Queerguru's TOP PICKS OF MUST SEE FILMS at Woods Hole Film Fest on Cape Cod

Film Festivals are the backbone of indie cinema and whilst most of the coverage here on Queerguru is of LGBTQ+ Film Festivals from around the globe, sometimes we like to look at a few other more local ones.

The Woods Hole Film Festival is the oldest independent film festival on Cape Cod, and its a mere stone’s throw from PTown where we are based all summer. Tomorrow (Saturday Aiug 29th) sees the start of their 32nd Edition for both their in-person screenings and virtual ones to. Ita 8 days of the wonderful eclectic program from which we have made our own

TOP PICKS OF MUST SEE FILMS.

Whilst they are not ‘gay cinema’ per se they have a queer sensibility about them which really enjoyed

ART AND PEP is a charming love story of longtime partners Art Johnston and Pepe Pena who opened their gay bar Sidetracks in Chicago back in 1982. The timing meant that in the first few years like most of the queer community, they had to learn how to survive the AIDS epidemic. They did more than that and this documentary from Mercedes Kane shows this gay couple growing through that and then going on to endorse the beginning of the Equality Illinois advocacy group.

It’s a must-see for anyone interested in such relatable queer history.

Karen Carpenter was always a gay icon and she qualified as like others she was inevitably quirky or uncommonly beautiful and always talented. These icons portray a vulnerability that is often wrapped up in strength in the face of adversity. Lurking behind the glitz they may have troubled personal lives — perhaps their lives are tainted by emotional turbulence — and sometimes a subtle sense of pathos filters out from just behind the eyes. We warmed to Karen Carpenter and her quest for perfection which sadly resulted in low self-esteem, a disheartening love life, and a public battle with anorexia nervosa, which resulted in her untimely death at the age of only 32.

Right on the heels of Cate Blanchette’s star turn as a female conductor in TAR, comes Maestra a documentary in which five incredible women from around the world gather in Paris for the only competition in the world for female conductors, to show the world the singular talent that unites them and which, for far too long, has been considered the pursuit of only men.

Personal stories of survival, passion, and perseverance are woven together with the drama and excitement of this one-of-a-kind event. The struggles and triumphs of the gifted artists in MAESTRA offer a microcosm for the challenges faced by women in every industry and in every walk of life today, while also providing valuable insights into how we may conduct ourselves as we create a new movement for a more equitable future.

THE NETTLE DRESS is one of those exquisite gems that can usually only be found in such well-curated indie Fests like Woods End. It’s a 7-year journey observing textile artist Allan Brown who discovered ‘hedgerow couture” after he gets obsessed with nettles. Evidently, they only sting when approached from a particular dimension, and he’s mesmerized by the way their seeds puff and explode in the fragile evening light. He finds starts wondering what can be done with their stalk fibers and before long he has begun drying them and spinning them into a rough yarn. In this absolutely compelling tale, we see him ultimately create a dress that is as much a monument to the years and legacies he spent on it but more important is dedicated to his wife when she is diagnosed with cancer. Unmissable

WITH PETER BRADLEY. Documentary films have always been a great source of education and awareness to this Brit writer as I try to discover aspects of American culture that never featured in my English schooling. So the discovery of filmmaker Alex Rappoport’s affectionate portrait of the charismatic 79-year-old abstract artist Peter Bradley is a sheer joy for me

In his heyday, Bradley was the first Black abstract artist represented by a major New York gallery – and curator of what is considered the first integrated modern art show in America. Talented, willful, and arrogant, Bradley lived life to its fullest – until he fell upon hard times in the 1980s that nearly ended his career.

Now he lives in a remote rural home and studio and is still a prolific artist. You are immediately drawn into his infectious good humor as he talks to the camera about his rollercoaster extraordinary life. It is now on another upswing and he had been ‘rediscovered’ and his work exhibited again.

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