Events

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.”

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.”

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.”

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.”

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.”

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.”

More information: nepafilms.com

Wilkes-Barre, Pa. – The Rainbow Alliance Business and Professionals Network will hold a special mixer for gay and gay-supportive businesspersons from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 16, 2007 at Barnes and Noble Arena Hub Plaza in Wilkes-Barre Township.

Businesses interested in participating may optionally pre-register by calling 570.371.6555.

A portion of any book, magazine, music or video purchases made from October 9 to 15 will be donated to Rainbow Alliance. Coupons are available beginning October 1 at this site or upon request at the Barnes and Noble customer service desk.

For more information about the Rainbow Alliance, visit www.gaynepa.com.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: John Dawe, Executive Director
V: 570.417.3335 F: 570.227.0098
e: john@gaynepa.com

RAINBOW ALLIANCE ANNOUNCES
2007 GAY & LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL

September 1, 2007 (Wilkes-Barre, PA) – The Rainbow Alliance, the largest organization serving the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) community in the Northeastern Pennsylvania region, announced that it will hold the 2007 NEPA Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre from Friday, September 28 through Sunday, September 30, 2007.

The festival will feature six films per the following 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 & Main Streets, Wilkes-Barre – 2 p.m.
Justice for ALL at R/C Theatre’s Wilkes-Barre Movies 14, Northampton & Main Streets, Wilkes-Barre – 6:30 p.m.
Rolling at R/C Theatre’s Wilkes-Barre Movies 14, Northampton & Main Streets, Wilkes-Barre – 7 p.m.

Sunday, September 30
Welcoming and Affirming Ecumenical Worship Service & Lunch, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church – 12 p.m.
Saint of 9/11 at R/C Theatre’s Wilkes-Barre Movies 14, Northampton & Main Streets, Wilkes-Barre – 2 p.m.

“The Rainbow Alliance is excited to be sponsoring this event,” said John Dawe, executive director. “Over the past two years, we have taken into account the input from our members and supporters. A survey last year showed very strong support for community-wide events, so our board of directors has planned a series of special programs and events centered on what our constituents have requested, including the film festival.”

Interviews with film makers and community partners are available by calling Dawe at 570.417.3335.

The following web-links contain information about the festival:
Schedule of Events: http://filmfest.gaynepa.com/schedule.html
General Information: http://filmfest.gaynepa.com
Organization Site: http://www.gaynepa.com

About the Rainbow Alliance:
The Rainbow Alliance is the largest organization serving the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities in Northeastern Pennsylvania through direct programming and partnerships with service organizations. With more than 2,000 supporters, the organization’s website gaynepa.com is a central hub for GLBT programs in NEPA.

FILM SYNPOSES

Gay Pioneers (Short) – Produced in collaboration with PBS-affiliate WHYY, Gay Pioneers is documents the first organized gay and lesbian civil rights demonstrations. These “annual reminders” took place every Fourth of July in front of Independence Hall from 1965 to 1969.

Red/Blue (Short) – Written and Directed by Scranton-native Trish Blaine, Red/Blue examines a young woman’s decision to come out or succumb to societal pressures to “play straight” and be married to her ex-boyfriend.

Steam Cloud Rising (Feature) – Harrisburg-based film maker Eric Spaar’s Steam Cloud Rising tells the story of popular and athletic Hugh. While struggling to contain his true sexual identity at a high school in the 70’s, Hugh fights to get the town’s nuclear power plant to disclose the truths of its releases. Ultimately, both have a meltdown. Based on actual events relating to the Three Mile Island nuclear accident in Middletown, Pa.

Justice for ALL (Short) – National GLBT organization the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation produced Justice for ALL to inform diverse groups about the importance of a fair & balanced judiciary.

Rolling (Feature) – With screenplay by Scranton-native Cody Parrish Thompson, Rolling examines seven diverse individuals whose lives all cross paths in the Ecstasy-riddled L.A. underground party scene. Rolling is a turbulent journey that takes a tough yet entertaining look at this unique drug phenomenon. With the pace and style of a documentary, the 99-minute feature film captures the essence of Ecstasy culture, exposing the delicate balance of relationships and responsibilities with chasing this drug-induced euphoria.

Saint of 9/11 (Feature) – Critically acclaimed documentary film, Saint of 9/11, is winner of the Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival’s best documentary, jury & audience awards. It is the story of Father Mychal Judge, the gay FDNY chaplain who died in the line of duty on September 11^th. Judge was a Franciscan who struggled with alcoholism and the struggle of being a gay man in the Catholic Church. Father Mychal’s life, not his death, is the focus here. Irish immigrants, friends, church members, the poor, AIDS victims, firemen, President Clinton and leaders of the gay Catholic movement all talk about how their lives were made better by Father Mychal’s example of loving and serving others before yourself.

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June 15, 2007 - Wilkes-Barre — The Board of Directors of the NEPA Rainbow Alliance announced today that tickets are now available for the 2007 Summer Soiree to be held on Thursday, July 19 at the Woodlands Inn and Resort from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

The event, sponsored by Prudential Financial’s Northeastern Pennsylvania Agency will include:
5:30 p.m. (Cash Bar & Visit Exhibits)
6:30 p.m. (Dinner & Annual Report)

“This is the third annual event we’ve done and attendance has grown substantially each year,” according executive director John Dawe, who reports attendance exceeded 100 attendees last year.

According to Dawe, this years event will fuse together several programs including a business and organizational exhibit, Pride Guide release, and kick off for the inaugural Eastern Pennsylvania Gay & Lesbian Film Days.

Cost for individual attendees is $30. Tables of 8 are available for $220, and 10 for $275.

Exhibit space is available for a modest fee for businesses and community groups. Contact Dawe at 570-606-4410 or john@gaynepa.com for more information.

Tickets can be purchased online at this link.

Local organizers have started a Christian celebration service in the LGBT community.

Jesus was more concerned with helping people enter God’s Family than trying to figure out who might not belong. With this understanding as our foundation we invite you to gather with us for inclusive non-denominational Christian worship celebrating who we are and what we believe.

For more information call Jennifer: 269-598-8584 or contact sparkleseer@aol.com.

Rainbow Alliance supporter Maria Dubiel will perform on Monday night, March 12th at Fuse Martini Bar in Midtown Village, downtown Wilkes-Barre starting at 9:30 p.m.

Fuse is located at 41 South Main Street next to Katana, Subway, and near Boscov’s.