"The Evolution of LGBT Cinema"
Saturday, October 20. 5:00pm
Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St, Chicago
Free and open to the public
A panel discussion with Tracy Baim, Dr. Kevin John Bozelka, Richard Knight, Jr, and David Zak about the history of LGBT cinema, from early experimental work to contemporary films.
"Making LGBT Films in a Changing World"
Sunday, October 21. 4:00pm
Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St, Chicago
Free and open to the public
A panel discussion with independent filmmakers Alex Bohs, Wendy Jo Carlton, Mary F. Morten, Richard Paro, and moderator Cyra K. Polizzi about funding, production, and distribution for LGBT films, and the impact of shifting cultural attitudes and technology.
Panelist/Moderator Bios:
Tracy Baim is publisher and executive editor at Windy City Media Group, a co-founder of Windy City Times (1985), an author, and a film producer. She started in Chicago gay journalism in 1984 at GayLife newspaper, one month after graduating with a news-editorial degree from Drake University. Baim was executive producer of Hannah Free, starring Sharon Gless, and Scrooge & Marley, a gay Christmas Carol. Her many honors include induction into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame, a CrainÍs Chicago Business 40 Under 40 leader, and the Community Media Workshop's Studs Terkel Award.
Alex Bohs is a writer/director/editor whose short film Half won the audience award at the 2012 Indie Boots Film Festival. His other short films include Writer's Block, Fish in the Sea, and That Four-Letter Word, as well as the upcoming films Finding Franklin, A Difficult Year, and Mum. Alex is currently enrolled in the film/video program at Columbia College Chicago with a concentration in directing. www.alexbohs.com
Dr. Kevin John Bozelka, PhD, has taught media studies at DePaul University and Austin College. His criticism has appeared in the Village Voice, Popmatters, MTV.com, Dallas-Morning News, and Chicago Reader. His essays cover The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the Gen X reception of Empire Records, the representation of lesbians in Bollywood cinema, and the films of gay sexploitation director Andy Milligan. Last August, he programmed an evening of early queer avant-garde shorts for Chicago Filmmakers. He is currently working on a book titled The Musical Mode: Rock, Recordings, and the Hollywood Musical.
Wendy Jo Carlton directed her first feature, Hannah Free, starring Emmy-winner Sharon Gless, in 2009. Carlton was the recipient of the Navona Fellowship from the University of Illinois Chicago, where she earned a graduate degree in film/new media. Carlton's second feature, Jamie and Jessie are Not Together, has won several awards and is receiving lovely reviews. Film critic Roger Ebert gave this film about unrequited love a 3 Star Review. Wendy Jo is currently directing Easy Abby, a queer RomCom web series, about a chronic seducer struggling with anxiety disorders and athletes foot. www.jamieandjessie.com
Richard Knight, Jr. has been the film critic for Windy City Times since 2004. He has written about film for the Chicago Tribune, the LA Times, and other publications. Two collections of his film reviews, Knight at the Movies, have been published with a third coming this December. He is also the founder of the Queer Film Society. His first film, Scrooge & Marley, a modern day, gay variation on A Christmas Carol, premieres in Chicago on November 29th at Music Box Theatre and will be released across the country in December.
Mary F. Morten is a filmmaker and activist committed to social change though video and film development. She is the president of Morten Group, a consulting firm specializing in social change through skills development, public policy and advocacy. Mary has served as producer/director for several films covering national policy initiatives, women's rights and youth development. She is currently in pre-production for her next documentary, Miss Gay Black America, about the art of female impersonation, highlighting the life of Terri Livingston. www.wokeupblack.com
Richard Paro is an award-winning independent filmmaker and theatre director. For over a decade, his feature-length and short films have been screening at independent, international, LGBTQ, and women's film festivals. Much of his work emphasizes coalition-building. Always excited to share his favorite movies, theatre and music with new audiences, he has worked in programming for years, currently through his company Mudgeonsoul Productions and Indie Boots Film Festival. www.mudgeonsoul.org
Cyra K. Polizzi graduated from UW-Madison in Acting, Gender Studies, and Environmental Studies. Primarily a stage actor, she can also be found directing, writing and filmmaking, as well as curating. Her DIY feature documentary and short films have screened in conferences, classrooms, and festivals around the world. In addition, she works part-time in film exhibition with a national art house chain. Affiliations include Pride Films and Plays, Indie Boots Film Festival, Full Voice, Mudgeonsoul Productions, and Stockyards Theatre. www.cyrakpolizzi.com
David Zak is Executive Director of Pride Films and Plays. He served as Artistic Director of Bailiwick Repertory in Chicago from 1982-2009. In 2010, he directed the London premiere of The Irish Curse, and in 2011 directed A Doll's House and Fanta Stick in Seoul. He has received Chicago's Jeff Recommendations and Awards, Jeff Citations for Best New Work and for Bailiwick's range of diverse programming, and After Dark Awards. His play The Hiroshima Project has been performed around the world. He teaches gender studies for the Chicago Center of Urban Life and Culture.
No comments:
Post a Comment