Now its time for the Pacific Northwest to get a chance to view the latest queer movies of the year. They can do so by making tracks for the Three Dollar Cinema for the 27th Edition of the (rather fab) Seattle Queer Film Festival This year’s hybrid festival features a diverse slate of queer cinema from across the globe, totaling 59 film programs comprised of 150 films. It covers most of the LGBTQ+ spectrum in its in-person screenings and online. There’s meetups , parties, live podcasts, and even an art galley
The QUEERGURU Team has been through the entire Program to come up with our list of
10 MUST SEE MOVIES
All Man: The International Male Story, is a compelling feature documentary debut of Bryan Darling and Jesse Finley Reed that highlights a crucial part of queer history. It may not be as serious as events like the Stonewell Riots but it most certainly plays its own role in the evolution of the queer community.
Founded by the very charismatic ex AirForceman Gene Burkard in the 1970s, when the bulk of men’s clothes were brought by wives or mothers. In those days they were very limited choices which were both boring and totally inspiring ensuring that no men were interested in shopping at all Except for a few of course, and when Burkard focused his catalog on all flamboyant clothes, from wild-patterned shirts and mesh tank tops to the bikini-est of bikini underwear, he hit upon the jackpot.
Chrissy Judy takes a poignant dive into what our friendships do for us – in particular those that involve our queer chosen families. Chrissy (Wyatt Fenner) and Judy (Todd Flaherty) are best friends and have been performing drag together for a while, mostly to rather disinterested audiences in New York City and Fire Island. They’ve both recently turned thirty years old and this milestone has triggered Chrissy into reevaluating his life and priorities. He decides to quit performing drag and to move in with his boyfriend Shawn (Kiyon Spencer) who lives in Philadelphia, and transfer his day job there too.
Todd Flaherty has written, directed, and stars in this film, which is beautifully shot in black and white. Strong art direction, cinematography, and good casting with some handsome men complement an often witty script. The overall message here is that our chosen families, although very important, alone usually won’t give us the full life we want. We need to search out and create relationships, careers, housing opportunities, and all the other elements that make up a nourishing life ourselves.
PS, You may also want to check out Queerguru’s interview with director Todd Flaherty https://queerguru.com/todd-flaherty-talks-about-his-directing-debut-chrissy-judy-that-everyone-else-is-now-talking-about-too/
El Houb (The Love) is a tense family melodrama set within the Dutch-Moroccan community in Holland. Successful young businessman Karim (Fahd Larhzaoui) and his Ghanian boyfriend Kofi (Emmanuel Boafo) are in a state of undress at Karim’s smart apartment when Karim’s father Abbas (Slimane Dazi), a postman, delivers a package and sees Karim in Kofi’s bed. Karim’s conservative, religious, family don’t know that he is gay and his father’s sight prompts Karim to decide to come out to them.
The film shows that, however tough it may seem at times, there can be an alternative to suffering in silence within a family. A genuine love story, in all senses of the word. Highly recommended.
We got hooked on Matt Carter’s debut feature ‘In From The Side”. the moment we discovered that the film explores life on and off the pitch at a gay rugby club. When Mark (Alexander Lincoln), a new and inexperienced rugby club member, finds himself drawn to Warren (Alexander King), a seasoned first-team player there is simply no turning back despite the alpha masculinity of all the other players. It is one of the best queer love stories of the year.
PS you also may like to check out Queerguru’s interview with filmmaker Matt Carver (who is also a rugby coach too) https://queerguru.com/matt-carter-talks-about-his-feature-film-in-from-the-side-a-queer-romance-about-winning-and-losing/
Jimmy in Saigon. is a real standout film for me. This is a feature documentary by Los Angeles-based filmmaker Peter McDowell and executive producer Dan Savage. Peter chronicles the story of Jim, his eldest brother, a Vietnam War veteran. Jim was quite an alternative thinker and didn’t play by society’s rules. In early 1970 he dropped out of college even though that meant he was likely to be called up for the US army draft. This happened and he spent six months in Vietnam with the US army. Then, once back in the US for a few months, he surprises everyone by deciding to move back to Vietnam as a civilian, even though there is still a full-on war going on. He doesn’t give any reasons for his return to the war-torn country. What could be drawing him back to Saigon? Back in Vietnam, a year later, in 1972, when Jim was 24, he suddenly dies under mysterious circumstances whilst living in a poor part of Saigon. The family learns about Jim’s death by telegram but are not given many details re the cause of death. RF.
The opening scene of Lonesome resembles a Hollywood Western as our protagonist Casey (Josh Lavery) keeps pace with the sun while running away from his reality. He dons a cowboy hat and the classic blue jeans and white T-shirt combo that immediately endow him with an eye-candy-cum-rebellious persona. His face has the sharpness as well as the vulnerability of youth. Staying true to his young age, he doesn’t miss a chance to sleep with men, even at his lowest moments. His story is that of a rural gay man making his way into the big city. However, what he lacks is hope. His only redeeming quality is his libido. Lonesome treads familiar territory but is boosted by the decadent charm of Josh Lavery and the director’s reluctance to hold back during the ‘depraved’ moments of the narrative. DL.
Nelly and Nadine is the unlikely love story between two women falling in love on Christmas Eve, 1944 The film captured me from the beginning; a sequence of a newsreel from April 28th, 1945 shot at Malmö Harbor, Sweden, in which a large group of women reaches freedom after German concentration camps. We see them smile and say hello to the camera, there is Nadine with her white scarf, striped uniform, and that mysterious gaze.
The film has been made with exquisite delicacy to tell a story of survival in the 20th Century. It is also a tale of profound love and intimacy that portrays moments in Nelly & Nadine´s apartment in Caracas, Venezuela, and Sylvie´s home, a place sweeter than home in the French countryside. Magnus Gertten, the director, invites us to a rendezvous as in a family talking about people we know and love deeply.
The combination of fantastic stage outfits and personas, hot bodies, lots of same-sex body contact, and few limits as to what behavior is acceptable on stage, means it’s no surprise that professional wrestling has long attracted queer people. Ryan Levey’s excellent new documentary, Out In The Ring, charts the history of queer pro-wrestling in the USA. Combining amazing archive footage and interviews with both current and former queer wrestlers, he tells this fascinating story beginning in the 1940’s up to the present day. The outrageous outfits from past queer wrestlers alone make this documentary worth watching.
PS You may also like to check out Queerguru’s interview with filmmaker Ry Levey https://queerguru.com/ry-levey-talks-about-his-queer-wrestling-doc-out-in-the-ring-on-the-eve-of-its-world-premiere/
The Sixth Reel : We think it is no secret that the multi-talent that is Charles Busch was born in the wrong era. He is the perfect epitome of a glamorous Hollywood star of the 1930s and 1940s: he doesn’t just look the part, but he totally lives it. So convincingly with all the mannerisms and melodrama, watching his new movie. we revel in turning the clock back for the next 90 minutes
You Can Live Forever” is a Canadian feature film and the title is a reference to the belief held by Jehovah’s Witnesses that one can live forever in Paradise on earth. The movie is a heart-tugger about two teenage women who fall in love despite living in a religious community that forbids it. “You Can Live Forever” illustrates the dangers of extreme religion, by which I mean any organized religion or cult that demands strict adherence to its dogma. All the characters are portrayed humanely and without caricature. I highly recommend this gentle, believable film.
SEATTLE'S QUEER Film Fest will begin on 10/13 and end on 10/23 To see the whole program and book tickets check out https://threedollarbillcinema.org/sqff
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