Reeling 2009, the second oldest gay and lesbian film festival in the country ( after San Francisco ) turns 28 this year.Over the course of this year's 11-day fest ( Nov. 5-15 ) audiences will get a chance to see more than 150 independent features and shorts ranging from documentaries to intimate dramas—all with a queer bent and as usual for Reeling, party like there's no tomorrow after the nightly screenings.
Reeling's opening night kicks off with The Big Gay Musical, the latest from queer director Caspar Andreas ( Slutty Summer, A Four Letter Word ) who co-directed with screenwriter Fred M. Caruso. The Big Gay Musical offers a nice combination of Naked Boys Singing ( these are nearly so ) and elements of the coming out story from LOGO's late, lamented Sordid Lives. It's "city mouse/country mouse" plot focuses on a hunky gay male horndog tired of the one night stands looking for a fulfilling relationship in all the wrong places ( offering viewers plenty of soft core man on man action in the process ) . Said hunk is star of a queer-themed musical variety show along with his equally hot co-star who is his opposite, an innocent queer, new to gay life, not yet out to his conservative parents who have—gasp!—announced they're coming to opening night! Andreas ( who co-directed ) along with out actor Daniel Robinson who stars will appear at the screening which is being held on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 7:30 p.m. at the Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport. An opening-night gala follows the screening at Architectural Artifacts and includes a performance by local faves The Joans, David Cerda's Joan Crawford inspired rock-and-roll band ( and Peter Neville's hilarious video for The Joans—"Mad at the Dirt," just accepted by LOGO, will screen during the fest ) .
The Women's Centerpiece selection Stuck!, a loving homage to women's prison films featuring Karen Black as a loony neighbor who mistakenly sends a young innocent lovely to death row and Mink Stole as a born-again inmate waiting in the Big Doll House to greet her along with the other ladies, will screen Friday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m. at the Landmark Century Centre Cinema, 2828 N. Clark. Mink Stole will appear in person at the "Lesbian Lockdown-Jail Break" after-party at Circuit, 3641 N. Halsted.
Other first-week highlights include the Saturday, Nov. 7, screening of Billy Clift's Baby Jane?, a spot-on, feature-length, drag-parody re-creation ( in black and white, no less ) of the 1962 Bette Davis-Joan Crawford camp classic What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? It is alternately hilarious and disturbing. ( Clift and cast members will attend the screening at 2 p.m. at the Landmark Century. )
Saturday, Nov. 7, is also the night Reeling will screen Eating Out: All You Can Eat, the latest in the series of "Eating Out" gay situation comedies with Rebekah Kochan as the crude, sex-crazed, gay-loving Tiffani and Mink Stole returning for this third go-round. ( Expect lots of copious male nudity and simulated gay sex. ) Make the Yuletide Gay—which certainly lives up to its title—also screens Nov. 7, followed by a Christmas-themed DVD-release party that director Rob Williams will attend. Eating Out screens at 5 p.m. and Yuletide at 7:15 p.m., both at the Landmark Century.
Fish out of Water, a telling and sometimes humorous examination of the Biblical passages used by conservatives to condemn and justify anti-gay attitudes is the fest's Documentary Centerpiece from local filmmaker Ky Dickens. It will screen on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 5 p.m. at the Music Box Theatre, to be followed by an after-party at In Fine Spirits, 5420 N. Clark. Dickens and many of her interview subjects from the film will attend.
Other first-week highlights include Pornography: A Thriller from writer-director David Kittredge, a sexy, Kafkaesque walk on the dark side of porn with more than a hint of David Lynch in its head-spinning plot twists ( Sunday, Nov. 8, at the Landmark Century at 9:30 p.m. ) ; Lie ( Miente ) , a Puerto Rican gay-themed film which Reeling is screening a sneak preview of ( Wednesday, Nov. 11 at the Landmark Century at 7 p.m. ) ; Fig Trees, a documentary about two AIDS activists fighting the good fight in South Africa ) ( screens Wednesday, Nov. 11 at the Landmark Century at 9 p.m. ) , and the world premiere of the documentary Riot Acts: Flaunting Gender Deviance in Music Performance ( Wednesday, Nov. 11 at the Landmark Century ) . The latter screening will be followed by an after-party at Jackhammer, 6406 N. Clark, with director Madsen Minax.
There are many other first-week films, short and long, that are worth checking out. Find out complete festival information, tickets, theatres and locations by calling 773-293-1447 or visiting www.reelingfilmfestival.org . Highlights of Reeling's second week will run in next week's Windy City Times.
