SCREENING SCHEDULE
DATE | EVENT | LOCATION |
Friday, March 7 | Screenings | SHOWROOM CINEMA, Asbury Park, NJ |
6:00p | Doors Open | Opening Reception |
6:15p | Happy BirthGay (16 mins) – Israel | A Mom throws her son a grandiose surprise BirthGay party, celebrating a year of his coming out of the closet. |
6:30p | Sondesh (10 mins) – Bangladesh | Farhana’s seemingly content traditional marriage hides her longing for a deeper connection. A chance encounter with another woman, ignites the spark within. |
6:45p | Taper (13 mins) – United States | A Queer, Black kid going to a Predominately White Institution needs to get a haircut. He finds a Black barbershop, but finds himself having to tone down to blend in. DIRECTOR + CAST Q&A |
7:15p | But First They Must Catch Us (12 min) – United States | A meet between a trans woman and her new trans neighbor descends into a surreal spiral during which the pair finds a moment of clarity, peace, and closeness amidst an unforgiving world. DIRECTOR Q&A |
7:45p | Chase Me (3 min) – United States | When jogger Tony comes upon a curiously competitive runner, their encounter turns into a fierce race of athleticism and wits. DIRECTOR + LEAD ACTOR Q&A |
8:00p | Fabulous Seven Forever (100 mins) – United States | After more than thirty years apart, a group of high school friends reunite to memorialize their recently deceased high school drama teacher. DIRECTOR + CAST Q&A |
Saturday, March 8 | SCREENINGS | SHOWROOM CINEMA, Asbury Park, NJ |
2:00p | Doors Open | |
2:15p | Three Vendors of Ipanema (25 mins) – United States | “The Human Being is Only Free When He is Master of Himself,” these words frame the lives of three street vendors who descend from their neighborhood favelo above Rio De Janeiro’s famous Ipanema Beach in Brazil to sell their goods in the “farme” section of the beach. The three have been known and loved by the LGBTQ+ community for decades. DIRECTOR Q&A |
3:00p | Shape Notes (12 mins) – United States | A middle-aged church organist seeks help caring for his aging mother and finds the courage to start exploring his identity. DIRECTOR + LEAD ACTOR Q&A |
3:30p | It’s Always Been Me (72 mins) – Denmark | IT’S ALWAYS BEEN ME follows Max and Bastian from the end of their childhood into puberty, a chaotic time where mind and body grows apart. Max is born as a girl, but just came out as a transgender boy. Bastian is born as a boy, but feels he is a girl. DIRECTOR Q&A |
5:00p | Elijah (19 mins) – United States | A Bengali Muslim taxi driver in NYC struggles with the reality that the American Dream may never be his. Crisis hits his family when his daughter expresses her desire to live fully as a man. DIRECTOR Q&A. |
5:30p | Warm Film (90 mins) – Serbia | Torn between the desire of becoming famous, and the fear of being labeled, two young actors explore how gays were portrayed throughout the history of Yugoslav cinema. |
7:00p | Don’t Cry For Me All You Drag Queens (9 mins) – United States | “Don’t Cry For Me All You Drag Queens” pays homage to legendary New Hope (PA) drag queen Mother Cavallucci by weaving together present and past to provide a striking portrait of belonging and memory. DIRECTOR + CAST Q&A |
7:30p | Love is Merely A Madness (11 mins) – United States | Explores the challenges of finding romantic connections among the gay community in the digital age. DIRECTOR Q&A |
8:00p | Cowboy Boots (13 mins) – United States | Jack, a gay cowboy from Nebraska, finds anything but the promised land he envisioned when he visits a San Francisco gay club for the first time. |
8:15p | Bar. Boy. (20 mins) – United States | At his local gay bar, sixty-something Gary encounters twenty-something Julian. DIRECTOR + CO-PRODUCER + CAST Q&A |
8:50p | Circle (10 mins) – Turkey | A chador (female gown) brought to a men’s tailor shop confronts Arif with reality once more. |
9:00p | Avant-Drag! (92 mins) – Greece | Ten drag performers find solace in each other as they rebel against their oppressive reality and those who control it. DIRECTOR Q&A TBD |
Sunday, March 9 | MEET THE FILMMAKERS BRUNCH, AWARDS CEREMONY, SCREENINGS | QSpot LGBTQ Community Center, Asbury Park |
2:00p | Doors Open | Meet the filmmakers brunch, Awards Ceremony |
3:15p | Corahe (15 mins) – Spain | Lola and Julia work as flamenco performers in Seville, Spain. Their relationship is challenged by the survival of the flamenco tradition in modern times. DIRECTOR Q&A |
3:45 | I Need Somebody to Love Tonight (3 mins) – United Kingdom | Driven by a remake of the Sylverster tune, this is the story of someone who wakes up, cuddling their pillow, and attempts to find love via speed dating. |
3:50p | A Poings et A Coeurs (8 mins) – France | Transwomen practicing boxing talk about their experiences, their gender euphoria, problems, oppressions, but mostly talk about how they are linked by their practice of the sport. |
4:00p | Left for Dead (4 mins) – United States | Singer songwriter Laura McLean evokes the dark soul of a Southern coastal town rocked by a horrific hate crime, in her original song for the documentary film Park View, “Left for Dead.” |
4:10p | Situationship (4 mins) – United States | This short film tells the story of a queer “situationship”. It explores the magnetic connection between two women, showcasing moments of both euphoria and emotional chaos. DIRECTOR Q&A |
4:30p | It’s Always Been Me (72 mins) – Denmark | IT’S ALWAYS BEEN ME follows Max and Bastian from the end of their childhood into puberty, a chaotic time where mind and body grows apart. Max is born as a girl, but just came out as a transgender boy. Bastian is born as a boy, but feels he is a girl. |
6:00p | Media As A Mirror: A Reflection Of The Queer Experience (35 mins) – United States | A short film following five queer Rutgers students exploring their relationship with LGBTQ+ representation in media. DIRECTOR Q&A |