Reel Affirmations Pride Films

As you know from reading my blog, I am a fan of independent films. A GAY independent film nearly makes me squeal with delight! So, it was with much excitement that I planned to attend the Reel Affirmations Pride films this past Thursday and Friday nights.

I asked Michael and Jamie if they were interested and they said yes, so all four of us got passes for all 4 films.

Here is the synopsis of the films I saw, followed by my critique:

Cote d'Azur For summer vacation, Marc take his wife Beatrix and their two children to the seaside house of his youth. The Mediterranean wind blows, the sea churns, and the heat of summer stokes their desires. Their daughter Laura has a rendezvous with her biker boyfriend, and their son Charly roams with his best friend Martin, who is in love with him. When Beatrix's lover Mathieu shows up, and Marc's old flame appears, complications escalate and the vacation collapses into hilarious chaos. In French w/English subtitles.
I liked this film for several reasons. They spoke French, which I find to be a beautiful language to hear. The main character, Marc, was quite handsome. The scenery was gorgeous. The plot was smart and funny. Michael and Jamie liked this too.

Naked Fame At the age of 40, wildly successful gay adult film star Colton Ford decides to leave porn behind and to pursue his dream: music. Naked Fame is a fascinating look at the porn world and music industry from the initial conception of Ford's first single to its recording and release. The movie explores the intimate inner-workings of the music industry, capturing the intense emotional drama and struggles involved in the pursuit of stardom against the stigma of a porn star past.
Although not meant to be a comedy, we all found ourselves laughing only 3 minutes into this film. The interviews with Colton Ford's parents were hilarious, although I don't believe they were intended to be. Why is it that people in the porn business are always surrounded by drama? None of us thought very highly of this film, but Jamie and I both found it fascinating to see how differently these people think.

Summer Storm Winner of the Best Feature Audience Award, Munich 2004 and the Best Feature Audience Choice, Melbourne 2005. Best friends Tobi and Achim have helped their team win several rowing cups and are now looking forward to the important regatta in the countryside. As Achim's relationship with his girlfriend grows more serious, Tobi becomes confused and increasingly left out. As the tension grows, Tobi, Achim and the others head towards a confrontation as fierce and liberating as the summer storm gathering over the lake. In German w/English subtitles.
This was by far the group's favorite of the 4 films. It was cute, sometimes serious, but always intriguing. We were impressed by the acting abilities of several of these young people. And, of course the arms, shoulders, and chests of these rowers didn't hurt either!

Producing Adults Finland's official entry for the 2005 Academy Awards Best Foreign Film category.Venla works as a psychologist at a fertility clinic, deciding who should receive artificial insemination. Meanwhile, she dreams of motherhood, a desire not shared by her boyfriend who secretly undergoes a vasectomy. With her baby-making options reduced, Venla can't help but think of her workplace and the opportunities it provides. As Venla and her female colleague Satu plot their baby-making scheme, they find their feelings for each other become deeper than mere friendship. Will Venla finally become a mother? And with whom would she co-parent? In Finnish w/English subtitles.
Michael and Jamie didn't care for this film, but Joe and I both liked it. We all agreed, however, that it seemed too long. This film had a 'dark' appearance, not because of the subject matter, but because of the lighting, and I think this had a lot to do with Michael and Jamie's discontent with it. Also, this film followed 'Summer Storm' which was their favorite, so that didn't help. What I liked about this film was that it wasn't predictable, and things didn't "all work out" in this film, much like in real life. Gosh - Finnish is even worse than German to listen to!

So I thoroughly enjoyed my Pride film experience, thanks to One In Ten (www.oneinten.org) and its corporate and private sponsors. Think I'll have to send them a little donation one of these days to show my appreciation for their work in finding and screening the films and putting on the film festival.