First talk of the day is a forum on homophobia in cinema.  Centred around the question: ‘are we in some way responsible for homophobia by the images we present of our own community?’  The talk is recorded in full so I shall attempt to edit down a very interesting and heated discussion into bitesize portions.  Last night’s film provides a lot of fuel for debate, proving its worth, perhaps?

We are then treated to a screening of last year’s winner ‘Pariah’ by Dee Rees.  I’m so glad this has had a repeat showing.  It gives me some perspective against the standard of this year’s entries.  The film is superb.  I am so emotionally engaged that I cannot have thoughts about how good the cinematography is, which it turns out, when I have to time to assess it, is a sumptuous 35mm feast that beautifully contrasts with the gritty subject matter.  But there are laughs to be had to, it all feels incredibly truthful and worthy.  Enjoy a full interview with the lovely Dee in the podcast and hear how winning the IRIS prize has helped her career.

The first feature film of the day (after the cancellation of ‘Nothing Else Matters’) is ‘Dream Boy’ by James Bolton, US.  It’s a tragic love story set in the American rural south in the late 70s.  It’s based on a book, which I am reliably informed (by Christopher Racster, who also tells me he turned down the opportunity to Produce the film) is very popular in the US.

I find it an oddly paced and bleak film, although how this relates to the original source I must claim ignorance.  The performances are certainly convincing, but with the proliferation of talk about the progression of queer cinema (away from coming out, serial killers, angst and the like) it strikes a bitter and old fashioned cord with me.  Did it convince the audience enough to win their votes for best feature?  Well there were no laughs, no tears, no gasps, no Q and A, it’s very hard to tell.

The final feature is ‘Between love and Goodbye’ by the ever chirpy Casper Andreas, US (although he is Swedish).  It’s a love story set in NYs East Village.  Clearly a personal film, dealing with issues of immigration, music and love.  If you’re a Romantic you’ll fall for the gorgeous lead actors and shed a tear or two.  Unfortunately I’m not.  This is Andreas’s first attempt at serious drama after the likes of Rom Coms including ‘Slutty Summer’.  This shows clearly in the sound bite dialogue and clunky directing.  The integral music contains samples of ‘big 80s hits from Sweden’, Casper enthuses.  Yes, well.  Watch it after a break up with lots of wine and ice-cream (if you’re that sort).

Before the awards ceremony, we are subjected to a documentary filmed for BBC Wales by Nick Skinner.  It’s a short programme about contemporary gay life in Wales…at least that’s what we’re told.  You know from the outset there will be no depth (the first five minutes or so are Ian ‘H’ Watkins doing Vox Pops in Newport).  it is unbalanced affair, devoting most of it’s time to negative attitudes, and avoiding almost any mention of contemporary Queer culture (at an event like this?).  The highlight of the Q and A was an animated Russel T Davies (who confided that he also thought it was terrible) urging the audience of predominantly queer filmmakers, that they have the right to ask any producer to exclude footage of homophobic zealouts (on the BBC at least) on the grounds that they are mentally ill (go Russel!).  This would have reduced the 30mins considerably!  You can hear my interview with Russel on the podcast.

But the big event - who won?  Last years winner Dee Rees presented the best UK short to ‘James’ by Conor Clements (who, it tells me in the programme, is Irish???) a story about a young boy coming out the only person he trusts, his teacher.

Mr Gay UK (who I interviewed) Dino Gamecho announced the winner of the best feature as ‘Dream boy’.  Not to my taste, but it’s voted for by the audience, so you can’t argue with that (unless you factor in attendance as opposed to response).

Russel T Davies revealed the big one, the IRIS prize for best short film.  I was delighted that it was awarded to ‘Cowboy’ by the lovely Till Kleinert.  You can hear my interview with the winner on our podcast.

The after party raged late into the night, with filmmakers from around the world grateful for the opportunity to network and make new friends.  Thanks for such a great event to all at IRIS, and my lovely host Arwel X

Tim Macavoy

The new morning starts with a Producers Forum.  A good chance to ask any questions that you budding filmmakers may have.  Conversation stayed mostly on distribution and the market, a talk for insiders, but made entertaining nonetheless by chairman Christopher Racster’s endless enthusiasm, the wealth of experience on offer amongst all the panellists (despite a few hangovers and late arrivals) and Jonah Blechman’s insatiable appetite for porridge (sorry for the insider joke, but really, you should have been here!)  The discussion has been recorded in full so expect a clip or two emerging in the podcast.

SP4

I’m Jin Young – Lee Sung-Eun, Korea

A beautifully shot and witty piece from the perspective of a very young girl, questioning the traditional roles of men and women and discovering her own sexuality.  Yet another strong performance by a young actor in this festival, it carries you through a pacey script in endearing fashion.  While the subtitles were sub-standard, it was still possible to make out such wondrous lines as ‘Men and women have to get married so women can get divorced’.  Thoughts that, in a teenage head, would be angst ridden, come out here as guiltless wonderings.  I highly recommend!

Morning Suits, Helena Mitchell, UK

And a special mention must go to the only Welsh entry in the competition, the subtle and funny short short about a certain ‘morning after’ feeling with a twist (and it’s not a hangover).  The two male actors bumbling, awkward performances quickly ease you into the situation, as the plot is given more time to develop (they’re cute too).

Just time to cram in a quick interview with organiser Berwyn, which should make a nice intro to the show, then it’s straight on to the final section of short programs.

Ah…slim pickings from the final set, or am I suffering short film fatigue?  Either way I’m writing this last part on the morning of Day 3 (In bed…what are you wearing?….no no, focus Tim) and I had to read over what they were from this section.  I had no time to reflect as I was quickly whisked off to a book launch: ‘Queer Cinema in Europe’ which I have heard is worth a read, even from some of the Americans that he fumblingly accused of not having enough non-mainstream queer cinema (that really isn’t the case from what I’ve seen at this International Festival, maybe he should put the Brokeback DVD down).

On to a different venue, Chapter.  Currently undergoing extensive redevelopment, it is, or will be, a large and diverse arts centre.

I watch the UK premiere of ‘Antarctica’, written an directed by Yair Hochner who is here at the festival to introduce his film and do a Q and A.  I managed to grab some one on one Q and A which you can here in the podcast, what a nice man (because he’s very famous you know, in Israel, and should be here by rights).

It’s a wonderful film that I recommend you should see at its UK release (if Tom distributes it?), or else you can go to Tel Aviv where it plays regularly and Yair organises the Tel Aviv LGBT film festival.  If the queer culture there is anything like he makes out, and his film suggests, I’m sold.  It’s a genre busting piece that comes in somewhere near a rom-com, porn, cause and effect drama and a healthy influence of ‘Wonderland’.  It features some of Isreal’s top actors (who are all gorgeous) putting in committed performances to this lively and refreshing film (as Yair tells me: nobody comes out and there are no lesbian serial killers - thank Israel!)

We’re bundled into mini-buses (which we have compared variously to the Mystery Machine and Playmobil buses.  We thought about having a sing-along, but it really isn’t far back to the Cineworld for the European premiere of ‘Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild’.

This is Director Todd Stephens answer to all those films that have posters with white background, red lettering and gurning actors (you know, American Pie Trip Movie, etc.).  Only gay.  Really gay.  Seriously, I have seen so many cocks today, but 95% of them occur in this one movie.  It’s a genre all of it’s own really, so hard to critique in terms of comparison.  But it is what it is, cheap titillation and lots of buff boys trying to get laid.  Special mention to Jonah Blechman who plays the ‘queen’ of the show in fine style, with a particularly impressive musical and dance number (he’s highly trained you know, and produced the movie too, and lovely, and I’m taking them out in London to something very cultural so they can put some British subtlety into the next one).  Just kidding guys, bring on number 3: Gays in Space.

No really, there’s an after party at Pulse (which we rudely enter by skipping the line with our passes (HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA) and head straight to the free wine.  A couple later I’m suggest new ideas for Gays in Space, none of which I am ever allowed to repeat and write down (out of decency, not copywrite)

Tim Macavoy

Arrive at 11am for copious amounts of coffee and general mingling amongst the filmmakers, jury and hangers on like myself.  After a short introductory speech we watch the first selection of short films.  Here are my highlights:

Short Programme 1

You me and Him – Daniel Ribeiro, Brazil

A sweet and tender short about a young man who has to balance a love life and caring for his younger brother after the sudden death of their parents.  The script avoids drama and instead gives breathing room to the evolving relationships of the three characters.  Some fine work by the younger actor and an inventive closing scene involving milk and a microwave.

Countertransference – Madeleine Olnek, US

A very funny portrayal of a woman trying to build her self-esteem, but she is surrounded by domineering and quite frankly, insane people.  Particularly entertaining are the therapy sessions with an occasionally naked psychiatrist.  Both absurd and subtle, the convincing acting and superb timing keep you erupting with spontaneous laughter.

We are then lead to a restaurant around the corner for a pizza lunch.  On my table are the makers of short film ‘Morning Suits’ (who, it so happens, I have worked with before), Johann Hari, an award winning journalist, actor Simon Russell Beale and David Pearce of Queerscreen.  The conversation is so animated and enjoyable that we forget to queue for the buffet and are left with garlic bread and a single tomato.  Not to fear, more food was made which we swiftly consumed before a second queue forms.  After lunch I help Johan find a place to buy socks and then interview Simon, which you can hear on the forthcoming podcast.  Shorts Programme 2 follows:

SP2

The Young and Evil – Julian Breece, US

A confused and confusing story that includes murder, disability, homophobia, racism, drugs and a man searching to infect himself with HIV.  In 15 mins.  The latter is a serious topic that deserves further exploration, but certainly not in a way that felt like a ‘contemporary issues’ brainstorming session by an LA support group.

Gevald – Netali Baron, Israel

A thoughtful, well structured mix of documentary footage and drama, centred around a pride march (or lack thereof) in Jerusalem.  An intimate conversation mixes with angry demonstrations from Orthodox Jews and satirical cabaret numbers by drag artists.   A dutiful reminder of why Pride matters.

A short break means a chance to catch up on writing and yet more food (including a tasty cheesecake.  Yes, I know, I’m not here as a food critic).  This flurry of work is short lived as I can’t help getting dragged back into debate on the merits of the shorts so far.  One matter which isn’t in debate is the quality of the festival and it’s organisation.  A real sense of community already exists in less than a day.  A truly International mix of creatives, devoid of any of the usual cynicism sometimes seen in such gatherings.  And it’s not a closed environment people, so come along there’s still two more days to go!

In the third shorts programme:

Cowboy - Till Kleinert, Germany

This is the most hotly debated film so far.  I am loathe to call it short at 35 mins and this is perhaps the problem.  While it is clearly a great work, well shot, entertaining, sexy, thrilling, it really is half a feature film, with the production values to match.  Does this belong in a short film festival?  But then again, where does it belong?  I reflect that what matters is the content and there’s no denying this is a hot piece of cinema that would be a worthy and likely winner.  Hopefully coming to some sort of screen near you!

After a long set of short films we overrun into the evenings feature length Clandestinos (Antonio Hens, Spain).  It is ably introduced by one of Wales’s two openly gay MPs (to find out which one, listen to the podcast (I wil be interviewing them on Saturday).  They compare the ever growing national identity of Wales on the world and cultural stage, to the struggles faced by some gay men and in the case of this film, the Basque separatists.  If not an entirely accurate analogy (as organiser Berwyn suggests with comical expressions) it is an entertaining and interesting speech to begin/end the first day.  The film: A prison break sets up the film for a dramatic and action packed exploration of aggressive nationalism and sexuality.  A different sort of film that edges into providing an explanatory background for anything between petty crime and terrorism.  I found it working on an intellectual level, but with such a lack of sympathetic characters (unless you happen to be a jailbird) it was hard to follow the characters emotionally, and understand their motives, which, it seems to me, may have been the point of the film.  Recommeneded for people who like bad boys, constantly get themselves into trouble (possibly with terrorists) and wonder why.

To round of the evening (late evening), free flowing wine and an impromptu interview in Dorothy’s Chippy (how predictable are we) with the chaps from Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild (a proper interview is coming after I’ve actually seen the movie!) 

I have arrived in lovely Cardiff to report to you from the IRIS film prize.  Check out www.irisprize.org for detailed listings of this lgbt film festival.

DAY 0

I am being housed by a very kind Arwel, a ‘Friend’ of the festival.  He plies me with strong coffee and then leaves for Bristol to feed his cat.  He generally lives there, not just the cat.

So I figure out the buses after realising I can’t just walk to the bay (who knew Cardiff was more than five minutes walk from end to end?) to meet up with the organisers and some past filmmakers/jury members.

I admit, I did get a little excited when I walked past Torchwood HQ, like the big geek I am, but then Russel T Davies will be making an appearnce at the festival and I’m hoping to make at least some kind of contact (if not an interview….and a job).

I am first met by James, the token straight.  There seemed to be some contention this year at the lack of lesbian films, which, it has been suggested, is because there are no token women amongst the organisers.  I suggest that as there a very small number of them, it can be hard to effectively apply positive discrimination.  I’ve done my research, and yes, it is true, it has been an appalling year for lesbian films and there’s very little to programme.  So come on filmmakers - Lesbians: a gap to be filled…

We drink beer at The Waterguard, then on for an Indian at the bayside.  (That’s ‘by the side of the bay’, not as in ‘Bayside diner from Saved by the Bell’ - how nineties am I?)

This month’s Sight and Sound fuels a discussion on Critics vs Bloggers (it’s worth a read by the way), Alan Turing, Welsh Language gay movies, and wonder whether the inclusion of ‘Another gay sequel: Gays gone wild’ will bring in the kids, or water down proceedings.  We shall find out.

Tim Macavoy