German Gems at the Castro Theatre

"Tender Parasites" producer Juliane Thevissen with German Gems festival director Ingrid Eggers

The German Gems films were presented at the Castro Theatre on Feb. 28, and the one day of new German cinema drew large appreciative crowds. Even the noon screening on a Sunday filled most of the seats.

A series of unfortunate happenings brought about the temporary collapse of the annual German-language Berlin and Beyond Film Festival, so Ingrid Eggers, the resourceful, recently retired former director of San Francisco’s German cultural center, the Goethe Institut, stepped in to coordinate a one-day celluloid festival.

San Francisco is internationally known for possessing a large and vibrant ethnic German community, and the Goethe Institut, the German Consulate, and diverse German restaurants present creative events that are a unique and charming escape from the mass taste American “Let’s Make a Deal” kitsch culture around us.

The first film was “Tender Parasites (Zarte Parasiten),” a genuinely frightening character study about two young people played by Robert Stadlober and Maja Schöne, who live in the woods and venture out to into the homes of lonely people and attempt to assume of roles of their missing children.

Stadlober was superb. He is famous in Germany and highly regarded for his role in the 2004 gay coming-out masterpiece “Summer Storm (Sommersturm).” His emotional performance strongly affected fans worldwide, and especially at LGBT centers and film festivals. He played a conflicted, closeted gay youth who was in love with his straight best friend and JO buddy. That film was a work of art, and the urgent and subtle mating scene on a dock surpassed the homoeroticism of dozens of other well meaning but ultimately lesser gay-themed movies.

Juliane Thevissen, producer of the festival's opening film "Tender Parasites," joined Eggers onstage for the Q&A after the film ended and applause spread across the theater. The large number of women producers in Germany was discussed, as was the talent and popularity of actor Stadlober.

The reception for the films featured wonderfully aromatic carrot soup from Schmidt’s restaurant, distinctive German beer, and satisfying earthy pizza. The pizza was a conversation piece, and guests wondered how deeply the South Bavarian border intrudes into Northern Italy.

The most highly anticipated film “Vision - Aus dem Leben der Hildegard von Bingen,” which was directed by exalted director Margarethe von Trotta, and starring impressive actress Barbara Sukowa as Hildegarde von Bingen, a nun who lived 900 years ago, greatly exceeded its PR buildup. Sukowa exquisitely portrayed the sainthood candidate who challenged the church’s overwhelming male dominance to establish her own convent, consistently supported democracy and women’s equality, and became the first woman composer and writer about female sexuality. And with her writings were an inspiration for the Enlightenment, which ended the Medieval era. Sukowa’s performance was phenomenal and breathtaking.

Again, festival coordinator Eggers deserves high praise for her promethean efforts, and public relations icon Karen Larsen of Larsen Associates again did a fine job of drawing large audiences, and even on a sunny day and a rainless evening in the Castro, an area teeming with distractions that could lure guests away from a dark theater. Champion volunteer coordinator Ninfa Dawson achieved another seamlessly-run event, which is important since festivals in the U.S. depend on the work of volunteers. In Germany, the city, state, and federal governments support the arts and most of the workers are paid.

Coordinator Eggers was careful to say that German Gems was not meant to compete with the Berlin and Beyond Film Festival. Hopefully that festival will be revived and there will be a plethora of fine German-language films shown over a couple days in the fall.

Drama and Passion in the "Redwoods"

Writer-director David Lewis with actors Brendan Bradley and Matthew Montgomery

“Redwoods”, one of the most popular films at Frameline’s 2009 San Francisco Int’l LGBT Film Festival, sold out very early, leaving large numbers of people unable to see the film, which was screened at the Victoria Theatre on June 24. The description in the festival program drove the filmerati and the casual film fans to snatch up the tickets.

“Set amidst the romantic splendor of the Russian River, ‘Redwoods’ portrays the difficult choices one faces when confronted with an unshakable love.”

That is Sean Uyehara’s synopsis. The good news is that the film was picked up for distribution by TLA Releasing, and will be on DVD in the near future.

The San Francisco premiere of “Redwoods” drew an eager audience, and for a change the Q&A afterwards was charged with intelligent questions. Director David Lewis revealed that he drew on an experience of his own to create the script. Some of the viewers were there because they enjoyed Lewis’ popular 2007 romantic film “Rock Haven,” which had religious fundamentalism as an obstacle to gay love. Lewis also penned the script for late director Todd Wilson's charming "Under One Roof," an interracial gay romantic comedy filmed in San Francisco.

Coolness in the partners’ relationship in "Redwoods" was obvious, because when one character got naked in front of the other, he did not react. And when the lovers say goodbye for several days, there was not even a kiss on the cheek. Their bond was their adopted autistic son, and the routines of daily life. The arrival of a tourist and the spark of lust with the possibility of a new relationship is the engine that drives the film forward. Passionate sex and the drama of life decisions pull the audience into the story.

The scenery of the Russian River was beautifully filmed, and there was a lot of that footage. It conjured up the scent of redwood trees
and romantic memories in and out of canoes, cabins, and hot tubs.

At one private press screening there were outbursts usually heard at horror films. In the movie the partner who was left behind encounters an attractive tourist and is invited to step into his room. Shouts of “No!” and “Don’t do it!” rang out from the nervous married gay men as they watched.

Two scenes remarkably resemble artworks by gay genre painter Robert Morgan. There is a scene of the lover and the tourist walking down a grassy hillside with mountains in the background. The hillside kiss scene in “Room With a View” is brought to mind. Then there is the same pair of guys wearing swim trunks and holding hands while walking into the Russian River.

The opening night after-party was at the Castro neighborhood’s Sausage Factory, where Harvey Milk was a frequent diner. The same owners who served Harvey Milk presented just about every style of excellent pizza on the menu to the “Redwoods” guests. The red wine met with approval all around the crowded event. When director David Lewis stepped into the party he was met with sustained applause, similar to scenes from Hollywood films set in Sardi’s theater restaurant in New York City.

Lewis made a point of thanking the actors and the crew. The fine actors who played the lover and the tourist so well, Brendan Bradley and Matthew Montgomery, were on hand to mingle with their fans. And the young man who played their son so believably in the film, Caleb Dorfman, was there with his family.

Director David Lewis is working on a greatly anticipated third film, which is also romantically themed. He was a guest at Frameline’s Closing Night Party, which was enhanced by visits by actresses Rosie O’Donnell and Sharon Gless.

Queer Women of Color Filmmakers Make Their Mark

Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project (QWOCMAP) executive director Madeleine Lim has organized a group that promotes the creation, presentation, and distribution of queer women of color movies. Increased visibility, real life stories, community bonding, and developing film technique are a few of the goals. Training and the use of equipment, screening opportunities, and finding resources brings together women from all over the community. Public events include festivals, screenings, and discussions across the country.

The San Francisco panel discussion on January 13, 2009, “Reels of Resistance: Queer Women of Color Filmmakers,” drew an appreciative audience to a dynamic presentation of what is happening in the world of queer women's cinema. Executive director Madeleine Lim brought together a producer and three filmmakers to the San Francisco Main Library for an eloquent dialogue, Q&A’s, and provocative film clips. The issues brought forth in the clips and the high quality of the filming drew questions about when the entire films could be seen.

Liliana Hueso has worked as a producer at Telemundo, in a TV industry that is heavily male. Her next project is to bring the Queer Women of Color training South of the Border for advancing women’s film creativity in Mexico.

Jennifer Lin’s shocking film “Look Again” about immigration featured an Asian and a white lesbian couple, with aggressive ICE agents and a surprise ending. The white lesbian was the non-citizen who had to leave the U.S..

Rachel Poulain spoke about how she is perceived and how she has asserted herself to have a successful film career. She is the director of outreach for California Newsreel, a documentary production and distribution center. Rachel is bringing together students to produce social justice documentaries.

Yun Ing Suh was able to make an important and eagerly anticipated film about Israel and Palestine conflicts ”City of Borders” because she was mistaken for an amateur, so she freely passed through barriers and freely filmed in forbidden areas. People opened up to her and she was able to get astounding interviews.

The panelists spoke about future projects that include people of mixed race backgrounds and women in India being hired as surrogate mothers.

A goal of the group is for women of color to making a living in cinema. And one filmmaker said that QWOCMAP classes were so thorough that she saved thousands of dollars and did not have to go to film school.

From its first presentation the Queer Women of Color Film Festival has been a huge success, and the 5th festival is happening in San Francisco June 12-14, 2009.

[Photo caption: 1/13/09 — Madeleine Lim, Liliana Hueso, Rachel Poulain, Jennifer Lin and Yun Ing Suh at the Queer Women of Color Filmmakers Forum.]