QFest – Day One: CLOUDBURST, AUGUST, and More

QFest opens today (Sunday April 21st) in St. Louis. QFest, the annual Gay and Lesbian Film Festival is celebrating it’s fifth year with a terrific line-up of films spotlighting Gay and Lesbian filmmakers and themes. QFest is a Cinema St. Louis event and this year is presented by TLA Releasing, a US film distribution company whose primary output is LGBT-related films from all over the world. All films will be shown at the Tivoli Theatre (6350 Delmar Blvd. in the University City Loop district). Individual tickets are $12 general admission or $10 for students and Cinema St. Louis members with valid and current photo IDs. Advance tickets are available through the Tivoli Theatre box office or online at Landmark Theatres’ web site

Here’s the line-up for the QFest films playing today and tonight:

Sunday, April 22nd at 1:30pm.

CLOUDBURST- (Canada, 2011, 93 min.) Directed Thom Fitzgerald
In this moving comedy, Oscar-winning actresses Olympia Dukakis and Brenda Fricker play Stella and Dot, an aging couple together for 31 years. Now in their 70s, Stella is hard of hearing and Dot is legally blind. Dot’s prudish granddaughter decides the best place for Dot is a nursing home. In a last-gasp bid to stay together, Stella liberates Dot from the facility. They escape in a battered pickup truck and drive to Nova Scotia on a quest to be legally married.

Here’s what the critics are saying about CLOUDBURST:

“Dukakis and Fricker are outstanding!” – When Sally Met Sally UK

“One of the most original and compelling road movies in years, with dazzling performances and beautiful photography” – Tom Day, What Culture UK

“It’s one of the few unabashedly sentimental celebrations of love I’ve seen in quite some time.” – Greg Klymkiw, Canadian Film Corner

“This is a joyous romance that delivers great swathes of heart and humour while never delving into schmalz or saccharine” – Sydney Mardi Gras Guide

“As heartwarming as it is hilarious” – Sydney Star Observer

CLOUDBURST will be shown with two Canadian shorts:
4 POUNDS -(Josh Levy, Canada, 2010, 8 min.) Scott Thompson (Kids in the Hall) stars in this hilarious story of an actor who, over the course of four life-changing weeks, focuses his considerable will on the goal of losing some weight.
and
52- (Josh Levy, Canada, 2011, 4 min.) Scott Thompson also stars in this sly short that probes one man’s greatest nightmare: getting old.
Sponsored by: SAGE (Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Elders)

Sunday, April 22nd at 3:45pm

LOVE FREE OR DIE: HOW THE BISHOP OF NEW HAMPSHIRE IS CHANGING THE WORLD – (U.S., 2012, 83 min.) Directed by Macky Alston
LOVE FREE OR DIE, which premiered at Sundance, tells the story of a man whose two defining passions are in direct conflict: his love for God and his love for his partner. Gene Robinson is the first openly gay person to become an Anglican bishop in the historic traditions of Christendom. His consecration in 2003, to which he wore a bulletproof vest, caused an international stir, and he has lived with death threats every day since. The film follows Robinson’s personal story as both American churches and the nation debate whether or not LGBT people are equal to heterosexuals in the eyes of God and the law.

The Hollywood Reporter writes:

“A thoughtful reflection on the divisiveness of homosexuality in organized religion, focusing on the quiet crusade of openly gay bishop Gene Robinson….engrossing documentary sheds light on a significant chapter in the broader struggle for LGBT rights.”

Sponsored by: Gateway Men’s Chorus in honor of Al Fischer and Charlie Robin

Sunday, April 22nd at 6:00pm

JAMIE AND JESSIE ARE NOT TOGETHER  – (U.S., 2011, 95 min.) Directed by Wendy Jo Carlton
Have you ever fallen in love with your best friend? Jamie (St. Louis native Jax Jackson) is moving from Chicago to New York with the hope of becoming a Broadway actress. Best friend Jessica is bummed because she’s not-so-secretly in love with Jamie. As moving day gets closer, Jessica tries to make Jamie jealous by dating other girls, but her plan backfires in a way she could never imagine. In this touching film, the two young women must figure out how to grow together or how to grow apart.

Roger Ebert at The Chicago Sun-Times writes:

“The simple plot is charmingly written and acted, and as a low-budget indie, makes splendid use of the Lake Michigan beach and lakefront. Admirably avoiding postcard shots, writer-director Wendy Jo Carlton and cinematographer Gretchen Warthen make practical use of these locations.”

Director Carlton and actor Jackson will attend.
Shown with: THE FOX IN THE SNOW – (U.S., 2011, 10 min.) Directed by Richard Paro
In this romantic comedy, a women’s Bible-study meeting takes an unexpected turn when the members true motives are revealed.
Director Paro and co-star Cyra Polizzi will attend.

Sunday, April 22nd at 8:30pm

AUGUST  – (U.S., 2011, 100 min.) Directed by Eldar Rapaport
After spending several years in Spain, Troy returns to Los Angeles and decides to phone former lover Jonathan and meet for coffee. A seemingly innocent rendezvous turns into an attempt to revive past passions. Jonathan, however, has a new beau and is trying to make the right decision the second time around.

Dennis Harvey in VARIETY writes:

“An elemental triangle elevated by unusually detailed attention to nonverbal psychological cues, AUGUST is a gay romantic drama that’s sexy without feeling like a flimsy excuse to bare well-toned skin… “

Shown with: VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED (TAPE 96) – (U.S., 2011, 11 min) Directed by Drew Stephens
The fragile romance between two men is threatened by addiction, obsession – and the secret of Tape 96.
Director Stephens will attend.
Sponsored by: Brad Morris & James Agnew

Look for continued coverage of QFest this week here at We Are Movie Geeks.com