Actor turned filmmaker Brian J Smith’s debut behind the camera is his love letter to Fire Island The place is evocative to so many queers around the world. The narrow ten square miles sand bar of 600 beach houses, a hundred co-ops, a beautiful beach, wooden boardwalks, no roads or cars, and a handful of commercial businesses is 49 miles off the coast of New York City in Long Island Sound. It’s played host to generations of queer New Yorkers looking for community, sex, sea, drugs, gorgeous wooden beach houses, nudity, hedonism and a dancefloor.
Smith carefully takes off his rose colored glasses to look at Fire Island’s past and to think ahead about its future. He tells us The Pines has always been a place that has been cared for by the people who live there, now going forward it must also be cared by all the visitors as well, if it is to survive Queerguru caught up with him prior to A House is Not a Disco screening at OUTshine in Miami …. the latest in its Festival run, Ris Fatah our reviewer gave it a rave review (see https://queerguru.com/queergurus-ris-… ) and we were anxious to know more about why Smith is so passionate about the place
OUTrageous. OUTspoken. And OUTstanding is the theme for the Miami Edition of OUTshine. which runs from April 18 – 28, 2024. The festival started in 1998 an serves as a platform for numerous premiers and is the largest LGBTQ+ cultural arts event in South Florida. Its a hybrid festival with a diverse … Continue reading
This weekend sees My Hollywood Pride (that’s Hollywood Florida not the star-studded city in California). Its the first Pride anywhere in the world each year, and they have chosen the theme “Pride Starts Here!” It takes an even more important status as the State’s rampantly homophobic Governor has slunk back home after … Continue reading
What was intended as one of the best ‘welcome home’ stories at this week’s Outfest LGBTQ Film Festival in Miami has suddenly turned into a celebration of life for one of the stars of the award-winning Kokomo City. This trail-blazing documentary is the debut of Miami local D. Smith who directed, produced, and edited it … Continue reading
It’s time to OUTSHINE again. QUEERGURU has a very soft spot for The Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Fest as not only is this our winter hometown, but also it started in 1998 the same year our Brit Editor-In-Chief landed in Miami Beach for the very first time some 25 years ago. The festival … Continue reading