2009 Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival Juried Awards

BEST FEATURE FILM: The Man Who Loved Yngve Directed by Stian Kristiansen
An unexpectedly delightful film, THE MAN WHO LOVED YNGVE tells a compelling and beautifully cinematic coming-of-age story which captures the cynicism and innocence of self-discovery. Amazing performances and solid storytelling allow Stian Kristiansen to direct a memorable and fully engaging film.

FEATURE FILM HONORABLE MENTION: I Can’t Think Straight Directed by Shamim Sarif
As a genre, I CAN’T THINK STRAIGHT, is film that needs to be recognized for its complex story and politics. Filmmaker Shamim Sarif is a remarkable storyteller that will continue to push the boundaries of world and social issues.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM: Edie & Thea: A Very Long Engagement Directed by Gréta Olafsdóttir and Susan Muska
A timeless and timely love story that transcends being gay and is truly universal. This deeply intimate portrait of two charming, intelligent women and their life together engages the audience to consider the nature of love, commitment, and the definition of marriage. A movie that touched our hearts and brought the entire audience to tears.

BEST SHORT FILM: Diana Directed by Aleem Khan
For a powerful and expressive portrayal of alienation based on complex identity. This film uniquely tackles all of the multiple challenges—cultural identity, gender identity, sexual orientation, and family relationships—in a single character.

SHORT FILM HONOURABLE MENTION: Claiming the Title Directed by Jonathan Joiner and Robert H. Martin
For shedding light on an important part of our combined historical struggle against blatant discrimination. For reminding us that progress is not about winning or losing but about taking courageous, continual, incremental steps.

MOST INNOVATIVE SHORT: The Apple Directed by Emilie Jouvet
For transcending our expectations of queer cinema. THE APPLE was a visual feast that showed us the sensuality of the forbidden.

2009 Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival Audience Awards

Favorite Narrative Feature: PRAYERS FOR BOBBY, directed by Russell Mulcahy

Favorite Documentary: EDIE & THEA: A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT, directed by Gréta Olafsdóttir and Susan Muska

Favorite Local Film: WAXIE MOON, directed by Wes Hurley

Favorite Short: CLAIMING THE TITLE, directed by Jonathan Joiner and Robert H. Martin

Favorite Boys Short: DIRTY MAGAZINES, directed by Jay J. Levy

Favorite Girls Short: ONE NIGHT, directed by Laura Jean Cronin

SLGFF 2009

Getting Chris Cagney, I mean Sharon Gless, to star in a lesbian-themed film is a dream come true for a generation of female TV fans. When Sharon Gless showed up in the Cinerama for the screening of the Closing Night film Hannah Free (5/8) the audience erupted. I'm sure I'm not the only Gen-Xer who wondered when she was 12 why that cop show Cagney & Lacey was just so darn transfixing...

Anyways! We all heart Sharon Gless, and she is just as funny and adorable and sassy in person as we could hope. Hannah Free is the first feature film directed by Wendy Jo Carlton, who is a bosom buddy of Three Dollar Bill who puts on the festival, so it felt like a friendly family homecoming at the screening. Gless plays Hannah, a cantankerous old butch lady in a nursing home who is basically bed-bound while the love of her life, Rachel, is in a coma across the building. Rachel's adult daughter doesn't want Hannah to see her longtime love because it would only upset mom, whereas Hannah just wants to say goodbye. To flesh out the story, a young woman named Greta befriends Hannah in the home. Turns out Greta is Rachel's great-granddaughter, suspects Hannah and Rachel's story, and helps Hannah sneak over to visit her lover in the middle of the night before it is too late.

Hannah Free works best when Gless is on screen. She is fabulous, funny, and (of course) cranky (how else do we want her?). Hannah has conversations with the spirit of a younger Rachel as they reminisce about their on-and-off relationship over the decades (Hannah was a traveller, while Rachel was a homebody with kids), and Gless makes the stunt work. The flashbacks with the younger actresses just don't work quite as well, as they simply are lacking Gless' big spirit. But still, the film packed emotion and heartbreak, and I know I wasn't the only one in the audience sniffling at the end.

SLGFF 2009

1. No drinking.
2. No drugs.
3. No lesbians.

These were the guidelines that Pennsylvania State University's famed and successful women's basketball coach Rene Portland demanded of her student players. If Portland suspected a player of being gay, or even hanging out with women who were suspected of being gay, Portland gave them an ultimatum: either completely stop the behavior or you're off the team. Rather than being pressured, many of the Lady Lions' best players simply quit in fear rather than being bullied out. Crazy thing is that Portland didn't stop there, taking away players' scholarships and making it virtually impossible for the young women to transfer to play at another school. Did this happen in the 1950s or 60s? No. Portland just resigned in 2007 after 23 years as the Lady Lions' head coach.

Training Rules (5/8) profiles many players who were forced off the team by Portland, and most of their careers were ruined by Portland's vindictive actions. In 2005, one player named Jen Harris actually stood up against Portland (a VERY brave move, considering the coach's status in the Big Ten) filing a federal lawsuit for violation of the university's nondiscrimination policy. This is indeed a great story, and is the focus of Training Rules, but the problem is that Harris agreed to a settlement and now has a gag order. Plus Rene Portland refused to be interviewed. So you have the story's two main characters unable to speak for themselves. Despite the great interviews from many other folks, this fact feels like a black hole in the film. I give the filmmakers the best of luck that they can one day fully complete this story from both sides. Otherwise it feels like a glass half-full.

I lightened up the rest of the evening with the romantic comedy I Can't Think Straight (6/8) which is probably my vote for most eyeball-rolling title of the fest. However the movie was quite cute, reminding me in tone of Nina's Heavenly Delights from a couple fests back. Tala (Lisa Ray) is having her fourth engagement party in her native Jordan, and her parents are pressuring her to settle down in a traditional marriage despite her Western education and her fierce independence. While back home in London, she meets the girlfriend of her pal Ali, a clumsy but cute writer named Leyla (Sheetal Sheth). The women hit it off, but after they tumble into bed, Tala retreats due to pressure of her culture and her parents expectations. In the meantime, Leyla, despite her own traditional Indian parents, bursts forth from convention and comes out. Will Tala dump the fiance and run back to Leyla? Is this a romantic comedy, or what? The screenplay is light and funny, and yes, a bit cliched. But the actresses have great chemistry, and, simply put, Lisa Ray is smokin' HOT and a pleasure to watch. I Can't Think Straight is a charming movie with a nice multi-cultural bent, and I found that I enjoyed it quite a bit.

SLGFF 2009