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Archive for September, 2007
Everyone:
Thanks again to those of you who came out this weekend for the film festival. We estimate that we saw around 125 unique participants over the three-day event. Expect an recap and update from us soon!
Now, we have a number of events going on in October that I want to make you aware of immediately.
GLBT History Month
Starting today, we are participating in GLBT History Month.  Each day during October we’ll present a short profile of a GLBT leader. Look for these profiles on http://gaynepa.com, http://blog.gaynepa.com, and http://myspace.com/gaynepa. Also, if you’re on Comcast cable, look for occasional commercials.
Transformation Tuesdays
We’ll be hosting nights out at local supportive businesses starting on Tuesday the 9th and every Tuesday afterwards in October. Visit http://rainbow.dcssites.com/tuesdays/ for the schedule of events and printable coupons.  Each event starts at 5:30 p.m. and goes through 8 p.m.
The schedule is as follows:
Oct. 9th: Ground Round, Wilkes-Barre
Oct. 16th: Barnes & Noble at Arena Hub Plaza, Wilkes-Barre*
Oct. 23rd: The Banshee Pub, Scranton*
Oct. 30th: The FireGrill @ Inn at Nichols Village, Clarks Summit
* – also business networking events
“Remembering Keith” – Benefits for the Diversity Partnership
Keith Haring’s bold, cartoon-like images have made him an icon in modern art and GLBT civil rights. Keith’s sister Kay will join the Diversity Partnership of The Luzerne Foundation on Sunday, October 14, 2007 at two events in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Funds raised from this event will be tripled due to a matching grant.
EVENTS:
1:00 p.m. at Keystone College (donations will be accepted)
3:00 p.m. at Wyoming Valley Red Cross ($25 donation per person)
For more information call 570-371-6555 or e-mail diversity@luzfdn.org.
FOR MORE INFORMATION about any of these events, e-mail john@gaynepa.com or call 570-606-4410.
Home Town Pride
Introducing the inaugural Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
By Jeff Boam
After the 2001 Pennsylvania Film Festival was cancelled due to the events of 9/11, area filmgoers had few prospects on the horizon so far as film festivals were concerned. Milford’s Black Bear Film Festival and Tunkhannock’s bi-annual Dietrich Theater Film Festival afforded audiences some choice cinematic offerings, but Scranton and Wilkes-Barre residents still had no film festival to call their own. Then came last year’s Electric City Film Festival held at Hanlon’s Grove in Scranton’s Nay Aug Park. Though largely viewed as a success, future such incarnations had to be curtailed after the tent that had once covered this event’s venue (as well as the Scranton Jazz Festival) gave way under immense snow accumulation during 2007’s wicked Valentine’s Day.
And then, there were none … that is, of course, until not one but two separate film festivals were slated to debut this fall. The Rainbow Alliance, the largest organization serving the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender community in Northeastern Pennsylvania, will hold its inaugural Northeastern Pennsylvania Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre this Friday through Sunday. (The Northeastern Pennsylvania Jewish Film Festival, which ec/dc will cover in a future story, is set to launch on Oct. 20.)
A niche film festival stands to offer local filmgoers a great deal of diversity in terms of programming. “The art of film has always allowed everyone to have a voice no matter where the voice comes from,” said Paige Balitski, executive director of the Greater Scranton Film Office. “This is a great opportunity for these voices and talent to be seen and heard.”
For its part, this weekend’s Gay and Lesbian Film Festival will present short and feature-length gay-themed documentary and narrative films. “The project has been in development for the past years,” said John Dawe, executive director of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Rainbow Alliance. “We have been polling the community for program ideas and suggestions for several years.”
In 2006, the Alliance premiered a short film as part of the entertainment for its annual dinner. The film, Trish Blaine’s Red/Blue, will be among the short films kicking off the festival on Friday at the offices of Semian & Gress Real Estate in Scranton. “It’s a gay-themed movie and … our organization provided a large number of the extras in the film,” said Dawe. “We saw there was a lot of interest, and things went from there.”
On Saturday, the festival will feature the local premieres of feature narratives Steam Cloud Rising and Rolling. Set on the eve of the Three Mile Island nuclear facility accident, Steam Cloud Rising, which was written and directed by Central Pa. filmmaker Eric Spaar, deals with a star high school athlete’s struggle to come out of the closet in 1979. Rolling, a faux documentary chronicling the dangers of the drug Ecstasy, will be followed by Q&A with the screenwriter, Scranton native Cody Parrish Thompson. Justice for ALL, a Human Rights Campaign-produced short documentary about fair and balanced judiciary, will screen in-between the features.
Sunday, however, will offer attendees a unique addendum to the typical film festival programming. Following a Welcoming and Affirming Ecumenical Worship Service & Lunch at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Wilkes-Barre, festival-goers will walk to the R/C Theatre’s Wilkes-Barre Movies 14 where Saint of 9/11 will be screened. “We have a Faith and Spirituality Committee as part of the organization. ‘Saint of 9/11′ is about a gay Franciscan priest and focuses on his life’s work,” said Dawe. “Doing the service and lunch at the church, and then walking down the street to the screening seemed like a perfect fit.”
This award-winning documentary, which is narrated by Sir Ian McKellen, chronicles the life and work of New York Fire Department chaplain Father Mychal Judge, who lost his life as a result of the World Trade Center collapse on September 11, 2001. “(He) was beloved by the broadest range of folks from literally Bill and Hillary Clinton who spoke eloquently about him at his funeral to literally the most marginalized homeless people in New York,” said Malcolm Lazin, who served as executive producer for both Saint of 9/11 and Friday’s short documentary offering, Gay Pioneers. “And the fact that there’s going to be this ecumenical service is just literally a blessing in his memory and for me personally.”
The PBS co-produced Gay Pioneers, on the other hand, chronicles the start of the organized gay and lesbian civil rights movement. “We think that at least through our documentary films and through the efforts of others,” said Lazin, “that it is having an important impact through film festivals in advancing our civil rights.”
But will this niche programming find an audience beyond the gay and lesbian community? “All the films scheduled easily appeal to any audience,” said Dawe. Balitski agreed: “I think that these festivals are very important not only as an art form but as teaching tool. You don’t have to be gay or lesbian to attend and appreciate the work.”
Lazin, who also serves as the executive director of Equality Forum, a national gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender civil rights organization, feels that this inaugural event is important in terms of promoting equality. “A film is just an incredible way of educating, entertaining, and energizing our community,” said Lazin. “It’s terrific to see what we’re doing.”
When all is said and done and the final film has screened, the Rainbow Alliance hopes that the consensus of filmgoers will walk away from the festival saying or feeling the same as Lazin. “This is the first time we’re attempting this festival and we have some hopes that people will have done the three things in our slogan … Learn, Grow, and Understand,” said Dawe. “All that, and movies too!”
Schedule:
Friday, September 28
Shorts in Scranton at Semian & Gress, 400 Spruce St., Scranton – 7 p.m. including After the 2001 Pennsylvania Film Festival was cancelled due to the events of 9/11, area filmgoers had few prospects on the horizon so far as film festivals were concerned. Milford’s Black Bear Film Festival and Tunkhannock’s bi-annual Dietrich Theater Film Festival afforded audiences some choice cinematic offerings, but Scranton and Wilkes-Barre residents still had no film festival to call their own. Then came last year’s Electric City Film Festival held at Hanlon’s Grove in Scranton’s Nay Aug Park. Though largely viewed as a success, future such incarnations had to be curtailed after the tent that had once covered this event’s venue (as well as the Scranton Jazz Festival) gave way under immense snow accumulation during 2007’s wicked Valentine’s Day.
And then, there were none … that is, of course, until not one but two separate film festivals were slated to debut this fall. The Rainbow Alliance, the largest organization serving the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender community in Northeastern Pennsylvania, will hold its inaugural Northeastern Pennsylvania Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre this Friday through Sunday. (The Northeastern Pennsylvania Jewish Film Festival, which ec/dc will cover in a future story, is set to launch on Oct. 20.)
A niche film festival stands to offer local filmgoers a great deal of diversity in terms of programming. “The art of film has always allowed everyone to have a voice no matter where the voice comes from,” said Paige Balitski, executive director of the Greater Scranton Film Office. “This is a great opportunity for these voices and talent to be seen and heard.”
For its part, this weekend’s Gay and Lesbian Film Festival will present short and feature-length gay-themed documentary and narrative films. “The project has been in development for the past years,” said John Dawe, executive director of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Rainbow Alliance. “We have been polling the community for program ideas and suggestions for several years.”
In 2006, the Alliance premiered a short film as part of the entertainment for its annual dinner. The film, Trish Blaine’s Red/Blue, will be among the short films kicking off the festival on Friday at the offices of Semian & Gress Real Estate in Scranton. “It’s a gay-themed movie and … our organization provided a large number of the extras in the film,” said Dawe. “We saw there was a lot of interest, and things went from there.”
On Saturday, the festival will feature the local premieres of feature narratives Steam Cloud Rising and Rolling. Set on the eve of the Three Mile Island nuclear facility accident, Steam Cloud Rising, which was written and directed by Central Pa. filmmaker Eric Spaar, deals with a star high school athlete’s struggle to come out of the closet in 1979. Rolling, a faux documentary chronicling the dangers of the drug Ecstasy, will be followed by Q&A with the screenwriter, Scranton native Cody Parrish Thompson. Justice for ALL, a Human Rights Campaign-produced short documentary about fair and balanced judiciary, will screen in-between the features.
Sunday, however, will offer attendees a unique addendum to the typical film festival programming. Following a Welcoming and Affirming Ecumenical Worship Service & Lunch at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Wilkes-Barre, festival-goers will walk to the R/C Theatre’s Wilkes-Barre Movies 14 where Saint of 9/11 will be screened. “We have a Faith and Spirituality Committee as part of the organization. ‘Saint of 9/11′ is about a gay Franciscan priest and focuses on his life’s work,” said Dawe. “Doing the service and lunch at the church, and then walking down the street to the screening seemed like a perfect fit.”
This award-winning documentary, which is narrated by Sir Ian McKellen, chronicles the life and work of New York Fire Department chaplain Father Mychal Judge, who lost his life as a result of the World Trade Center collapse on September 11, 2001. “(He) was beloved by the broadest range of folks from literally Bill and Hillary Clinton who spoke eloquently about him at his funeral to literally the most marginalized homeless people in New York,” said Malcolm Lazin, who served as executive producer for both Saint of 9/11 and Friday’s short documentary offering, Gay Pioneers. “And the fact that there’s going to be this ecumenical service is just literally a blessing in his memory and for me personally.”
The PBS co-produced Gay Pioneers, on the other hand, chronicles the start of the organized gay and lesbian civil rights movement. “We think that at least through our documentary films and through the efforts of others,” said Lazin, “that it is having an important impact through film festivals in advancing our civil rights.”
But will this niche programming find an audience beyond the gay and lesbian community? “All the films scheduled easily appeal to any audience,” said Dawe. Balitski agreed: “I think that these festivals are very important not only as an art form but as teaching tool. You don’t have to be gay or lesbian to attend and appreciate the work.”
Lazin, who also serves as the executive director of Equality Forum, a national gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender civil rights organization, feels that this inaugural event is important in terms of promoting equality. “A film is just an incredible way of educating, entertaining, and energizing our community,” said Lazin. “It’s terrific to see what we’re doing.”
When all is said and done and the final film has screened, the Rainbow Alliance hopes that the consensus of filmgoers will walk away from the festival saying or feeling the same as Lazin. “This is the first time we’re attempting this festival and we have some hopes that people will have done the three things in our slogan … Learn, Grow, and Understand,” said Dawe. “All that, and movies too!”
Schedule:
Friday, September 28
* Shorts in Scranton at Semian & Gress, 400 Spruce St., Scranton – 7 p.m. including Gay Pioneers and Red/Blue
Saturday, September 29
* Steam Cloud Rising at R/C Theatre’s Wilkes-Barre Movies 14, Northampton and Main streets, Wilkes-Barre – 2 p.m.
* Justice for ALL at R/C Theatre’s Wilkes-Barre Movies 14, Northampton and Main streets, Wilkes-Barre – 6:30 p.m.
* Rolling at R/C Theatre’s Wilkes-Barre Movies 14, Northampton and Main Streets, Wilkes-Barre – 7 p.m.
Sunday, September 30
* Welcoming and Affirming Ecumenical Worship Service & Lunch, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church – 12:00 p.m.
* Saint of 9/11 at R/C Theatre’s Wilkes-Barre Movies 14, Northampton and Main streets, Wilkes-Barre – 2:00 p.m.
Weekender 9/26/07 — OUT to the Movies (page 40)
Donna Talarico | Weekender Correspondent
It’s one more sign of the growth and acceptance of diversity in Northeast Pennsylvania: A gay and lesbian film festival.
The Eastern Pennsylvania Gay & Lesbian Film Festival will be held Friday through Sunday at various venues. In fact, the county seats of both Luzerne and Lackawanna counties will share the hosting duties of the inaugural fest, with films being shown in theaters in both downtown Scranton and Wilkes-Barre.
John Dawe, executive director of the sponsoring organization says this “tour format†was selected because the Rainbow Alliance is a regional organization.
“We wanted to give opportunities for people across the region to attend some part of the festival,†Dawe said. “If you can’t make it down to Wilkes-Barre or up to Scranton, we hope you’ll attend at an event in your home county.â€
The festival will include a selection of films and shorts, a few from NEPA natives.
“This is our first time doing a film event,†Dawe said. “We wanted to keep it as simple as possible and solicited films from filmmakers that we knew who had done GLBT-themed films. We also partnered with the Community Film Project.â€
Dawe explained the collection of films is not just geared toward a gay and lesbian audience — there are themes in each movie applicable to everyone. Even lessons.
“We think we’ve programmed films that will appeal to a diverse audience. ‘Saint of 9/11’ for example — it will be meaningful for teens and senior citizens — and you don’t have to be GLBT either,†he explained.
The critically acclaimed “Saint of 9/11†is about a friar and chaplain of the Fire Department of New York City who died the day of the World Trade Center attacks. “Rolling†is a film about drug abuse. “Steam Cloud Rising†is a story about love — and a nuclear power plant. The short comedy “Red/Blue†is the story of a young lesbian faced with a choice. “Gay Pioneers†explores early GLBT activism, and “Justice for ALL†tackles the judicial system.
The weekend-long festival kicks off with “Shorts in Scranton,†co-sponsored by the Community Film Project. In fact, one of the GLBT-themed shorts was a CFP project and was perhaps a mini-predecessor to the Eastern PA Gay & Lesbian Film Fest. “Red/Blue,†the comedy/drama about an 18-year-old lesbian deciding to come out, was premiered at the 2006 Rainbow Alliance Summer Soiree.
“It’s a gay-themed movie, and filmed in part at the 12 Penny Saloon in Moosic,†said Dawe. “Our organization provided a large number of the extras in the film. We saw there was lots of interest and things went from there.â€
In addition to “Red/Blue†and “Gay Pioneers†(produced by WHYY), nine CFP films will be shown. These shorts, each between four and 12 minutes, are of various genres including comedy, suspense, drama and even animated. One highlight is “President Swap,†a parody of TV’s “Wife Swap†where President Bush trades places with a “Saved by the Bell†fan club president.
The festival continues Saturday with a matinee showing of “Steam Cloud Rising†and an evening show of “Justice for ALL†and “Rolling,†which was co-written by former NEPA resident Cody Parrish Thompson.
“I am very excited to be having the East Coast Premiere of my film Rolling in NEPA,†Thompson said. “I lived there for almost three years and left behind my mother, sister and friends to come to Los Angeles and pursue my dreams. I will be visiting everyone and doing some film promotion.
A self-taught film industry pro, Thompson said he was incredibly lucky to have Rolling as his first feature film. He is currently working on a horror script, The Cult for which he’ll be returning to the area next year to shoot. (He’ll be looking for local cast and crew, he added.)
Sunday begins earlier with a worship service, followed by a lunch and then a matinee of “Saint of 9/11.â€
For $25, folks can purchase a pass to attend all movies, the lunch and the after-party event. Sold separately, movie tickets are $8 each. A Sunday-only pass, which includes lunch and movie admission, is $10.
For more details about the movies, see the sidebar. Or get a sneak peak with trailers and snippets of each movie at nepafilms.com and communityfilmproject.org.
When asked what he hopes people will feel after exiting the theaters, watching one, some or all of these movies, Dawe responded: “We have our motto, ‘Learn, Grow, Understand.’ We hope each of these goals are met by attending this festival.â€
Thompson agreed.
“I think the festival is a great idea and a fantastic way to get people more involved in the arts and LGBT acceptance,†he said. “Having a university full of students from around the country and the world, it’s good to see that people are taking the time to make a difference and spread the LGBT culture to those who may not be familiar with it.â€
More information: nepafilms.com