Lisa Donato

Sound Unseen comes to Austin Film Society for the first time with Bobbi Jo Hart’s FANNY: THE RIGHT TO ROCK and Todd Rohal’s THE GUATEMALAN HANDSHAKE, more

By John Wildman 4 years ago

And the success of that venture, meant the next step was ready to be taken: Sound Unseen was finally going to Austin. So, on October 27 and 29, Bobbi Jo Hart’s documentary FANNY: THE RIGHT TO ROCK and Todd Rohal’s seminal indie classic THE GUATEMALAN HANDSHAKE were set to test the waters at the Austin Film Society’s theaters. Better yet, Fanny guitarist Patti Quatro was lined up to talk to filmmaker Lisa Donato (GOSSAMER FOLDS) on Thursday, and Todd Rohal agreed to attend his screening and have a conversation on film with friend and fellow director Jeff Nichols (TAKE SHELTER, MUD).

Lisa Donato’s GOSSAMER FOLDS: Film Review from OUT ON FILM 2020; delivers warm 80s story of underdogs helping each other out

By Luke Y. Thompson 5 years ago

Scott and Grey are so, so good that it’s their dynamic that matters. As a dictionary-obsessed only child, Scott spits out ten-dollar vocabulary words with hilarity and accuracy, while Grey portrays a powerful woman who may get irritated with less-enlightened folks but rarely sees herself as any kind of victim.

Women Texas Film Festival’s Justina Walford sees a benefit in film festivals going virtual that is very real

By Justina Walford 6 years ago

What I love about these films is that there are women of all ages watching these who have always settled for a protagonist kind of like them. And that is the great challenge for most of us women as we grew up with male protagonists, white female protagonsts, cis-hetero protagonists forcing us to fit our color, our identity, our queerness into those mainstream places. Nothing makes me feel better than hearing someone say, “Finally, I see me on that screen.”

Olivia Peace’s TAHARA Opens Women Texas Film Festival announces slate of films for virtual fest August 13-16 with an emphasis on LGBTQIA+ and provocative docs

By John Wildman 6 years ago

Walford added, “We love being part of the international movement to showcase female filmmakers and we know we must continue our efforts with even more force so that we change the filmmaking industry in hiring an equitable gender ratio. Our goal has always been to show the range of the female storyteller, and the depths to which women can take us via their work in film- whether it be emotional, visual, introspective, startling, shocking, and horrific.

Derek Horne curates Film Festival Alliance and Theatrical-At-Home celebrate Pride Month with 3rd Film Festival Day’s RAINBOW RETROSPECTIVE: A DECADE OF QUEER COMEDY

By John Wildman 6 years ago

“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!”

Lisa Zi Xiang’s A DOG BARKING AT THE MOON leads wins at Austin’s All Genders, Lifestyles, and Identities Film Festival (aGLIFF) Awards and Wraps Honoree-rific Fest

By John Wildman 7 years ago

aGLIFF Board President Ashley Marshall, added, “This year’s festival was such a wonderful representation of our “prism” theme, as we got to celebrate with and get to know our visiting filmmakers, film jury members, and our aGLIFF film fans. Our vision for aGLIFF is to be a place where any queer person can walk into the theater and feel seen and surrounded by family, and this year felt like a gratifying culmination of sorts of our efforts to increase the diversity of our programming, our board, and our audience, to reflect the full prism of the rainbow. I know that I came away from this year’s fest feeling full of love and appreciation for our community and I hope everyone else had the same experience.”

Rose Troche, Jim Fall Tribute Award honorees at 2019 aGLIFF; join Breakthrough Award honoree in August

By John Wildman 7 years ago

aGLIFF Artistic Director Jim Brunzell, said, “Rose and Jim are wonderful filmmakers that are not simply responsible for some classic LGBTQ+ cinema like GO FISH and TRICK, but have also lent their considerable talents to television and virtual reality projects, too. Lisa has been a fixture at aGLIFF, not only with films she has directed, but with films and alongside filmmakers that she has helped steer toward greater heights via her vision. All three exemplify the best spirit of this creative community, supporting other artists even as they push themselves toward their best work.”

FILM FESTIVAL NEWS: Jake Graf Honored at aGLIFF 2018’s Full Lineup includes the fest’s first Breakthrough Honoree, and a diverse schedule of films befitting the festival’s dedication (and title change) to the true definition of inclusiveness

By John Wildman 8 years ago

The All Genders, Lifestyles, and Identities Film Festival (aGLIFF) announced the official selections for the film festival’s 31st edition. Screening exclusively at Alamo Drafthouse Lamar (1120 S. Lamar Blvd.) in Austin, Texas on September 6-9, aGLIFF will open with the previously announced CALL HER GANDA, directed by PJ RAVAL, with Ondi Timoner’s MAPPLETHORPE, starring Matt Smith, set to make its Texas Premiere as the Closing Night selection.

THEATRICAL REVIEWS: Jennifer Reeder's SIGNATURE MOVE is a gorgeously-shot story about two women that wear lucha masks loving each other and finding their family’s acceptance

By admin 8 years ago

More than one woman is a dynamic character in this film. Three of them are, and they lead compelling lives. They aren’t completely focused on sex with each other or asserting their queerness to the world either, as is the case with some of the campier or tropier films of the LGBTQ variety. Zaynab and Alma live and love each other in a way that compels an audience to appreciate their pairing.