Last night's film also had a short, both were centred on young intersex protagonists.

( Clouded )


( XXY )

I'm continuing to be really impressed with quality of the Outtakes films this year, not sure if it's because they couldn't run the festival last year, so had a deeper range to choose from, or if queer filmmaking is finally coming of age, or if the people choosing the films are just better at it, but these films are on a level with those shown at the always excellent NZ International Film Festival. I have bought a ticket to I Can't Think Straight tonight, wish me luck on getting there on time.

And Crystal's twitter is well over 1000 followers, 24 hours later. Otalia fandom rocks.

http://crystal-chappell.istotallyawesome.com/

Crossposted.

I saw three films and 5 shorts over the weekend.

( Was am Ende Zählt )

( Mein Freund Aus Faro )

( Seriously Good Girl's Shorts )

( A World Unseen )

And

( Crystal Chappell is on Twitter )

http://jessica-leccia.istotallyawesome.com/

Crossposted.

http://www.outtakes.org.nz/2009/akl/films/fin.html

And once again I've been struck by the "this was made just for me" very big grin of "oh how I love that trope, and look it's actually being used well".

I'm stuck between spoiling something so the people who REALLY REALLY SHOULD SEE THIS FILM AND I'M LOOKING AT YOU thrace_ know that it hits their very favorite tropes, and knowing that it loses something to go into the film already knowing this. But to think I might have believed the trailer and the blurb and thought this was only an issues movie because there was no mention of the genre and the things that make me squee!

So, SPOILER FREE REVIEW, with the exception of the setup details:

Finn's Girl starts with 11 year old Zelly and her other mother dealing with the aftermath of the loss of Finn's biological mother, an activist and abortion doctor to breast cancer. Finn has given up her fertility specialist career to take over Nancy's life work at the protester beleaguered abortion clinic, Zelly is acting out, trying to play her sperm donor father (who Finn is also at odds with professionally over his acceptance of pharmaceutical company money in what was their fertility research) against Finn, who is not managing to make time for Zelly. When police protection for Finn and therefore Zelly has to be increased the pressure starts to build.

There were moments early on when I felt distanced from it, but I liked it more and more, and from the point that I realised where it was going I just had a great big grin on my face. I might have expected it from a comedy, or a post apocalyptic separatist fable, but this was a grounded, interesting movie about the way families are, rather than the way families are in movies, and it was great.

Bonus moment - one of the actresses was at the screening, she happened to be in Auckland visiting her girlfriend, saw the poster which features her, and contacted the directors who put her in touch with the festival organisers.

My next movie is tonight.

Crossposted to http://aquila1nz.dreamwidth.org/1733.html

Which films should I go see?

http://www.outtakes.org.nz/2009/akl/schedule.html

The only two on the list I've heard of are World Unseen and I Can't Think Straight. While in an ideal world I'd like to see some of the gay male films too, I don't have the time and money to see them all. I want to see: at least one of the shorts compilations, at least one doco, at least one trans film, as many happy endings as possible (I watched Children's Hour last night, I'm not in the mood for tragic, no matter how realistic that may be).

At the moment my (long) short list contains:
Finn's Girl
Another Woman
Nothing Else Matters
Seriously Good Girls Shorts
To Faro
Who is Family
Boy I Am
World Unseen
XXY
I Can't Think Straight
Vivere
New World
Ghosted
Ask Not
Patrik 1.5
Bi The Way

So has anyone seen any of these? Which are the "Don't misses?"

Manually crossposted from: http://aquila1nz.dreamwidth.org/1169.html