Tru Loved premiered last night on the Opening Night of the festival! Be sure to get tickets for the rest of the festival, including these shorts programs --

Sweat

FILM TITLE: Hearts and Hotel Rooms by Justin James

Please introduce yourself:

Justin James, 22, Los Angeles, CA.

What initially attracted you to filmmaking? How many films have you made?

Watching movies has always been my escape. I used to (and still do) watch the behind the scenes featurettes to see what goes into making any particular film.

I've directed several short films, which include A Tale of Two Balls, my college thesis student film, Finelines; and Hearts and Hotel Rooms, which won the 2007 HBO SHOUT GLBT Short Film Competition.

Did you go to film school? If so, where?

I studied at the University of Miami. Lots of sunshine.

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

Hearts and Hotel Rooms is a romantic look at a one night stand,... that just happens to be between two young men.

Where did the idea for your film come from?

I wanted to depict circumstances of a modern-age relationship.

Who or what are some of the creative influences that have had the biggest impact on you?

Other artists, whether they are musicians, moviemakers, poets or painters, even educators, anyone who continues to create and pass on. Foremost though, my family has played a great role in shaping who I am today, in allowing me to do the things I've always wanted to do and to believe no matter what.

The first LGBT film I ever saw was:

Edge of Seventeen, when I was seventeen, I came across it in Blockbuster. I was almost too shy to rent it, but I'm glad I did.



FILM TITLE: Matchmaker by Cinzia Puspita Rini

Please introduce yourself:

My name is Cinzia, I'm film worker and photographer, based in Jakarta, Indonesia.

What initially attracted you to filmmaking? How many films have you made?

Making films makes you think in a wider (if not weirder) point of view towards life and how life treats us.  It gives you the chance to play around with audience's mind, the way they feel, think and perceive an event.  And it also allows you to share with them your ideas of life...I guess that's why I'm interested in filmmaking. Matchmaker is my first film and definitely I would like to make more :)

Did you go to film school?

I didn't go to any film school. I learned about it, first by assisting on some video clips, and then working as an assistant director for TV commercials.

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

Matchmaker is a simple love story between Kay & Darren that happens in a bookstore.

Where did the idea for your film come from?

The scriptwriter, Melissa Karim was the one with the idea. It came from her own experience. We work on it again together with the producer, Nia Dinata.

The first film I have memories of watching as a child was:

Most of Alfred Hitchcock's.

The first LGBT film I ever saw was:

Philadelphia

My top three all-time favorite films are:

Sling Blade, Turtles Can Fly, Magnolia.



FILM TITLE: MR_RIGHT_22 by Reza Rameri

Please introduce yourself:

I am based in Berlin, Germany and I edit for film and television when I'm not directing or script-writing.

What initially attracted you to filmmaking? How many films have you made?

I always loved telling (and writing) stories and I always loved films, so that's pretty obvious I guess. Before MR_RIGHT_22, I made a funny lesbian short film called Sugar in the Blood (Zucker im Blut), which ran at last year’s NewFest and which I created under the artist name Peter Saller (long story...)

Did you go to film school? If so, where?

No, I didn't attend any of those.

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

Adam has an internet blind-date, that's running late. While waiting for the potential prince charming, his anxiety creates all kinds of surprises...

Where did the idea for your film come from?

From the best source material: life. Because of the gay scene and the general normality of internet dating, I was led to believe that this kind of coming together is the only way... well, I was wrong :) I wanted to give the internet dating community something to think about.

What was the most satisfying aspect in making your film?

Working out the beats for comedic jokes with the actors. I had to get into that element but once we were there, it was a lot of fun to see the comedy just happen naturally (once everybody was in on the jokes, so to speak) And then, of course, the moment the audience laughs at a joke in the film and you just feel that the timing and the hard work must have been right on!

Who or what are some of the creative influences that have had the biggest impact on you?

Steven Spielberg (of the eighties). Woody Allen. Star Wars (the originals).Syd Field. Avid Editing. And my parents.

FILM TITLE: Sweat by John Lochland
 
Please introduce yourself:

 

I am a London based writer director for The Big Dipper Film Company Ltd., which was originally set up by me to create and promote diverse film material.

 

How many films have you made?

5-6 shorts though I’ve written several feature scripts (one is a David Leavitt adaptation).

Like every other short filmmaker I’m always hoping that my current short will be my last.
 
Did you go to film school? If so, where?

 

Yes. University of Westminster; London
 
Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

An afternoon delight in a gay sauna, I wanted to explore the realms of the space and the romance of the spectacle (via some racy sex scenes). It currently forms the middle section to a trilogy of short stories called Blood Sweat and Tears. Sweat is the only one filmed as yet.

What was the biggest challenge you faced in making your film?

 

Shooting in a sauna with high quality actors wearing only towels (sometimes not even that!)
 
What was the most satisfying aspect in making your film?

A fantastic leading man performance from my lead and a deeper understanding of the script that I thought possible form all the cast.
 
Are you working on a new film yet? If so, give us a brief description. If not, is there a genre or subject you are interested in exploring in your next project?

 

As above, Blood Sweat and Tears is going to be our first feature, two accompanying episodes, one is a road movie about a teenaged rent boy. The third is about the death of a boy’s married lover. Will be sexy, irreverent, funny, moving.
 
My top three all-time favorite films are:

Happy Together, The Haunting (1958 version), and The Sixth Sense

 

FILM TITLE: Sucker by Peter Pizzi

 

Please introduce yourself:

 

My name is Peter Pizzi. I live in East Boston, MA. I am also from East Boston. To pay the bills I work in the legal department of an investment company.  Needless to say it is a vastly different environment from my artistic life. Along with being an Independent Filmmaker, I am also a photographer and installation artist and teacher. I am also a member of the Atlantic Works Gallery in East Boston, MA.

 

What initially attracted you to filmmaking? How many films have you made?

 

Film/Video serves as a vehicle for me to tell stories and I've always been a storyteller. My parents bought a video camera in the late 80's. My friends and I would make short films; in fact these films would be used for a demo reel for my admission to The School of Visual Arts, NYC. This process of working with friends, having screening parties, being creative was and is awesome. I have made about 20 films since the late 80's. My first film (a short) was called Death Rock Camping Disaster.

 

Did you go to film school? If so, where?

 

I attended The School of Visual Arts in New York City as a film major for 2 years. I graduated from The New College of California in San Francisco with a BA in Humanities, Arts and Social Change.

 

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

 

Sucker tells the story of Moe (Craig Houk), the self-proclaimed "best cocksucker in town." We follow Moe on his NSA hookups and then watch as he tries to attach a string or two to his favorite online buddy.

 

Where did the idea for your film come from?

 

The film is based on the short story of the same name written by the novelist, Wayne Hoffman. I had read the short story last summer, I thought it was great and then tracked Wayne down online. I pitched the idea for a film, and voila.  Wayne also wrote the script for the film.

 

The one LGBT film that has had the biggest impact on me is:

 

The Life and Times of Harvey Milk.

All the Reel Girls

FILM TITLE: Hello, My Name is Herman by Karine Silverwoman

Please introduce yourself:

My name is Karine Silverwoman. I'm currently in school, working and doing my art. I work as a counselor and run creative writing groups for queer youth and I'm in school full-time for social work. I live and work in Toronto, Canada.

What initially attracted you to filmmaking? How many films have you made?

I have made one film and never thought this would happen! I'm an artist and have mostly focused my art on writing and dance. I was quite scared and apprehensive to make a film but applied to a queer youth video-making project through the InsideOut Film festival in Toronto in which youth can make a video in a supportive environment. This program changed my life and I now want to make more videos.

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

Hello, My Name Is Herman is a documentary about coming out as a lesbian to my 91- year-old grandfather.

What was the biggest challenge you faced in making your film?

It is a very personal movie and I struggled with continuing, as it was painful to keep watching all the footage. I also had to cut 17 hours of footage into 10 minutes, which was difficult.

Are you working on a new film yet? If so, give us a brief description. If not, is there a genre or subject you are interested in exploring in your next project?

I'm working on another movie right now about grief. It's a slow process but I'm committed to it.

The most recent film I saw in a theatre was:

A film at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival called Jerusalem Is Proud To Present by Nitzan Gilady.

The last DVD I watched was:

D.E.B.S. by Angela Robinson

FILM TITLE: Just Me? by Amy Neil

Please introduce yourself:
  
I've worked as a Social Worker and as a Software Project Manager and right now I count myself very lucky to be a full-time Filmmaker.  I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, which has one of the most vibrant communities of documentarians.

What initially attracted you to filmmaking? How many films have you made?

I consider Just Me? to be my first film.  In 1992 I did make a Super8 short but it didn't have any sound and was more like a rough cut.  I've decided my "Mr. Bill" films from High School don't count either!

Did you go to film school? If so, where?
  
I did not go to film school.  I like to set out to do things I've never done and have no experience with.  For example, I once made a papier-mâché couch for my apartment and most guests had no idea it was handmade.

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.
  
Just Me? is a short documentary chronicling my discovery of vintage photographs that reveal the hidden life of my great-grandmother.  I set out to learn the truth about her life and in the process discover truths of my own.

Where did the idea for your film come from?
  
Just Me? is an extremely personal documentary - it is about events in my own life and the life of my family.

What was the biggest challenge you faced in making your film?
  
I have wanted to make this film for almost 15 years. The biggest challenge was taking the leap of faith that it was a meaningful project worthy of my full-time commitment.  What pushed me in that direction was being diagnosed with cancer.  It turned out after surgery that the diagnosis was incorrect and I was completely healthy, but it sure put things into perspective.  Within 6 months I quit my job and started making Just Me? 
 
The most recent film I saw in a theatre was:
  
Young@Heart - a terrific documentary about a senior citizen choir that sings rock songs.  It celebrates life while also embracing the realities of illness and death.

FILM TITLE: Losing 1983 by Ali Cotterill

Please introduce yourself:

 

Ali Cotterill, I freelance in the film industry for work, I’m based in Portland, OR but relocating to Brooklyn, NY this summer.

 

What initially attracted you to filmmaking? How many films have you made?

 

I love filmmaking because it combines so many different mediums—music, photography, design, etc. and because it’s archival—we create stories that outlive us.  I’ve made five music videos, two short documentaries, and lots of video for live performances.

           

Did you go to film school? If so, where?

 

I just graduated from the Art Institute of Portland’s Digital Film and Video program—a hybrid film school/new media program. I also have a B.A. in English.

 

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

 

Losing 1983 is a short documentary about my father’s death and the Pepsi-Coke challenge and why I remember one better than the other.

 

What was the biggest challenge you faced in making your film?

 

It was difficult to continue to go through the process and give myself time to change. I actually had to log the interview footage three separate times because of what I’d learned about my father and how that changed my mind about my own memories.

 

What was the most satisfying aspect in making your film?

 

It’s people coming up to me after screenings or emailing me to tell me it helped them move on or cope with their grief.

 

My top three all-time favorite films are:

 

The Legend of Billie Jean. Edward Scissorhands. Donnie Darko. Zero Patience. All About My Mother. That’s five, I know.

 

The last DVD I watched was:

 

Air Guitar Nation. I loved it.

 

Boycrush

 

FILM TITLE: El Primo (The Cousin) by Nick P. Oceano

 
Please introduce yourself:

Writer/Director based in Los Angeles, CA.

What initially attracted you to filmmaking? How many films have you made?
 
Growing up on the rough streets of San Antonio, Texas, I turned to movies as an escape. When I was a senior in high school, I saw Steven Speilberg's Schindler's List, and it was at that moment that I knew had to become a filmmaker.

I have made seven short films, most notably Dog Tags and El Primo (The Cousin).
 
Did you go to film school? If so, where?

Yes.  The University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts.
 
Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.
 
El Primo (The Cousin) is the story of Mark Garcia, a sensitive, sheltered teenager who reunites after many years with Luis Marquez, his tough, older cousin on the rough side of Laredo, Texas and learns a hard lesson about what it means to be a man.

 

Where did the idea for your film come from?

It is loosely based on my own personal experience growing up in South Texas.

 

What was the biggest challenge you faced in making your film?
 
The biggest challenge we faced was replicating Los Angeles for Laredo, Texas in order to authentically capture the look and feel of the people and places in South Texas.

Who or what are some of the creative influences that have had the biggest
impact on you?

My biggest creative influences have Steven Spielberg, Pedro Almodóvar, Steven Soderbergh and the craziness that is my family, a Mexican-American family full of incredibly inspiring, hilarious and outrageous stories.

My top three all-time favorite films are:

All About My Mother, The Sixth Sense, and Schindler's List 

FILM TITLE: Flatmates by Magnus Mork

 

Please introduce yourself:

My name is Magnus Mork, I am a filmmaker based in Oslo, Norway. At the moment I work as a casting director and as a director assistant on a feature in Norway.

What initially attracted you to filmmaking? How many films have you made?

I guess I was some of a film geek when younger going to the movies several times a week, and slowly the interest of making and not only watching came to my mind. Flatmates is my graduation work from the film school of Gotheburg, Sweden and I consider it as my first real film.

Did you go to film school? If so, where?

I went to the Gothenburg School of film directing in Sweden.

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

Flatmates tells the story of best friends Bjørn and Hampus who are moving into a flat together. A film about the collision of friendship and love, and the fuzzy border between tenderness and abuse.

Where did the idea for your film come from?

I wanted to do a story on a gay-falling-in-love-with-straight theme.

The first LGBT film I ever saw was:

I remember seeing Torch Song Trilogy in the cinemateque of Oslo.

The last DVD I watched was:

Sweet Sixteen by Ken Loach

 

FILM TITLE: Lloyd Neck by Ben Campbell

Please introduce yourself:

My name is Ben Campbell and I am a filmmaker based in New York.

What initially attracted you to filmmaking? How many films have you made?

I was first attracted to filmmaking when I discovered photography.  I lived in the dark room and I liked making still images.  Then I figured out that film was really just 24 still photographs shown in 1 second.  I have made a few short films, but this is really my first film.

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

Lloyd Neck is about a girl (Alex) who likes her older brother's friend, Jesse.  Jesse likes Alex's brother, Taylor.

Where did the idea for your film come from?

The idea came from my memories of high school.  I like characters that don't fully understand themselves yet, and I also like the dynamics in the relationships that siblings have with one another.

What was the biggest challenge you faced in making your film?

I wrote a film that I could make on a modest budget.  I didn't want to rely on a lot of lighting, but I still wanted the film to look good and be lit well.  Since the film is mostly lit with natural sunlight, weather was our biggest challenge.

Are you working on a new film yet? If so, give us a brief description. If not, is there a genre or subject you are interested in exploring in your next project?

I am working on adapting a book for the screen.  It's about a young girl who discovers that her brother and his best friend might be a couple.  She isn't sure what that means and neither are they.

The first film I have memories of watching as a child was:

The Brave Little Toaster or Bambi.

The first LGBT film I ever saw was:

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.  I was probably 12, but my parents insisted I see it because they loved it so much.

Gentleman’s Club

FILM TITLE: Laundromat by Edward Gunawan

Please introduce yourself:

My name is Edward Gunawan. I was born in Indonesia, raised in Singapore and now based in Los Angeles, working as an actor primarily.

What initially attracted you to filmmaking? How many films have you made?

I have always written and have always loved story-telling. So I have all these scripts laying around, gathering dust. I finally had enough, waiting for others to tell these stories that I finally jumped in and took the rein. In a way, filmmaking became a natural and necessary artistic extension for me. That said, filmmaking is still very new to me and even though I have made a few short films in the past, Laundromat marks my official directorial debut.

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

Laundromat is a romantic dramedy that follows a young gay couple, who after a chance encounter with an older man in a neighborhood laundromat, realizes that the little things mean nothing and everything when it comes to love.

Where did the idea for your film come from?

It is actually based on a real event that happened to my producing partner/cinematographer David Maurice Gil. He told me this story once and it stuck with me because of its sense of romanticism. It seems so tragic, yet beautiful and poetic.

What was the most satisfying aspect in making your film?

On my set where I'm helming this project, I am easily the youngest and least experienced one. So I feel really blessed and fulfilled that I get to work my brilliant and super-talented cast and crew.

The first film I have memories of watching as a child was:

The martial arts/Wu-Xia films from Hong Kong.

The first LGBT film I ever saw was:

Wedding Banquet by Ang Lee. My mom and I actually watched it together when I was fourteen. At the end of the film, she asked me whether I felt the same way as the Winston Chao character (i.e. am I gay?). I knew I was, even back then, but I remembered denying it flat out to her face.

FILM TITLE: Tryout by Nimrod Rinot

Please introduce yourself:

My name is Nimrod Rinot, I am 32 years old.  I live near by the sea at the center of Tel Aviv in Israel.

What initially attracted you to filmmaking? How many films have you made?

As a small child I have always attract to the play. One day a tv film was shot in       my town. Seeing familiar locations from my street gets a different shape and meaning through the screen and the camera and create a story that does not exist in real life shocked me. The wonder of true lie. To touch  and to excite.

 

Did you go to film school? If so, where?

 

I finished 4 years of film school at the Art College , beit berl in Kfar Saba.

 

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

 

The hero of my film, dealing with his new life partner during a desperate trying       staying in dark with his won son and this way maybe losing them both.

Are you working on a new film yet? If so, give us a brief description. If not, is there a genre or subject you are interested in exploring in your next project?

Feminine strength and motherhood are most interesting subject for me these days. In my next project I will deal with the concept of a broken family through a mother eyes trying to save self respect and devastate love.

The first film I have memories of watching as a child was:

The first movie that I memories wathcing as a small child at the cinema is Return To Oz by Walter Murch. The movie frighten me and fascinate me to the screen at the same time. Rich visuals and tortuous story made me live the movie every day from the beginning and be afraid over and over again.

The most recent film I saw in a theater was:

The most recent film I saw at the theater was There Will Be Blood by Paul Thomas Anderson. The relationship between the hero and his son excite me most and the decisiveness absence of its nature keep me busy since. The soundtrack and the shooing style open me a new horizon of the film language.

FILM TITLE: When the Time Comes by Thomas Forwood

Please introduce yourself:

 

I mainly work as scriptwriter and I am based in Paris, France.

 

What initially attracted you to filmmaking? How many films have you made?

 

This is my first film.  It seemed the best medium for me to express myself using my different interests - writing, working with actors, painting, art history, photography etc.  Film has always seemed the natural course for me to take.

 

Did you go to film school? If so, where?

 

No.  I studied Art History and acting.

 

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

 

A film about by a man’s refusal to accept his partners’ illness.

 

What was the most satisfying aspect in making your film?

 

Seeing the universe of the film evolve, at first nourished by me and then by others.

 

Are you working on a new film yet? If so, give us a brief description. If not, is there a genre or subject you are interested in exploring in your next project?

 

I am working on a feature film called Le portrait de son père ( The portrait of his father ) it is about an art teacher who is forced by his mother to take over his fathers metier as art dealer.  A climate of corruption and anarchy leads the young teacher to approach a less auto-censured vision of his life and of his father.

 

The first film I have memories of watching as a child was:

 

A film with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

 

The most recent film I saw in a theatre was:

 

Hunger by Steve McQueen.

 

The last DVD I watched was:

The Saddest Music in the World by Guy Maddin.

FILM TITLE: Parting Words by Joe Balass

Please introduce yourself:

 

My name is Joe Balass and I'm a full-time filmmaker based in Montreal.

What initially attracted you to filmmaking? How many films have you made?

 

I think films are a wonderful way to communicate ideas and dreams and that is what attracted me to filmmaking. I've made 3 documentaries and two fiction films.

 

Did you go to film school? If so, where?

 

I went to film school at Concordia University in Montreal.

 

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

 

A young man, near death, is being taken to the hospital by ambulance accompanied by his friends and a good-looking paramedic who distracts them from the tension of the situation.

 

Are you working on a new film yet? If so, give us a brief description. If not, is there a genre or subject you are interested in exploring in your next project?

 

I'm currently working on a doc project about Sister Iamosama Delite the Sodomite, one of the founders of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

 

The first film I have memories of watching as a child was:

Frankenstein.

 

The last DVD I watched was:

 

La Strada by Fellini