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GLBT Film Fest educates St. Cloud
By Sherri Gorny
Published:
Monday, February 10, 2003
Media Credit: Jason Risberg
St. Cloud Mayor John Ellenbecker welcomed the crowd to The 2nd Annual Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Straight Allies (GLBTA) Film Festival at the Paramount Theater in downtown St. Cloud Saturday night.
Smiles greeted the attendees at the second annual GLBT film festival at the St. Cloud Paramount Theatre Saturday night. The crowd grew quickly and the atmosphere was cheerful.
People in Studio C viewed the photo exhibit by Gigi Kaeser during the reception between 6p.m. and 7p.m. The theme was gay couples in family settings. There were about 20 photos in the room.
Next to each photo were narratives of each person in the picture describing life as a gay person is or how they 'came out.' The photos and narratives included adults as well as children. As each person paid close attention to these stories they were reminded of their own and talked about when they 'came out.'
Wine was passed around and Stephen Fuller played piano near the back of the room as people continued to talk among one another.
The GLBT film festival screened three films. "Ruth & Connie: Every Room in the House," a documentary directed by Debra Dixon, who was nominated three times for an academy award. "The Business of Fancy Dancing," written by Sherman Alexie, who also wrote Smoke Signals (1999). The last film shown was "The Cockettes" The three films dealt with homosexual relationships and transgender issues.
St. Cloud mayor John Allenbecker gave an introduction before the screening of the three films, separate introductions were made for each of the three films by other speakers.
Ruth Debra, a GLBT activist, introduced the documentary "Ruth & Connie: Every Room in the House." This film is the story of two Jewish women in Brooklyn, New York who fall in love with one another in the 1970's. The documentary had its humorous moments, but also a very serious undertone dealing with such topics as suicide. In order to keep their love a secret, the two women burned their love letters. Eventually they 'came out' as lesbians and had to deal with society and even giving up their children. In the end, after 25 years of being lovers and after 40 years of being friends, they finally got married in a Jewish wedding.
The second film was "Business of Fancy Dancing," the story of an American Indian gay man who becomes a famous poet, but struggles with his old life on the reservation when a childhood friend dies.
This film is not only about a gay man, but also the way of life on an Indian reservation. It deals with suicide and alcoholism among American Indians.
At one point the question, "how many funerals have you been too?" is asked and all of the characters who answer say "I can't count that high."
The film was very powerful and moved several audience members to tears.
"One of the things I thought was really incredible about it was hearing the story about how everyday a person of color will always have to negotiate which identity you are at that particular moment," said Nick Metcalf, the speaker for "Business of Fancy Dancing." He went on to talk about his struggle as a gay American Indian and his family on the reservation.
The third and last film was the humorous documentary, "The Cockettes," which focused on the theatre group of the same name.
It was introduced by Leo Treadway. The film starts in the San Francisco gay scene in the 1960's. It's based on their gender bending performances at the Palace Theater in North Beach and in the 1970's their decline on the east coast. The documentary also discusses AIDS and drugs.
The GLBT Film Festival was a success with the crowd. "I think they should have one every year, especially here," said attendee April Posner.
"It's a great way to portray some of the way people feel," said Eric Goemer, apart of the GLBT organization on campus, "It's not everyday you see GLUT issues."
The GLBT Film Festival was very educational and deserves recognition. Even though it wasn't very publicized, there was a still a good turn out and the films had a strong effect on the audience.
