Friday March 18th
7:30 PM -- Jim in Bold
9:30 PM -- Sugar

Saturday March 19th
7:00 PM -- Georgie Girl
8:30 PM -- Shorts Program
9:00 PM -- My Mother Likes Women

Sunday March 20th
7:00 PM -- Brother to Brother
8:45 PM -- Yossi & Jagger RECEPTION
9:15 PM -- Yossi & Jagger

Friday, March 18th

JIM IN BOLD

Jim Wheeler, a young gay poet and artist, was the victim of extreme homophobia while growing up in rural Pennsylvania. In 1997, alone in a cold room, Jimmy took his own life. Five years later, armed only with a video camera and Jimmy's poetry, three members of the web-based initiative Young Gay America embarked on a road trip, interviewing gay and lesbian youth across America. Their stories are juxtaposed against Jimmy’s own tragic story to emphasize the hopeful alternatives to internalized societal homophobia.

Jim in Bold has won “Best Documentary” at numerous film festivals in the United States in 2003 and has been praised by Judy Shephard, mother of hate crime victim Matthew Shephard, as an important and not-to-be-missed film

POST FILM DISCUSSION with Dave Vervoort M.Sc. who is a therapist working with individuals, couples, and families from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Transsexual, Two-Spirited, Intersex, Queer and Questioning Communities. Dave runs support groups, consultation and workshops offering a variety of topics relevant to working with the LGBT communities. For more information visit his website at http://www.RainbowTherapist.com.

Directed by Glenn Holsten, Jim in Bold was made in the USA and was released in 2003. Jim in Bold is 78 minutes long.

See the extensive official film website for more information about the film, about Jim Wheeler and his works and about Young Gay America. http://www.jiminbold.com

9:30 PM

SUGAR

Based on several short stories by the acclaimed Bruce LaBruce, Sugar is a provocative, challenging and bizarrely funny coming-of-age love story. On the eve of his eighteenth birthday, Bruce leaves his sheltered suburban home to experience the downtown nightlife. There he meets and is attracted to Butch, a street-wise hustler. Through friendship and romance with Butch, Bruce’s eyes are opened to an entirely new world with all its splendors and horrors. (Taken from the official film website)

"...what director John Palmer and co-writers Jaie Laplante and Todd Klinck have done is to tease out something very shocking in LaBruce’s stories — sweetness. There’s real heart here. And much of that sweetness stems from Andre Noble’s breakout performance as the irrepressible Cliff.

Brendan Fehr (of Roswell fame) gives a smouldering performance as the troubled hustler-boyfriend — all the acting is wonderful. Scene after scene gets you hooked on Sugar." Gordon Bowness, Xtra [review]

Directed by John Palmer, Sugar was made in Canada and was released in 2004. Sugar is 78 minutes long.

See the official film website: http://www.sugarthemovie.com

Saturday, March 19th

7:00 PM

GEORGIE GIRL

What are the chances that a former prostitute of Maori descent could be elected a Member of the Parliament of New Zealand? Or of any parliament in the world? What if that person were also a transsexual? The odds may seem insurmountable, but such is the exhilarating story of Georgina Beyer as told in the documentary Georgie Girl. Moreover, Beyer was elected to represent New Zealand’s largest constituency, filled with a mostly white, rural and conservative electorate who were fully aware of her background when they elected her. Georgie Girl tracks its heroine’s experiences of prejudice and pain both as a Maori growing up in New Zealand’s white culture and as a transgendered individual living on the social and economic margins of society. But it also shows how the redoubtable Georgina used her strength and skills to triumph as a respected national political leader. (Taken from PBS’ POV synopsis of the documentary)

Directed by Annie Goldson and Peter Wells, Georgie Girl was made in New Zealand and was released in 2001. It is 70 minutes long.

See PBS’ POV website http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2003/georgiegirl/ for a comprehensive discussion of the film and the issues raised in it. Georgina Beyer’s official parliamentary website is http://www.ps.parliament.govt.nz/mp137.htm

SHORTS PROGRAM

NIGHT LIFE

WINNER OF FIRST PRIZE IN THE 2004 PLANETOUT.COM SHORT MOVIE AWARDS

The Night Life is an award-winning animated gay zombie vampire film-noir comedy.

Written & Produced by Steve Hutton CANADA, 2004, 8 minutes. (Gay Animation)

STAG PARTY

When groom Dan wakes up naked next to his best man Steven, panic and comedy ensue.

Written & Directed by Stewart Wade USA, 2004, 15 minutes.

9:00 PM

MY MOTHER LIKES WOMEN

My Mother Likes Women is a fast paced comedy about three sisters whose lives are thrown off-kilter by their mother's sudden sexual awakening. Sofia, a renowned pianist, is long separated from her daughters' father. On the occasion of her birthday she delivers a stunning announcement: she has fallen in love again! Clearly smitten, she begins to describe her new lover: somewhat younger... also a pianist. Her daughters are thrilled and want to hear more but the doorbell rings and a woman walks in! Sofia's daughters are the children of left-wing intellectuals. Yet, even their progressive background hasn't prepared them for the emotions they experience when their mother brings her new lover into their lives.

Ines Paris and Daniela Fejerman directed My Mother Likes Women. It was made in Spain and is presented in Spanish with English subtitles. It was released in 2002. My Mother likes Women is 93 minutes long.

Visit the film website: http://mymotherlikeswomen.com/

Sunday, March 20th

BROTHER TO BROTHER

Perry Williams is a gay African-American student living in New York City. When we meet him, he faces the homophobia of his black classmates, rejection by his family and the fetishes of his white lover. Perry’s life takes a turn when he meets Bruce Nugent, whom Perry recognizes as a leader of the famous Harlem Renaissance of the 1920’s. Befriending Perry, Nugent shares stories of his experiences in the artistic circle made up of Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston and many others whose passionate work and lives often ran against the liberal attitudes of their time. Backed up by his new role model and enlightened with a longer view of history, Perry grows stronger and better able to stake his own unique place in the world.

Having taken two years to research and six years to make, Brother to Brother won a Special Jury Prize for “Passion In Filmmaking” at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. (Taken from the website of The San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival at http://www.frameline.org)

Directed by Rodney Evans, Brother to Brother was made in the US and was released in 2004. The film is 94 minutes long.

See the official film website: http://www.brothertobrotherthemovie.com/

8:45 PM

YOSSI & JAGGER RECEPTION

hosted by WPIRG and WIPAC

This film screening and reception is co-sponsored by the Waterloo Israel Public Affairs Club (WIPAC, www.waterlooisrael.ca).

The film reception will be in DC 1301 prior to the screening.

9:15 PM

YOSSI & JAGGER

Based on a true story, Yossi & Jagger portrays the love affair of two Israeli officers in a remote army base on the Lebanese border. They are commanders, they are in love and they try to find a place of their own in an oppressive and rigid system, which sends them to defend a cause they do not necessarily believe in. Without flag-waving or ideological posturing, Yossi & Jagger tells the story of its two protagonists and the other young Israelis around them who are trying to survive a nearly impossible world. (Taken from the official film website.)

Eytan Fox directed Yossi & Jagger. It was made in Israel and was released in 2002. Presented in Hebrew with English subtitles, Yossi & Jagger is 67 minutes long.

See the official film website: http://www.yossiandjagger.com