Festival seeks own identity.Byline: Lewis Taylor The Register-Guard If you're wondering what a queer film festival is, you're not the only one. Organizers of this year's University of Oregon The University of Oregon is a public university located in Eugene, Oregon. The university was founded in 1876, graduating its first class two years later. The University of Oregon is one of 60 members of the Association of American Universities. Queer Film Festival have taken it upon themselves not only to stage a festival, but also to discuss the question of what such a festival really should be. `(Re)defined' is the title of this year's three-day event three-day event a competition in the pleasure horse sport comprising usually one day each for dressage, cross country and show jumping. , which starts today. "There are a lot of lgbtq (lesbian, gay, bisexual bisexual /bi·sex·u·al/ (-sek´shoo-al) 1. pertaining to or characterized by bisexuality. 2. an individual exhibiting bisexuality. 3. pertaining to or characterized by hermaphroditism. 4. , transgender transgender or transgendered adj. Transsexual. , queer) film festival directors in this country that have been questioning or trying to question what exactly queer film or queer cinema is, and understanding that there's a lot of different definitions," festival coordinator Jamie June said. "Is it only that the film is made by someone that identifies as queer, or does it have to have queer characters or queer-themed content to be called queer, or can it even be made by someone who's straight but addresses queer issues?" June is hoping these and other questions will be answered, or at least debated, at this weekend's festival. Now in its 11th year and organized by the UO Cultural Forum, the gathering will feature screenings, presentations, a live drag show and a panel discussion with several of the filmmakers. This year's event might have less of an international flavor than last year's showcase, June said, but there will be a broader selection of subjects. At one end of the spectrum is "Third Antenna," a documentary focusing on some of the unexplored issues facing drag performers. At the other is Sherman Alexie's "The Business of Fancydancing," a movie about a gay American Indian American Indian or Native American or Amerindian or indigenous American Any member of the various aboriginal peoples of the Western Hemisphere, with the exception of the Eskimos (Inuit) and the Aleuts. poet in the Northwest that explores themes of race, class and culture, as well as sexual identity. Alexie's film has screened at gay and mainstream festivals. "It has been really well received by a lot of different lesbian and gay film festivals around the country," June said. "People haven't really questioned it because it does have gay characters." Another sign that this year's festival is broader is the prevalence of films that deal primarily with themes of sexual identity, while at the same time tackling other issues. "Body: A Women's Definition" is a short documentary about eight women bodybuilders preparing for the 1998 Gay Games The Gay Games is the world's largest sporting and cultural event organized by LGBT athletes, artists, musicians, and others. Originally called the Gay Olympics, in Amsterdam. It also explores femininity Femininity Belphoebe perfect maidenhood; epithet of Elizabeth I. [Br. Lit.: Faerie Queene] Darnel, Aurelia personification of femininity. [Br. Lit. , competition and self-discipline. "Hot and Bothered" is a nonfiction non·fic·tion n. 1. Prose works other than fiction: I've read her novels but not her nonfiction. 2. The category of literature consisting of works of this kind. short about women who make pornography for women. It looks at feminism and sexuality as well as sexual identity. The subject of family is central to several films, including "Daddy & Papa," Johnny Symons' look at four gay male families with children; and "Donor," a short by filmmakers Adele Wilson (a recent transplant to Springfield) and Eve Whitaker about a couple who asks a gay relative to be the sperm sperm or spermatozoon (spûr'mətəzō`ən, –zō`ŏn), in biology, the male gamete (sex cell), corresponding to the female ovum in organisms that reproduce sexually. donor for their baby. Other entries include Bill Taylor's "Lock Up Your Sons and Daughters," a collection of educational and propaganda films from the 1950s to the 1990s about the "nastiness" of homosexuality; and "Group," a mockumentary that follows eight women through therapy, directed and produced by Olympia filmmakers Marilyn Freeman and Anne de Marcken. Wilson, Taylor, Freeman and de Marcken all will be on hand to present their films. About 20 films will be featured this year, including a handful of short subjects ranging in length from several minutes to an hour. The centerpiece of the festival will be a panel discussion about the festival's theme of redefinition Noun 1. redefinition - the act of giving a new definition; "words like `conservative' require periodic redefinition"; "she provided a redefinition of his duties" definition - a concise explanation of the meaning of a word or phrase or symbol . All of the guest directors will be present, as will Louise Wallenberg, a visiting Fulbright scholar from the Department of Cinema Studies at Stockholm University Stockholm University (Stockholms universitet) is a state university in Stockholm, Sweden. It has about 37,000 students studying at four faculties. History In 1878, the university college Stockholm högskola ; and John Campos Campos (käm`p  s), city (1996 pop. 391,299), Rio de Janeiro state, SE Brazil, on the Paraíba River near its mouth. , the executive director of Sensory Perceptions, the organization
that produces the annual Portland Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.
Wallenberg also will be giving a related presentation titled "(New) Queer Cinema." One possible consequence of this year's variety of films is that people might attend who normally might be intimidated in·tim·i·date tr.v. in·tim·i·dat·ed, in·tim·i·dat·ing, in·tim·i·dates 1. To make timid; fill with fear. 2. To coerce or inhibit by or as if by threats. by a `queer film festival.' Although June said that wasn't her intention, she would be happy to see more diversity. "I definitely want it to satisfy the needs of the queer community here first, and second to provide a space for people that don't identify as queer to come be involved or have an experience they might not get here in Eugene." Lewis Taylor can be reached at 338-2512 or ltaylor@guardnet. com. Queer Film Festival events TODAY 8 p.m. - "The Business of Fancydancing," 180 PLC SATURDAY Noon - "Lock Up Your Sons and Daughters: Anti-gay Films From 1950s-1990s," 100 Willamette Hall 2:15 p.m. - `(New) Queer Cinema,' a presentation by Louise Wallenberg, 100 Willamette Hall 3:30 p.m. - `Queer Cinema (Re)defined,' a panel discussion, 100 Willamette Hall 6 p.m. - "Group" together with a short film, "The Fair and the Weak," 100 Willamette Hall 8:30 p.m. - "Third Antenna: The Radical Nature of Drag" and "Pretty Ladies: A Super8explosion," 100 Willamette Hall 10:30 p.m. - "Drag Show: Boifest Benefit," Erb Memorial Union fishbowl, 1222 E. 13th Ave. SUNDAY 11:30 a.m. - "Tom" with the short film "Contact," 100 Willamette Hall 1:30 p.m. - Shorts program with "Daddy & Papa," "Donor," "Rick & Steve, the Happiest Gay Couple in All the World," "L.T.R." and "Southern Family," 100 Willamette Hall 4:30 p.m. - Audience Short Film Competition with "Body: A Women's Definition," "Hard Fat," "Pimp In feudal England, a type of tenure by which a tenant was permitted to use real property that belonged to a lord in exchange for the performance of some service, such as providing young women for the use and pleasure of the lord. & Ho Trilogy A company founded in 1979 by Gene Amdahl to commercialize wafer scale integration and build supercomputers. It raised a quarter of a billion dollars, the largest startup funding in history, but could not create its 2.5" superchip. ," "Hot & Bothered: Feminist Pornography," "Baby Blue," "Madonnalogue," "Public Gender Announcements" and "Goin' South," 100 Willamette Hall FEB. 28 8 p.m. - "The Business of Fancydancing," 180 PLC EVENT PREVIEW University of Oregon Queer Film Festival What: Films with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual trans·sex·u·al n. A person who strongly identifies with the opposite gender and who chooses to live as a member of the opposite gender or to become one by surgery. adj. 1. Of or relating to such a person. 2. themes When: Three-day event starts at 8 p.m. today with a screening of Sherman Alexie's "The Business of Fancydancing" and continues Saturday at noon and Sunday at 11:30 a.m., with an encore screening of Alexie's film at 8 p.m. Feb. 28 Where: 180 Prince Lucien Campbell Hall Campbell Hall can refer to:
Tickets: $5, ($4 UO students with ID); $13 for three-event passes ($10 students); $28 for seven-event passes ($23 students) Information: 346-0007 or http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~qff CAPTION(S): Aristotle (Gene Tagaban, right) confronts Seymour (Evan Adams) after he returns to the reservation for their friend Mouse's funeral in `The Business of Fancydancing.' Please turn to FESTIVAL, Page 6 Festival: Film subjects bolster diversity Continued from Page 5 |
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