9 DEAD GAY GUYS
(UK, NR, 2003, 75 min)
Viewer's Guide: Graphic sexual content, explicit nudity, language and violence.

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 TORONTO LESBIAN AND GAY
    VIDEO AND FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 LONDON LESBIAN AND GAY FILM
    FESTIVAL
  2003 OUTFEST LOS ANGELES GAY AND
    LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 MELBOURNE QUEER FILM
    FESTIVAL
  2003 MIAMI GAY AND LESBIAN FILM
    FESTIVAL
  2002 CANNES FILM FESTIVAL

Possibly the most offensively funny gay movie ever made, 9 Dead Gay Guys throws political correctness out the window and delivers some incredibly demented belly laughs. New to London, Irish slackers Kenny and Byron find they can make beer money by offering sexual favors to the aging men at the local gay pub. Along the way they get embroiled in more gay drama then they bargained for, introducing them to a comic assortment of stereotypical characters, including a cattle-prod wielding midget, a trio of well-endowed black men, a size queen Orthodox Jew, an unhygienic Indian taxi driver and one bad-ass, big breasted diesel-dyke. Premiering to a scandalized reception at Cannes last year, the debut feature from Irish director Lab Ky Mo has garnered international condemnation as well as praise. But for all its crudeness and rudeness, this ain't no "Jackass" for gays - it's actually a gentle, sweet-natured tickler. This is the over the top, offend-one-offend-them-all British comedy of the year!
North Carolina premiere
Sat 11:15pm

200 AMERICAN
(US, NR, 2003, 84 min)
Viewer's Guide: Nudity and language.

FILMMAKER SCHEDULED TO ATTEND!

Sponsored by Railroad Video

200 American is a stunning dramatic feature about a sexy young hustler from Australia who finds more than the same old tricks in New York City. Desperate and needing money to stay in the US, Ian soon meets Conrad, the owner of a powerful advertising agency. In a gesture of goodwill, Conrad hires Ian to work for his company...as well as for himself on the side. Writer/Director Richard LeMay tells the story of two very different men trying to find themselves in a touching, sometimes twisted and often funny movie that poses the question, "How much are you worth?"
North Carolina premiere
Sun 3:00pm

ALMA MATER
(US, NR, 2003, 84 min)
Viewer's Guide: Mature themes.

WINNER! BEST FEATURE:
  2002 AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 TORONTO LESBIAN AND GAY
    VIDEO AND FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 FLORIDA FILM FESTIVAL

Sponsored by Lorraine D. Johnson
  of the Principal Financial Group

Alma Mater is a compelling and emotional drama that interweaves the lives of several individuals and their various layers of denial and deceit in the weeks leading up to the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Set against the backdrop of Harvard University, the film follows Associate Professor Arthur Knight (whose claim to fame is that he was Kennedy’s freshman-year roommate) as he is denied tenure. His wife, Gwen, soon suspects him of having a relationship with his student, Molly. However, the truth is that he has been having an affair with a man for the past several years. Alma Mater captures the look and feel of the 1960s as it grapples with the changing social politics of gender, sexuality, religion and class as a new era in American politics begins to unfold.
North Carolina premiere
Sat 7:15pm

THE ART OF COMING OUT
(US, NR, 2003, 11 min)
Viewer's Guide: Mature themes.

FILMMAKER SCHEDULED TO ATTEND!

North Carolina filmmaker Carol Thomson brings us this insightful short documentary that looks at lesbian artists and the role “coming out” has played in their art and lives. Art was filmed and produced in Australia and features performances by American singer/songwriter SONiA of disappear fear as well as members from Australia’s Citrus Witches, a community theatre group in Brisbane.
North Carolina premiere
Sat 11:00am

BACKSEAT DETOUR
(US, NR, 2003, 12 min)
Viewer's Guide: Nudity.

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 LONDON LESBIAN AND GAY FILM
    FESTIVAL
  2003 MELBOURNE QUEER FILM
    FESTIVAL

Catherine is back from college for Thanksgiving. Stuck in the car with her parents at a train crossing, there’s never been a better time to share her ‘secret’.
North Carolina premiere
Sat 3:00pm   Sun 12:10pm
and during Sneak Peeks Aug 4-5

BEAUTEOUS
(US, NR, 2003, 24 min)
Viewer's Guide: Mature themes.

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL
    LESBIAN AND GAY FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 OUTFEST LOS ANGELES GAY AND
    LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 LONDON LESBIAN AND GAY FILM
    FESTIVAL
  2003 MELBOURNE QUEER FILM
    FESTIVAL
  2003 TORONTO LESBIAN AND GAY
    VIDEO AND FILM FESTIVAL

A humorous look at a Long Island beauty queen who realizes that she is much more than just a pretty face. In the days leading up to her senior prom, where Donatella has been nominated for prom queen, she begins to explore her sexuality and intellect. Searching for herself in confusing and claustrophobic spaces, Donatella finds refuge from her plastic world in her imagination, her poetry and her desire for Mina, the girl in her English class.
North Carolina premiere
Sat 3:00pm   Sun 12:10pm
and during Sneak Peeks Aug 4-5

BETWEEN TWO WOMEN
(UK, NR, 2003, 92 min)
Viewer's Guide: Mature themes.

WOMEN’S CENTERPIECE FILM

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL
    LESBIAN AND GAY FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 OUTFEST LOS ANGELES GAY AND
    LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 MELBOURNE QUEER FILM
    FESTIVAL

Sponsored by Accent Hardwood Flooring

The favored genre of British melodrama comes of age in Between Two Women, a classically performed story of forbidden love, class divisions, social roles and destiny. Suffocating in a dull northern England industrial town in 1957, Ellen is a determined housewife and mother balancing the needs of her dissatisfied husband while encouraging her son, Victor, to pursue his art career. Wavering in her allegiances, Ellen discovers her own desires upon meeting Victor’s art teacher, Kathy, with whom an engaging friendship ensues. Between country picnics and long conversations, Kathy and Ellen develop increasingly joyful yet more complex feelings for each other. Their relationship stirs feelings of hope and resolve as Ellen strives to challenge the local social order and take the first step toward claiming her true destiny. Between Two Women is a memorable, profoundly moving drama in the British tradition of quality.
North Carolina premiere
Sat 7:20pm

BODY: A WOMEN’S DEFINITION
(US, NR, 2002, 41 min)
Viewer's Guide: Language.

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 TORONTO LESBIAN AND GAY
    VIDEO AND FILM FESTIVAL

Join us for a look at the world of women’s bodybuilding as eight women pump themselves up in preparation for the 1998 Gay Games. Bodybuilding isn't just a vanity sport for these women; it is a means by which they have dramatically transformed their lives. Interviews and scenes from competitions illustrate how bodybuilding has become a way for some women to transform their lives and build self-esteem. Honest personal accounts examine these women's passion and drive for making their bodies powerful works of art.
North Carolina premiere
Sat 9:00am
and during Sneak Peeks Aug 4-5

BROTHER OUTSIDER: THE LIFE OF BAYARD RUSTIN
(US, NR, 2002, 84 min)
Viewer's Guide: Mature themes.

WINNER! AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST
  DOCUMENTARY:
  2003 SAN FRANCISCO
    INTERNATIONAL LESBIAN AND GAY
    FILM FESTIVAL

WINNER! AUDIENCE AWARD:
  2003 NEW YORK LESBIAN AND GAY
    FILM FESTIVAL

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 OUTFEST LOS ANGELES GAY AND
    LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 LONDON LESBIAN AND GAY FILM
    FESTIVAL
  2003 TORONTO LESBIAN AND GAY
    VIDEO AND FILM FESTIVAL

OFFICIAL SITE:
www.rustin.org

Sponsored by
  the North Carolina Steering Committee
    for HRC
  and
  Southerners on New Ground (SONG)

This stirring documentary tells the story of a forgotten American hero with a rich and fascinating chronicle of civil rights struggles in the late twentieth century. Bayard Rustin has long dwelt in the shadow of Martin Luther King, Jr.-partly by his own design, and partly through the complicity of activists, politicians and historians. From his collegiate days as a music student enthralled by the ideals of Communism, to his imprisonment for conscientious objection to WWII, to his crucial role advising King, Jr. on the tactics of nonviolent resistance, Rustin is shown as a tireless and intrepid organizer determined to hold America to its promises. Directors/producers Nancy Kates and Bennett Singer have carefully crafted a documentary that finally gives Rustin his due.
Fri 5:00pm

COMING OUT
(US, NR, 2003, 74 min)
Viewer's Guide: Mature themes.

OFFICIAL SITE:
www.comingOutMovie.com

Revealing one’s self as “gay” is a painful and triumphant process known as “Coming Out”. This film chronicles such stories as told by the gay men and lesbians who lived them.
North Carolina premiere
Sat 11:00am

DIFFERENT SHADES OF PINK
(Australia, NR, 2003, 45 min)
Viewer's Guide: Mature themes.

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL
    LESBIAN AND GAY FILM FESTIVAL

Two major issues have been widely debated in Australia in recent years-multiculturalism and homosexuality. Becoming increasingly open and accepted, lesbian and gay culture is transforming the urban scene in major cities such as Sydney and Melbourne. Different Shades of Pink examines cross-cultural love through the lives of three Sydney gay couples: James, a white man, and his partner Paul, originally from Singapore; Howard, a Chinese man from Malaysia, and his white boyfriend David; and Dan, also a white man, recalls memories of his greatest love, Bruce, an African-American man from Los Angeles. Humorous and intimate, Different Shades of Pink is an in-depth look at race and a celebration of love.
North Carolina premiere
Thurs 5:10pm

EDEN’S CURVE
(US, NR, 2003, 93 min)
Viewer's Guide: Nudity and language.

FILMMAKER SCHEDULED TO ATTEND!

WINNER! BEST FEATURE
  2003 NCGLFF EMERGING FILM AWARD

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 TORONTO LESBIAN AND GAY
    VIDEO AND FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 LONDON LESBIAN AND GAY FILM
    FESTIVAL
  2003 PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL
    GAY AND LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 MIAMI GAY AND LESBIAN FILM
    FESTIVAL

Sponsored by the Triangle Business
  and Professional Guild

Filmed in North Carolina but set in 1973 in an exclusive Virginian college, Eden’s Curve is a rich and poetic portrait of privilege, friendship, love and betrayal set against a backdrop of fraternity life. 18-year old freshman Peter (Sam Levine) is a handsome, muscular poetry student, unprepared for an emotional first year that will have devastating consequences and alter his life forever. When a game of hide-and-seek becomes intimate, Peter finds himself caught up in a menage-a-trois with Joe, his second year roommate and Joe's girlfriend Bess. Unbeknownst to Peter, Joe and Bess have been here before as their relationship runs more smoothly if they are involved in a threesome. Ultimately, jealousy and tension flare up, and passions spiral out of control. This lyrical debut feature from director/cinematographer Anne Misawa is based on a true story adapted from a script by Hart Monroe and Jerry Meadors. Eden's Curve is a powerful account of life in rural America which pulsates with sensual, time-lapsed, dreamy multi-textured imagery.
North Carolina premiere
Sat 5:00pm
and during Sneak Peeks Aug 4-5

ELI PARKER IS GETTING MARRIED?
(US, NR, 2003, 91 min)
Viewer's Guide: Nudity and language.

FILMMAKER SCHEDULED TO ATTEND!

OFFICIAL SITE:
www.eliparker.com

“You, me, handcuffs and a big canoe.” On the morning of his wedding, Eli Parker finds himself naked, in the middle of a cotton field and handcuffed to his equally naked best man, who chooses this particular moment to come out to him. And that’s just the beginning! Having played notorious wedding day pranks on all of his college buddies, it appears Eli is finally getting a taste of his own medicine.
North Carolina premiere
Sun 12:40pm
and during Sneak Peeks Aug 4-5

THE EMBALMER
(NR, 2003, 104 min)
Viewer's Guide: Graphic violence, nudity and language.

DIRECTOR’S FORTNIGHT:
  2002 CANNES FILM FESTIVAL

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 MIAMI GAY AND LESBIAN FILM
    FESTIVAL

Sponsored by the Nevermore Film Festival

No movie in this year's festival quite rivals The Embalmer for sheer dream-like intensity. A vision of the psychological extremes that unrequited erotic obsessions can create, The Embalmer has a deceptively placid surface. Peppino, a dwarfish, homely-looking taxidermist with horrible teeth, takes an interest in Valerio, a gorgeous young man who is biding his time unproductively as a waiter. Peppino takes Valerio on as an assistant, even though he can't really afford it and Valerio is overwhelmed with gratitude for the mentorship. Peppino's attitude soon begins to take on uncomfortably sexual possessive overtones, that everyone except Valerio sees - at first. This is an audacious film that plays with perception and memory like the hit film Memento. The feverish, spellbinding The Embalmer pushes the very concept of "gay film" to the edge. "Disturbing, compelling...Pulls the audience into a dark, mesmerizing world that never loosens its grip!" - Variety. In Italian with English subtitles.
North Carolina premiere

Thurs 7:00pm	Fri 6:45pm	Sat 11:20am	Sat 5:25pm
Sat 9:30pm	Sun 12:20pm	Sun 6:40pm
and throughout Après-Fest Aug 11-14

FACE FIRST
(US, NR, 2003, 5 min)
Viewer's Guide: Graphic sexual content.

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 LONDON LESBIAN AND GAY FILM
    FESTIVAL

Controversial filmmaker Todd Verow (Frisk) has assembled a collection of "face and dick" shots forwarded to him over the Internet to produce a poignant commentary on gay male sexuality, intimacy, and the impact of the Internet on both of these.
North Carolina premiere
Sun 6:50pm

FOXHOLE
(US, NR, 2003, 12 min)
Viewer's Guide: Mature themes.

FILMMAKER SCHEDULED TO ATTEND!

2003 STUDENT ACADEMY AWARDS:   REGIONAL WINNER/FINAL JURY
    SELECTION, DOCUMENTARY
    CATEGORY
  BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM NOMINEE

Foxhole is a documentary that describes the story of two US battalion commanders finding each other during the Vietnam War, where the only protection is a foxhole. The foxhole provides protection from danger but takes away certain freedoms.
North Carolina premiere
Sun 5:00pm

FRIENDS AND FAMILY
(US, NR, 2003, 87 min)
Viewer's Guide: Language, violence and brief nudity.

MEN'S CENTERPIECE FILM

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 MIAMI GAY AND LESBIAN FILM
    FESTIVAL
  2003 MELBOURNE QUEER FILM
    FESTIVAL

OFFICIAL SITE:
www.friendsandfamily-themovie.com

Sponsored by J. Scott Harmon, Architect

Stephen and Danny are a handsome Manhattan couple that have it all - a fabulous house, good friends, lots of money - and most importantly, each other. Then, one day, a surprise visit from Stephen’s midwestern parents threatens to blow the boys’ big secret. The secret? Not that Stephen and Danny are gay - Stephen’s parents know all about that. What they don’t know is that their son and his boyfriend are hit men for the Mafia! For years, Stephen has been telling his parents that he and Danny run a successful catering business. To make matters worse, Stephen’s meddlesome Mom now asks him to throw a birthday banquet for his FBI-agent Dad. Boasting two hunky stars, a first-rate cast - including Tony LoBianco, Brian Lane Green, Greg Lauren, Tovah Feldshuh, Mesach Taylor and Anna Maria Alberghetti - and lush, high-budget production values, Friends and Family is giddy fun, from beginning to end.
North Carolina premiere
Sat 9:20pm

GAY PROPAGANDA
(US, NR, 2003, 20 min)
Viewer's Guide: Mature themes.

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL
    LESBIAN AND GAY FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 TORONTO LESBIAN AND GAY
    VIDEO AND FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 MIAMI GAY AND LESBIAN FILM
    FESTIVAL

Eleven hilarious queer recreations of your favorite Hollywood films, including The Gay Graduate, From Queer to Eternity, Hung Frankenstein, Reservoir Dykes....
North Carolina premiere
Fri 9:00pm   Sat 5:20pm

THE GIFT
(US, NR, 2003, 61 min)
Viewer's Guide: Strong sexual content and language.

OPENING NIGHT FILM

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL
    LESBIAN AND GAY FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 OUTFEST LOS ANGELES GAY AND
    LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 LONDON LESBIAN AND GAY FILM
    FESTIVAL
  2003 TORONTO LESBIAN AND GAY
    VIDEO AND FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 MELBOURNE QUEER FILM
    FESTIVAL
  2003 MIAMI GAY AND LESBIAN FILM
    FESTIVAL

Sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline

This groundbreaking, controversial film investigates the chilling stories about gay men who seem to be actively pursuing unprotected sex for the purpose of sero-conversion. The Gift takes a hard look at “gift givers” (HIV-positive men who give the gift of HIV infection) and “bug chasers” (HIV-negative men who deliberately become infected with HIV) in an age of Internet chat rooms, frenzied sex parties and improved HIV treatments. Director Louise Hogarth interviews men who practice barebacking as well as individuals who continue the fight to educate the community about safe-sex practices. The testimonies are profoundly riveting and often conflicted, raising issues of personal choice and public morality. The Gift shines a light on the challenges of HIV prevention and the mixed messages that fuel a psychologically complex and potentially deadly phenomenon.
North Carolina premiere
Wed 7:00pm

GIRL KING
(Canada, NR, 2002, 80 min)
Viewer's Guide: Nudity and language.

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 TORONTO LESBIAN AND GAY
    VIDEO AND FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 MIAMI GAY AND LESBIAN FILM
    FESTIVAL
  2003 LONDON LESBIAN AND GAY FILM
    FESTIVAL
  2003 MELBOURNE QUEER FILM
    FESTIVAL
  2003 OUTFEST LOS ANGELES GAY AND
    LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL

Part lesbian sexcapade, part adventure, part teen romance, Girl King is a completely original dragking pirate movie. Two castaways, the hot and handsome virgin Butch (Chrystal Donbrath-Zinga) and her maiden Claudia (Michael-Ann Conner), are captured by Captain Candy (Raven Courtney) and her wrathful dominatrix mistress, the Queen (Victoria Deschanel). Decidedly tongue-in-cheek, Girl King is a sexy and thoughtful tale that explores gender, sexuality and butch/femme roles. This stylish second feature from director Ileana Pietrobruno is enhanced by a mesmerizing original score from electronic music whiz Amon Tobin.
North Carolina premiere
Sat 3:00pm   Sun 12:10pm

HOOKED
(US, NR, 2003, 60 min)
Viewer's Guide: Language.

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL
    LESBIAN AND GAY FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 LONDON LESBIAN AND GAY FILM
    FESTIVAL
  2003 MIAMI GAY AND LESBIAN FILM

OFFICIAL SITE:
www.hookedmovie.com

Hooked is a new documentary that goes behind screen names and instant messages to reveal real men. Director Todd Ahlberg recruited for his documentary by posting ads in Internet chat rooms - and was inundated with more than 1,200 responses. About two-dozen men from across the country speak frankly about how they behave online (yes, some boys do lie!) - and about the risks they take trying to meet Mr. Right Now. Appropriately, Ahlberg interviewed several men over the Internet by web-cam.
North Carolina premiere
Sun 6:50pm

I EXIST
(US, NR, 2003, 54 min)
Viewer's Guide: Language.

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 TORONTO LESBIAN AND GAY
    VIDEO AND FILM FESTIVAL

FILM-MAKERS’ SITE:
www.unlearninghomophobia.com/ie.html

Either exoticized or hated and feared as possible terrorists, four million Middle Easterners living in the United States contend with racism perpetuated by the media and by the U.S. government itself. Yet for 10 percent of the Middle Eastern population, their identities are complicated further by identifying as queer. I Exist is a documentary that gives voice to an invisible queer Middle Eastern community in desperate need of recognition. Through these personal stories of courage, strength, and love, we learn how individuals and families are breaking cultural barriers.
North Carolina premiere
Sun 6:50pm

JIM IN BOLD
(US, NR, 2003, 80 min)
Viewer's Guide: Mature themes.

FILMMAKER SCHEDULED TO ATTEND!

Best Documentary (Audience)
   Ft. Worth Gay & Lesbian
     International Film Festival

Opening Night Featured Film   Indianapolis Lesbian and Gay
     Film Festival  

QueerDoc Documentary Film Festival (Sydney, Australia)

OFFICIAL SITE:
www.jiminbold.com

Jimmy Wheeler had hopes and dreams. He was a gifted poet and painter who understood the power of words. He had a loving family who supported and cared for him. But for Wheeler, growing up gay in rural Pennsylvania was too much to take. In 1997, alone in a cold room, he took his own life. Five years later, armed with video equipment and determined to show the world how times have changed, Benjie Nycum, Mike Glatze, and Scott MacPhee of online magazine Young Gay America embark on a road trip adventure. Jim In Bold is the story of a boy who dreamed of a better world and the people who live his dream today.
North Carolina premiere
Sun 4:50pm

KM.0 (KILOMETER ZERO)
(Spain, NR, 2002, 105 min)
Viewer's Guide: Brief nudity and language.

CLOSING NIGHT FILM

WINNER! AUDIENCE AWARD:
  PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL GAY
    AND LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 OUTFEST LOS ANGELES GAY AND
    LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL

From the directors of Amor de Hombre, comes Km.0, an exuberant sex farce that takes a frenzied peek at 14 people whose lives intersect on a hot summer day in Madrid. Seven couples arrange to meet at Kilometer 0, Spain’s imaginary center point (and a popular cruising spot). In this tale of mistaken identity, the confusion finds unexpected erotic interludes, new friendships, hot and bothered sexual escapades and romantic couplings. It’s gay, straight, young, old, in a hopelessly tangled but seamlessly connected comedy of errors. Km.0 is a boy-meets-boy-meets-girl-meets-boy story that’s great fun for everyone. Amidst the heat, dreams are realized, clothing is shed and romance triumphs! Spanish with English subtitles
North Carolina premiere
Sun 7:00pm

LIFE ON CHRISTOPHER STREET
(US, NR, 2003, 30 min)
Viewer's Guide: Language.

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL
    LESBIAN AND GAY FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 LONDON LESBIAN AND GAY FILM
    FESTIVAL

An intriguing look at the young, black gay (mostly) men and lesbians who gravitate to New York’s “gay ghetto” of Christopher Street, where as gang members, hip hop homeys or rappers they can get away from the straight dominated neighborhoods where they live. The world of the ‘homothug’ is very different from the traditional, muscled, white, middle-class image of Christopher Street.
North Carolina premiere
Wed 7:00pm

MELISSA ETHERIDGE LIVE...AND ALONE
(US, NR, 2003, 78 min)
Viewer's Guide: Mature themes.

Sponsored by Ben & Jerry's
  Homemade Ice Cream

This stunning new film is no made-for-TV performance piece. Filmed at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles during her sold-out “Live...and Alone” tour, this feature-length motion picture is a pure unadulterated rock film reminiscent of Gimme Shelter and The Last Waltz that captures the essence of Melissa Etheridge.
North Carolina premiere
Fri 11:00pm   Sat 1:25pm   Sat 11:30pm   Sun 10:30am
and during Sneak Peeks Aug 4-5

NEVERLAND
(US, NR, 2003, 83 min)
Viewer's Guide: Nudity, strong sexual content, language, and violence.

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  NEWFEST 2003: THE 15TH
    ANNIVERSARY NEW YORK
    LESBIAN & GAY FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL
    GAY AND LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL

OFFICIAL SITE:
www.newmediaentertainment.info

Fairies...pirates...lost boys...and the boy who refused to grow up. A daring, bold and startlingly original retelling of the classic children's novel Peter Pan, Neverland unfolds against an ultra-modern, hyper-realistic backdrop. Most of the names remain the same; but the film takes a dark departure from the original text, rewriting Peter Pan as a seductive, wayward youth with a taste for lawlessness and self-destruction. Accompanied by his drug-addled and belligerent sidekick Tinkerbell, Peter Pan lures Wendy, John, and Michael away from their absent adopted parents. He takes them to Neverland - a burnt-out suburban amusement park filled with self-styled fairies, lost punks, and ambiguously beautiful performers. The familiar fantasy adventure becomes a fascinating nightmare at the hands of Captain Hook, who is hell-bent on destroying the youth and beauty he so desperately envies. Neverland unlocks the repressed rebellion and sexuality of the original Peter Pan. Set to a mesmerizing soundtrack and shot using groundbreaking, cutting-edge film and digital video technology, Neverland artfully exposes the sinister side of the fairy tale. A cast of new and well-known talent includes Rick Sparks (Peter), Melany Bell (Wendy), Wil Wheaton (John), Gary Kelley (Hook), Kari Wahlgren (Tink), and Marcus Reynaga (Michael).
North Carolina premiere
Fri 11:20pm

NO SECRET ANYMORE: THE TIMES OF DEL MARTIN AND PHYLLIS LYON
(US, NR, 2003, 57 min)
Viewer's Guide: Mature themes.

WINNER! BEST DOCUMENTARY
  2003 NCGLFF EMERGING FILM
  AWARD

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL
    LESBIAN AND GAY FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 OUTFEST LOS ANGELES GAY AND
    LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 TORONTO LESBIAN AND GAY
    VIDEO AND FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 MIAMI GAY AND LESBIAN FILM
    FESTIVAL

OFFICIAL SITE:
www.jebmedia.com

Sponsored by Lorraine D. Johnson
  of the Principal Financial Group

Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, the most widely recognized and admired lesbian couple since Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, have been leaders in the struggle for acceptance, equality and justice for more than 50 years. No Secret Anymore tells the story of these two legendary founders of the modern lesbian civil rights movement. Directed by internationally recognized documentary artist JEB (Joan E. Biren), the film tenderly chronicles their enduring passion and political activism through archival photographs, interviews, and cinematic surprises. Del and Phyllis courageously launched the Daughters of Bilitis in 1955, the first public organization for lesbians in America. With additional groundbreaking work on lesbian mothers, sex education, family violence, and other areas, they continue to advocate the rights of women, lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender people everywhere. It is an affirmation and acknowledgement of our older members and an inspiring and encouraging documentary valentine for our younger members.
North Carolina premiere
Sat 1:15pm

NUESTRA SALUD: VIOLENCIA DOMESTICA
(Mexico, NR, 2002, 18 min)
Viewer's Guide: Mature themes.

Nuestra Salud is a compassionate, peer-based, Spanish-language video series aimed at promoting preventive care and wellness for Latina Lesbians. Each video is made up of vignettes, stories and anecdotes told and shared by women who have faced challenges within the health care system, have gained knowledge through their struggle and are now ready to share their experiences with others.
North Carolina premiere
Sat 9:00am

ONE FINE MORNING
(US, NR, 2003, 16 min)
Viewer's Guide: Nudity and language.

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL
    LESBIAN AND GAY FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 OUTFEST LOS ANGELES GAY AND
    LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 LONDON LESBIAN AND GAY FILM
    FESTIVAL
  2003 TORONTO LESBIAN AND GAY
    VIDEO AND FILM FESTIVAL

A teenager returns to school after summer vacation to face the boy he has a crush on.
North Carolina premiere
Wed 9:30pm

THE POLITICS OF FUR
(US, NR, 2003, 76 min)
Viewer's Guide: Graphic sexual content, nudity, language and violence.

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 TORONTO LESBIAN AND GAY
    VIDEO AND FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 LONDON LESBIAN AND GAY FILM
    FESTIVAL
  2003 MIAMI GAY AND LESBIAN FILM
    FESTIVAL

Sponsored by Edith McMillan

Fans of Fassbinder, rejoice! With The Politics of Fur, director Laura Nix brilliantly imagines what might have happened before the opening of the German master’s The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, updating the scenario to present-day Los Angeles.
North Carolina premiere
Fri 9:00pm

PROM FIGHT: THE MARC HALL STORY
(Canada, NR, 2003, 60 min)
Viewer's Guide: Mature themes.

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 MELBOURNE QUEER FILM
    FESTIVAL

Over the years public opinion on homosexuality has changed and now an attitude of acceptance and tolerance has evolved, but no one seems to have told the Durham Catholic School Board in the province of Ontario. Prom Fight is a compelling story of an outrageous 17-year-old gay boy struggling deal with intense community debate and the stress it causes within him and his family.
North Carolina premiere
Thurs 5:10pm

P.S. YOUR CAT IS DEAD
(US, NR, 2003, 94 min)
Viewer's Guide: Nudity and language.

CELEBRATORY RECEPTION SELECTION FILM

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 OUTFEST LOS ANGELES GAY AND
    LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL

Sponsored by Lanier Law Group, P.A.

The long-awaited film adaptation of the acclaimed novel and play by James Kirkwood (A Chorus Line) is here! Making his directorial debut, Steve Guttenberg also stars as actor-writer Jimmy Zoole, who, on one fateful New Year’s Eve, is in anything but a celebratory mood. His girlfriend has dumped him, his one-man show has closed after one performance and his soon-to-be-demolished apartment has been robbed twice. And now his beloved cat is dead. But Jimmy's downward spiral is just beginning. When the aforementioned burglar has returned, Jimmy binds and gags his helpless prey, and what emerges is a wild game of wits between two men on the edge.
North Carolina premiere
Fri 9:15pm

QUESTIONING FAITH: CONFESSIONS OF A SEMINARIAN
(US, NR, 2003, 84 min)
Viewer's Guide: Mature themes.

Sponsored by
  Imani Metropolitan
    Community Church
  and
  St. John's Metropolitan
    Community Church

Macky Alston, a gay minister-in-training and the award-winning director of Family Name, now brings us this extraordinary documentary,which explores how people find meaning in life when absolutely nothing seems to make sense.
North Carolina premiere
Sat 9:10am

SECONDARY HIGH
(US, NR, 2003, 80 min)
Viewer's Guide: Nudity and language.

CELEBRATORY RECEPTION SELECTION FILM

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL
    LESBIAN AND GAY FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 TORONTO LESBIAN AND GAY
    VIDEO AND FILM FESTIVAL

This first feature from three emerging Canadian directors plays with the conventions and clichés of teen movies adding some queer twists and a whiff of the ridiculous. Secondary High follows a diverse group of students through three interconnected stories. Like all good teen movies, Secondary High deftly balances outrageous and comic plotlines with compelling portraits of teenage angst, awkward sexual awakenings and wry social commentary.
North Carolina premiere
Fri 7:10pm
and during Sneak Peeks Aug 4-5

SEX, POLITICS AND COCKTAILS
(US, NR, 2003, 55 min)
Viewer's Guide: Nudity and language.

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 TORONTO LESBIAN AND GAY
    VIDEO AND FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 MIAMI GAY AND LESBIAN FILM
    FESTIVAL
  2003 MELBOURNE QUEER FILM
    FESTIVAL

OFFICIAL SITE:
www.sexpoliticsandcocktails.com

Sponsored by Anthony Carraway, MD

A gay Sex and the City mixed with a liberal shot of Queer As Folk, this charming comedic film is about an adorable Cuban-American filmmaker named Sebastian, who is single, gorgeous and supposedly straight. New to Los Angeles, he lands a job producing a documentary about the love lives of 30-something gay men--a topic he knows little about. But not for long! Writer-director-star Julien Hernandez (Circuit), gives us a zany but heartfelt look at the fear of finding Mr. Right.
North Carolina premiere
Wed 9:30pm

SLICKSTER FIXTURE
(Canada, NR, 2002, 4 min)
Viewer's Guide: Mature themes.

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL
    LESBIAN AND GAY FILM FESTIVAL

A noodle-legged hero plucks distressed females out of otherwise boring predicaments.
North Carolina premiere
Sat 9:15pm

SUDDENLY (TAN DE REPENTE)
(Argentina, NR, 2003, 90 min)
Viewer's Guide: Graphic sexual content, nudity, language and violence.

WINNER! SILVER LEOPARD:
  LOCARNO INTERNATIONAL FILM
    FESTIVAL

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 OUTFEST LOS ANGELES GAY AND
    LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 LONDON LESBIAN AND GAY FILM
    FESTIVAL
  2003 SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL
    LESBIAN AND GAY FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 TORONTO LESBIAN AND GAY
    VIDEO AND FILM FESTIVAL

Suddenly is a road trip you won’t soon forget. Marcia, a straight lingerie shop girl stuck in the routine of unrewarding work and loneliness is quasi-kidnapped by Mao and Lenin, two taunting, switchblade-wielding bad girls from the wrong side of the tracks, in hopes of trying to sleep with her. Suddenly is a heartfelt, finely nuanced tale of sexual awakening and getting back in touch with one's roots. In Spanish with English subtitles.
North Carolina premiere
Thurs 7:20pm   Sun 2:45pm

SUGAR SWEET
(Japan, NR, 2003, 67 min)
Viewer's Guide: Strong sexual content, nudity and language.

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 OUTFEST LOS ANGELES GAY AND
    LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 MELBOURNE QUEER FILM
    FESTIVAL

Desiree Lim, the first out queer filmmaker in Japan to direct a lesbian feature, turns in a delightfully sassy, saucy and sexy feature debut. Naomi is an aspiring TV director who pays the bills by directing lesbian porn. When Naomi gets a chance to direct the first lesbian episode of a pseudo-reality TV dating show, she casts her friend Azusa, who’s experiencing lesbian bed death with her long-term girlfriend and looking to spice up her life. Romantic sparks fly on the set - scorching even Naomi! Sugar Sweet is a sexy, stylish, and even romantic film featuring three beautiful actresses, a fresh script and an exhilarating view of female sexuality.
North Carolina premiere
Sat 9:15pm

SUMMER THUNDER
(US, NR, 2003, 81 min)
Viewer's Guide: Nudity, language and violence.

FILMMAKER SCHEDULED TO ATTEND!

OFFICIAL SITE:
www.summerthunderthemovie.com

Sponsored by Playmakers Repertory Company

A boy...a hot tub filter...an accident...a legend! Summer Thunder explores the life of a deeply troubled, fallen star struggling to escape and embrace his muddled identity after an article commemorating the 20th anniversary of the childhood accident that claimed his anonymity surfaces in local newspapers. Summer Thunder is a quirky story full of surprises, heartache and humor as three distinctly different worlds collide and audiences take a glimpse into the lives of some truly unforgettable characters.
North Carolina premiere
Sun 10:45am
and during Sneak Peeks Aug 4-5

TARHEELS AND SHORT SKIRTS
(US, NR, 2003, 53 min)
Viewer's Guide: Language.

FILMMAKER SCHEDULED TO ATTEND!

From North Carolina filmmaker Chad Phillips comes this hilarious documentary that follows the lives of four drag queens (India Dream, Tracy Morgan, Versage, and Fuscia Rage) as they participate in the 2003 Miss North Carolina USofA pageant in Greensboro. As the competition becomes increasingly tense, the anxiety and cattiness reach new levels! It’s American Idol with a tantalizing edge.
World premiere
Fri 11:10pm

THIS OBEDIENCE
(US, NR, 2003, 86 min)
Viewer's Guide: Mature themes.

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL
    LESBIAN AND GAY FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 TORONTO LESBIAN AND GAY
    VIDEO AND FILM FESTIVAL

OFFICIAL SITE:
www.thisobedience.com

This powerful documentary tells the story of one woman’s current battle with the third-largest Christian denomination in the United States, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. THIS obedience follows Anita as she defends the rights of LGBT pastors at the ELCA Churchwide Assembly. The results are telling and devastating. By defying the governing body of the church to which she has devoted her life, the Rev. Anita C. Hill emerges from relative anonymity to become a national icon in the fight for spiritual equality.
North Carolina premiere
Sun 10:15am

TIPPING THE VELVET
(UK, NR, 2002, 150 min)
Viewer's Guide: Nudity and language.

WOMEN’S OPENING NIGHT FILM

WINNER! AUDIENCE FAVORITE:
  2003 MIAMI GAY AND LESBIAN FILM
    FESTIVAL

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 MIAMI GAY AND LESBIAN FILM
    FESTIVAL
  2003 TORONTO LESBIAN AND GAY
    VIDEO AND FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 MELBOURNE QUEER FILM
    FESTIVAL

Sponsored by
  Ronna Dornsife and Lisa Wedig,
  Sharon Thompson Law Group,
  Lisa Logan, Attorney at Law,
  the BBC and BBC AMERICA

TOM
(Canada, NR, 2002, 75 min)
Viewer's Guide: Nudity.

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 LONDON LESBIAN AND GAY FILM
    FESTIVAL

Tom is a fascinating experimental feature-length film made almost entirely of found footage. It is a magical, hauntingly allusive collage, a celebration of a sexual and artistic outlaw. The history of New York City operates as a backdrop for the life of Tom Chomont, a key member of the New York underground, a notorious video artist, AIDS sufferer, and raconteur. As the decades roll past, excerpts from hundreds of films, archival documents, some well-known Hollywood moments, stream past in a hypnotic rush offering a subject whose skin is cinema, and whose flesh and blood have been remade into the picture plane. North Carolina premiere
Fri 3:10pm

TREADING WATER: A DOCUMENTARY
(US, NR, 2003, 87 min)
Viewer's Guide: Mature themes.

WINNER! BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:
  MINNEAPOLIS/ST PAUL
    INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

OFFICIAL SITE:
www.aquariesmedia.com

The woods are full of lesbians! This ninety-minute film takes an in-depth look at three very different communities in northeastern Minnesota: tracing the history of the northern gay hub, Duluth/ Superior; driving up the scenic Highway 61 to the small tourist town of Grand Marais; and then cutting into Iron Ore country. From the first openly gay bar started by funds won in a lawsuit against the Catholic Church, to the discovery of a fragmented group of Iron Range men who find each other over the internet, Treading Water: a documentary shows a side of rural America that has been hidden from the mainstream.
North Carolina premiere
Fri 3:20pm
and during Sneak Peeks Aug 4-5

THE TRIP
(US, NR, 2003, 94 min)
Viewer's Guide: Nudity and language.

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 OUTFEST LOS ANGELES GAY AND
    LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 MELBOURNE QUEER FILM
    FESTIVAL

OFFICIAL SITE:
www.thetrip-themovie.com

Sponsored by Jonathan Bregman
  and Joseph Richardson

Can a liberal activist and a closeted conservative find true love? That’s the ongoing question in The Trip, a sweet new dramedy that follows a mismatched gay couple through the fashions (puka shells, polo shirts) and political enemies (Richard Nixon, Anita Bryant, Ronald Reagan) of 1970s and 1980s. After a national scandal, the two split up and don’t see each other again until 1984, when they are reunited in Mexico where they end up on the run. Fueled by a soundtrack of hits and memories, snappy one-liners, changing hairstyles to signal moves to a different era and scene-stealing performances by Alexis Arquette and Jill St John, The Trip has been a favorite with Queer Film Festival audiences all over the world.
North Carolina premiere

Wed 7:15pm	Wed 9:15pm	Thurs 5:00pm	Thurs 9:10pm
Fri 3:00pm	Fri 4:45pm	Fri 8:45pmS.O.	Sat 9:20am
Sat 3:20pm	Sat 7:30pm	Sun 2:30pm	Sun 4:40pm
and throughout Après-Fest Aug 11-14

WAVE BABES
(US, NR, 2003, 67 min)
Viewer's Guide: Nudity, sexual content and language.

WINNER! BEST COMEDY FEATURE:
  2003 NY INTERNATIONAL FILM AND
    VIDEO FESTIVAL

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 OUTFEST LOS ANGELES GAY AND
    LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL

OFFICIAL SITE:
www.wavebabesthemovie.com

It’s never too late to ride the big ones! A hilarious send-up of Blue Crush, three 40-something women go back to the beach for a weekend of sun and surfing to find their inner party-girl selves. Val, who is freshly divorced, is in the middle of her recurring nightmare: a near-miss with a Great White Shark, which has kept her out of the ocean for twenty years. Determined to stop mourning the marriage and start celebrating her newfound freedom, Val, her best friend and attorney, Maureen (Carolyn Hennesy), and her other friend, buff lesbian Sam (comedienne Georgia Ragsdale) head for a reckless Malibu weekend. Will the ravenous shark that haunts her nightmares prevent her from catching the ideal wave - and happiness - again? Something’s going in and out, and it’s not the tide!
North Carolina premiere
Sat 5:20pm

WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT: THE STORY OF HEDWIG
(US, NR, 2003, 85 min)
Viewer's Guide: Language.

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 LONDON LESBIAN AND GAY FILM
    FESTIVAL

Out of a cloud of glitter and hairspray comes this extraordinary documentary about the making of Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001 NCGLFF). From its earliest inceptions to its eventual status as a cultural phenomenon, Whether You Like It Or Not features a compendium of rare footage, including Hedwig’s very first public appearance, scenes from the stage play, behind-the-scenes on the set of the movie and many exclusive performance clips. This documentary explores the nature of artistic collaboration, history of the Berlin Wall, fluidity of gender and the importance of being blonde.
North Carolina premiere
Thurs 9:30pm
and during Sneak Peeks Aug 4-5

YOSSI AND JAGGER
(Israel, NR, 2003, 65 min)
Viewer's Guide: Nudity, violence and language.

OFFICIAL SELECTION:
  2003 SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL
    LESBIAN AND GAY FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 OUTFEST LOS ANGELES GAY AND
    LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL
  2003 LONDON LESBIAN AND GAY FILM
    FESTIVAL
  2003 TORONTO LESBIAN AND GAY
    VIDEO AND FILM FESTIVAL

Sponsored by the North Carolina Jewish
  Film Festival

Renowned gay Israeli director Eytan Fox (Time Off, Florentine, Song of the Siren) delivers a touching portrayal of gay life in the Israeli army. Yossi and Jagger are two young Israeli army officers stationed on a remote outpost in Lebanon. Between the pressures of their military life, they sneak brief moments of passion and joy away from the eyes of their fellow officers. While Israel has allowed gays to serve equally in the military beginning in 1985, the film illustrates that issues relating to homophobia-both institutional and internalized-continue to challenge despite almost 20 years of legalized policy. In Hebrew with English subtitles.
North Carolina premiere
Sun 5:00pm