Pictured: On the Down Low
and Bulgarian Lovers
REELING 2003: The 22nd Chicago Lesbian and Gay International Film Festival, is Nov. 6-13 at several venues. Hotline is (312) 458-9117, or see www.chicagofilmmakers.org/reeling, and for tix you can also call Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at (773) 293-1447.
Venues are: The Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave.; Landmark's Century Centre Cinema, 2828 N. Clark St.; Chicago Filmmakers, 5243 N. Clark St.
There are various films of special interest to the Black and Latino communities. See below for highlights, and also Windy City Times for more details.
Some Spanish and Latino/a films:
Sun,, Nov, 9, Landmark Cinema 1:30 p.m.
On the Down Low, by Chicago filmmaker Tadeo Garcia
Set in Chicago's Little Village, On the Down Low is a new feature based on local filmmaker Tadeo Garcia's award-winning short Broken Warning. On the Down Low is the explosive story of the relationship between Isaac and Angel, two young Latinos involved in a South Side Chicago gang. The decisions these men make and the paths they each take create a trap for them in a community where rules can't be broken and secrets won't be tolerated. With characters that defy stereotyping, and a surprising tenderness, On the Down Low is an unconventional look at life in the hood. 90 min
Monday, Nov. 10, Landmark, 7:45 p.m.
Sex, Politics & Cocktails, Julien Hernandez, US
'Thirty year olds are either fucked or not.' Sound familiar? Sex, Politics, and Cocktails is the gay Bridget Jones, just funnier with more margaritas, nicotine, neuroses and sex. The single, straight (for now) and gorgeous 30-something Sebastian is a starving filmmaker trying to start a career in Hollywood when a studio finally gives him a break to make a documentary. The topic? 'Is the reason why people are single at 30 because they're looking for Mr. Non-Existent?' So why should it bother Sebastian that his sample group has to be—gay single men? Will the unsophisticated but sexy Sebastian be able to navigate the uncharted waters of gay politics and sexual innuendoes? What is he to make of his new curiosities? Is it the endless martinis talking or is something more going on? All these questions are answered in this fiendishly hilarious and optimistic film about finding love in your 30s. 55 min
Tues., Nov. 11, Filmmakers 7:15 p.m.
Bulgarian Lovers, Eloy de la Iglesia, Spain
Opening with clouds of white smoke billowing over images of men making love, Bulgarian Lovers thrusts forward into an obsessive tale of Eastern vs. Western European love and sex. The haves and the have-nots meet when Daniel, a wealthy lawyer, cruises the nighttime streets of Madrid. There he meets rough trade incarnate, Kyril, a Bulgarian immigrant who comes home for the night and stays indefinitely.
The Spanish Mafia, the chemical weapons trade, and some serious hot sex with Kyril make Daniel realize he may be in over his head in this darkly comic look at the lengths that lust and greed will push men to go. 95 min
African-American interest:
Tues., Nov. 11, Landmark Cinema, 6 p.m.
Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin, Nancy Kates and Bennett Singer, US
Targeted by Hoover's FBI as a 'suspected communist and known homosexual subversive' and increasingly exiled by the Black civil-rights movement he championed and forged, Bayard Rustin was the quintessential brother outsider. In this long-overdue documentary, directors Kates and Singer stoke the smoldering embers of Rustin's legacy. Fortunately, for all of us, the attempts to erase Rustin from the history of the civil-rights movement have never eclipsed his visionary and enduring contributions to human rights. 84 min
Mon., Nov. 10, Filmmakers, 8:45 p.m.
Butch Mystique, Debra A. Wilson, US
What is butch? This fascinating documentary delves into the diverse culture of butch-stud, lesbian-identified women of African-American descent. Oftentimes marginalized and misunderstood, these articulate women offer a unique perspective on gender and sexuality. 35 min
Sat., Nov. 8, Landmark Cinema, 1 p.m.
Robin's Hood, Sara Millman, US
When Robin, a beautiful and conscientious social worker falls in love with Brooklyn, the daughter of a French prostitute and a Brooklyn-born convict, social justice takes a fast-paced, dangerous, and philanthropic turn. In this hip, Oakland-based adaptation of the famous legend, first-time director Sara Millman and writer/actress Khahtee V. Turner team up with a great cast for a hot, interracial love affair that irreverently rips the system and all its hypocrisies. The budget is low, but who cares when the story's as good as it is real, the women are hot, and Robin's aim is straight to your heart? 77 min
Sat., Nov. 8, Filmmakers 4 p.m.
Pandemic: Facing AIDS, Rory Kennedy, US
A haunting panorama of the growing pandemic of AIDS around the world, this is one of the most moving and important documentaries of our time. We are taken from Uganda, where one woman fights to educate and care for children orphaned by the virus, to Russia where we meet a young couple struggling between being activists and parents. In India, another infected couple fight to make sure their child is not born with the virus, while in Thailand a young woman is set on dying with dignity. Beautifully filmed and intensely sobering, these are unforgettable stories of fear, struggle and hope in the face of our uncertain future. Narrated by Danny Glover. 113 min
Sun., Nov. 9, Landmark, 5:15 p.m.
Kevin's Room: Part 2—Trust, by Sharon Zurek and Lora Branch, US
World Premiere! Just how far will one go for love? That is the ultimate question for the six main characters in Kevin's Room: Part 2—Trust. Kevin leads a support group for gay men of color whose lives are tested by the big-ticket trust items: honesty, fidelity, barebacking, living with HIV and much more. The second installment of the highly successful film will answer questions that left viewers of the first Kevin's Room episode hanging on to the edge of their seats. 60 min
