UP FRONT

Welcome To The 8th Annual INDIANAPOLIS LGBT FILM FESTIVAL!

Having served as a volunteer for this event since the first year of the festival, I consider it a huge honor to extend this greeting to you as event director. I hope that you enjoy the festivities this weekend and an amazing line up of films!

This year is a year of exciting “firsts” for the film festival. We’ve held previous festivals in art house theatres on the north and south side of Indianapolis, but this year, we’ve finally moved downtown! How? The opening of the spectacular IUPUI Campus Center at the beginning of the year brought the film festival some fantastic opportunities: not one but three screening auditoriums, a first-rate staff, state-of-the-art AV technology, numerous conveniences and amenities for our guests, and a centralized location, all housed in a stunning architectural space. In between screenings, take a look around! It was indeed a credit to this event to be invited to the Campus Center and I hope it gives you a chance to see how IUPUI and downtown Indianapolis are growing.

The best part of the change in venue was the chance for the festival to connect with the diverse student body of IUPUI and to collaborate with interested academic departments and student organizations. For instance, another first for the festival steering committee this year was a new friendship for us with the IUPUI Film Club. Members of this student organization, sponsored by the IUPUI Film Studies Program, formed the “Campus Alliance” to promote the festival on campus and assist with the selection of films for this year’s program. The film festival operates almost solely on a volunteer basis, so this influx of new energy is extremely welcome! We’re grateful to the IUPUI community for getting involved this year.

As for the films, we’re pleased to offer, once again, some of the best contemporary work in queer cinema. The weekend begins with the long-awaited premiere of Robert Cary’s drama Save Me, which was an enormous hit at Sundance and Outfest (Los Angeles) in 2007 and continues to draw huge audiences on the current festival circuit. The film tells the story of a troubled gay man (Chad Allen) who seeks solace in a Christian retreat (a facility designed to cure young men of their “gay affliction”) only to find friendship and romance with his male mentor (Robert Gant). Of course, the reconciliation between sexual identity and religious doctrine is a familiar and engaging subject to Midwest audiences. So be sure to attend the Spirit and Place screening and discussion of Daniel Karslake’s documentary For The Bible Tells Me So and the critically acclaimed study of Islam and homosexuality A Jihad For Love, by the Muslim gay film director Parvez Sharma.

Later in the weekend, prepare yourself for laughter and chills. Our centerpiece films this year include To Each Her Own, by maverick film director Heather Tobin, and Robert Gustafson’s crowd-pleasing fantasy musical Were the World Mine. And stay up late Saturday night for a hilarious line up of “Drag Show!” (a first for the festival), hosted by one of Indianapolis’ own stars: the legendary diva Holly Luyah. Or feast upon the first gay zombie movie, the ultra-gruesome and disgustingly horrific Otto; or Up With Dead People, directed by queer cinema’s scandalous Bruce LaBruce.

Mark Harper

Festival Director

As a fundraiser for the Indiana Youth Group, the film festival exists through tireless volunteer efforts. The steering committee is composed of community-minded individuals who work countless hours behind the scenes. They form the staff of fundraising events, call upon sponsors, negotiate contracts with filmmakers and distributors, spend unpaid hours at the computer managing communications, plan the composing of water-tight grant proposals, and promote the festival as often as possible. As a committee we do all of this with two purposes in mind: to bring a strong program of queer cinema to local LGBT audiences and to create an enjoyable weekend of entertainment. We thank these individuals for their time and dedication.

As a cultural event for the community, though, we have our sponsors to thank. If you enjoy the film festival this year, please take a look at the names and logos displayed throughout the program. These are the generous forces that keep this event going, year after year. Their faith in our project and their abiding loyalty help us meet our goals. It’s the sponsors who keep this festival intact and propel us forward as we grow.

Most of all, thank you for coming to the festival this year! Our event offers everyone the chance to gather in a lively environment to laugh together, make new friends, and discuss the various issues that continue to impact our lives. When you show up for any part of the festival, you become part of that environment and add to the mix. Thanks again, and enjoy the weekend!