That's a Wrap; Another Successful PLGFF has Come and Gone
September 29, 2008 — PDXPIPELINE
By Peter Hermes, Wideshot Studios
The Portland Lesbian and Gay Film Festival wrapped up its 12th year Saturday night, ending a week of film screenings and parties around PDX. The PLGFF, a partner of Film Action Oregon, is an annual film festival featuring high quality gay-themed feature, documentary, and short films from around the world. This year the festival was held entirely at Cinema 21.
Mario Aguilar, a PLGFF volunteer, summed up the sentiment of many of the festival's film-goers when he said, "I'm a film buff. I am constantly searching for decent gay-themed films above and beyond the Hollywood staples like The Birdcage and Philadelphia." PLGFF is just that. It is a home away from Hollywood where the best gay, lesbian, and trans films are put up on a screen for those starved for art to see.
Of this year's 21 films, here are a few of our favorites for you to seek out in the chance you missed the festival:
Ask Not, a documentary about the US military's "don't ask don't tell" policy was a definite crowd favorite, which surprised PLGFF's Artistic Director Gabriel Mendoza. "The gay community doesn't usually care about military issues." This documentary, though, strikes at the heart of the gay struggle by trying to push the military to drop a policy that forces gay service men and women to serve "in the closet." It screens next at the BendFilm Festival in October.
Otto; or Up With Dead People, drew the largest crowd of the festival. It is a gay zombie movie from Germany. It is very surreal and very entertaining. It does contain graphic violence and sexuality, but it's a zombie movie. You've been warned!
By far, the festival favorite seemed to be Chris and Don: A Love Story, a documentary that explores the three-decade relationship between British writer Christopher Isherwood and American painter Don Bachardy. This in-depth documentary about the little know story of two men with a thirty year age difference in an openly gay relationship during times when gay relationships were not acceptable. This film will see wide distribution, so keep your eye out for it.
The festival closed with a screening of the film Were the World Mine, an updated interpretation of William Shakespeare's "A MidSummer Night's Dream." The film centers on Timothy, a closeted gay student at an upscale prep school, who is cast as Puck in the school play. The film deals with themes of fantasy, free will, and the notion that we can all have our cake and eat it, too, despite the consequences. It is a nice independent film with some interesting points.
This year's festival was a rousing success according to the festival's organizers. Gabriel Mendoza told us that, "attendance is the best ever, up 20% from last year." With nine days of screenings, the community came out in droves to support independent filmmaking in a city known for its strong artistic community. Yvonne Behrens, Operations Manager for the festival, is very proud of what they were able to accomplish this year. She joked that, "Now that the '08 festival has ended, I have to start preparing for next year's festival tomorrow!"
