Big Queer Screen Why even have a gay and lesbian film festival? by Ernie Manouse

So Houston is having another gay and lesbian film festival–our fifth one to date. An interesting idea, a "Gay and Lesbian Film Festival." I mean come on, if it weren’t for gays and lesbians, would there be any films at all, any Hollywood, any entertainment? Sure there may still have been Judy Garland, Ethel Merman, and Cher, but who would have watched and listened to them! But it is the trend to have festivals that highlight certain aspects of our culture–and gay and lesbian is certainly worthy of that recognition.

We all have a story to tell and we all need a place for these stories to be presented. For the first time, mainstream media has started to include us at the table, but mostly as Gay White Males, who either happen to be dying of AIDS, or are the "wacky" next-door neighbor types. The women are represented too–across from Howard Stern, or making out for the pleasure of the men who leer nearby, or as man-hating psychopaths. Not exactly what makes up the gay Family. So a gay and lesbian film festival gives us a chance to belong and to understand who we really are. Programming may vary from the story of a married man coming to terms with his homosexuality to a documentary on female professional wrestlers. But through its diversity, a much more accurate picture of our lives can be shown. It is also a way of feeling connected and understanding the diverse elements that make up our collective community. The festival becomes a place for this voice, our voice, to be heard.

To the general audience, the Houston Gay and Lesbian Film Festival is also a way of introduction–to show our straight counterparts who we are, what our art is, where our concerns are, and how we view ourselves. The best way to get to know any group of people is to learn how they know themselves. Although your story may not exactly be told, the struggles we all face may well be. And if we, along with the rest of the community, take that from a film, the walls that separate us as a community may start to be replaced by a feeling of unity in the bigger sense of the word.

So armed with uniqueness, we present the fifth annual Houston Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. And boy is ours unique! Unlike other festivals across the world, our festival does not have a central programming voice, or curator–we are actually a consortium of film houses that have come together to present programming that would appeal to the gay and lesbian community. Each of the venue presenters agrees to program their movie house during the last week of May with what they feel is the best example of film currently available that fits both our mission and their own. To a newcomer this idea may seem a bit odd and problematic, but after watching how this festival functions, I began to see why this works and why it is of service to our community. Six separate locations, six separate programmers, and six separate one-week programs. DIVERSITY. Our venues are Landmark’s Greenway Theatre, Angelika Film Center, Museum of Fine Arts, Rice Media Center, DiverseWorks, and the Aurora Picture Show, with organizational, programming, and nonprofit status help coming from the Southwest Alternate Media Project (SWAMP)...a great group of Houstonians dedicated to the art and power of film in so many different forms, all coming together to help us celebrate our own pride through gay and lesbian film.

This year, two of the most exciting things to mention are our partnership with C1TV and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. C1TV (currently airing on Warner Cable Channel 74 every Monday night from 9—10 p.m.) is the first viable gay and lesbian television network. They have come on board with us to offer a $1,000 prize for the audience-voted best independent film at this year’s festival. They are also helping us with national advertising and additional fundraising. You can learn all about this at our website www.hglff.org, along with all the scoop on our opening night screening party and film. For opening night, we are very pleased to have a special advance screening of the new film Hedwig and the Angry Inch, based on the hit off-Broadway musical. This film will not be in release until late summer, so this is truly a coup. Hedwig will be screened following the opening night party on May 24 at 9 p.m. at the MFA. Tickets are available for both party and film together, or each separately.

This year’s festival is one not to be missed. In this issue of OutSmart, you will find a listing of the programming we will be offering. So kick back with your favorite beverage and a pen, and circle all the films of interest to you and your family and friends...and then come out to the movies. Enjoy the parties, meet the visiting filmmakers, and vote (online) for your favorite film. Remember, this festival is for us first and foremost–so take advantage of all it has to offer–and enjoy. See you at the movies.

Serving as the marketing/PR chair for the Houston Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, Ernie Manouse studied film (and communications) at Loyola University in Chicago. As anchor of Channel 8’s WeekDay Edition, he is KUHT’s chief entertainment reporter and film critic. This is his fourth year co-hosting the Pride Parade with KRBE’s Maria Todd, and he’s also been a frequent presence emceeing the Black Tie Dinner and Miss Camp America.