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Southern Voice/April 11, 1991
11
COUNTERCULTURE
by David Salyer
Historically, Hollywood films have por
trayed lesbians and gay men as sick, homi
cidal, suicidal or one-dimensional charac
ters. As a result, there is widespread misun
derstanding about who we are. Worse, these
negative images even encourage our own
internalized homophobia.
A recent cover story in The Advocate, the
national gay and lesbian newsmagazine,
claimed Hollywood is on the brink of
change. It stated, "never before have so
many gays and lesbians been in positions of
power to work with their nongay colleagues
to write, produce, direct and star in films
that deal positively with the homosexual
experience."
Does anyone out there sincerely believe
Hollywood will green light gay positive
projects with the same voracity it showed
churning out those teenage slasher flicks in
the '80s? Does anyone truly expect to see
films about gay teenagers, lesbian families,
coming out, or homoerotic love turning up
at the mall?
Not bloody likely.
The silver screen is tarnished.
Hollywood rarely attempts to portray homo
sexuals as anything more than deviants,
murderers, and mincing or flamboyant
COOL MEDIUM
Passion,
Politics
and Popcorn
The National Lesbian and Gay
Film Tour comes to town
stereotypes. This will not change as long as
Hollywood remains motivated by greed and
fear of box-office failure. Risk is a four let
ter word in Tinseltown.
Still, the gay and lesbian filmgoing pub
lic has a hunger. A hunger for motion pic
tures that challenge destructive stereotypes
and affirm our various ways of being.
Fortunately, there now exists an organiza
tion dedicated to feeding that hunger. The
New Festival, a non-profit, tax exempt cor
poration has been producing the successful
New York International Festival of Lesbian
and Gay Film since 1989. And now, the
New Festival has launched the National
Lesbian and Gay 1991 Film Tour.
The tour comes to town April 19 and
runs through May 2. That's two full weeks
of films by lesbian and gay artists, all pre
sented at the Lefont Plaza Theatre. For a full
schedule see the Tour's ad on the facing
page.
Atlanta is the fifth stop of twelve on the
tour; its theme, "Passion, Politics, and
Popcorn," honestly reflects the diversity of
the features. Ten countries are represented
and many of the films included played to
sold out audiences at the New York
International Festival of Lesbian and Gay
Film in 1990, the largest event of its kind
ever held in the United States.
Opening night commences with a cock
tail reception and screenings to benefit the
tour and host organization, the Atlanta Gay
Center. The reception will be held from
6:30-7:30 pm and reservations can be made
by calling the Gay Center at 876-5372.
A warm, vibrant double feature fol
lows the reception. The first of two British
imports, Stuart Marshall's "Comrades in
Arms," blends personal stories and newsreel
footage into a stylized documentary about
lesbians and gays in England's World War II
armed forces. The second film, Joy
Chamberlain's smart, intriguing "Nocturne,"
explores a young woman's repression and
desire.
Two dozen more short and full-length
films round out the two week exhibition.
Among the shorts, Britain's "Flames of
Passion" is a romantic piece inspired by
David Lean's "Brief Encounter," and an
entry from New Zealand, "Night Out," tells
a harrowing tale of bashing effectively shot
in black and white. And director Marion T.
Riggs' "Tongues Untied" powerfully
addresses Black gay anger and isolation in
America.
Of particular interest among the full-
length features is "Coming Out," the story
of a chance encounter between former
schoolmates set in East Berlin before the
wall came down. From Hungary, there's
"Another Way," depicting a lesbian love
affair, and "Virgin Machine," a destined-for-
cult status bit of cinema tracing a German
woman's haphazard search for the meaning
of love in San Francisco.
The two-week tour stopover in Atlanta
also includes some familiar titles such as
1985's sexy "Desert Hearts," the so-called
dyke classic, and "Parting Glances," the late
Bill Sherwood's wry look at the last 24
hours of two gay lovers before one leaves
on a job transfer. 1989's Oscar winner for
Best Documentary, "Common Threads,"
will also be screened. This emotionally sear
ing film focuses on five diverse people who
"Comrades in Arms," blends per
sonal stories and newsreel footage
into a stylized documentary about
lesbians and gays in England's
World War II armed forces.
have died of AIDS and should be required
viewing for the entire world. Also,
"Longtime Companion," an Oscar nominee
from last year returns to town for the tour.
Earnest, witty, and ultimately devastating,
"Companion" was a modest success in the
atres and certainly deserved more than its
one token Academy Award nomination.
Of course, those last four films are all
available on video, but consider seeing them
again, or for the first time, on the big screen
in a theatre with other people like you. One
principal value of lesbian and gay film festi
vals is that they are community events we
can all attend. Go with friends or go alone.
Just go. It's time to nurture, support and
encourage our images and our artists.
A play by DAVID HENRY HWANG
Benefitin?
j 0 - CALL TO CHARGE:
„?.£ 249-6400
MAY 3-5
AT THE FOX THEATRE
5 Performances Only
(1 Fri./2 Sat./2 Sun.)
Tickets available at Turtles,
Sound Warehouse, Coconuts, Tower
Records, and the Fox Box Office.
THEATER OF THE STARS PRESENTS
BROADWAY’S
TONY AWARD WINNER
REST PLAY 1988
“A BRILLIANT PLAY OF IDEAS.
A VISIONARY WORK.”
- Frank Rich, The New York Times
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