Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival 2007

Photo: Michael Higgins

elcome to the 7th Annual Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival. I’m certain that our new venue and fantastic line-up of films and parties are going to blow you away!

As I reflect on our 7 year history, I’m amazed at how far we’ve come and how we continue to develop. I remember vividly a meeting of 6 people at a friend’s dinner table in the fall of 2000, and the discussion centering on whether we could actually pull off a film festival with our limited resources and knowledge. We stumbled our way through that first year and the first festival was held in 2001, just a little over a week after the tragedy of September 11. The decision not to cancel, even though we were unsure that films we had booked would even be able to arrive, is one of the proudest moments of my life, and bears witness to the fortitude of this very determined committee, which now boasts 18 talented members.

This year, we proudly present to you 28 films spanning 6 countries, the most exceptional slate of films in our history. We are ecstatic to kick our festival off with the Midwest premiere of Itty Bitty Titty Committee, the charming and hysterical new film by Jamie Babbitt, who captivated us all with her feature But I’m a Cheerleader (1999). You’ll be ready to party after this wild romp, and we’ll do just that at our private premiere after party, hosted by Agio, and featuring a complimentary cocktail menu, complimentary hors douvres, and other surprises. Our centerpiece films, Nina’s Heavenly Delights and A Four Letter Word, screening back to back on Saturday evening, are heart-warming romantic comedies that have stolen the show at festivals around the world. On Sunday, after you spend the day with us laughing, crying, celebrating, and singing, join us for our closing night dessert bar gala in the Talbott Street SkyBar.

While you’re enjoying the festival this weekend, please keep our beneficiary, Indiana Youth Group (IYG), in your minds and hearts. Since 1987, the Indiana Youth Group has been a force impacting thousands of LGBT youth annually. A dedicated array of hard working board members, staff, and volunteers continue to fulfill the IYG mission: to provide a safe place, a confidential environment and services which foster self-esteem, resiliency, and positive decision-making skills among self-identified lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender young people, and to advocate on their behalf in schools, on the streets, and in the community. As you watch the plots and stories unfold on the big screen, pause to think of the young people currently experiencing these joys and pains, and give some thought to what you personally can do to impact their lives. Let’s help IYG celebrate its 20th Anniversary by renewing our commitment to support their efforts.

The IYG Board, staff, volunteers and youth thank you for your sponsorship and attendance, and for the difference you make in the lives of local LGBT youth. I’d like to personally thank the festival committee for your tireless and brilliant efforts. You have inspired me and enriched my life during my tenure as festival director. As I transition this role to my colleague and friend, Mark Harper, I can only imagine the magnitude of growth we will continue to achieve. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Sincerely,

Pamela Powell Festival Director

"This year, we proudly present to you 28 films spanning 6 countries, the most exceptional slate of films in our history."

NOMINATED FILMS

SOCKET

USA

DIRECTOR: Sean Abley

SATURDAY, 5:00PM - 7:00PM

SCIENCE FICTION DOUBLE FEATURE

SMALL TOWN BOY

UK

DIRECTOR: Moby Longinotto

SATURDAY, 1:00PM - 3:00PM

CELEBRATE YOUTH

SIGNAGE

USA

DIRECTOR: Rick Hammerly

SATURDAY, 7:00PM - 9:00PM

BOYS KEEP SWINGING!

BLUEPRINT

USA

DIRECTOR: Kirk Shannon-Butts

SUNDAY, 1:00PM - 3:00PM

HRC SELECTIONS

THE MANUAL AUSTRALIA

DIRECTOR: Sarah Spillane

SATURDAY, 1:00PM - 3:00PM

CELEBRATE YOUTH

JURIED PRIZES

The Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival honors two films with the AT&T Pioneers: Best of Festival Awards . The director winning First Place receives $1,000. The director winning Second Place receives $500. In order to be eligible, films must be submitted via our international call for entries and abide by all terms for submission. The field is narrowed down to five contenders by our film selection committee and then those five are presented to a panel of judges for a final decision. The winning films will be announced at our Premiere Party Event!

2007 JUDGES

CATHERINE CROUCH

Catherine Crouch is an award-winning filmmaker currently based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Born and raised in the rural South, Catherine graduated from the College of Charleston with a double major in Biology and Philosophy. Following the family tradition, she began her writing career with prose fiction but soon turned to screenwriting and then directed several independent super 8 film productions in South Carolina. In 1999, Catherine received her MFA in Film from Columbia College Chicago with a concentration in screenwriting and directing. Catherine's award-winning career is chronicled on her website, www.catherinecrouch.com.

DENNIS BINGHAM

Dennis Bingham teaches Film Studies and English in the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI, where he has been since 1991. He has published widely on gender and genre in the American cinema.

ED JOHNSON-OTT

Ed Johnson-Ott is film editor for NUVO Newsweekly. In December he will mark his 11th anniversary as senior movie critic for the paper. An Indianapolis native, he spent years working in the special education field by day while leading a rock band by night. As host of the WFBQ/WNDE radio program, Sunday Night Live, in the early '90s, he became the first openly gay broadcaster in the state. Johnson-Ott is the proud father of one son, Donald.

JOE SHEARER

Joe Shearer has been a film critic with INtake Magazine for the past 3 1/2 years, and is web moderator of the movies page at indy.com. Born in Indianapolis, but raised at military bases around the world, Joe returned home to attend Indiana University, then IUPUI, where he received a bachelor's degree in English and a Journalism certificate. He is married and has two children, Riley, 2, and Jenna, 2 months.

LISA SKLAR

Lisa Sklar represents the youth of IYG on the Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival Judging Panel. Lisa has been involved with IYG for the last 5 1/2 years. She is a graduate of Pike High School and is currently attending Ivy Tech majoring in Visual Communications and minoring in Social Work.

2007 STEERING COMMITTEE

Royce Cole, Jr. (chair) Pamela Powell Public Relations Bob Dietrich (chair) Chris Tolzmann Andy Austin Special Events Michael Witte Technical Logistics Scott Benson Traffic Coordinator Sherry LaMorticella Premiere Party Planning Petra Fippen Campus Relations Frank Ross Art Director / Graphics Matt Mutchmore Website Tracy Robbins Smith www.IndyLGBTFilmFest.com

The Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival is a fundraiser for Indiana Youth Group (IYG). IYG provides a safe place, a confidential environment, youth development programs and support services which foster personal strength and wellness among self-identified lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people. IYG advocates on their behalf in schools, on the streets, and in the community.

IYG builds friendships and explores individualism while promoting a peaceful community, based on equality, acceptance and diversity. Through IYG programs and services, members flourish in all environments, and lead positive change in the community.

www.IndianaYouthGroup.org

Festival Director Pamela Powell Assistant Director Dawn Boarman Film Selection Mark Harper (chair) Dawn Boarman Kevin Kelly Catherine Crouch Abby Ogden Sponsorship

PREMIERE NIGHT

CHECKOUT

A smart, fast-paced comedy about sexual competition and identity. Corey and Max compete for the same woman at the grocery store. However, all is not what it seems at the checkout line.

Wickedly talented director Jamie Babbit (But I'm A Cheerleader, Popular, Gilmore Girls) once again has her finger on the pulse of queer culture with this wry romantic comedy in which anarchic punk twenty-somethings vivaciously vandalize patriarchal symbols under the name of the C(I)A. Itty Bitty Titty Committee, an all girl production with an all girl cast, is a lesbian rock and roll romp about Anna, an insecure, apolitical girl who encounters a radical political art group, falls in love with its leader, Sadie, and transforms from a girl into a woman. "Itty Bitty" stars Melonie Diaz (A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints), Nicole Vicius (Half Nelson, Last Days), Carly Pope (Popular, Dirt ), Daniela Sea ( the L word, Shortbus ), Melanie Mayron (

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This segment is by, for, and about the heart of our festival - our youth. Portraying a tapestry of experiences and emotions, and touching on issues familiar to us all, we hope to spark understanding and unity for all ages.

Free admission for ages 13-18 and $5 admission for any adult accompanying a young person. (Younger children admitted with presence of a parent.) Below: The group from In My Shoes.

SMALL TOWN BOY

David has never felt at home in his rural small town. As a young homosexual he's always been shunned, bullied and rejected. But now he plans to show everyone in the village that he's proud of who he is by becoming the first ever gay male carnival queen.

S/he centers on a 12-year-old Asian girl's struggle between following her expected gender role and pursuing her masculine nature.

Eddie is a young Latina girl that enjoys being just one of the guys, but gets hit hard when her period arrives during a neighborhood kickball game. Two teenage girls meet, hook up, and part ways at a carnival, all to the narration of an airplane training video – pre-flight, take off, cruising altitude, emergency landing and all.

the 1970s, a young boy is sent away to treat his latent homosexuality.

GENDER STUDIES

ONE IN 2000

USA, 26 MINUTES • DIRECTOR: AJAE CLEARWAY

This provocative documentary demystifies the issue of sexual difference. At a time when five babies a day in the United States are having "gender reassignment" surgery, it argues that there is little evidence that such surgery is beneficial to the child. The program profiles several people born with ambiguous sexual anatomy, who have managed to deal with some very difficult family and social issues, but today are living "ordinary" and productive lives. It also includes a young mother who is matter-of-factly creating the conditions for her intersex baby to do the same. Interweaving their stories with educational films from the 1950's, One in 2000 invites us to take a serious second look at how the media have dealt with sexual "normality."

RED WITHOUT BLUE

74 MINUTES

SILLS

An honest portrayal of a family in turmoil, Red Without Blue follows a pair of identical twins as one transitions from male to female. Captured over a period of three years, the film documents the twins and their parents, examining the Farley's struggle to redefine their family. The twins' early lives were quintessentially all-American: picture-perfect holidays, supportive parents who cheered them on every step of the way. By the time they were 14, their parents had divorced, they had come out as gay, and a joint suicide attempt precipitated a forced separation of Mark and Alex for two and half years. Through candid and extensive interviews with the twins and their family, Red Without Blue recounts these troubled times, interweaving the twins' difficult past with their efforts to find themselves in the present.

SCIENCE FICTION

THE GENDERCATOR USA, 15 MINUTES • DIRECTOR: CATHERINE CROUCH

The Gendercator is a short satirical take on female body modification and gender. The story uses the “Rip van Winkle” model to extrapolate from the past into a possible future. Sally, a lesbian from the '70's, wakes up in 2048 to a world where people are either male or female heterosexuals. For an in-depth article with director Catherine Crouch, see page 24.

SOCKET

USA, 90 MINUTES • DIRECTOR: SEAN ABLEY

A dark and sexual sci-fi thriller, Socket tells the story of Bill (Derek Long), a surgeon who is struck by lightning and winds up recovering in his own hospital. There he meets an intern named Craig (Matthew Montgomery), who suffered the same natural accident and has developed an appetite for electrical voltage and Bill finds he has the same craving. Craig introduces him to an underground group of people who all share this addiction, and Bill comes up with a method of inserting electric sockets and prongs into the members' wrists so they can "juice up". But after Bill accidentally discovers that he can mainline electricity from living people, he becomes hooked on absorbing this particular kind of power.

BROOKE SEBOLD, BENITA SILLS, TODD

WOMEN'S NIGHT OUT

FAMILY REUNION

ICELAND, 19 MINUTES • DIRECTOR: ISOLD UGGADÓTTIR

Family Reunion (Gódir Gestir) is a modern-day coming out story about a young Icelandic woman living two separate lives. Katrín, a sculptor in NYC, is headed from grungy Chinatown back to pristine Iceland for her grandfather's 70th birthday. Katrín's family members in Iceland are beside themselves with excitement over the daughter's expected return, not to mention the arrival of the highly popular American goods they've requested. Katrín will soon find herself reunited with her family who enthusiastically engage her in discussions about marriage, children and her future.

Katrín must decide whether to continue leading her dual life or risk outraging her family by revealing her true self. Little does she know that her family is about to reveal a secret of its own. Family Reunion was nominated for an Icelandic Academy Award.

NINA'S HEAVENLY DELIGHTS UK, 96 MINUTES • DIRECTOR: PRATIBHA PARMAR

A 2007 Centerpiece Feature

Nina's Heavenly Delights is a surprising love story where Scottish humor meets Bollywood spectacle! It follows the mixed fortunes of a Glaswegian family, the Shas, and their award winning Indian restaurant, The New Taj.

The story is told through the eyes of Nina Shah, a young Scottish Asian woman. Nina had left home under a cloud after a row with her father but when he dies suddenly, Nina is forced to return. Her return reunites her with her childhood friend Bobbi, a wannabe Bollywood drag queen and brings her face to face with Lisa, a charismatic young woman who now owns half the restaurant.

Then Nina discovers her father’s secret – The New Taj has been selected for The Best of the West Curry Competition. In the turbulent days that follow, Nina (helped by Lisa) embarks on a personal mission to win the trophy for the third time. But Nina's feelings are thrown into turmoil when she realizes that she is falling in love. Can her feelings ever be reciprocated? And, if they are, what will this mean for Nina and her family.

The Gendercator Family Reunion Family Reunion

Shelley Conn plays Nina Shah in our Centerpiece Feature Nina's Heavenly Delights.

DATE NIGHT GUY'S

SERENE HUNTER USA,

13 MINUTES • DIRECTOR: JASON

BUSHMAN

A randy gay Parisian moves in with his old boyfriend - just as his old flame from LA comes back to town. In French with English subtitles.

FOUR

WORD

A 2007 Centerpiece Feature

In this award-winning hit, director/writer Andreas and co-writer/star Jesse Archer (OUT Magazine, Boy Culture) welcome you to the Gayborhood, where everyone looks vaguely familiar with their clothes on, and, unless they’re fresh meat, no one is separated sexually by more than three degrees. It’s all here: nude yoga, fourgies, cheap drag queens and fag hags who love to comfort the boys in their big bosoms. But is there more to be desired?

Also starring Charlie David (Dante’s Cove), A Four Letter Word is a hilarious romp filled with sharp banter and sharper sex as man-tramp Luke (Archer) works ‘Clerks’ style at a Chelsea sex shop and flits from one boy to another until he meets his match, the gorgeous and macho Stephen (David).

The main characters deal in various ways with issues of sobriety and responsibility in a gay ghetto filled with glittering excess. Luke returns as a stereotypical sexually compulsive muscle queen in denial. When his porn shop coworker and gay crusader Zeke confronts him about his insatiable whorish proclivities, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery: Is he capable of being more than a gay cliché? But Stephen, the man with whom Luke explores his monogamous side, turns out to be something of a player himself. Meanwhile, Peter and Derek struggle with the annoyances of moving in together, and Marilyn rounds out the principal cast as a new fiancée controlled by her own compulsions and struggling through step three of Al-Anon.

Is “slut” the four-letter word? Or is it “love”? Whichever the answer, Andreas has crafted an uninhibited and inquisitive sex comedy with a cast that’s hot and not afraid to flaunt it.

PlanetOut.com described A Four Letter Word as “Bursting with color and imbued with a sensibility that's pop to its very core,“ and proclaimed it “one of the most entertaining films of the year.”

Serene Hunter

Serene Hunter

Serene Hunter

Images from our Centerpiece Feature, A Four Letter Word.

HUSTLE DO THE

Join us for a late-night look at an ever popular theme in queer cinema: the hustler. Be advised, these films are for mature audiences only. Parental guidance suggested.

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 9,

SCARRED UK,

11:00PM to 1:00AM

10 MINUTES • DIRECTOR: DAMIEN REA

A young man comes face to face with his past after a chance encounter with a mysterious stranger, and winds up getting more than he bargains for in this violent mini thriller.

DIRTY LOVE USA, 10 MINUTES • DIRECTOR: MICHAEL TRINGE

A jock is victim to a hate crime when his jeep is toilet papered and "fag" is spray-painted across the doors. Embarking on a personal journey, he heads for downtown LA in search of "dirty love" and finds it in the form of a buff Latino guy. But things don't go as planned.

25 CENT PREVIEW

USA, 90 MINUTES • DIRECTOR:

CYRUS AMINI

Out on Polk Street, you have to hustle hard and fast for what’s yours. It’s a lesson that Marcus, a handsome long-haired rentboy, has had to learn the hard way, as he turns tricks, smokes crystal and pulls petty scams with a fellow rough trader named Dot.Com. Possible salvation comes in the form of both a paternal older client who genuinely loves Marcus and a young girl who offers him the promise of a normal life outside of “the game.”

But the more he wallows in the skid-row world of downtown San Francisco’s skin trade, the more Marcus can feel his humanity slipping away. When a specter from his past shows up, this midnight cowboy is forced to make a choice that could make him lose his soul once and for all.

Part improvisational drama and part cinema vérité, Cyrus Amini’s unflinching look at street life doesn’t pull any punches. These male hustlers don’t suddenly spout Shakespearean dialogue or write fictional bestsellers about their deceitful hearts; rather, they furtively peddle their flesh and desperately smooth-talk potential customers so they can earn enough to eat.

With outstanding performances by both leads, 25 Cent Preview is a raw, realistic chronicle about the toll of being a “professional.” You’ll be compelled to spend some time with these gritty, pretty young things, but trust us: It’ll cost you.

Earlier in 2007, Outfest awarded 25 Cent Preview with the Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding Narrative Feature.

Scarred Dirty Love

Dirty Love

FILMS

Experience a vibrant display of what The Human Rights Campaign is all about - ending GLBT disrimination, electing fair-minded officials, and celebrating diversity. You'll walk away encouraged with a sense of progress stemming from the hard work of organizations like HRC.

SUNDAY NOVEMBER

9, 1:00PM to 3:00PM

OUT RUNNING: STORIES FROM THE CAMPAIGN

TRAIL

In 2006, the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and Leadership Institute provided five teams of student filmmakers $5,000 each to make documentaries about openly LGBT elected officials. Out Running: Stories From The Campaign Trail shows the profiles of three elected openly LGBT officials changing the face and voice of America’s politics. The stories of Oklahoma County Commissioner Jim Roth, Oregon Supreme Court Justice Virginia Linder, and Iowa State Senator Matt McCoy exemplify the rising presence of openly LGBT people in public office.

BLUEPRINT

Keith is a reserved, straitlaced transplant to New York City from Los Angeles; Nathan is a street-smart, potsmoking Brooklynite who lives on the edge - or so he’d like Keith to believe. At first glance, nothing about these two young African American college students suggests romantic compatibility. But a casual courtship gradually develops amidst minor bickering and disagreements - those familiar interstices inside which nascent love restlessly takes shape.

After a chance meeting in a Harlem coffee shop - in which Keith dismisses hip hop as mere pop music while Nathan defends it as the reflection of a society - the two embark on a first date to the countryside on Nathan’s motorcycle. Pot is inhaled, skinny-dipping ensues and love continues to grow despite more fights and setbacks. But Blueprint is more concerned with the quiet, contemplative moments of this blossoming romance than with stealth sex and simmering anger.

There is messiness in Keith and Nathan’s union, but it is more defined by their quiet admiration for one another than their quarreling. In his feature debut, Kirk Shannon-Butts serves up an achingly observant slow burn that, as its title suggests, serves as a plan of action that can be used as a guide to the future. Equal parts urban valentine - its scenes of Harlem street life are both ravishing and real, Blueprint is a winsome tribute to self-discovery and young love.

Director Kirk Shannon-Butts observes: "My goal is to balance cinema through provocative stories and images of those members of the American landscape not fully addressed in Hollywood films."

19

LOOK US IN THE EYE: THE OLD WOMEN'S PROJECT

In San Diego, three canny activists known as The Old Women's Project work to make their voices heard. Having fought for visibility as young feminists they are dismayed to find that the fight starts over again with old age. The Old Women's Project uses their years of campaigning experience and the respectability implied by their status to raise issues pertinent to us all. Feisty, funny and inspiring, these are 'Pissed Old Women Engaged In Revolution'.

Born Again tells the story of filmmaker Markie Hancock’s indoctrination into fundamentalist religion and her long struggle to get out. With fundamentalism on the rise, we all must ask: Why do I believe what I believe and how do I maintain ties with those who believe differently? Through this personal exploration, we see a divided family and a divided self who, despite the odds, emerges whole.

This refreshing new spin on Internet dating from Spain has a nervous, first-girl-kiss quality. We witness the first, second, and third in-person meetings and their progression from awkwardness to genuine chemistry.

Be careful what you wish for... you just might get it. In Spider Lilies, Jade (Rainie Yang) is a webcam exhibitionist who visits a tattoo parlor looking for a sexy design to excite her online clientele. When a framed spider-lily tattoo catches her eye, the female tattoo artist, Takeko (Isabella Leong), is noticeably reluctant to grant her request. However, when visiting Jade's website afterwards, Takeko finds herself inexplicably drawn into a web of secrets, passion, and painful memories. In Mandarin with English

Rainie Yang plays Jade in Spider Lilies.

SIGNAGE

A chance encounter with a young deaf man forces a forty-one year old to face his ambiguous future in today's youth-obsessed gay world.

In East Los Angeles, handsome young Diego works at his family’s restaurant while secretly having an affair with a hunky but super-closeted real estate agent, Pedro. For the largely Latino neighborhood, the landscape is literally changing as white folks move in, including gay couple Wesley and Jonathan. Diego, increasingly frustrated with his hush-hush situation with Pedro (who, making matters worse, romantically pursues a female relative of Diego’s!), falls for Wesley. But racist and homophobic friends, relatives and, in Wesley’s case, an ex-boyfriend guarantee this affair will be no picnic. Director Carlos Portugal’s East Side Story employs a perfect blend of humor, drama and soap opera-worthy plot twists in telling this very timely tale of a neighborhood -- and some of its residents’ lives -- in flux.

Hunter4Love is a fast paced, laugh out loud comedy about a gay man desperately seeking true love in New York City. His quest brings him face to face with outrageous, colorful characters that challenge him at every turn. Will there be a happy ending for this Hunter4Love?

On the heels of a successful debut at the Celebration Theater in Los Angeles and an impressive eight year run on the New York stage, the raucous musical can finally be enjoyed by theater fans who may not have had the opportunity to catch it in person. Nudity is only natural, so enjoy this impressive cast of actors, singers, and dancers as they drop

SCIENCE

by Mark Harper, Film Selection Committee Chair

atherine Crouch and I have served together on the Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival for four years, three of them on the selection committee. Along with the other dedicated committee members, we’ve worked hard to bring a top-notch queer film festival to Indianapolis with something to please everyone. It’s been my pleasure to interact with an individual like Catherine. She enjoys films for what they are, but always asks challenging questions that help everyone on the committee think about what films could be. We don’t always see eye-to-eye on the merits of a particular film, yet I have nothing but respect for her cinematic intelligence as both an artist and a critic.

This year, Catherine finds herself at the center of controversy with her new film THE GENDERCATOR, which the festival will proudly screen Saturday afternoon. In May/June, this 15 minute science fiction short hit headlines from Seattle to New York City when Frameline (San Francisco’s main LGBT film festival) made the unprecedented decision to yank THE GENDERCATOR from the festival’s program due to outrage in the local trans community over the film, just three weeks before opening night.

Since then, the film has made it to screens at queer film festivals in Los Angeles, New York, and Philadelphia, but only to encounter hot debate at each screening. Labeled everything from “transphobic” to “visionary,” THE GENDERCATOR has brought so much tension to theater audiences that, in August, an LGBT community center in Milwaukee cancelled a screening of the film after a local transactivist declared the short “toxic” while The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide , a Harvard publication, ran a cover story on the controversy this fall.

Why is all this happening? Catherine and I talked about it one evening in late September over bowls of ice cream.

(M) Why don’t you say a few words about what this short film is about?

(C) THE GENDERCATOR is a short, satirical take on gender and social norms. The story uses the “Rip van Winkle” model to extrapolate from the past into a possible future. In 1973 a group of hippie women are celebrating Billie Jean King’s victory over Bobby Riggs. They are partying in the rural woods outside of Bloomington, Indiana. Our heroine Sally is a simple minded, sporty type who overindulges at the party and passes out under a tree. Sally wakes up 75 years later in 2048 to discover (amongst other social changes) that feminism has failed utterly and completely. Sex roles and gender expression are rigidly binary and enforced by law and social custom. When Sally chooses to dress in flannel and jeans, the doctor at the emergency room calls in “Tork,” aka the “Gendercator,” a government official who informs Sally that butch women and sissy boys are no longer tolerated—gender variants are allowed to choose their gender, but they must choose one and follow its rigid constraints.

A Conversation with “Controversial” Indianapolis Filmmaker Catherine Crouch

I am not responsible for every potential audience reaction.

I am responsible to be honest and deep with my truth only, not every truth.

Emily Wood plays Sally in " THE GENDERCATOR." • photo Joslyn Virgin Crowe

(M) So, in this futuristic dystopia, the “The Gendercator,” like “The Terminator,” might represent some sort of totalitarian control?

(C) “The Gendercator” is a government/medical person whose job it is to indicate the gender of a person who exhibits gender variance. In this 2048 reality, most of Tork’s clients are children, since children are “gendercated” at age 8. The film is a satire about the future and where we are headed given three factors: the rise of religious fundamentalism in governments all over the world—all of whom find homosexuality an abomination and would have it abolished; the increasing medicalization of our society where every problem is seen to have a medical solution—if you suffer “discomfort” from being a woman in a misogynistic society, here is one solution (!) ; and identity politics, whereby whatever I declare myself to be is my truth, uninfluenced by any other considerations.

(M) When I watched the film to review it for this year’s line-up, I thought that parts of it were pretty funny, though! It reminded me a lot of Woody Allen’s movie Sleeper. Why are some of those people protesting the film not seeing or getting the humor in this piece?

(C) Satire is frequently misunderstood when audiences interpret the metaphor literally and become angry that the author is seriously suggesting what she intended as a far fetched farce meant to highlight a logical distinction.

(M) I agree. It takes a healthy balance between screen and audience for satire to work . . . and then I understand that a lot of people protesting the film haven’t even seen it . . . which is nothing new! But I still can’t believe that your film was cancelled in San Francisco—“gay mecca”—in a decision that was the first of its kind for Frameline. And it’s all because of a local petition from the transgendered community. What do you think about that decision?

(C) I was so surprised. It seemed to have come out of nowhere. Later I surmised that two of the filmmakers who objected to THE GENDERCATOR at a screening in Chicago [early May through Chicago Filmmakers] must have contacted Frameline and/or the transactivist community in San Francisco (hereafter: the naysayers). I was not in San Francisco so I couldn’t really imagine the level of pressure that the artistic director and programming director must have felt in order to take such a drastic measure to prevent the film from screening in their festival. I felt then as I do now, that it was a rash decision that reflected poorly on Frameline and the naysayers who circulated and signed the petition. I am disappointed in Frameline, that they did not stand behind their programming decision, and their artist.

(M) I know that it must have been very upsetting for you. How did it feel?

(C) My reactions to the language of the petition were: shocked, thrilled, ashamed, furious, and stunned. I am not an “ignorant transphobic Midwesterner.” I am from the South :-) and my film does not portray any character as a “monster” or “science fiction freak." This film represents the POV of one middle aged lesbian artist, period.

(M) I’ve enjoyed looking at your website on the film. I noticed that you added some statements such as one remarking on how, “Things are getting very strange for women these days. More and more often we see young heterosexual women carving their bodies into porno Barbie dolls and lesbian women altering themselves into transmen.” Do you think that THE GENDERCATOR really has the potential to open up the discussion on these issues as they relate to the trans community and women?

(C) Recently, we have seen other instances of transpolitics in conflict with gay and lesbian identities. In Chicago, for example, instances wherein persons who declare themselves women demand access to women-only spaces, or persons declaring themselves men demanding access to male-only spaces such as male sex clubs. People in the alphabet community are often in the front of gender issues and these new conflicts are often the impetus for clarifying our understandings. As well, feminists will always speak out when they see “issues” around women’s bodies and health. I am sure that together we can and will figure it all out and lead the world in gender sensitivity.

(M) Well, evidently you are an artist who now knows about conflict. Any thoughts on how the art of film seems to hit these chords?

(C) Film is a subjective art form. Audiences receive cues based on their own life experiences and perceptions of reality. I am not responsible for every potential audience reaction. I am responsible to be honest and deep with my truth only, not every truth. So, the subjective response of the naysayers is not my priority. It does speak to the power of the medium and the force of the issue at this time. I believe the uproar is beyond me and my film and I try to remember that with a bit of distance.

This film represents the POV of one middle aged lesbian artist, period.

Cinematographer Jason Boyer, Sound Recordist Ryan Conly, Director Catherine Crouch, Actors Bob Berry, Kelly Gerard & Joel Umbaugh rehearse a scene from THE GENDERCATOR. • photo Joslyn Virgin Crowe

STEERING COMMITTEE

Pamela Powell

Mark Harper

Dawn Boarman

Kevin Kelly

Catherine Crouch

Abby Ogden

Royce Cole, Jr.

Bob Dietrich

Chris Tolzmann

JUDGES

Catherine Crouch

Dennis Bingham

Ed Johnson-Ott

SPECIAL THANKS

Shannon Criss, Event Volunteer

Richard Mills, IYG

Jill Thomas, IYG

Sharon Geiselman, IYG

Michael Whitlock, IYG

Bill Hendrix

Gary Brackett

Scott Van Kirk, Indy pride

Vivian Farris, Talbott Street

Jeff Wright, Agio

Joseph Heidenreich, Agio

Andy Austin

Michael Witte

Scott Benson

Sherry LaMorticella

Petra Fippen

Frank Ross

Matt Mutchmore

Tracy Robbins Smith

Joe Shearer

Lisa Sklar

Holly Roberts, All State Promotions

Phil Denton, Gregs

Luna Music

Mary Byrne, Out Word Bound

AT&T Pioneers, Event Volunteers

Phillip Dopson, University Place Hotel

Andy Gilliland

Brad Ellis

Ted Fleischaker, The Word

Rick Cooke, Mass Ave Video

Keith Washington, Mass Ave Video

ANSWERING THE CALL OF THOSE IN NEED...

AT&T

Pioneers are volunteers that serve their communities.

Our over 5,000 Indiana members make the Hoosier state a better place to live and work. Whether repairing and donating toys, supplying backpacks and school supplies or feeding and clothing the homeless, AT&T Pioneers are there providing the ‘Spirit of Service’.

AT&T volunteers building Habitat Homes in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

AT&T Pioneers Homeless Initiative Mission