..........April 21,

Emptying the celluloid closet

Wexner Center hosts third annual LGBT film festival

by Kaizaad Kotwal

Columbus-The Film and Video department of the Wexner Center for the Arts is showcasing several films of particular interest to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender population.

The third annual Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Film Festival is presented in association with the GLBT Student Services at Ohio State University. These films are not only varied in style and subject matter but traverse varied geographies, politics and social viewpoints.

Love Reinvented

Thursday, April 27, 7 pm

This collection of twelve short films focuses on GLBT issues and HIV-related themes. Ten of the films presented here were financed and sponsored by the French government. American audiences can look forward to seeing Alexis Arquette in a short titled Close To.

The films deal with love, lost loves and the joys and trepidations of finding love, companionship and sex in a world fraught with the complexities of the human heart.

The Man Who Drove With Mandela Directed by Grets Schiller Thursday, April 27, 9 pm

In 1962, a man known as “The Black

Beefcake

Pimpernel" traveled incognito across South Africa, organizing armed rebellion against the apartheid regime. Wanted by police for seditious activity, his cover was that he was the chauffeur for a well-dressed and elegant white man in a gleaming Austin Westminister.

The black man was Nelson Mandela, and the white man was Cecil Williams, a prominent theatre director, committed freedom fighter, and gay man.

Williams' story is built through a pastiche of documentary and fiction styles-powerful interviews with his friends and comrades, rare and beautiful home movies of gay life and the freedom struggle in the 1950s, juxtaposed with images from newsreels.

The film's emotional heart is a series of monologues, based on Williams' own writings, and performed by the acclaimed actor Corin Redgrave. This film offers a neverbefore-seen side to one of the world's most famous figures, and South Africa's struggle for freedom from apartheid.

Show Me Love

Gendernauts

Directed by Monika Treut Friday, April 28, 7 pm

Gendernauts unveils the world of San Francisco "cyborgs." The film focuses on transsexuals who in Treut's view, search for gender fluidity by embracing medical technology and state-of-the-art surgery.

The guide through the film is Sandy Stone, a professor who has become a leading authority in the area of transsexuals, particularly in the new era of cybertechnologies.

2 by 4

Directed by Jimmy Smallhome Friday, April 28, 9 pm

Set against the backdrop of the Irish community in the North Bronx, 2 by 4 tells the story of John Maher, an Irish construction worker who is forced to confront his sexually abusive past. This film takes us into recesses of immigrant life and the inside of male machismo, to offer some interesting insights and revela-

tions.

The film takes us into an under-

belly of drugs, alcohol and sexual craving unlike Hollywood's Irish visions Angela's Ashes and Dancing at Lughnasa. 2 by 4 is semi-autobiographical, based in part on the life of director Jimmy Smallhorne.

Pink Narcissus

Written & directed by James Bidgood Friday, April 28, 10:45 pm

Pink Narcissus was initially released anonymously in 1971. A restored print has just been released in conjunction with a book about James Bidgood and his work as a theatrical costume designer and male-physique photographer.

While the film is plotless and little more than a stream of consciousness montage of vignettes and images, it stands as one of the earliest gay cult films, and as such nostalgia alone demands another look at this piece of lavender celluloid.

Golden Threads

Directed by Lucy Winer and Karen Eaton Saturday, April 29, 1 pm

This remarkable documentary profiles the life of 93-year-old lesbian activist Christine Burton, who found a global networking service for mid-life and elder lesbians.

Lucy Winer and Karen Eaton (real-life partners) touchingly and poignantly chronicle a remarkable human being with an indomitable spirit. This film is a landmark, not only because of its honest approach to lesbian life, but because it also gives center stage to issues of aging in America, something that both the gay and straight worlds need to confront in order to improve the quality of our ever increasing lifespans.

Golden Threads premièred on PBS last year, and has received rave reviews ever since. It tackles a rare subject and an even more precious human being with honesty, humor and great poignancy.

Woubi Cheri

Directed by Philip Brooks and Laurent Bocahut Saturday, April 29, 2:30 pm

This is considered to be the first film to give African gays and lesbians a chance to describe their world in their own words. It is sometimes ribald, often funny and always honest, while introducing us to gender pioneers demanding their right to confront a distinct African homosexuality.

Show Me Love

Directed by Lukas Moodyson Saturday, April 29, 4 pm

Show Me Love is from Sweden, with English subtitles-its original title is Fucking Åmål. It has become one of Sweden's biggest film successes of recent years, doing extremely well all across Europe. The film tells the story of Elin and her teenage friends growing up in the small town of Åmål. Nothing happens here, until Elin makes an unexpected move and her life takes a different turn when she goes to the wrong party.

Stuck in the middle of two love interests and a hilarious small-town life, Elin tries to come to terms with her real self. While gaythemed teen films (mostly from Europe) have been popular recently, lesbians have often been given the short end of the stick and this film goes a long way in making up for that cinematic absence.

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