Film Review: “Aya Arcos”
The film, made with the cooperation of 56 Dean Street, London’s first Sexual Health Clinic, lets the various addicts tell their stories and very carefully avoids any judgements of any kind as they are actually proffered by the men themselves, particularly the ones who are at the point of wanting to get sober. There are very disturbing graphic images of naked men intravenous taking copious drugs and then immediately getting sexually aroused and participating in completely inhibited and wild sex all up there on the screen. The men boast that the drugs are an enabler and result in a sexual high that they can never hope to even come close too when they ever try to have sex when they are sober.
There is no question at all here about safe sexual practices as all the participants, whether they are HIV positive or not, engage in unprotected sex with barely a second thought. Some relish in the fact that thanks to medication their viral load is undetectable, and others just accept that they will inevitable get the virus. One young 20 year-old brushed it off with ‘HIV is a fact about you, BUT it is not the defining factor’. Nevertheless as it was also pointed out, 5 gay men are still being diagnosed with HIV in London every single day.
Kristina had always been a tomboy growing up but now she forgoes wearing dresses completely and takes to wearing very manly clothing. Even this doesn’t seem to throw the bevy of aristocratic suitors vying for her hand in marriage, but Kristina makes no secret that the only person she is going to take into her bed is a beautiful young Countess (Sarah Gadon).
The less we say about the clumsy seduction scene when the Queen has her way with the Countess over the open pages of The Devil’s Bible , the better. On the upside though, the movie is quite visually stunning with some elaborate period costumes and it is all set against some rather wonderful wintry landscapes. And Kaurismäki should be applauded for wanting to tell the story of such an important lesbian historical figure, although it is a pity even he failed to really do justice to her in the end.
Actually for such a small place, it seems overloaded with more than its fair share of ‘issues’ that most of the residents either just don’t question, or they just choose to simply ignore. Annie has a dysfunctional misfit family and is probably one of the reasons she chooses not to talk. Whilst attending an art class Annie is confused by her reactions when it turns out that Ruby is the naked model and she really does not know what to make of her feelings. Before she can even work it all out, the very next day a mysterious leather-clad motorcyclist turns at the Gas Station where she has a part-time job. The biker is Lena a mixed-raced girl who has just moved into the area to tend for her sick mother. There is an immediate spark between the two teenagers something that Lena acts upon when they next meet after Annie has offered to help her deal with the damage done to her house by some racist vandals.
A pornographic gay film based on an original screenplay by the late actor Sir John Gielgud has wrapped production, but it still faces tremendous opposition from his estate.
Set in a men’s clothing store where an orgy takes place, Trouser Bar stars Nigel Havers and Julian Clary as passerby who spy the proceedings fondly.
Gielgud, one of the most celebrated stage actors of his time, but best-known for his Oscar-winning work as Dudley Moore’s butler in the film comedy Arthur and for his turn in the TV drama Brideshead Revisited, wrote the screenplay in secret in 1976 and intended for Peter de Rome, who’s considered the grandfather of gay pornography.
De Rome never used the script, but it fell into the hands of David McGillivray, who recently produced a documentary about the pornographer.
“Earlier this year, the trustees decided not give their permission for it to be produced because they didn’t think it was appropriate,” trust member Ian Bradshaw told the Daily Mail. “They didn’t have to go into detail because they own the copyright.”
The film has entered the editing stage, and McGillivray staunchly defends his decision.
“Pornography is still a stigma in this country, but Sir John loved porn and, in his letters, he talks about visiting gay cinemas,” he says. “I was shocked when the trust didn’t give me permission. We stuck to Sir John’s script very tightly when we made the film a couple of weeks ago. He was very specific about the clothes he wanted the actors to wear.”
“They have come down heavily on me,” McGillivray says. “They are using intellectual copyright as an excuse.”
In an interesting side note, Gielgud starred in a pornographic film himself. In 1979, the veteran thespian appeared clothed in Caligula, the super-controversial epic about ancient Rome that was penned by Gore Vidal and spiced up with graphic sex scenes. Gielgud’s biographer Sheridan Morley later referred to it as the actor’s “most embarrassing professional appearance.”
So Colby comes up with a plan to get his father to bond with Rusty in order for him to then be able to share his news without the fear of being rejected. The plan, not one of the brightest for a situation like this, is to get Rusty invited on their annual trip, but to do this he has to pretend that he is just a straight buddy and a potential business partner. Dad reluctantly agrees, so then at the last moment Colby rustles up an excuse to keep him from actually going, meaning that in the end Dad and Rusty set off alone together.
This year we are celebrating 40 years of The Rocky Horror Picture Show an incredible cult classic famous for its tongue in cheek humour and, well, Tim Curry in fish nets. The musical is a satirical acknowledgement of science fiction and horror movies, but not only that, Rocky Horror recognises and draws upon the issues of sexuality and gender that mocks society’s attitudes towards these matters. Sadly for some reason it has taken 40 year for parts of society to even truly consider taking a page out of Rocky Horror’s book, and begin to accept sexuality and gender fluidity.
In fact it appears that society was somewhat behind the “unconventional conventionalists” in the support for equal marriage rights. Only recently has the entitlement for non-straight marriages become truly acknowledged and accepted. Rocky Horror sought to disrupt the once heterosexual privilege of marriage decades ago by parodying the orthodox beliefs surrounding ‘tying the knot.’
Initially, the film hilariously ridicules the values of marriage through its constant association with death, which is apparent by having the wedding next to a graveyard, and having a funeral set up in the background of Brad proposing to Janet in the chapel. Combining a wedding with death makes fun of the standard values of marriage by suggesting that in fact these values are out-dated and we now live in a time where alternative possibilities do exist. The film further makes a mockery of marriage through the re-enactment (in the background of the wedding) of the famous painting ‘American Gothic’. The original painting symbolises puritan values and traditional roles of man and woman, therefore, by recreating this image in the background of a wedding it expresses the limitations and constraints of marriage, and that in fact, marriage represents the stereotypical societal roles of man and woman.
Also, let’s not forget the marriage between Dr Frank and Rocky which secures the bind of homosexuality. What is significant about the marriage between Rocky and Frank N.Furter is that it does not take place outside of a church. By having Rocky and Frank N.Furter’s wedding independent of the church, stresses that marriage and sex does not have to be for reproductive reasons only, and ultimately the church does not own the sanction of marriage.
This film draws upon many issues surrounding the acceptance of non-straight sexualities and gender diversity and it does so brilliantly. The sweet transvestite Frank N. Furter teaches us that sexuality and gender are merely concepts formulated by the society we live in, and that we should break away from these expectations and not be afraid to be who we want to be. In other words “don’t dream it, be it.”
As much as it is wonderful that these sorts of issues are being recognised and addressed, it’s a shame that it has taken so long for society to get up to speed with what The Rocky Horror Picture Show celebrated 40 years ago. It’s now time to keep following in the footsteps of Dr Frank N. Furter by rocking fish nets and accepting people for who they truly are and choose to be.
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The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival is pleased to present the following films showcasing LGBT stories from around the world with a Jewish perspective during the 35th edition of the festival.
Since 1966, Danny Fields has played a pivotal role in music and “culture” of the late 20th century: working for the Doors, Cream, Lou Reed, Nico, Judy Collins and managing groundbreaking artists like the Stooges, the MC5 and the Ramones. An official selection of SXSW 2015, DANNY SAYS follows Fields from Phi Beta Kappa whiz-kid, to Harvard Law School dropout, to the Warhol Silver Factory, to Director of Publicity at Elektra Records, to “punk pioneer” and beyond. The film looks at Fields fascinating life and explores his sexuality as a gay man in the music industry. Screens Monday, July 27 at 8:30PM at Castro Theater in San Francisco; Thursday, August 6 at 8:30PM at California Theater in Berkeley.
Berkeley based filmmaker Rock Goldsmith will present his latest documentary MIND GAME: THE UNQUIET JOURNEY OF CHAMIQUE HOLDSCLAW. Once referred to as the “female Michael Jordan”, the film follows WNBA star Chamique Holdsclaw, an iconic figure in women’s basketball who defied expectations with her advocacy work around mental illness. Chamique was also one of the first out women basketball players. Director Rick Goldsmith and subject Chamique Holdsclaw will be in attendance at the festival. Screens Friday, July 31 at 8:55PM at Castro Theater in San Francisco; Saturday, August 1 at 8:55PM at California Theater in Berkeley.
In PROBATION TIME the fragile bonds that make up a family are severely tested when the filmmaker is faced with an intense break up and a sister who is fighting “demons”. Israeli Director Avigail Sperber looks at her adopted Ethiopian sister’s struggles and aspirations in her personal documentary, an introspective take on the balance each of us must strike between our desire for belonging and independence. Screens Monday, July 27 at 12:30PM at Castro Theater in San Francisco; Monday, August 3 at 4PM at California Theater in Berkeley.
On Manhattan’s gilded Upper East Side, a young painter, Charlie, finds the man of his dreams in an older pianist from across the globe. If only Charlie weren’t secretly in love with his own manipulative best friend, Sebastian, who is embroiled in a financial scandal. In the wake of Sebastian’s notoriety, their tight-knit group of friends must confront the new realities of adulthood in THOSE PEOPLE. Screens Sunday, July 26 at 8:40PM at Castro Theater in San Francisco; Sunday, August 2 at 8:30PM at California Theater in Berkeley.
The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival (SFJFF) has announced a renaming of their year round organization to the Jewish Film Institute to better reflect the cultural initiatives and services they provide, including the world-renowned annual Festival – the first and largest festival of its kind. The repositioning of the institution coincides with the 35th anniversary of the SFJFF, which has evolved from an annual international film festival to a full-service media arts organization that serves audiences worldwide. The SFJFF will retain its name as an annual festival and continue to be the signature program of the Jewish Film Institute.
The 35th edition of the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival returns to the Bay Area July 23-August 9, 2015 at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco, the CinéArts Theatre in Palo Alto, the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael, The California Theatre in Berkeley, and the Lakeside Theater in Oakland. The Festival will offer over 120 screenings to an expected audience of over 35,000.
The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival (SFJFF) continues to present year after year the very best in independent Jewish cinema—offering a full complement of films, festivities, special discussion programs and international guests that highlight 5775 years of culture. For ticket information, please contact the box office at 415.621.0523 or visit the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival online at www.sfjff.org.
About the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival
The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival (SFJFF) is the world’s first and largest Jewish film festival, world-renowned for the diversity and breadth of its audiences and films, and annually attracting more than 35,000 filmgoers. SFJFF is the signature program of the Jewish Film Institute, a year-round media arts organization that serves as the premier curatorial voice for Jewish film and media. Through its film exhibition programs, educational initiatives, online activities and filmmaker support, JFI seeks to catalyze and inspire communities in San Francisco and around the world to expand their understanding of Jewish life and culture through film, media, and dialogue.
Ticket Information, Festival Dates and Public Contact Numbers
The 35th San Francisco Jewish Film Festival will take place July 23 – August 9th, 2015. For more information, visit the SFJFF website at www.sfjff.org or contact [email protected]. The complete lineup of films will be announced on June 23, 2015 along with a full complement of discussion programs, international guests, awards, and celebrations. Early Bird passes go on sale on May 26.Tickets and passes go on sale for members on June 23-25 and for the general public on June 26, 2015.
35&Under pass: Get the best deal in town with a specially priced pass for people 35 and Under, good for all shows at all theatres, including SF Opening Night (but excluding SF Closing Night and Berkeley Big Night) and invitations to meet other film aficionados and emerging filmmakers. This pass is included with the purchase of a Jewish Film Institute membership at the special “Supporter, 35 and Under” level.
All-Festival passes, discount cards, and special prices for students and seniors are available. For ticket information, please contact the Box Office at 415.621.0523 or visit the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival at www.sfjff.org.
The Jewish Film Institute
The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival
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www.sfjff.org/[email protected]/415-621-0556