It’s FESTIVAL SEASON!
Every May the North American GLBT season of film festivals opens just down south in Miami, and we were there in spades. Many of your board members made the trip, including Chuck and Christopher, and I flew down there as well.
It was the first chance to meet the hardworking and dedicated Clip staff, and my chance to get a first look at the newest in queer filmmaking with an audience. Let me just say, this is proving to be a very nice season of film!
I got to hang with the boys from Tampa (where were the girls?) and also hang out with Jennifer Tilly (it’s the tenth anniversary of “Relax, It’s Just Sex.”). Jennifer is gorgeous as ever, and her producer Steven Wolfe ( ‘Twin Falls Idaho,” “Circuit,” “Hellbent,” etc) and I got to chat a bit. He was there with Jennifer and his boyfriend, and is one of the hardest working Producers in show biz, and one of the great contributors to GLBT cinema. He dropped a little dish that they’re busy in production on a sequel to “Relax,” and it should be available quite soon. Hopefully I can squeeze this connection a little bit to get us an early peek at the film?
Jay McCarroll (Project Runway’s first-ever winner) was there, and we dished on Perez Hilton, the rough business of fashion, and how he’d love to come to Tampa for our festival if we pay him a million dollars (he was kidding, right? Still, I offered to cut him a check). He has a new film out called “11 Minutes,” about the tribulations and impossible work putting together a fashion show for Bryant Park that runs, literally, 11 minutes.
Now I’m ensconced in my pad watching the dozens and dozens of film submissions sent to Tampa each year, trying to weed out the not-so-good from the great, and so far, I can report that the good is actually outweighing the bad. I’m seeing more and more films where BEING GAY isn’t the main theme at the expense of the plot or characters. Instead, like (hopefully) in society, the orientation becomes secondary to making a great film.
We’ll announce some of our choices in the next couple of weeks to whet your appetite. In the meantime, I’ll be in San Francisco for the 32nd Annual Frameline Film Fest (and will be toasting hard the wonderful Supreme Court Decision! Hopefully the quote is true, “As goes California goes the Nation!”).
As always, feel free to contact me with your thoughts, ideas, or complaints. I’m here for you! email me directly at Stephen@cliptampabay.com.
Next month, an update on SF and a preview of LA’s Outfest, arguably the largest fest in the nation!
Steph
