This weekend is the opening weekend for QFest, Philadelphia’s 11-day Queer Film Festival, now in its 18th year. Featuring 55 films from 26 different countries, QFest provides some of the best national and international LGBTQ films of 2012.
The entire program is available on qfest.com, but we’ve highlighted the festival’s four Centerpiece Screenings below. You can also check out the QFest Teaser Trailer below:
Beauty: Winner of the Queer Palm D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, South African director Oliver Hermanus presents Beauty, a tale of a middle-aged husband and father, Francois, who harbors a secret attraction to other men.
He goes so far as to sneak away for a weekend romp with other married men. While at his daughter’s wedding, he takes a liking to his oldest friend’s son, and this liking quickly turns to a dark obsession which takes this complex character on a tragic journey.
Screening Friday, July 13 at 9:30 p.m. and Tuesday, July 17,, 5 p.m., at Ritz East Theater 1. For more information on Beauty, click here.
Cloudburst: Stella (Olympia Dukakis) and Dotty (Brenda Fricker) have lived together in a loving, committed relationship for more than 30 years in Maine. When Dotty has a fall, her granddaughter arranges to have her put into a nursing home. Rather than face life without one another, the Stella and Dot embark to Canada to be legally wed.
Director Thom Fitzgerald presents an uproarious, poignant piece about loyalty, love, and the journeys of life.
Screening Friday, July 13, 7:15 p.m. (SOLD OUT – Wait Line) and Sunday, July 15, 12:15 p.m., at the Ritz East Theater 1. For more information about Cloudburst, click here.
I Do: This provocative drama from director Glenn Gaylord explores a number of issues involving same sex bi-national couples living in America. When British-born Jack (David Ross), a freelance photographer living in New York City, is denied the renewal of his work visa, he decides to marry his lesbian best friend Ali (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) for a green card, and they shack up.
Jack soon finds himself fancying Mano, a Latino architect, and soon Ali becomes bitter about the arrangement she’s entered into, especially after ICE (immigration & custom enforcement) officials storm into their apartment and Jack isn’t around. Ali decides to file for divorce, & soon Jack is facing heart-breaking, life-changing choices.
Screening Friday, July 20, 7:15 p.m. at Ritz East Theater 1 and Saturday, July 21, 2:15 p.m. at Ritz East Theater 2. For more information about I Do, click here.
North Sea Texas: Bavo Defurne’s debut film (Dutch with English subtitles) centers around Pim, a quiet teenage boy in love with his “straight” best friend, Gino, a dark-haired stud.
Pim struggles with an alcoholic mother who is always bringing a different man home, and Gino, who is now seeing a girl and only messed around sexually with Pim ‘for fun.’
Screening Saturday, July 14, 7:15 p.m. and Saturday, July 21, 2:30 p.m. at Ritz East Theater 1. For more information about North Sea Texas, click here.
Tickets are $10 per film and are available at qfest.com. All photos and videos are courtesy of qfest.com.
Article By Lauren Z.
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