QFest
The sixth annual edition of QFest St. Louis will be more than fabulous - it will be simply DIVINE! The event will be held Thursday, June 6 - Sunday, June 9, 2013, in the Winifred Moore Auditorium at Webster University. QFest uses the art of contemporary gay cinema to spotlight the diversity and inherent complexities of living an alternative lifestyle in today's society. This year's event will feature an eclectic slate of contemporary LGBTQ-themed feature films, documentaries, and shorts. Contact artistic director Chris Clark for additional details, questions, and the mega cool perks of sponsoring the event or a QFest film: chris@cinemastlouis.org or 314.289.4152.
Tickets
All screenings will be held at the Webster University’s Winifred Moore Auditorium, 470 E. Lockwood Ave. in Webster Groves. Individual tickets are $12 general admission, $10 for students and Cinema St. Louis members with valid and current photo IDs, and free for Webster U. students. Advance tickets will be available through Brown Paper Tickets (search for QFest St. Louis). For more information, call 314.289.4152.
Married & Counting
Married & Counting
A same-sex couple celebrates their 25th anniversary by traveling the country to marry in every state that will legally let them. Along the way they find acceptance from strangers, rejection from loved ones, and discover that no distance is too far to go to declare that their marriage counts. Narrated by George Takei, Time Magazine calls the film "Equal parts love story and political protest"
Director Allan Piper, plus subjects Pat Dwyer and Stephen Mosher will attend. Immediately following the screening will be a wedding reception at Cravings.
Advance tickets: http://marriedandcounting.brownpapertickets.com/
Carla
Carla
While Carla, a male-to-female pre-op transsexual, contemplates on how to come up with the cash needed to complete her transition and is faced with the hardship of being dejected from her family she meets Sam, a regular great guy who likes her the way she is. But when Carla suddenly gets the cash needed for her various surgeries, Sam has second thoughts about their relationship. Now Carla is faced with the tough dilemma, if she transitions she loses Sam and if she doesn’t she may just lose herself.
Actress Joslyn Defreece, who plays Carla, will attend.
Advance tickets: http://carla.brownpapertickets.com
A stranger poses as a home buyer, and as the owner’s wife gives him a tour, he recalls a memorable night when a fatal promise was made. Website
also shown with:
Putting the “I” in Trans (Steen Starr, 2012, 5 min.) In June 2011, a major Canadian newspaper featured an article, “Gay Activisim Makes Comeback,” whose poor proofreading prompted this humorous mockumentary.
I Am Divine
I Am Divine
The story of Divine, aka Harris Glenn Milstead, from his humble beginnings as an overweight, teased Baltimore youth to internationally recognized drag superstar through his collaboration with filmmaker John Waters. Spitting in the face of the status quos of body image, gender identity, sexuality, and preconceived notions of beauty, Divine was the ultimate outsider turned underground royalty. With a completely committed in-your-face style, he blurred the line between performer and personality, and revolutionized pop culture. This definitive biographical portrait charts the legendary icon’s rise to infamy and emotional complexities.
This brief elegy honors the memory and tomb of Oscar Wilde.
Interior. Leather Bar.
Interior. Leather Bar.
The controversial 1980 film “Cruising,” which explored (or exploited) the S&M gay subculture, was forced by the MPAA to cut 40 minutes of sexually explicit material. Filmmakers James Franco and Travis Mathews re-imagine what might have transpired in those lost scenes in this intriguing film. The result is a provocative film about the importance of the radical and transgressive in society and the value of engaging with things that scare us. The films grapples with the need to challenge normalcy, the interplay of celebrity and experimentation, and the dilemma faced by actors struggling to reconcile who they are in life with who they portray on screen.
A conservative English teacher tells his best friend about a hot one-night stand with a Latin man that took him well out of his comfort zone.
Breaking Through
Breaking Through
LGBT elected officials from across the country – including Tammy Baldwin, the first openly gay U.S. senator – share their stories, providing a deeply personal, rarely seen side of politicians and gay people. The subjects reveal how they broke through internal and external barriers – from self-doubt over gender identity and sexual orientation to the challenges of racial prejudice and poverty – to achieve the future they envisioned. In discussing why they were compelled to run for public office and how they overcame fear, stereotypes and personal attack, they reaffirm that life’s possibilities are limitless.
Discouraged as teenagers by the macho world of sports, a diverse group of transplanted gay men in San Francisco ultimately finds something more encompassing than just a place to play soccer: camaraderie, extended family, political refuge and love.
Scary Normal
Scary Normal
Chelsea just wants to be a typical teenager, but her stepdad’s job as a director of low-budget indie horror films makes that impossible. Surrounded by an array of wild characters, Chelsea finds her life both embarrassing and frustrating. When she meets Danielle, a fiery young lesbian who has been rejected by her own family, they form a tender bond that allows Chelsea to re-evaluate her desire for a so-called ordinary life and to appreciate her wacky extended family.
In this anti-romantic, offbeat love story, June and October are breaking up, and a confused October learns from a friendly waitress that revenge is a dish best served with pie.
Tennessee Queer
Tennessee Queer
Religion, politics and gay pride clash when out and proud New Yorker Jason Potts returns home to the small Tennessee town where he grew up to make life better for the LGBT teenagers living there. In a bid to give the kids some hope, Jason plans to hold the first-ever gay pride parade down the town’s main street. Unknown to Jason, a conservative politician plots to use the parade as a means to identify who is gay in town, and he prepares with his minister a nefarious plan to send the lot of them off to an ex-gay Bible camp.
Producer/ writer Mark Jones will attend.
Advance tickets: http://tennesseequeerstl.brownpapertickets.com
An interracial couple is adopting a newborn baby, but after they meet the expectant Asian birthmother, they receive a surprise that threatens their relationship.
Corpus Christi: Playing with Redemption
Corpus Christi: Playing with Redemption
A documentary about Terrence McNally’s controversial play “Corpus Christi,” which portrays Jesus and his disciples as gay and living in 1950s Texas, this film follows a 2006 production of the play from its beginnings in a small California church. Within months, the actors find themselves thrust onto the world stage, touring with the play to international acclaim. The troupe and the playwright share their stories with supporters and protesters as their travels take them to communities where hate and bigotry are all too prevalent. Mirroring a range of contemporary issues – civil rights, marriage equality, AIDS, separation of church and state – the play serves as a vehicle for change and gives voice to the gay community.
Advance tickets: http://corpuschristi.brownpapertickets.com
Singer/songwriter/producer Darren Ockert struggles daily to make it in the music business as an openly gay artist.
I Do
I Do
This poignant romantic drama features an emotionally complicated love triangle. After a surprise visit from immigration officials, Jack, a gay Brit, convinces his lesbian best friend, Ali (Jamie-Lynn Siglar of “The Sopranos”), to marry him so he can get U.S. citizenship and honor his commitment to his dead brother's widow and young daughter. But things get messy when he falls for a sexy Spanish architect. Will Jack stay in the U.S. with his family or follow his lover to Spain for a new life and chance at love?
G.B.F.
G.B.F.
The fight for supremacy between a high school’s most popular girls takes an unexpected turn when Tanner (Michael Willet of “The United States of Tara”) becomes its first openly gay student. As the girls compete to bag the latest in fashion accessories, the Gay Best Friend, Tanner must choose between his skyrocketing popularity and his own GBF (Paul Iacono of “The Hard Times of RJ Berger”). Director Darren Stein (“Jawbreaker”) returns with another hilarious comic send-up of high-school clique culture, including memorable cameos by Megan Mullally (“Will and Grace”) and Natasha Lyonne (“American Pie”).
A 20-year-old Latino boy returns to his hometown after a year of big changes while he was away at school.
For information about slide advertising and sponsorship opportunities at the 2013 QFest, please click HERE.
Parking
Parking may be a challenge due to the annual Webster Groves Art & Air Festival taking place all weekend across the street on the campus of Eden Seminary. Please allow extra time for parking and walking a little further to Webster U. and Moore Auditorium, which is in Webster Hall right across the street from Eden and the festival. Look for the castle-like structure in the middle of the circular drive in the northernmost face of the campus on Lockwood. The main doors lead directly to the theater. This will be an awesome St. Louis summer weekend, so please come early to enjoy this wonderful outdoor event before coming to QFest. Directions & Parking