This is an archive of information about an event that has passed. For an up to date list of events at the CAC please see our calendar.

November 14-16, 2008

Reel Identities Film Fest

Ticket Price Per Film (and time slots with 2 short features, marked with an asterisk): $8 general admission. $6 CAC members.

The LGBT Community Center of New Orleans presents the fifth REEL IDENTITIES, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender film festival that went on hiatus in 2006 due to Hurricane Katrina.

For more info, visit www.reelidentitiesfilmfest.org or contact Danny Curtis, coord@reelidentities.org.

To purchase advance tickets: visit the CAC (900 Camp St.); click here; or call the CAC Box Office at 504-528-3800.

Friday, November 14
8:00 p.m

Tru Loved

(2008, United States)
Director: Stewart Wade

Sixteen-year-old Gertrude aka "Tru" is a typical high school teenager from an atypical home - she is raised by her two moms, interracial couple Leslie and Lisa, who have just moved to a new town in suburban southern California, while her two dads remain in San Francisco. At school, Tru catches the eye of Lo, the closeted star quarterback who soon makes a deal with Tru to pretend they are an item. It seems like the perfect solution - it keeps Lo's friends and family from asking too many questions, and it allows Tru to instantly find a place to belong in her new school. But when Tru befriends picked-upon gay student Walter and decides to join him in forming a Gay-Straight Alliance, she falls for GSA member Trevor, a handsome boy who has been raised by his gay uncle. Her new love affair threatens to expose Lo's true desires and his standing as big man on campus. This fresh, endearing film from director Stuart Wade (Coffee Date) is certain to appeal to all audiences. (99 minutes)

Saturday, November 15
2:00 p.m.

She's a Boy I Knew

(2007, Canada)
Director: Gwen Haworth

When Steven came out as transgender at the age of 23, she adopted the name Gwen, and began filming herself, her understanding wife, best friend, and family throughout her transition. Combining home movies, animation, and interviews, She's a Boy I Knew emerges as a tool for Gwen's self-empowerment through self-representation, recording a major life change and the impact it has on everyone in her life. At times comic, painful, and awkward, Gwen's story ultimately speaks to the power of unconditional love of family and of one's self. (70 minutes)

Saturday, November 15
4:00 p.m.

Drifting Flowers

(2007, Taiwan)
Director: Zero Chou

Zero Chou (Spider Lilies) offers up three subtle, interwoven lesbian tales of the lost and found nature of love. Each set in a different time period, the story's heroines unabashedly seek their true identities in balance with the worlds in which they live. In the first scenario, 8-year-old Meigo is literally the eyes for her blind sister Jing, a responsibility she loves to have. Every night after school, she carefully walks her big sister to a singing gig at a local bar. One night, a new accordion player named Chalkie joins the backup band. Meigo and Jing soon fall for this suave butch dyke, and the bittersweet love causes friction for all. The second scenario is a beautiful story of loss and rekindled friendship. Lily quietly struggles alone with Alzheimer's, searching in her disintegrating memory for her lost lover Ocean. When Yen, her long-lost pseudo-husband, leaves his unfaithful boyfriend and comes to visit, Lily often mistakes him for the butch Ocean returned. The two wounded friends build on sympathy they've always shared and their fragmented friendship grows beautifully into an inseparable bond that tugs at the heart. Coming full circle, the third segment features Chalkie during her teen years, fighting her traditional family, binding her breasts, and falling in love for the first time. (97 minutes, subtitles)

Saturday, November 15
6:00 p.m.

Finn's Girl

(2007, Canada)
Director: Dominique Cardona and Laurie Colbert

Dr. Finn, a groundbreaking fertility researcher, and her sassy eleven-year-old daughter Zelly haven't been the same since the death of Nancy, Zelly's biological mother and Finn's longtime partner. Finn copes by throwing herself into Nancy's life work, an abortion clinic, while Zelly acts out by shoplifting, experimenting with drugs, and skipping school. Under constant threats from pro-life activists, Finn is protected by black police officer Diana with whom she falls in love. This sweet and endearing film explores the real world family values of people trying to connect and overcome the wounds of tragic loss. (88 minutes)

Saturday, November 15
8:00 p.m.

Were the World Mine

(2008, United States)
Director: Tom Gustafson

Timothy (Tanner Cohen) is a cute gay outcast at an all-boys prep school whose serious crush on handsome jock Jonathon (Nathaniel David Becker) fuels his technicolor musical theatre-styled daydreams. Somehow recognizing Timothy's potential to realize those dreams is the eccentric drama teacher, Ms. Tibbet (Wendie Robie), who convinces him to audition for the school's staging of /A Midsummer Night's Dream/. Perfectly cast as the mischievous Puck, Timothy is delighted to discover that Jonathon will share the stage with him. Jonathon's homophobic coach, on the other hand, is decidedly less than thrilled with the idea that his boys will be prancing around on stage - some even playing female roles! Inspired by the play to whip up a batch of love potion, Timothy is surprised when it unexpectedly works - only too well. Not only has it made Jonathon fall in love with him, but the rest of his small town seems to be under the spell as well! Inspired by director Gustafson's award-winning 2003 short *Fairies*, fantasy and reality collide in this fun, whimsical production full of song, dance, and an incredibly talented young cast. (96 minutes)

Saturday, November 15
10:00 p.m.

Otto; or, Up with Dead People

(2007, Germany)
Director: Bruce LaBruce

Otto is a beautiful young man who smells dead, looks dead, and perhaps is dead. When not feasting on road kill or staggering around Berlin, Otto ponders his existence. He wanders the streets, hassled, derided, and sleepless until he finds a purpose - a role in a queer zombie movie directed by a pretentious lesbian avant-garde filmmaker, Medea Yarn. The central premise of her film is a gay zombie revolution intended to destroy consumerist alienation. Otto's fellow cast members are amused by his "method acting" and a few find him hot - but there's more to this story than meets the eye. Although this latest film from Bruce LaBruce (Hustler White; The Raspberry Reich) contains his usual themes of explicit sex, dark humor, and formalistic flourishes, it also has an emotional core that represents an artistic evolution for him. (95 minutes)

*Note: This film contains mature subject matter and is not for the squeamish.*

Sunday, November 16
2:00 p.m.

Whirlwind

(2008, United States)
Director: Richard LeMay

When Drake, a charismatic newcomer, befriends a close-knit group of NYC gay friends, he seems like a breath of fresh air - he's sexy, young, and spurs the various men to get out of their habits and try new things. But in his wake come a series of problems - happy couple Bobby and Sean aren't quite as happy anymore; JD adopts a stupid new nickname and thoughtlessly quits his job; and Mick becomes upset when Desmond suggests he start dating again. With an excellent ensemble cast, the film reminds us that we should keep our enemies close and our friends even closer. (99 minutes)

Sunday, November 16
4:00 p.m.

Ready? OK!

(2008, United States)
Director: James Vasquez

Andrea, a stressed out single mom in Normal Heights, USA, must juggle work, her directionless twin brother, and especially Joshua, her precocious 10-year-old son whose obsession with dresses, dolls, and cheerleading is causing problems at his private Catholic school. With each summons to the Mother Superior's office, Andrea searches for answers to a nagging problem: how can she convince Joshua that aspiring to be on the cheerleading squad, relishing the art of the French braid, and calling Maria von Trapp his most influential role model is just not what little boys do? Attempts to steer him toward more manly pursuits, such as wrestling, don't last long as Joshua becomes obsessed with one of the team's members. In this quirky and touching take on the modern family, one woman must strip away all her illusions to seek a kind of peace with herself and her son. With the help of her gay next-door neighbor, Andrea is finally able to focus in the right direction: inward. (93 minutes)

Sunday, November 16
6:00 p.m.

The New World

(2007, France)
Director: Etienne Dhaene

Lucie and Marion are in love. As their relationship grows, so does Lucie's desire to experience motherhood and to share that experience with Marion. But the prospect of starting a family brings mounting complications for these two beautiful, young women living a fast-paced life in Paris. Everyone has an opinion: their friends, their co-workers, and their families all feel compelled to weigh in on the best road to take, or whether to begin the journey at all. When the happy couple finally takes the plunge, the hopes and dreams that once brought them together begin to pull them apart. Soon there are more questions than answers in this warm and witty exploration of a modern family's origin. (90 minutes, subtitles)

Sunday, November 16

* Freeheld and In Sickness and In Health

8:00 p.m.

Freeheld

(2007, United States)
Director: Cynthia Wade

Freeheld is a touching and compelling story about one woman who fights for domestic partnership while struggling to survive lung cancer. Forced to leave her job because of her diagnosis with the disease after 25 years spent serving Ocean County, New Jersey, Lieutenant Laurel Hester is committed to changing state law and leaving her pension to her loving partner. This Academy Award-winning documentary is filled with courage and hope for all of the LGBT community in the struggle for equal rights. (38 minutes)

Sunday, November 16

In Sickness and In Health

(2007, United States)
Director: Pilar Prassas

This moving, intimate documentary follows a few brave residents of New Jersey who took up the issue of marital benefits in their state and brought same-sex marriage to the forefront as a civil rights issue. At the heart of the film are Diane Marini and Marilyn Maneely who, along with six other couples and the Lambda Legal Fund, filed a lawsuit against the state seeking the right to marry their life partners. Marilyn was afflicted with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) and, when she passed away, Diane (her registered partner of 14 years) was not allowed to sign the death certificate. *In Sickness and In Health* fiercely delivers a clear and simple message that gay and lesbian people are not second-class citizens and should not be treated as such. Director Pilar Prassas delicately balances tragedy and triumph in the ongoing fight for the ability to marry the ones we love. (61 minutes)