OUT in Africa Film Festival

Hosted by ECGLA there will be an OUT in Africa film festival at the Barn Theatre on Friday 30 November and Saturday 1st December. Films shown will be:
Noah’s Arc – Jumping The Broom
Dir: Patrik-Ian Polk
USA 2008 101min

The boys are back! Polk’s feature-length film, with all the familiar characters of the successful television series of the same name, reaches a finale when all the boys go off to Martha’s Vineyard to attend Noah’s wedding. Planned to the last detail, nothing goes according to plan when a surprise guest, a closeted superstar and a nasty little secret drop in, all of which threaten to rock the household’s already shaky foundations. It’s an updated Longtime Companion, liberally peppered with elements of Peter’s Friends, Boy’s in The Band and even The Big Chill as the men, brought together in a large house over one weekend, explore issues of marriage, HIV, relationships, infidelity, commitment – the whole nine yards.

Awards
2009 GLAAD Media Award - Outstanding Film, Limited Release.

North Sea Texas Noordzee Texas
Dir: Bavo Defurne Belgium 2011 94min

If Beautiful Thing restored your faith in coming-of-age movies way back then, consider Defurne’s gentle Flemish work of art the continuation of the genre. On a particularly grim coastal town, Pim is approaching adulthood and a whole lot of confusion. He’s drawn to Gino, his best friend who lives close by with his ailing mother and sister Sabrina. Pim’s home life is less than perfect – no father figure and mother Yvette is a faded femme fatale with a thing for accordions and sexy gypsies. As Pim’s feelings intensify, so does the complexity of the situation; Gino meets a girl, a lodger arrives, Sabrina declares her love and Yvette makes her move.
Defurne’s film, sporting all the delicacy and detail of Tom Ford’s Single Man with minute attention paid to the 1970s décor and setting, is equally subtle in its emotional nuances. Indeed, few recent offerings are as layered or as beautifully realised and the palpable sense of dreamlike remembrance stays with you long after the final triumphant scene.

Awards in 2011:
Montreal World Film Festival Silver Zenith Award - Best Feature Debut
Fipresci International Press Award.

Kiss Me Kyss Mig
Dir: Alexandra-Therese Keining Sweden / 2011 / 105min
Restrained, somber, strict Mia, attends her estranged father’s engagement party with her architect boyfriend Tim, where they plan to announce their own intention to marry. Her uneasy relationship with her (philanderer) father is further spoiled by her soon-to-be step-sister, the blonde, vegetarian, free-spirited, and intoxicating Frida, who attracts the attention of all the men in Mia’s life – her father, brother, and fiancé Tim. Stung into re-establishing her connection with her father, Mia ends up spending time with Frida, and that’s when things really begin to go wrong. A beautiful lesbian tale, with great performances and cinematography, but its strength lies in the important subtexts – the depiction of familial relationships, facing up to one’s weaknesses, the hardship of honesty and the pain of infidelity.
Producer / actor Josefine Tengblad is a guest of the Festival

Awards:
American Film Institute's Film Festival 2011 - Best Breakthrough
There will be talks from ICAP and ECGLA and others and safe sex packs distributed during the intervals. Admittance is FREE.