The Gay & Lesbian Center of Greater Long Beach has announced the 2008 QFilm Festival at the newly renovated Art Theater. The film festival will present several independent feature-length and short films about the LGBTQ community. The weekend begins with a showing of the dynamic documentary Teach Your Children Well. Written by two local directors, it draws attention to the recent tragedy of Lawrence King and addresses the violence against LGBTQ youth in our schools.
Afterward, attendees will experience the comedic repartee of Carlease Burke followed by two showings of the new Logo series Sordid Lives. Del Shores and many of the cast and crew will be attending this event, participating in the Q-and-A and VIP party afterward. After the opening, the women’s themed film Steam starring Ally Sheedy and Kate Siegal will be screened. Siegal will be attending the evening and participating in the Q-and-A with other members of the cast as well.
On Saturday, there will be two documentaries highlighting what it is like to come out late in life as well exploring the world of femme identity and drag king performances. For the men’s themed films, there will be a double feature. Between Love and Goodbye highlights love turned upside down. Lost Everything was recently shown at Indiefest and is being considered for wide release. Several of the Lost Everything cast will be attending that evening.
Sunday closes the film festival with an excellent line-up of shorts. Some of the most noteworthy are Alexandra Fulton’s OMgasm, shown at the Cannes Film Festival, along with Daddy’s Big Girl, which won best comedy short. The evening will end with Gender Queer showings of Tranny McGuyver, Taco Chick and Salsa Girl and then the full-length feature film Ready? Okay! Tranny McGuyver is filled with star-studded cameos from Coco Peru, Calpernia Addams, Kirsten Vangsness (Criminal Minds), Willam Belli (nip/tuck), Darryl Stephens (Noah’s Arc) and Cathy Shim (Reno 911).
The evening will end with the showing of Ready? Okay!, starring Carrie Preston (Desperate Housewives) and Michael Emerson (Lost). Several members of the cast and crew will be present for this viewing and available for Q-and-A.
Go to The Center’s website at www.centerlb.org to purchase tickets online.
