclusive films address a feeling of “otherness,” a theme which many gay films posses. The panelists are all incredibly lively and have great stories to tell. A particular highlight involves dish on Mariah Carey, who delivers a (surprisingly?) strong performance in Push: Based on the novel by Sapphire. Look for it in Part Three of the video below.
Benjamin Bratt, Peter Bratt & More Talk Up La MISSION
January 21, 2009
Brothers Benjamin and Peter Bratt visited the Queer Lounge yesterday with their cast and crew in tow, to talk up their new Sundance film, La MISSION. The movie addresses homophobia in ethnic communities and machismo culture, and promises to be an emotional and powerful film.
Castmembers Erika Alexander, Jeremy Ray Valdez and Jesse Borrego also sat on the panel, as well as John Amaechi, who helped fund the project. It was a lively discussion, one that was received well by the capacity crowd.
Please enjoy this panel in its entirety.
Amreeka Writer/Director Cherien Dabis
January 20, 2009
Cherien Dabis, a writer/director who wrote for The L Word for three seasons, is at Sundance this week with her new feature, Amreeka. The film is a lighthearted semi-autobiographical tale about a Palestinian family’s journey from their homeland to the heartland of America.
