Queer Black Cinema International Film Festival 2009 Curated by Angel L. Brown

 HARLEM: Shorts Showcase sponsored by Women Make Movies  

12:30pm-1:30pm  

Take The Gay Train

Robert Philipson, 2008, 14 min.

Gay sensibility during the Harlem Renaissance is charted through a poetic use of historical stills, contemporary filmmaking, scholarly accuracy, and music of the period.

B.D Woman

Campbell , 1994, 20 min.

B.D. WOMEN is a wonderful celebration of the history and culture of Black lesbians. Lively interviews feature Black women talking candidly about their sexual and racial identities. These contemporary views are cleverly interwoven with a dramatized love story, set in the 1920s, in which a sultry romance develops between a gorgeous jazz singer and her stylish butch lover. B.D. WOMEN rewrites the vanished history of Black lesbians' lives in an eloquent and entertaining way.

 Storme: The Lady of The Jewel Box

Michelle Parkerson

1987, 21 min.

“It ain’t easy…being green” is the favorite expression of Storme DeLarverie, a woman whose life flouted prescriptions of gender and race. During the 1950’s and 60’s she toured the black theater circuit as a mistress of ceremonies and the sole male impersonator of the legendary Jewel Box Revue, America’s first integrated female impersonation show and forerunner of La Cage aux Folles. Through archival clips from the past, STORME looks back on the grandeur of the Jewel Box Revue and its celebration of pure entertainment in the face of homophobia and segregation.

Q&A with special guest – TBA

  1:30pm  – 3:35pm

Mississippi Damned      

Tina Mabry, 2009, 120 min

What's swept under the rug rarely stays hidden. Taking place in 1986 and 1998 and based on a true story, three poor, black kids in rural Mississippi suffer the consequences of their family's cycle of abuse, addiction, and violence. They independently struggle to escape their circumstances and must decide whether to confront what has plagued their family for generations or succumb to the same crippling fate, forever damned in Mississippi.                      

3:00pm – 5:00pm                        

Tribute to LGBT Youth of Color

A Tribute to LGBT Youth of color who were killed due to a homophobic hate crimes.  This tribute will take place outside, in front of Maysles Cinema. There will be performances from the Lavender Light Gospel Choir including spoken word performances. Kenyon Farrow plus other community leaders will be speak including some organizations and family members of some of the victims. The tribute also includes a march around the block. This will be a peaceful march in remembrance of the fallen angel from around the world.

 5:00pm – 6:30pm  

Queer Youth of Color Cinema Series presents

Christopher Street

Steven E. Martinez, Dwight O’Neal, 2009, 60 min.

Christopher Street is a new independently produced gay television series. The show shares the lives of Chris and his diverse group of friends Jharemy, Ashton, and Shawn. These young men deal with troubles that range from relationship issues, sexual identity, self-love, abuse, HIV/AIDS, and acceptance not only from the world, but from themselves.

Q&A with Dwight O’ Neal & Steven E. Martinez

6:30pm – 9:00pm        

Finding Me

Roger S. Omeus Jr, 2008, 115 min.

Faybien Allen (RayMartell Moore) sorely lacks direction in life. His overbearing, homophobic father certainly doesn’t help his self-esteem, but life takes a sharp turn when Faybien is hit on by Lonnie (Derrick L. Briggs), the hunky, self-assured guy he keeps encountering at the bus stop. A true labor of love shot on a shoestring budget over the course of a dozen weekends, Finding Me marks the discovery of a promising and humanistic new film. 

Q&A with Roger S. Omeus

This screening is sponsored by TLA Releasing | OME Productions, LLC

9:00pm – 11:00pm                  

Family

Faith Trimel, 2008, 109 min.

A group of 30-something lesbians, friends through much already, make a pact to finally come out. The idea is greeted with varying degrees of enthusiasm but, after a series of eye-opening incidents that throw the effects of not coming out into sharp relief, they go to it with surprising results. 

Q&A with Faith Trimel