13th Annual NCGLFF - Featured Films

From the director of Back Soon and Long-Term Relationship comes a new dramatic adventure. Shot entirely on location in Big Bear Lake, California, 3-Day Weekend explores the friendships and sexual relationships in a group of eight gay men as they escape to a mountain cabin for a long, relaxing weekend. However, the combination of new friends and old tensions offers more than anyone anticipated. By the end of 72 hours, a new couple has formed while another has parted ways. It's a weekend no one will forget.

The Carolina Theatre of Durham welcomes the original cowboy from the Village People – Randy Jones to the NCGLFF! Randy will introduce ANOTHER GAY SEQUEL: GAYS GONE WILD! In Fletcher Hall at 9:10 p.m. on Saturday, August 16. Be sure to stop by and help us welcome Randy to Durham!

Andy, Nico, Jarod and Griff are back, cherries popped and ready to go. Meeting up during steamy Spring Break in Florida, our heroes enthusiastically enter the ultimate contest, "Gays Gone Wild." The goal: to attain the most "action" over the course of the vacation. This may sound easy in a place where shirtless, bikini-clad collegiate hunks are around every corner, but when wet "package" contests, evil gay fratboys and genital crabs enter the picture, the guys have their work cut out for them. Sweetness reigns supreme however, as love proves to be the biggest obstacle of all. Jonah Blechman, Jake Mosser, Jimmy Clabots and Aaron Michael Davies star as the horny friends, with RuPaul and The Lady Bunny as the contest’s salacious MCs, Brent Corrigan as Stan the Merman and Scott Thompson and Lypsinka back again as Mr. and Mrs. Wilson. Beach Blanket Bingo, Mean Girls, Showgirls and "The Price is Right" are just some of the pop cultural references in store in what promises to be an unabashed, laugh-out loud and eye-popping good time.

From Casper Andreas, the director of Slutty Summer and A Four Letter Word comes this modern gay drama about falling in and out of love, and the rocky ride in between. Love makes the world go round. At least that's what Marcel and Kyle believe, until they suddenly discover that love can alternatively flip the world upside-down. Even though they can't legally marry, they find a way to make it work. French Marcel marries their lesbian friend Sarah so he can stay in the US with Kyle. Together, they can overcome any obstacle, hurdle any barrier. Enter Kyle's sister, April, a former prostitute. She needs a place to crash, but for how long? Taking a quick dislike to Marcel, April methodically drips poison into their happiness. But where Marcel sees a conniving woman with a not-so-hidden agenda, Kyle only sees his sister - in need. And how do you choose between family and the love of your life? Our perfect couple falls headlong into possessiveness, jealousy and rage; trapped in the tangled emotions found in that space between love and goodbye. Just how far will one of them go to put a stop to the madness?

In this dark comedy, sexy and charming Victor (20 Centimeters Pablo Puyol) has created the perfect strategy to become Boystown's top real estate agent: He makes old apartments available by murdering the elderly ladies who live in them and disguises their deaths as suicides. He then quickly updates their décor to upwardly-mobile gay couples because his ultimate goal is to transform the neighborhood into a hip “gayborhood” like the Castro in San Francisco and Chelsea in New York. But when Victor targets his latest victim---a sweet next door neighbor of a working-class gay couple---his plan hits a snag as the old lady has already bequeathed her apartment to the not-so-trendy boys next door. Toss in the eccentric Inspector Mila and her charmingly clueless son, assigned to investigate the suicides, and soon the neighborhood is brimming with comic mishaps, sexy seductions, and more murders!

Come find out why some things should stay in the closet! Helen and Luella are just another typical God-fearing mother and daughter who happen to bake Mincemeat muffins and run a charming B&B named the Sahara Salvation Inn. But on the eve of the biggest circuit party of the year, five couples find themselves in the middle of the desert, off the main highway, having to make accommodations at the remote lodge with its Southwest homey décor. Suddenly, the biggest party of the year turns into a deadly night of mayhem for each special guest in The Gay Bed & Breakfast of Terror, a campy but legitimately creepy horror flick. Checking-into the guest book are some arty lipstick lesbians, some sweater queens, coffee-house dykes, a sugar daddy, a drag diva, a Mr. Leather Dom, and an annoying fag hag. What follows is a perfect mix of chills and skin, including severed heads, pool-house hookups, blood-filled bathtubs, naked body painting, knife-wielding Republicans and a frightening shrine to neo-conservatives and evangelical pastors. With nods to Psycho, A Nightmare on Elm Street and countless teen slasher films, The Gay Bed & Breakfast of Terror is guaranteed to scratch your scary movie itch.

Here’s a collection of intriguing shorts from around the world that tells us no matter the array of gorgeous looks we conjure for ourselves, beauty really is only skin deep. Gay Zombie is a hilarious, heart-ripping tale that centers around a sexually confused flesh-eater from West Hollywood who meets a special someone named Todd. Everything is peachy until his flesh eating appetite can no longer be subdued. Will his bloody ways be too much for a boy to bear? Sucker is the tale of a young man and his notable “talent.” A clever 1950s social etiquette film teaches straight men how not to look, act, or feel gay in How to Go on a Man Date. A cynical French film student is disillusioned by his experiences in London until he’s befriended by a stranger who shows him a side of the city---and himself---that he would have never seen during Le Weekend. Two warring neighbors toil with everyday existence in Rock Garden: A Love Story. An average-looking guy discovers a magic website that transforms his body into anything he describes himself as online in VGL-Hung. A girl writes love letters to a policeman and places them in The Police Box on his daily beat, but a jealous boy decides to play a trick on both of them.

Sucker (US, 2008, 17 min); Le Weekend (UK, 2007, 15 min); Gay Zombie (US, 2007, 20 min); Rock Garden: A Love Story (Canada, 2007, 10 min); VGL-Hung (UK, 2007, 20 min); How to Go on a Man Date (US, 2008, 8 min); Police Box (Hong Kong, 2007, 4 min)

Newcastle is a beautiful Australian coming-of-age family drama (think Ordinary People) set in world of competitive surfing. Every second of surfing footage in Newcastle is so mind-blowingly gorgeous, you won’t want to take your eyes off the screen. The Hoff family has three brothers: Jesse (Lachlan Buchanan), a 17 year old surfer, living in the shadow of his older half-brother Victor (Reshad Strik), a former surf champion whose life is now in ruins due to a knee injury and a drinking problem; and Fergus (Xavier Samuel), who dies his hair purple, wears nail polish and Clash t-shirts, and is in the midst of discovering he might be gay. Even when he's in his natural habitat of magnificent surf breaks, Jesse’s blue-collar future is brought home by the coal barges that constantly line his horizon. He has the natural skills to surf his way out of this reality and onto the international circuit, but when a weekend with his mates turns into an unexpected and devastating tragedy, Jesse must now face the biggest wave of his life and find the courage to hold on and discover his dreams.

Everyone sometimes knowingly breaks the rules set by their spouses, friends, parents or significant others. Here are six cautionary, dramatic tales about men who must confront the reality of getting what they wished for. In Solace, a lonely young man meets his dream come true…but when he heads out for a late-night hook-up, he gets more than he bargained for. A teenage boy discovers that he has a crush on his piano teacher in Trystan. And two men learn that a casual hook-up is anything but in Just. A Lesson in Biology unfolds on prom night, 1968, in the Deep South, as 18 year-old Tom confronts his biology teacher about dangerous secrets they have shared. Meanwhile, a young gay couple learn the meaning of “taking it day by day” in Laundromat. In Lloyd Neck, Alex has a crush on her brother’s friend Jesse, but he likes Alex’s brother Taylor.

A Lesson in Biology (US, 2007, 23min); Trystan (US, 2008, 10 min); Just (US, 2007, 12 min); Laundromat (US, 2008, 12 min); Solace (US, 2007, 15 min); Lloyd Neck (US, 2007, 16 min)

Pageant takes you behind the scenes as 52 ordinary gentlemen go to extraordinary lengths in order to be crowned the 34th Miss Gay America. This contest is about the art of illusion, so hormones and surgical body enhancements are forbidden. The movie follows five of the most talented and beautiful female impersonators as they prepare to dominate in this underground competition. Hear from the men as well as from those in their entourage: husbands, mothers, sons, and little brothers. Pageant features stunning musical numbers, while diving into the heart and soul of this make-believe world. But it’s the film’s focus on the people under the mascara that makes Pageant truly resonate. Soon the real-life drama of the competition takes over as we watch extravagant performances and frantic costume changes, wondering who will walk away with the coveted crown. Everybody has a dream; these men are making theirs a reality. "It will steal your heart away in a way you'd never expect. Everyone will have a favorite."-Amy Sewell, Filmmaker, MAD HOT BALLROOM.

Witness this enchanting, heartbreaking, and oftentimes hilarious collection of tales featuring queens of all fashions! From the makers of Taco Chick and Salsa Girl comes Cooking with Kay, a laugh-out-loud comedy about a bitter cooking show diva and a former Miss Teen Tijuana (Kay Sedia) who is thrust into the limelight as her replacement. In The Red Dress, a mischievous woman honors friendship and life by fulfilling her best friend’s dying wish. Waiting for Yvette is a heartfelt comedy about having second thoughts on the eve of an operation that will change you forever. And after his untimely death, an amateur drag queen returns from the grave to lay his hands on his favorite dress in the charming comedy, What the Frock! Be forewarned: leave all your political correctness at the concessions counter when you watch Tranny McGuyver. It’s a brutally funny romp about three rookie cops who outdyke Cagney and Lacey while tackling pimps, hoes and the evilest criminals the underworld has to offer. Finally, in the true-to-life psychological drama, It’s Me, Matthew!, a young man deals with the painful effects of his past on his current life.

Cooking with Kay (US, 2008, 22 min); Waiting for Yvette (US, 2008, 14 min); Tranny McGuyver (US, 2008, 17 min); What the Frock! (US, 2008, 12 min); The Red Dress (US, 2008, 7 min); It’s Me, Matthew! (US, 2008, 15 min)

From the producers of 29th and Gay and Feet of Clay comes this poignant comedy about a single mom struggling to understand her young son's obsession with dresses, dolls and girls' cheerleading. Although Joshua is a smart, happy and enthusiastic ten-year-old, Andrea worries that he’s on the wrong track. With each summons to the Mother Superior’s office at Joshua’s private school, she searches for answers to a nagging problem: How can she convince him that aspiring to be on the cheerleading squad, relishing the art of the French braid and calling Maria von Trapp his most influential role model is just not what little boys do? Some hard advice from her gay next-door neighbor Charlie (Michael Emerson, Ben from TV’s &quo;Lost&quo;) helps Andrea turn her focus in the right direction: inward. Embracing Joshua’s individuality rather than fearing it might be the only answer, but can she do it? With comically truthful performances and a healthy dash of wacky farce, Ready? OK! explores a family on the verge of either destruction or elevation.

Though there is no sound scientific evidence that sexual orientation can be changed, the ex-gay movement has been at the polarizing center of religious and sexual debates in the U.S. since the 1970s. In Save Me, starring not one, but two openly gay actors; Mark (Chad Allen) a self-destructive addict hooked to anonymous sex and narcotics finally hits bottom. Concerned for his welfare, his brother checks him into Genesis House, an ex-gay Christian ministry located in the sandy landscape of New Mexico, and miles from anywhere. Overseen by a compassionate husband and wife team, Gayle (Judith Light) and Ted (Stephen Lang), their life's mission is to guide, young gay men to convert to heterosexuality by offering spiritual guidance through a 12-step program. Initially rebellious and suspicious of the ministry's work, Mark soon develops a close bond with some of the other residents, especially with Scott (Robert Gant), a Genesis resident and "level 5" mentor charged with guiding Mark through the steps. Protective of her new charge and nursing a painful secret, Gayle becomes increasingly wary of Scott's intentions as Mark and Scott's affinity for each other strengthens. Forced to confront values that she holds true, Gayle has to finally face some truths about love.

If you had a love potion, who would you make fall madly in love with you? Timothy (Tanner Cohen) is a cute gay outcast at an all-boys prep school with a serious crush on handsome jock, Jonathon (Nathaniel David Becker), who fuels his dazzling musical daydreams. Recognizing Timothy’s potential is the eccentric drama teacher, Ms. Tebbit (Wendy Robie, Nadine from Twin Peaks), who convinces him to audition for the school’s staging of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Perfectly cast as the mischievous sprite, Puck, Timothy is delighted to discover that Jonathon will share the stage with him. Jonathon’s homophobic coach, on the other hand, is decidedly less than thrilled with the idea that his boys will be prancing around on stage – some even playing female roles! Inspired by the play, Timothy stumbles upon a hidden recipe within the script to whip up a batch of love potion and is stunned when it unexpectedly works – only too well. Not only has he made Jonathon fall in love with him, but the rest of his small town seems to be turning gay too! With vibrant imagery, an incredibly talented young cast, and innovative music rivaling the best of contemporary Broadway, Were The World Mine pushes modern gay cinema and musicals beyond expectation. “Hedwig had better move over.” ---The Advocate.