FILM
COURTESY THE HONOLULU RAINBOW FILM FESTIVAL
"Another Gay Movie" is among the films screening at the 17th Annual Honolulu Film Festival.
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Celebration of gay film
The annual festival devoted to the tolerance, understanding and celebration of the gay, lesbian and transgendered communities gets a name change this year. The Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival uses the multi-colored symbol as acknowledging both its local roots, as well as the flag that stands for gay and lesbian pride.
On the big screen
17th Annual Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival
» Place: The Doris Duke Theatre, Honolulu Academy of Arts, 900 S. Beretania St.
» Time: Thursday through Sunday (see schedule for specific showtimes)
» Tickets: $10 per screening (* denotes free public screening, and festival passes also available)
» Call: 381-1952 or online at hglcf.org
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Winston Welch, executive director of the Honolulu Gay & Lesbian Cultural Foundation, says there are several highlight films at this year's festival. The 7:30 p.m. Thursday opener at the Honolulu Academy of Arts' Doris Duke Theatre is the documentary "Pursuit of Equality," co-directed by Mike Shaw and producer Geoff Callan.
Callan is the brother-in-law of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, and thanks to that familial connection, he and Shaw were able to film a momentous marriage ceremony that would resonate as a hotly debated civil rights topic throughout the country and the White House. Performed before the mayor's senior staff, the iconic lesbian movement couple of Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon were wed on the morning of Feb. 12, 2004, thereby becoming the first same-sex couple to be married in the U.S.
"Pursuit of Equality" offers exclusive footage of private closed-door discussions with Newsom and his staff. Filmmakers Shaw and Callan, along with others, will be special guests of the festival.
COURTESY THE HONOLULU RAINBOW FILM FESTIVAL
"Boy Culture" screens 8 p.m. Saturday.
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As crystal methamphetamine has devastated lives here in Hawaii, it's done the same in the gay community, and the documentary "Meth" (4 p.m. Saturday) tells all about the once-secret use of "Tina" that prevails throughout the homosexual culture. Filmmaker Todd Ahlberg does a good job of both juggling revealing interviews with recovering addicts and quick-cut filmic techniques that show the seductiveness of the drug. From its origins as the "hip" drug of the circuit party scene of the '90s, to its all-too-familiar destructive results of paranoia and chemical dependency, "Meth" offers an unblinking eye -- and hope -- on a dark corner of gay life.
Sunday at 6 p.m. will be the screening of "Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema." Before the phenomenon of "Brokeback Mountain," gay and lesbian-themed films were, and still are, part and parcel of independent cinema. The documentary follows the continuing evolution of queer cinema, from early experimental films through the cutting-edge filmmakers of today. Noted filmmakers and actors such as John Waters, Alan Cumming, John Cameron Mitchell, Todd Haynes, Heather Matarazzo, Rose Troche, Gus Van Sant and Christine Vachon are interviewed.
The rest of the festival schedule:
Friday:
* 4 p.m. -- "Calling Nate," "Gender," "Yellow for Hermaphrodites: Mani's Story" and "Boy Wonder"
6 p.m. -- "Gay Sex in the '70s," "Reporter Zero," and short "Porn Proof"
8 p.m. -- "Bad Girls Behind Bars"
9:30 p.m. -- Cinema In Paradise After Dark: "How Do I Look" and "Zombie Prom"
Saturday:
2 p.m. -- Boyz Shortz: "Latch Key," "Fag," "Colorblind," "Barman," "Taco Chick & Salsa Girl," "Portfolio: My Life In 12 Frames Per Minute," "Overdue Conversation," "On the Low," "Davy and Stu" and "Murder's a Drag"
4 p.m. -- "Meth" and "Little Boy Blues"
8 p.m. -- Gala Night: "Boy Culture" and local music video "Confide In Me" ($45 admission)
Sunday:
4 p.m. -- Girlz Shortz: "Who's the Top?," "Queer Mexicana," "Possessed By Demons," "Rated F...(DL)," "Succubus," "Oasis," "Kathleen's Closet," "L.A. Dolls" and "Day One: A Period Piece"
6 p.m. -- "Fabulous!: The Story of Queer Cinema" and "Irene Williams: Queen of Lincoln Road"
8 p.m. -- Closing Night (with awards ceremony): "Another Gay Movie" with short "DeGrassi B Girlz High"
COURTESY THE HONOLULU RAINBOW FILM FESTIVAL
"Boy Culture."
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COURTESY THE HONOLULU RAINBOW FILM FESTIVAL
"DeGrassi B Girlz High" runs 8 p.m. Sunday.
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COURTESY THE HONOLULU RAINBOW FILM FESTIVAL
"Kathleen's Closet" screens with a list of other lesbian-themed short films 4 p.m. Sunday.
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COURTESY THE HONOLULU RAINBOW FILM FESTIVAL
"Another Gay Movie" runs with "DeGrassi" Sunday.
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