Announcement: GALANG screenings

[Posted by GALANG, tfpmanila, 23 October 2008]

GALANG Screenings at Mag:net's Cinekatipunan

As part of GALANG's (Gay and Lesbian Activist Network for Gender Equality Inc.) fundraising efforts for our community organizing and capacity-building activities, we are proud to be a part of Mag:net's Cinekatipunan on all Saturdays of November (except November 1). On November 8, 15, 22, and 29, GALANG will hold FREE SCREENINGS of foreign LGBT films, the specifics of which are to be determined by this online poll. While admission to the screenings is ABSOLUTELY FREE, we encourage our friends and supporters to give a minimum donation of P50 to support GALANG's work among grassroots LGBTs.

The list of movie choices is outlined below. Voting ends on October 30, 2008. The winning films will be announced on the site as well. The scheduling of the winning films will be at the organizers' discretion, but comments and requests will be taken into account.

Which movie would you like to watch on a GALANG @ Cinekatipunan screening?

Click here to take our Online Survey

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CHOICE OF FILMS

D.E.B.S. (2004 film)

"Recruited by the U.S. government for their unique ability to lie, cheat and fight, Amy, Max, Janet and Dominique join an underground academy of secret agents known only as D.E.B.S. These crime fighting hotties set out to save the world and keep their lipstick perfectly applied while doing so. Now the girls must combine their skills for their most important mission- to capture vexing vixen Lucy Diamond, the deadliest criminal the world has ever known. When D.E.B.S. star player, Amy, falls for Lucy, chaos erupts and the D.E.B.S. loyalty is put to the test."

Winner of Berlin International Film Festival Reader Jury of the "Siegessäule" and Nominated for Black Movie Award in the Black Movie Awards.

Director: Angela Robinson
Writer (WGA): Angela Robinson
Release Date: 25 March 2005 (USA) more
Genre: Action | Comedy | Romance
Runtime: 91 min

Saving Face

"Saving Face starts like you might expect a Chinese-American lesbian romantic comedy to start: Young surgeon Wilhelmina (Michelle Krusiec, in her first starring role) has kept her sexual orientation secret from the conservative Chinese community of Flushing, NY--but when her mother (Joan Chen, The Last Emperor) becomes pregnant and is kicked out by her own parents, Wil suddenly has to juggle her mother's secrets with her own...which include her sparky new romance with Vivian (Lynn Chen), a ballet dancer and the daughter of Wil's boss. This bundle of intrigue and lust could motivate a wacky farce, but writer/director Alice Wu takes things a step further, delving into the characters' psyches and the complex social rules of their world while still crafting a strong plot and plenty of sly humor. Wu captures excellent performances from her entire cast, particularly Joan Chen, who gives perhaps her most multifaceted performance. A rich, rewarding, and delightful movie."

Director: Alice Wu
Writer (WGA): Alice Wu
Release Date: 9 September 2005 (Turkey)
Genre: Comedy | Drama | Romance
Runtime: 91 min

Kissing Jessica Stein

Blessed by casual charm and sophisticated wit, Kissing Jessica Stein does for same-sex romance what Annie Hall did for straight neurotics. The influence of Woody Allen is keenly felt on this resourceful New York comedy (expanded from an off-Broadway play), especially when cowriter and costar Jennifer Westfeldt channels Diane Keaton's "la-di-da" nervousness as Jessica Stein, a romantically frustrated heterosexual copyeditor who impulsively answers a personal ad from a bisexual woman. Helen (cowriter Heather Juergensen) is as relaxed about lesbian love as Jessica is anxious, but they click as lovers, and so does the movie's delightful exploration of their budding relationship, which is further complicated by Jessica's yenta-like mother (Tovah Feldshuh) and a former boyfriend (Scott Cohen) who's now Jessica's boss. While acknowledging the serious repercussions of Jessica's bisexual flirtation, Kissing Jessica Stein takes its characters on a smart, compassionate journey of self-discovery that's as truthfully observant as it is gently entertaining. --Jeff Shannon

Director: Charles Herman-Wurmfeld
Writer (WGA): Heather Juergensen & Jennifer Westfeldt (written by)
Release Date: 21 June 2002 (UK)
Genre: Comedy | Drama | Romance
Runtime: 97 min

The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love

This warm romantic comedy by newcomer Maria Maggenti is a gay coming-of-age story framed by Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass. Randy (Laurel Hillman) is a stoner, lesbian teenager who happens to be failing math and dating a married woman. One day, fellow student Evie (Nicole Parker) drives up to Randy's gas station in a Range Rover and flips her world upside down. Evie is privileged and popular. Randy is poor, impulsive, and according to the other students, a freak. Opposites attract when the two girls kick off their friendship in detention. The flirtation blossoms after Evie introduces tomboyish Randy to the joys of Whitman and opera. Randy returns the favor by acquainting the sheltered Evie with the problems and delights of mature, taboo love. There is a beautiful scene where the two consummate their courtship on Evie's birthday while Mom is out of town. The true test of their relationship occurs during the hilarious climax when angry families and friends chase the troubled girls into hiding. --Margaret Griffis

Director: Maria Maggenti
Writer (WGA): Maria Maggenti
Release Date: 16 June 1995 (USA)
Genre: Comedy | Drama | Romance
Runtime: 94 min

Tipping the Velvet

"It's Pride and Prejudice with dirty bits." That's how screenwriter Andrew Davies (Bridget Jones' Diary), in an interview contained on this disc, describes his adaptation of Sarah Waters's acclaimed novel of lesbian love, betrayal, and redemption in Victorian England. This three-part BBC production chronicles with relish the story of Nan Astley (Rachael Stirling, the ravishing image of her mother, Diana Rigg), barely 18, and certain that life holds more for her than her oyster girl's existence. "You'll meet someone who'll have your head spinning and your legs turning to jelly," her sister promises. That someone surprisingly turns out to be "gay and bold" Kitty Butler (Keeley Hawes), a music-hall entertainer, with whom Nan falls instantly, and swooningly, in love. Nan follows her to London, where, as a double act, they become the toast of London, until Kitty's "marriage of convenience" breaks up the act and Nan's heart. The outcast Nan, decked out in Victor/Victoria duds, becomes a streetwalker, and then "tart" to the aptly named Diana Leatherby (Anna Chancellor). This affair, too, comes to "a bad end" as a destitute Nan is deposited back on the streets, where she insinuates herself into the lives of Florence (Jodhi May), a social worker, and her socialist brother. Is Nan "too spoiled and stained for love?" Will she risk her blossoming relationship with Florence when Kitty inevitably returns to rekindle their affair? There is enough "backbiting and bitching" to fuel several seasons of The O.C. Nan's couplings, while tastefully done, do carry what Waters, in the co-interview with Davies, calls "a queer erotic charge." They are graphic by Cinemax standards, let alone the BBC. But the sterling writing and performances will captivate even the most sensitive viewers, making this groundbreaking miniseries, to quote one character, "a delightful evening... a rare treat." --Donald Liebenson

Director: Geoffrey Sax
Writer (WGA): Andrew Davies (screenplay), Sarah Waters (novel)
Release Date: 9 October 2002 (UK)
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 177 min

AMNESIA - THE JAMES BRIGHTON ENIGMA

An American is found naked and amnesiac in a vacant parking lot in Montreal in 1998. He says his name is James Brighton, but the only thing he's sure of is that he's gay. What happened to this young American in search of freedom ? That's what Sylvie, a criminology student, tries to find out.

Director: Denis Langlois
Writer (WGA): Bertrand Lachance (writer) & Denis Langlois (writer)
Release Date: 2005
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 90 min

SECOND SKIN

Diego (Javier Bardem) is a doctor who has fallen in love with a married man with a son. Against the advice of his boss and best friend (Cecilia Roth), he continues his affair with Alberto (Jordi Molla). The consequences of this affair profoundly alter not only the two men's lives, but also that of Alberto's wife

Director: Darrell Roodt
Writer (WGA): John Lau (written by)
Release Date: 2000
Genre: Thriller
Runtime: 95 min

A YEAR WITHOUT LOVE

Un Año Sin Amor is a densely layered, eloquent portrayal of Pablo, a lonely young writer and poet in Bueno Aires. He passes his time teaching French and is struggling to come to terms with his HIV-positive status. Desperate for affection, Pablo sets off on a quest for human interaction as he cruises the gay bars of Buenos Aires, places personal ads —"Take me as slave or master"—and haunts porn cinemas looking for that one last chance for "true love". And after each encounter, he religiously documents his search (for one year...). Pablo is perhaps looking in all the wrong places. Or is he? …. Pablo's life is transformed when he falls in with a group of men into leather and bondage. He falls in with a tough S&M crowd (the bondage scenes may be fairly graphic for the uninitiated). While tenderness may be lacking, he at least finds pleasure, proof that he's still alive. Relief from this highly unconventional and unexpected corner helps Pablo embrace a yet new way to deal with his disease. An extremely thoughtful, poignant yet challenging look at one gay man's approach to loneliness and HIV.

Director: Anahí Berneri
Writer (WGA): Anahí Berneri (writer) & Pablo Pérez (writer)
Release Date: 24 March 2005 (Argentina)
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 95 min

Come Undone

Come Undone is a beautifully observed portrait of the experiences of a young French homosexual. Eschewing both stereotypes and preaching, it's a wonderfully naturalistic film, superbly acted, shot with a feel for the seaside town where the action takes place, never melodramatic but often painfully real. If anything it's almost too realistic, as there's little in the way of conventional plot, just scenes from a life. But the absence of conventional dramatic tension counts for less than it might in a world so subtly drawn. 'Presque Rien' might not be the most exciting film ever made; but its simple humanism serves it well compared with the pre-conceived celebratory or bigoted viewpoints that often mar treatments of this theme. Worth a watch.

Director: Sébastien Lifshitz
Writer (WGA): Stéphane Bouquet (writer) & Sébastien Lifshitz (writer)
Release Date: 7 June 2000 (France)
Genre: Drama | Romance
Runtime: 100 min

Click here to vote for your Favorite Film!