The packed screening at Tipping the Velvet said it all. There are still big premieres that can fill the halls at lesbian and gay film festivals, but the movies sure don't seem to be made in America anymore. The 7th Annual Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival boasted a bigger schedule than ever, but most of the highlights were imported from overseas.

For instance, writer Russell T. Davies, of UK Queer As Folk fame (which anyone in their right mind knows is a far notch above the US Showtime series), is back with the wonderful Bob & Rose about an unlikely gay man/straight woman romance. The opening night film was the experimental British import AKA, and closing night belonged to the Senegalese interpretation of Carmen, in the form of the ultra-saucy Karmen Geï.

While France is making lesbian-undertone movies with A-list actresses Emmanuelle Béart and Pascale Bussières (in La Répétition), a Chinese filmmaker is breaking out with the first known lesbian film from the mainland, Fish and Elephant, and Guardian of the Frontier is the first female-directed Slovenian film to get any sort of international distribution... things seemed to have pretty much dried up on these shores. Documentary filmmakers are still working hard with little recognition, but fictional American films seemed to be in short supply, and lacking quality for the most part.

The highlights of the films representing the US included a sing-along version of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, featuring special guest Stephen Trask, whom the thrilled crowd properly treated like the rock star that he is. A film document of local hero David Schmader's scathing comedic 1999 one-man show Straight was also a crowd-pleaser. And a packed house was treated to the fascinating home movies of Harold 'Hal' O'Neal and his partner of 50 years, whom are now residents of the Puget Sound area. A slice of gay life from the Bay Area of the 1940s through the 1970s, Harold's Home Movies proved to be a fascinating and sweetly moving treat.

Here's a list of what Moviepie managed to catch at the Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, with a red arrow next to our recommendations, plus our exclusive interview with festival guest Sarah Waters, author of Tipping the Velvet.

Between Two Women (2000) (UK)    Fish and Elephant (Jin nian xia tian) (China)    Guardian of the Frontier (Varuh meje) (Slovenia / Germany) Karmen Geï (Senegal / France / Canada)    Luster (USA)

La Répétition (Replay) (France / Canada)    Sir: Just a Normal Guy (USA) Straight (USA) Tipping the Velvet (UK)

   Moviepie interview: A chat with Sarah Waters about BBC2's Tipping the Velvet