TIGLFF St Pete /TIGLFF Queer In Color JURY AWARD WINNER BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE
Peafowl
Directed by Sungbin Byun
PEAFOWL is a beautiful film that encapsulates a very complicated family situation between a young trans individual with their father and home community. This film tackles tradition and ritual, contemporary urban culture (drag, whacking), and gender roles in an empowered way. All perspectives (old and new traditions) are very well respected in the telling of this story, and this is what demonstrates a sophisticated telling of story. In addition, the stunning cinematography and dynamic sound design creates a very immersed experience. Gorgeous all around.
TIGLFF St Pete /TIGLFF Queer In Color Jury Award Winner for Best Documentary
Jewelle: A Just Vision
Directed By: Madeline Lim
Trailblazing Wordsmith & Activist Extraordinaire: Jewelle Gomez, the influencer of powerful lesbian fiction and tireless LGBTQ rights champion, continues to shape history with her eloquent pen and unwavering advocacy, paving the way for inclusivity and justice. A Just Vision sheds a long overdue light of her pivotal role in Black queer literature and civil rights advocacy, her overdue acclaim marks a splendid celebration of her story.
TIGLFF St Pete /TIGLFF Queer In Color JURY AWARD WINNER FOR BEST SHORT
Love Jamie
Directed by Karla Murthy
For its tender depiction of intergenerational friendship, chosen family, and art’s capacity to nourish the spirit, while bringing attention to the inhumane conditions trans inmates face while incarcerated in Texas and elsewhere.
TIGLFF Queer in Color Audience Award for Best Short
Swimming in the Dark
Directed by Pin Ru Chen
In this beautifully shot short film by Pin Ru Chen, the middle school pool is the setting of a watery emotional landscape between Wen and Ann. As they prepare for a swim competition, life’s pressures take their toll on the girls individually and on their close relationship. Swimming in the Dark is a bittersweet portrayal of both the ephemerality and eternality of young love.
TIGLFF Queer in Color Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature
Golden Delicious
Directed by Jason Karman
Everyone wants something from high school senior Jake: his father is pushing him to try out for the basketball team—an abandoned dream of his own—and his girlfriend wants to take their relationship to the next level. But it’s not until Aleks, an openly gay teen with a love for basketball, moves in across the street that Jake begins to struggle with his own desires. To get closer to Aleks, Jake devotes himself to making the basketball team—only to realize it’s not basketball he really wants.
TIGLFF Queer in Color Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature
Kenyatta: Do Not Wait Your Turn
Directed By Timothy Harris
“Let people who are closest to the pain, be closest to the power.” So says Malcolm Kenyatta, State Representative from the North Philly district of Pennsylvania and the first Queer person of color in the Pennsylvania State House. Executive Producer, Al Roker (and others) and filmmaker Timothy Harris chronicle Malcolm’s quest for the U.S. Senate amid the stark reality of the blatant racism and homophobia engrained in the political process of this country.
TIGLFF Tampa JURY AWARD WINNER BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE
The Lost Boys (Le Paradis)
Directed by Zeno Graton
This compelling love story brings the poetics of Jean Genet to the setting of a modern youth correctional facility. The two talented leads, Khalil Ben Gharbia and Julien de Saint, have great chemistry as Joe and William. Their love grows between passing glances and between the cracks of an institution of endless regulation and surveillance. The film has visuals that linger and it captures how powerful it can be to find one person who understands you in the world of a broken system.
TIGLFF Tampa Jury Award Winner for Best Documentary
Chasing Chasing Amy
Directed BySav Rodgers
The documentary demonstrates the power films can have in shaping our identity as we're longing for an understanding of ourselves as Queer members of society. The film provides a unique analysis of a film that changes as one matures, gains new experiences and insight, and transforms into someone who sees a film with a more rigorous set of expectations about representation.
TIGLFF Tampa JURY AWARD WINNER FOR BEST SHORT
The Art of Making the Simple, Complicated
Directed by Karla Enriqueta Noriega & Maria Jose Noriega
This short film takes us on a narrative journey alongside the protagonist’s own inner struggle. As audience members, we can feel the tension through the shots, the acting, the music, and the fragmented dialogue with the protagonist’s mother. Pool water, beans, tea bags, mirrors, landscapes, and paintings all play a role in telling a story that struggles to come out, but at an entertaining pace. In the end, it’s a lesson in how simple it can be to tell and move on to better things to come.
TIGLFF Tampa Audience Award for Best Short
Flag Act
Susana Darwin, 2023, Florida, 10 min
Simone has run afoul of the FLAG Act, a new law which prohibits the flying of “provocative” flags. As a conflict escalates, she coolly defends her right to free speech, including the flying of a rainbow flag.
TIGLFF Tampa Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature
Lie With Me (Arrête avec tes mensonges)
Olivier Peyon, 2023, France, 100 min.
Based on the bestselling French novel, Lie With Me is a story about lost love and the importance of being true to yourself. Established author Stéphane Belacourt (Guillaume de Tonquédec) returns to his beautiful hometown to promote a renowned local cognac distillery and deliver a keynote speech. Stéphane doesn’t blend naturally with the bourgeoisie in attendance because he has always been open about his sexuality and because he hasn’t had a drop to drink in years.
TIGLFF Tampa Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature
Black Barbie
Lagueria Davis, 2023, USA, 100 min.
“It took 21 years for one black fashion doll to be worthy of the Barbie name.” So says award winning Queer director, Lagueria Davis (Maid of Dishonor) who decided to make “Black Barbie” after spending time with her Aunt Beulah Mae Mitchell, a 45-year employee at Mattel. Those conversations sparked a curiosity about the evolution of Black Barbie leading to complex conversations of race, body image and social influence. Davis’ compelling documentary begins by exploring the history of Black women at Mattel, breaking barriers, and inspiring little Black girls in the 70’s. Davis doesn’t hold back in her reflections of adult influential Black women moved to tears as they recount their longing and confusion as little girls who loved dolls that were white, with flowing long hair.