FILM FESTIVAL NEWS: Film Festival Alliance and Theatrical-At-Home celebrate Pride Month with 3rd Film Festival Day’s RAINBOW RETROSPECTIVE: A DECADE OF QUEER COMEDY
The Film Festival Alliance and Theatrical-At-Home presents the 3rd edition of its successful Film Festival Day virtual screening events with Rainbow Retrospective: A Decade of Queer Comedy Shorts with a special Filmmaker Q&A on Sunday, June 28. Joining in the celebration of Pride month, the special collection of some of the best LGBTQIA+ comedy shorts over the past ten years, curated by Derek Horne (Programming Director of FFA member festival Tampa Bay International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival) will provide an opportunity for film fans to both see great films (which will be available to be seen as early as Friday, June 26), as well as benefit both the filmmakers and each of the participating film festivals across the country with a share of the evening’s proceeds.
The first two Film Festival Day screenings doubled the number of participating film festivals and film organizations from the first outing to the second. The screening events have brought in more than $25,000 in total revenues and saw more than 600 people tune into each of the post-screening virtual Q&As.
GAYSHARKTANK.COM
GAYBY
The current crop of participating film festivals for Film Festival Day #3 include; Annapolis Film Festival (MD), BendFilm (OR), Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival (IL), Buffalo International Film Festival (NY), CineKink (NY), Cinetopia Film Festival (MI), Cucalorus Festival (NC), Durango Independent Film Festival (CO), Flyway Film Festival (WI), Free State Festival (KS), Indy Film Fest (IN), Out on Film (GA), OUTstream Film Fest (NC), Oxford Film Festival (MI), Phoenix Film Festival (AZ), Poppy Jasper International Film Festival (CA), RiverRun International Film Festival (NC), San Francisco Indiefest (CA), SIFF (WA), Skyline Indie Film Fest (VA), Tallgrass Film Association (KS), Tampa Bay Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival (FL), and Women Texas Film Festival (TX).
“Our Film Festival Days have really shown us, our member festivals, and filmmakers alike how we now have the opportunity to shake up what traditional film distribution look like. The last few months have exposed many cracks in the system and now is a time when (if we collaborate and support one another) we can hopefully make changes for the better in support of both independent artists and exhibitors,” said FFA Executive Director Lela Meadow-Conner. “We’re thrilled that Derek curated this line-up of some of the funniest queer short films from the last decade, and look forward to hearing him moderate the Q&A with the filmmakers – just like at a film festival!”
SPUNKLE
ONE YEAR LEASE
Derek Horne added, “This retrospective of comedy LGBTQ shorts from the past decade are fascinating to watch through the lens of when they were made – to reveal the thoughts and viewpoints at the time…ranging from films that capture the witty vocabulary and sarcasm of the times to films that portray the natural humor arising out of life’s situations. Laughter is truly good medicine. “
SOMETHING REAL
I KNOW HER
The films were culled from a selection that Horne had included in his “Laughter in Lockdown” program last month. This retrospective of humorous hits represents a fascinating time capsule of LGBTQ+ humor and evolving perspectives over the last decade. The program of crowd pleasers features multiple award-winners like Jonathan Lisecki’s GAYBY (which then went on to become a feature film) about two friends from college – one gay and one straight – that decide to have a baby the old fashioned way, and Brian Bolster’s documentary ONE YEAR LEASE featuring an escalating series of voice messages from their landlady. Two films each from film festival favorites Lisa Donato (SPUNKLE and FOXY TROT) and Guy Shalem (GAYSHARKTANK.COM and SOMETHING REAL), and Fawzia Mirza’s I KNOW HER, about two women who realize post-hookup that maybe they are too similar.
All ticket purchases for the Film Festival Day presentation of Rainbow Retrospective: A Decade of Queer Comedy Shorts will receive a one-time link to watch the movie at home. To purchase a ticket, please go to filmfestivalday.com.
FOXY TROT
RAINBOW RETROSPECTIVE: A DECADE OF QUEER COMEDY SHORTS
Films and descriptions
TRT: 77 min
FOXY TROT (2018)
Director: Lisa Donato
Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min
A lesbian couple is unexpectedly faced with their relationship issues when they take ballroom dancing lessons in a heteronormative class.
GAYBY (2010)
Director: Jonathan Lisecki
Country: USA, Running Time: 11 min
Jenn (straight) and Matt (gay) are best friends from college who are now in their thirties. Single by choice, they decide to fulfill a youthful promise to have a child together…the old fashioned way.
GAYSHARKTANK.COM (2010)
Director: Guy Shalem
Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min
In early 2010, Chatroulette.com, a website that allows people to meet other online strangers via web cam, became an internet sensation. GAYSHARKTANK.COM is a film about the first gay site told through the interactions of 25 strangers looking for love, lust, and other things you might look for on a random gay video chat.
I KNOW HER (2019)
Director: Fawzia Mirza
Country: USA, Running Time: 3 min
In the afterglow of a seemingly fated hookup, two women realize that perhaps they have a little too much in common.
ONE YEAR LEASE (2014)
Director: Brian Bolster
Told almost entirely through voice mail messages, ONE YEAR LEASE documents the travails of Brian, Thomas, and Casper as they endure a year-long sentence with Rita, the cat-loving landlady.
SOMETHING REAL (2012)
Director: Guy Shalem
Country USA, Running Time: 9 min
A celebrity-packed short with a musical twist about the bar scene in New York.
SPUNKLE (2016)
Director: Lisa Donato
Country: USA, Running Time: 13 min
A man contemplates fatherhood when his older sister and her free-spirited wife ask him to be the sperm donor and uncle of their baby.
