By Zita Lam
Northwest Asian Weekly
You know it is October when your sweaters are out and you just want to sit back and watch movies.
Coming up this weekend is the 21st annual TWIST: Seattle Queer Film Festival. Formerly known as the Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, TWIST has 65 programs lined up this year. Starting off with Torrey Pines, an animated film by Seattle award-winning-artist Clyde Petersen on its opening night, the festival takes place at several venues around downtown Seattle and Capitol Hill from Oct. 13 through Oct. 23.
Audiences and fans will experience a broad range of movies, live performances, art exhibits, a pop-up marketplace, panel discussions, and a TWIST360º virtual reality experience. Most importantly, there will be bigger parties!
And don’t miss out “$5@5” award-winning documentaries with a nice price!
Weekends
Oct 15. Weekends: a stage for the sexual minority
2:15 p.m. at SIFF Cinema Egyptian
An award-winning documentary about the one and only gay male chorus in South Korea. G-Voice is more than just a group of amateur singers, but also a LGBT revolution against the homophobic Korean society. The group was established in 2003, and have been voicing their opinion through music ever since. The film documents the group’s behind-the-scenes preparation for a special 10th anniversary concert. It captures the joy and hardship these inspiring men share while finding their core identities, and the impact they have on the homosexual society.
The director of Weekends, Lee Dong-ha, is a former member of the G-Voice. “We had been talking about creating a movie about our stories for a long time, but then it comes to two questions — Who is going to make it and who will participate in it?”
Dong-ha said since Koreans tend to be more conservative, coming out in front of a camera was very difficult. The process of interviewing and shooting lasted three years, and Weekends is the result of the hard work and trust of the members, as they open up about their sexuality, love life, and family issues.
Strike a Pose
Oct 15. Strike a Pose: those who danced with Madonna
9:15 p.m. at SIFF Cinema Egyptian
Twenty-five years after Truth or Dare, a documentary following Madonna on her controversial Blond Ambition tour in 1990, six male dancers open up about fame, friendship, bitterly emotional memories, AIDS, sexual identity, and their long lost friend, Gabriel Trupin.
Directed by Ester Gould and Reijer Zwaan, Strike a Pose touches base with the dancers after their time with Madonna. One of the dancers is Asian American and will be present at the festival.
Oliver Crumes, the only straight man in the group, admitted he was homophobic once. “I was 19 and was very naïve,” Crumes said. “But then as the tour went on, I learned so much.
They’ve taught me not to be so ignorant and they are just a special group of guys.” He added, “I want to be a spokesperson for the homophobic because I used to be that way. But we are all human and we just want the same things.”
For tickets, go to twist.strangertickets.com.
Zita can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.