Winter 2017 update

Well, friends, 2017 was quite a year!

I made great progress in my filmmaking, my work got screened in many places, and I made new friends through it all.  Smashing success!

I don’t have any festival screenings coming up, so I am busily making new work, hopefully done in time for consideration for the fall festivals.  I hope that the generosity and support that was showered upon me this year will transform into the positive change I hope for the world. I feel so grateful.

l’m ready to keep disrupting the status quo, and with a super ’17 behind me, now more that ever I’ll fight with humor and love.  Watch me soar!

Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Fest 2017

My parody of the recently-became-cult film “Carol” will be showing at the Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Fest from 14-19 November, 2017. I’m very excited because I like that little movie I made. I can’t really believe people got suckered into considering that Haynes thing as one of the best lesbian films ever. In your mind, replace Carol with a straight white man, (perhaps a rich and influential person in Hollywood whose name rhymes with Mine-stein) and you see that there is nothing funny about it at all.
After debuting at the Wotever DIY Film Festival, my “Carol” toured around with the Women Over 50 Film Festival last winter and this spring.
Here’s the trailer.
You should know that the audio for my trailer is the exact same audio in the theatrical release version. This parody wrote itself.

Black laurel leaves on a white background encircle the words Official Selection Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Fest

Scottish Queer International Film Festival 2017

Here’s a report about 2017 SQIFF, held in Glasgow, and how much I loved it. Helen Wright and the whole team is to be congratulated for shepherding all the films, personalities, needs, desires and logistics of organizing such a huge event for so many. The CCA has good access for wheelchair users, there was BSL interpretation at Q & As, the films were subtitled and captioned, Thank You Marc David and crew! And of course, another of Faggotgirl’s passions, gender neutral, accessible toilets!
The festival took place September 23rd to October 1st. On the 23rd, I would have loved to attend the workshop for working class LGBT people in film and TV, led by Dr. Leanne Dawson and Laura Wylie, I finally got to meet those two powerhouse women. SQIFF made a special effort to make sure working class and bisexual experiences were well represented and I think they succeeded magnificently.

Krissy Mahan: Telling Working Class Stories (from SQIFF blog)

First, I arrived in Glasgow on the weekend before it started, which meant my lovely hosts endured me for 8 nights! Thank you, Cloudberry and Nosheen of Digital Desperados, who present GLITCH. By sheer luck saw that there was special event being held at the Glasgow Women’s Library to commemorate its 25 year existence. Attending this was an important way to start my trip, because it was around 25 years ago that I started thinking and acting as a feminist, and seeing myself as an artist. In a lucky coincidence, my tour of the UK started at the Women Over 50 Film Festival, huge thanks to Nuala O’Sullivan, so I was already reflecting on how much I’ve grown, and how much women and vulnerable people still must demand. So the GWL was a wonderful way to begin this trip to SQIFF, which really felt like a celebration of years of my artistic and political efforts.
I also would like to say a warm Thank You to Kate and Naomhan. They befriended me the first night I was there and were so kind to me all week, even though they were working so hard for the festival.

Here are some notes:

26 Sept I attended the scriptwriting workshop then went Transmission Gallery to watch Lasse Langstrom’s “Who Will Fuck Daddy?”

27 Sept The SQIFF opening “The Misandrists”
I did not like how trans issues were handled. I feel bored by these films that are supposedly shocking. What’s new here? A real live surgery of the removal of male reproductive organs. Yes, that was a new to my eyes.

28 Sept SQIFF Shorts: Sketches
Carrie Hawkes‘film “Black Enuf* is visually spectacular, edited so sharply with a mix of live footage and animation, and of course is a compelling story for a misfit like me. Really I’m hooked every time I see it. “Sunday Lunch” reminded me of what queers will put up with when we are trying to be nice with our families. There was an animated sequence in it about the father feeling trapped that was an outstanding example of how animation can tell some stories better than live actors.

28 Sept Tax On Me

“Tax On Me” is a hip-hop music video by filmmaker Kiana Kalantar-Hormozi and media coop responding to the preposterous Care Tax and the effect it has on people who need support. After the film, Kalantar Kalantar-Hormozi discussed the origins of the film, and current activism against unjust government policies penalizing people with disabilities. Follow #FightCareTax to find out more about this immoral and outrageous tax.

28 Sept SQIFF Shorts: The Gayz
The highlight is definitely DESIRE by CampbellX, it is important and beautiful, and I loved it. I’m in it but this is the first time I saw it. It is making well-deserved waves at film festivals this fall. It is an experimental film exploring desire for transmasculine, butch, stud, and masculine of center (MOC) people assigned female at birth. Rob Eagle‘s “Harding & His Camera” made for some interesting post-screening discussion around privilege, imperialism and what we DON’T know. Dr. Dawson said “it was a homosexual gaze applied to a homosocial society, which is problematic.”

28 Sept SQIFF Shorts: Are We Queer Yet?
“Ribbons”- I lived in Provincetown/Cape Cod 1987-1989, a historically gay male resort town, when men would go to die after their HIV+ diagnosis (there was no treatment or cure.) Was this film supposed to be a “feel good” kind of thing? Yikes. You can read more about the grassroots response to AIDS in Provincetown here.
You can watch my movie “1987, Summer,” its about being a young lesbians witnessing the AIDS years in Provincetown.

30 Sept Looking Awry: Representing Bisexual* Desires On Screen
Jacob Engelbert led this event in which we could watch scenes from movies he was referencing. I enjoyed the talk because although I’ve always had bisexual people in my life, it is useful for me to have someone very specifically spell out the social constructions that create such negative effects for bi people.

30 Sept Gaysian Superheroes
I finally had a chance to see “Khush” and “Banghra Jig” by the award-winning filmmaker Pratibha Parmar! I know that she’s important to women’s filmmaking and I’m so lucky to see them on a big screen.
I totally loved Seema Mattu‘s work! “Seema Weds Seema” is exactly the kind of movie I wish I’d thought of. Like Faggotgirl, girls who grow up in complicated families are told to be small. I consider it a rousing triumph when we unapologetically FILL THE SCREEN. AND MAKE THE WHOLE THING ABOUT OURSELVES. Deal with it.
By the way, this program was presented by Collect:If of the GWL. Collect:If is a fabulous new network bringing together Women of Colour (WoC) who are established figures in the arts, culture and creative industries in Scotland and those who are developing their practice.

Then came the Filmmakers Social. It is so fun and nourishing to hang with queers who love film. The space at the CCA is great for socializing already, but that dedicated felt special and important.

30 Sept SQIFF Shorts: Defiant Dykes
Well, I wish I got do-overs, but I don’t. Also the huge theater was full.
Every one of these films was excellent. The Q & A was led by Dr. Leann Dawson. All us panelists were involved with films that were working class, we were all on the older end of the age range of SQIFFers, and none of us were femme. I think “Breaking Down My Translation” by Azara Meghie and Kai Fi’ain was most interesting to me, by how it combined elements in a flow. I have much more to say about class and butchness and the ways my working class life influences my films, but that’s a longer thing. Also,

I firmly support the cultural boycott of the State of Israel.

30 Sept Looking Awry: Nowhere
This was part of the bisexual strand. “Self and Others” played first after being introduced by director Patricia Silva. I really appreciate that Silva makes the viewer closely examine gesture. When I see this film I realize all the times I’ve thought someone was simply gay, but forgot to consider that maybe they are bi. After that came the feature “Nowhere” Lucky for me I was in a good mood, because I did not like it at all. Jacob Engelbert had introduced it and given some context, which did help.

1 Oct SQIFF Shorts: Scotland III
These were all great and I was feeling especially charmed by Scotland generally, so I loved them all. “Joey” directed by Helen Wright hit just the right balance of reality and WTF is going on here. This short was great and is it going to be developed more fully – that would be awesome. I was also very drawn to “Pull.” I appreciated how Eleanor Capaldi dropped me in a situation, let me observe it, and left it open-ended. I very much liked being trusted in that way.

Diane Torr Tribute: Man For A Day
I puzzle over the word “masculinity” a lot. Am I masculine? Is that a scale to measure me by? This film offered some embodied examples of hit/miss performances of masculinity. Also I always heard of Diane Torr and knew I should know more about her.

SQIFF Closer: Signature Move
I think this film is going to be a big hit, and it deserves to be. The production values are super great, the acting is right on, the script is sensitive, and the story is strong. Lisa Donato who co-wrote the script is super cool and we had drinks afterwards and talked about our experiences of moving back home to a hostile place to do eldercare. She’s great.

As you see, SQIFF is excellent. I am already looking forward to being there next year. Thanks, Team SQIFF, for your hard work at creating so much enjoyment for me.

Women Over Fifty Film Festival – WOFFF

The Women Over 50 Film Festival was held on 14 – 17 September, 2017 at The Sallis Benney Theatre in the University of Brighton, and I was honored to be selected for it. My new movie “My Aunt Mame” (trailer here) screened in the Anchor program on 17 Sept 2017.
The festival had its origins in a screening in 2015, arranged by Nuala O’Sullivan and some friends, who programmed a day of films by/about older women. And now having watched the high quality, fascinating WOFFF’s selections, I am even more perplexed about why movies featuring older women are not very widely seen and celebrated.
I really enjoyed Brighton. My hosts were lovely, the cute city is right on the sea and I had nice weather, and it is a manageable size for walking and being new.
The festivals selections were very excellent. Here are some notes I took.

Saturday noon 16 Sept 2017
Hearts On Fire program
Loved the two animated films, both excellent; “Lying Women” (Deborah Kelly, 2016) and “A Woman Apart” (Mary k. Omelina, 2017), this one was a standout for script and the animation. I’d like to see that be even bigger. “Girls Of A Feather” (Dina And Elsalam, 2016) made me want to visit Alexandria, Egypt, and I liked the slow pace.

Saturday 1:45pm 16 Sept 2017
Power/Balance
“Brand New Day” (Patricia Beckman Wells, 2017) was frigging amazing, and Patricia herself was so friendly and generous with animation advice. See this movie if you can. “Hear Me Now” (Maria Viola Craig, 2017) was about the survivors of the sanatariums for TB, super sad. I’d like to find out more about the supporting the program, that was shown in the “Girls And Glaciers” (Annette Frahm, 2017) documentary.

Saturday 4:45 16 Sept 2017
Conflict
“Get Riel” (Will Barnard, 2017) is a short doc that i hope will be expanded about Elsa Perez, a dancer raised in South Africa, and the apartheid that she overcame. I went to her dance workshop later that night — she still has MOVES at what like 80? “Mary Mother” (Sadam Wahidi, 2016) should be required viewing for everyone, i mean it. The lead actor, Zubaida Sahar, was FIERCE. This film takes you inside not only inside an Afghanistan village, but inside a family and a relationship. In my films I am also trying to disentangle people’s preconceived ideas (often negative) from the bodies of the real live people living in them. This script and story were educational for me. I would like to watch this again if i can somehow.

Saturday 6:30 16 Sept 2017
Resolution
I was a little tired/hungry by this point, so i didn’t see the whole program. I watched “Cherry Colour Buttonholes” (Brenda Miller, 2016). The film only had voices off screen and the visuals were only women’s hands sewing. I so appreciate textiles, sewing and other skills traditionally associated with women’s work. I’m glad to see them celebrated in film.

Sunday 12:00 17 Sept 2017
Anchor
(This is the program where “My Aunt Mame” was included)
The production values and straight-up star power in this program was very high. Well-known older women actors were in three of the eight films. My movie was different then the others, but it was the first time I saw it on the big screen and i thought it looked great. The audience laughed at all the right places, too! What a relief. Everyone was enchanted by “Oor Wally” (Martin Lennon, 2016) about an older woman who has been a soccer team mascot for years. The most important one for me was “MUM” (Meriem Adib, 2016). The film just plops you into a domestic scene with a child, but the mother-figure is a blow up (sex) doll. Right off the bat you start asking questions and feel a little weird and sad. In the three minutes of the film, you really understand that something is very wrong. Turns out this is about austerity cuts to programs that support sex workers. “MUM” is powerful film, AND Merriem Adib, who made it, was so nice to me at the Q & A! She said “When i go to festivals, I always find a gem or two. I really liked your movie.” YAAAAYYYY!!!!

Sunday 1:45 17 Sept 2017
Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
Another excellent animation! “Espressivo: A Love Song To Coffee” (Deb Ether, 2017) delighted me visually and also made me want to improve my stop-motion range. I was giggling the whole way through.
A good documentary film in this program was “Rebel Menopause” (Adele Tulli, 2014). The subject, Therese Clerc, is fascinating, and the project the film centered on the Baba Yagas in Paris, France, is brilliant. The production quality was high and it made everybody feel inspired.

Sunday 4:45 17 Sept 2017
Home
Holy cow another smart and well-produced animation!!?? “A Short History of Indians in Canada” ((Nancy Beiman, 2017) looked so very good! And the story of Canada’s history with indigenous people is one of genocide, as we know. So to turn that into a compelling animation is a creative puzzle like the ones I try to solve — how to use animation in the service of justice, while knowing the audience might have strongly held opinions on the topics. “The Hide” (Gaynor Macfarlane, 2017) also tackled a loaded subject – current policies on immigration. I like that she used little (if any?) dialogue. The editing was just right, and it tells a strong and good story. I hope this film gets seen in more places. “Days Of Awe” (Rehana Rose, 2012) is a technical triumph and tells an important family story. It was interesting to linger in a person’s living space while just hearing people close to the person (who is not in her apartment) talk to her over recording devices.

Sunday 6:35 17 Sept 2017
Beyond
I love Fay Presto! “Fay Presto” (Hanna Aqvilin, 2017) made a 17 minute doc about this groundbreaking magician that was smart and tackled sexism head on. I hadn’t heard about her but now hope to see her tour the US when the tour comes to the USA. OMG i just looked it up and it was LAST WEEK. I’m so disappointed. Dammit. Anyway. “Real Artists” (Cameo Wood, 2017) makes the audience think. It was terrifying and also (embarassingly) gratifying to see a movie about how movies are made. I got to feel smug like “ha ha I don’t care what hollywood or chinese audiences think!” but at the same time I know that this movie could be about any market or group of consumers that want to be fed entertainment.

The awards went to deserving films, and I won a bottle of wine in the raffle.
I am very glad that I went to this festival. I was going to go regardless of if my movie was shown, but considering how strong the program was, I am so glad and proud that my film was included. Well done and THANK YOU, Nuala, Hilary, Pricilla, Helen and Natalie

Dr. Patricia McManus

Dykeumentary On Parade!

Wow. I am the luckiest person in the world.  Who would have thought that some construction paper and Fisher-Price people would be the reason I am going to the UK this September! My movie “My Aunt Mame” was selected by 4 film festivals so far, and I hope some more, too, (because i sent it out to more that 75 festivals).

The biggest thanks goes to the Wotever DIY Film Festival, led by Theresa Heath-Elul and Tara Brown. They showed a Faggotgirl film in 2013, and have been my biggest champions ever since. You never know when something happens that changes the course of your life, and I am sure that being selected by WDIYFF is one of those things. I aspire to maintain the high standards that their festival set in all the future work that I do; accessible, inclusive, rigourous and fun.

Thank you Looking At You Productions for encouraging me to make this movie, thank you Women Over 50 Film Festival for making a dedicated festival to older women, thank you Leeds Queer Film Festival for your demonstrated leadership, for years now, in how to make a festival fully accessible, and thank you Scottish Queer Film Festival for your enthusiastic support of even my most wacky projects. I am so humbled and happy to be bringing Aunt Mame’s story out to the world.  It is a dream come true as well as my political project to be making funny movies that remain hopeful and fun in a world that needs love and joy.

OMG! This just in! Curve magazine, who normally would move to the other side of the bar if they saw me, wrote an article about the Women Over 50 Film Festival and they included a write-up of “My Aunt Mame!” Victory is MINE.

SHOWBIZ – That’s Me

Wow! So i’m not sure if anyone even reads this, but if you know me, you know that i am very happy to just amuse myself by making movies that sometimes even screen at accessible, friendly, feminist and often queer festivals.

My first paparazzi photo!

So IMAGINE MY SUPRISE that my movie about my great aunt will be gracing the silver screen across the WORLD, or at least across an ocean. I will add more later, but here’s what i can share so far:

Here are the festivals and dates:

Leeds Queer Film Festival
50 Years of Queer Cinema
Saturday 16th September 2017 at Live Art Bistro
More details coming soon…

Scottish Queer International Film Festival
We are super pleased to announce that SQIFF 2017 will take place 27th September to 1st October in Glasgow. We return with our packed programme of screenings, workshops, discussions, and parties creating community and pushing boundaries in LGBTIQ+ film and art. This year SQIFF will be bigger and better, taking place across 5 days! Our main venue will once again be the CCA with events at other venues around the city.

Are You Kidding Me?

IMG_2672

Look closely at this photo of Faggotgirl heralding a small sign near the exit from the NYC subway. She is heralding it with a Damning ARM DOWN. Say you heard of “The Oculus” at the World Trade Center in New York City, and would like to visit it. NYC is one of the richest building-boom cities on the planet. Surely new memorial buildings with billion-dollar budgets will be fully accessible, right? WRONG.

After traveling godknowshowfar and arriving on the E train at the World Trade Center, this tiny MTA sign (if you can find it, also no announcements or Braille) directs people who don’t use stairs to:
Take the E train to 14th street.
Then to “Take Bus Service” whatever that means.
Say you decide to fight through this ABLEIST BULLCRAP AS USUAL, and decide to try again to get back to EXACTLY WHERE YOU ALREADY ARE, just 20 ft higher.

Here are the google directions for this 30 minute journey to get back to the place you were standing:

Take the E (you just got out of) to 14th Street.
Proceed east 0.2 miles to 7th Ave
The directions on Google Maps say “walk” which could be insulting to some but let’s continue:
Then find a bus map (lol lol LMFAO) and figure out which bus you’ll need to take to World Trade Center.
Board an M20 bus(hopefully the lift is working).
Ride the M20 for 21 minutes if there’s no traffic.
Exit the bus and proceed 0.4 miles (8 minutes)

And here’s what you’ll find: A high-end MALL. Also, people who don’t use stairs will have a wildly different experience of the space. This is Unexcusable. Universal Design must be mandatory and enforced. Universal Design means that THE WAY YOU MOVE IN THE WORLD DOES NOT MEAN YOU HAVE A BETTER OR WORSE EXPERIENCE OF IT. Period.
Federal ADA standards just say “disabled people” (hate that term) have to be “accommodated.” That is FAR TOO LOW a standard. We need to insist that any public money, and also private money, used to build anything respects all kinds of bodies and techniques for experiencing the world. Let’s make it so.

It is NOT that deep — Accessibility is a design and management issue, for COLLECTIVE SOLUTIONS, not for individual isolation, exclusion or pity.

FINALLY 2 lawsuits against the MTA are filed!!
http://dralegal.org/press/unprecedented-dual-class-action-suits-filed-today-challenging-new-york-city-subway-systems-illegal-discrimination-wheelchair-users-others/
(that’s the NYC subways and bus system)
IMG_2674
Don’t even DRAW ME ON about what anyone could possibly want to buy there. Maybe they have Twin Tower salt and pepper shakers there. Sad!

OH MY GOD IT GETS WORSE!
Two days after I posted this rant, the roof of the Oculus LEAKED LIKE A SIEVE. You can’t make this up, folks. IMG_2753 IMG_2754

GenderReel 2017 in Minneapolis

Twin Cities Pride Transgender Film Series

WHEN:
April 26, 2017 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
WHERE:
Sateren Auditorium, Augsburg College, 2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
COST: Free
CONTACT:
Amy Brockman
612-255-3260

Twin Cities Pride and Gender Reel Minnesota present three amazing nights of free film screenings and Q&A’s – 4/5, 4/12 and 4/26. All films will be shown at Sateren Auditorium on the Augsburg College campus in Minneapolis.

4/26/17: Film Shorts.

7:00 PM -8:00 PM — From dating calamities and bathroom mishaps, join us for a fun filled hour of film shorts featuring some of the funniest flicks to premiere at Gender Reel in the past 6 years. Films include: Dating Sucks: A Genderqueer Misadventure (12 min), Crazy Hot (10 min), The Heartbreak of VD (13 min), Cover Up (11 min) and Faggotgirl Gets Busy In the Bathroom (4 min).

8:15 PM to 8:45 PM — Coming Full Circle: The Journey of a Transgender Korean Adoptee (29 min).

Other screening nights:

Leeds Queer Film Fest 3/24-27/2017

IMG_2135IMG_2136

My movie “Like A Riot” (subtitled) will be leading off the Leeds Queer Film Festival next week. I am super proud to be part of a this festival and appreciate their commitment to accessibility. I was just at the New York Feminist Film Week and so many of us talked about the value of collaboration as filmmakers. It’s so exciting to see curators joining forces, too! Well done. I wish I could be there.

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