I am very proud that I’ve been included in the 37th annual Wicked Queer – Boston’s LGBTQ+ Film Festival. My Aunt Mame was selected for their 2019 GTFO program (my kind of assortment!) and for 2021 both my films My Crazy Boxers and my parody of Carol will be shown. All the programs in the festival are available online through the month of GAYpril. Here are the programs I’m in:
Documentary Shorts: Reel Queer Lives. [Q & A with the filmmakers here]
Does queer cinema leave you asking yourself: Okay but where are our real stories? Well, here they are. Join us for a showcase of lived queer experiences, whether they be local or oceans away. Curated by Wicked Queer Team.
They Through Them: Directed by Joan Galo, 2020, 11 min, Spain, English, Spanish with English subtitles.
Joan explores feelings and thoughts about being non-binary, through the people of their community in Barcelona.
Dear Chaemin: Directed by Cyan Bae, 2020, 17 min, Korea, Korean with English subtitles, Q
Dear Chaemin is a series of three video letters sent by Cyan Bae from The Hague to her sister in Seoul in the midst of social isolation. The autofictional film juxtaposes the Korean and Dutch contexts of contact tracing, biopolitics and crowd control practices, each of which intensifies the stigmatization and violence against queer communities and people of Asian descent. While yearning for the Post-Corona in the New Normal, should we wish the normal back?
Alone Out Here: Directed by Luke Cornish, 2020, 23 min, Australia, English, G
In the moment of catastrophic climate change Jon Wright, a gay farmer, is faced with a dilemma. His 22-year commitment to transform the genetics of his bull herd are pitted against the attitudes of the beef industry. Through his journey of loss and survival, we learn what it takes to be true to yourself, at any cost.
Wishes: Directed by Amy Jenkins, 2019, 6 min, USA, English, T
The secret yearnings of a child for an alternate identity are traced through a decade of birthday wishes filmed by their mother.
In The Image of God: Directed by Bianca Rondolino, 2020, 15 min, Italy, English, I
The fourth generation in his family to be born intersex, Jewish Rabbi Levi was assigned the female gender at birth and grew up thinking he was sick and defective. “In the Image of God” tells the story of his struggles and transitions, culminating today in a life as a religious leader and an LGBTQI+ activist living happily in Los Angeles with his wife.
My Crazy Boxers: Directed by Krissy Mahan, 2020, 9 min, USA, English, T/Q
Suicidal – or just a working class woman caught in the wrong underpants? Pixellated fragments slowly materialise in this video based on actual meetings with hospital staff while in a psychiatric hospital system, creating a powerful and distressing elegy from the incessant gendering of underwear.
A Job Like Any Other: Directed by Annick Roussy, 2020, 21 min, Canada, French with English subtitles, G/Q
Pierre is an ordinary 55 years old man, solitary and very shy. He lives in his tidy and quiet apartment surrounded by his favourite figurine collections. However, his job is far from his low profile type. He’s been a Drag Queen Barmaid for the past 30 years, a hard and restrictive work he never really chose. But for him, it’s a job like any other.
Gay As In Happy: A Queer Anti Tragedy: Directed by Jordana Valerie Allen-Shim, 2020, 3 min, Canada, English, T/Q
An experimental autoethnographic documentary about queer joy, resistance, and resilience in the face of abuse, trauma, and transphobia.
and
Comedy Shorts. [Q & A with the filmmakers here]
Who doesn’t need a laugh right now? We’re happy to bring you a program that will have you second guessing if you’re on a date or not, figuring out if breaking into your crush’s apartment to delete an email you accidentally sent is a good idea, or being more interested in your ex getting engaged instead of the zombie apocalypse happening outside. Curated by Katie Shannon.
An adventure in diversity of sexual preferences. Via the dessert menu…
This short film is a parody of Todd Haynes’ 2015 film “Carol.” With references to Haynes’ own “Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story,” this playful short, starring Fisher-Price toy figures, presents a hilarious and necessary perspective left unexamined in the euphoria that there was finally a major motion picture about lesbians.Operator: Directed by Jonathan Hughes 11 m English Ireland Comedy
A self-obsessed call centre worker deals with a personal heartbreak while on shift as the world crumbles around him… due to a zombie apocalypse.Directed by Jonathan Hughes, 2020, 11 min, Ireland, English, G
Tuxedo Terrace: Directed by Carmine Bicchetti, 2020, 12 min, USA, English, LGBTQ+
When the government begins to inspect their marriage, a gay immigrant and his lesbian wife throw a dinner party in an attempt to fool the INS; but soon realize that they aren’t the only ones hiding something.
A Pound of Flesh: Directed by Oliwia Siem, 2020, 11 min, UK, English, T
A desperate employee gambles a pound of their own flesh against a large sum of their boss’s cash, with life-altering consequences.
Peach: Directed by Sophie Saville, 2020, 8 min, Australia, English, L
A socially anxious young woman lands a hot date. There’s only one problem, she’s not sure if it’s actually a date.
The D*ck Appointment: Directed by Mike Roma, 2020, 10 min, USA, English, G
When lovelorn Wally wants to get over his ex, he turns to the apps for help.
Break In: Directed by Alyssa Lerner, 2020, 16 min, USA, English, L
What’s more embarrassing than writing erotic fiction about your crush? Writing erotic fiction about your crush and then accidentally texting it to her. When this very thing happens to Nousha she enlists the help of her best friend, Oliver, and they set out on a mission to delete the text. By any means necessary.
Flex: Directed by Matt Porter, 2020, 16 min, USA, English, B
Charles explores the gray areas of his own sexuality after going through an unexpected breakup.
I hope you and your loved ones have stayed safe during these perilous times.
My parody of Carol has been selected to screen with