QUEUE THIS!

Hey LA, Outfest opens tonight!  Don't be a dumb straight like me and think this fest doesn't have something for you.  I finally took notice of it last year and attended a few screenings.  Not only are the films great (you like good stories, right?) but there's an awesome buzz around the DGA throughout the fest-- pre-screening receptions, post-screening receptions, after parties...lots to do and they're almost all open to any attendee with a movie ticket.  In other words, it's not like most festivals where you have to buy the expensive festival pass in order to mix and mingle-- everyone is welcome!  It's really refreshing and a lot of fun.  And did I mention the great films they show?  Of yeah, I did, so here are some of the women directors, with films playing this year's Outfest, that you might want to look out for:  Stacie Passon, Martha Shane, Lana Wilson, Lisa Biagiotti, Drew Denny, Shelly Silver, Linda Bloodworth-Thomason and Pratibha Parmar.  And, of course, in honor of Outfest's opening night, I have chosen a variety of LGBT stories directed by women for this week's QUEUE THIS:

Mosquita y Mari (dir Aurora Guerrero, 2012 DVD)  Netflix says: "Neighbors but by no means friends, high schoolers Yolanda and Mari discover a bond and an attraction when they're made study partners. One a star student, the other more focused on work -- both are rocked to the core by their growing connection."  I caught this at last year's Outfest and was blown away by Guerrero's beautifully subtle storytelling skill. (took a lot of mental notes in that screening!) 

Priest (dir Antonia Bird, 1994)  Netflix says: "The film centers on Father Greg Pilkington (Linus Roache), a devout Catholic priest who struggles with a love for his church and congregation -- and his secret life as a homosexual with a gay lover (Robert Carlyle). After hearing the confession of a young girl in his parish, who tells him her father is sexually abusing her, the priest is torn between the laws of the church and his need to choose one life over the other." As you can imagine, the Catholic Church didn't like this film...but it still gets mentioned in top film lists to this day, so I think Bird did something right.

Southern Comfort (dir Kate Davis, 2001)  Netflix says: "This moving documentary chronicles the last year in the life of Robert Eads, a female-to-male transsexual dying of ovarian cancer, as he and his partner prepare to lead a panel at the annual Southern Comfort conference."  

Loving Annabelle (dir Katherine Brooks, 2006)  Netflix says: "An esteemed young poetry teacher at a Catholic boarding school (Diane Gaidry) risks everything when she engages in a feverish affair with a female student (Erin Kelly) in this controversial story of forbidden love. Directed by Katherine Brooks and co-starring Ilene Graff, this passionate yet sensitive romance explores the complexity of an unconventional relationship in the face of rigid traditionalism."  This was a big hit at Outfest a few years ago, winning best actor for Diane Gaidry's work as well as the Audience Award.  I know Diane from Filmmakers Alliance (she was a co-founder) but sadly I missed the excitement of that particular Outfest because I was off at grad school in London.  Stupid grad school...

I've Heard the Mermaids Singing (dir Patricia Rozema, 1987)  Netflix says: "Loony but lovable klutz Polly (Sheila McCarthy) lands a job in an upscale art gallery. In a major gaffe, she hangs a piece of art she mistakenly credits to her boss, Gabrielle (Paule Baillargeon), but which really was created by Gabrielle's lover, Mary (Ann-Marie MacDonald). And when she develops an inconvenient crush on Gabrielle, Polly's troubles begin to multiple faster than dabs of paint on a Jackson Pollock canvas."

QUEUE THIS! is a weekly post by Destri Martino that appears on the Broad Humor Blog every Thursday morning. The goal of the post is to get more women-directed films in Netflix queues in order to make a sizable impact on Netflix analytics and buying patterns; thus, getting more films by women directors distributed and seen, and generally heightening awareness about this often overlooked pool of talent. View the past two QUEUE THIS! posts here and here.