Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival Embraces Multiple Genres
Drama, comedy, romance, action, adventure, documentary, sports, animation – just as some of its characters are “gender fluid,” one could consider the 15th Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival to be “genre fluid.”
Scheduled for Nov. 13-15 at the Indianapolis Museum of Art (located north of downtown at 4000 Michigan Road), the variety of features, short films and documentaries have something to appeal to any movie fan, including cis-straight allies.
Premiere night, Friday, Nov. 13, includes a special treat: a preview of “Sequins Required,” an independent film about Indy drag troupe The Bag Ladies and their fundraising Bus Tour, telling their history and legacy of raising awareness and funds to fight HIV/AIDS for more than 30 years. The documentary is a project of Mermaid Moon Productions, based in Plainfield, Ind.
Friday’s feature is “That’s Not Us,” in which three couples (man and woman, two men, two women) spend an end-of-summer weekend at a beach house, complete with (according to the festival program book) “whiskey-fueled card games, buzz-killing wisecracks and overdue emotional conversations.” Director William Sullivan gave the cast an outline rather than a script and let the actors improvise scenes and dialogue, providing a more natural-feeling drama.
A wide variety of other films will be screened Saturday and Sunday, including sets of short films. The festival also continues its affiliation with the Indiana Youth Group, donating 85 percent of profits to the organization, according to the IYG website. Founded in 1987, IYG’s mission is to create safe spaces, provide wellness programming, and educate LGBTQ youth and the community.
For more information on the film festival, see www.indylgbtfilmfest.com. Those who purchase festival passes are invited to a Post-Premiere Party at Theatre on the Square, 627 Massachusetts Ave. downtown, catered by Chef Joseph’s. See “Events” on the website.
FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
Indianapolis Museum of Art, 4000 Michigan Road
(T) The Toby
(D) Deboest Lecture Hall
Friday, Nov. 13
7:30 p.m. (T) “Sequins Required” (preview)
“That’s Not Us”
Saturday, Nov. 14
12:30 p.m. (T) “Beautiful Something”
(D) Lesbian Shorts: “Charlotte,” “No Matter Who,”
“Actresses,” “The Parker Tribe,” “The First Session,”
“Under My Skin,” “Pepper”
2:30 p.m. (T) Gay Shorts: “Tomorrow,” “International Male,”
“Bedding Andrew,” “The Water Globe,”
“Weird Is Who’s Not Weird,” “The Cream,”
“Hopeful Romantic”
(D) “The State of Marriage” and Q&A with Beth
Robinson, a featured participant in the documentary
4:15 p.m. (T) “Tom in America”
“Tab Hunter Confidential”
(D) “All About E”
6:30 p.m. (T) “Want It”
“Kiss Me, Kill Me” and Q&A with director
Casper Andreas
(D) “Sleep Awake”
“S&M Sally”
8:45 p.m. (T) “You’re Killing Me” and Q&A with director
Jim Hansen and star Jeffery Self
(D) “You. Me. Bathroom. Sex. Now.”
“Seed Money: The Chuck Holmes Story”
Sunday, Nov. 15
12:30 p.m. (D) Sunday Shorts: “An Apple for the Androgyne,”
“Scouts Oath,” “The Teaser,” “You Are Free,”
“Queer Yet Godly,” “Heavenly Peace,” “Pink Moon,”
“Electric Indigo”
2:15 p.m. (D) “Deep Run”
3:45 p.m. (D) “Out to Win”
5:45 p.m. (D) “Drag Becomes Him: Jinkx Monsoon”
TICKETS
Festival Pass $60
Premiere Night Pass (Friday) $40
Premiere Film Ticket (Friday) $15
Individual Film Tickets (Saturday, Sunday) $8, $5 with student ID
IMA Parking $5
Info: www.indylgbtfilmfest.com
THE FILMS
FEATURES
“All About E” (96 min., Australia) DJ on the run with bag of cash.
“Beautiful Something” (93 min., US) A night in the lives of three generations of gay men.
“Deep Run” (75 min., US) Doc on queer youth living in the South.
“Drag Becomes Him: Jinkx Monsoon” (83 min., US) Doc a glimpse into life of performer.
“Kiss Me, Kill Me” (95 min., US) Queer twist on the classic LA noir.
“Out to Win” (100 min., Canada) Doc interviewing LGBT athletes.
“S&M Sally” (90 min., US) “Vanilla” lesbian explores the world of kink.
“Seed Money: The Chuck Holmes Story” (72 min., US) Doc on popular porn producer and philanthropist.
“The State of Marriage” (82 min., US) Doc on struggle for marriage equality in Vermont.
“Tab Hunter Confidential” (90 min., US) Doc on the life of gay Hollywood heartthrob.
“That’s Not Us” (98 min., US) See story above.
“You’re Killing Me” (90 min., US) Boyfriend is a serial killer.
SHORTS
“Actresses” (12 min., US) Four self-involved actresses.
“An Apple for the Androgyne” (7 min., Germany) Adam/Eve in one.
“Bedding Andrew” (4 min., Canada) Man reflects on first encounter.
“Charlotte” (11 min., US) Teen girl develops feelings for friend.
“The Cream” (8 min., France ) Odd encounter during morning run.
“Electric Indigo” (24 min., France) Girl’s “sweet sixteen” turns sour.
“The First Session” (7 min., US) Couple sees unusual therapist.
“Heavenly Peace” (5 min., US) Cherub helps couple at holidays.
“Hopeful Romantic” (16 min., US) Love and letting go, sans dialogue.
“International Male” (7 min., US) Man invites world to his bed.
“No Matter Who” (19 min., France) Girls at scout camp.
“The Parker Tribe” (25 min., US) An odd but loving family.
“Pepper” (7 min., Canada) The morning after doesn’t go well.
“Pink Moon” (17 min., US) Straight couple struggles in alternate world.
“Queer Yet Godly” (4 min., US)Examining religion and sexuality.
“Scouts Oath” (13 min., US) Story of gay BSA official Len Lanzi.
“Sleep Awake” (5 min., US) One’s sadness infects another’s dreams.
“The Teaser” (8 min., US) Avant garde look at effects of addiction.
“Tom in America” (17 min., US) Secrets threaten 50-year marriage.
“Tomorrow” (13 min., US) Couple on brink of year 2000.
“Under My Skin” (7 min., US) Two women and their passion.
“Want It” (11 min., UK) Man breaks into another’s luxurious home.
“The Water Globe” (17 min., US) A dog and his man in Indy.
“Weird Is Who’s Not Weird” (16 min., Mexico) Is Samuel gay?
“You Are Free” (10 min., US) Man enters national drag queen contest.
“You. Me. Bathroom. Sex. Now.” (17 min., Spain) Title sums it up, sorta.
