(OUTview AMERICA) INTER-view: Screenwriter and director Brian O'Donnell on AKRON, One of the most inventive Gay coming-of-age films ever is finally out on DVD and VOD!

by MK Scott

At the 2015 Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival I was thrilled to see a new coming of age film about two Gay college students who are conflicted by a family secret. (This was in my Top 5 of the best films at the 2015 SLGFF.)

What I found was an inventive tale of two Gay lovers with no coming out issues, no health issues or small community conflicts, it is a simple story of two families that dealt with a family tragedy and how it will affect the family now that old wounds resurface.

The film synopsis from the AKRON website reads:
Benny and Christopher, college freshmen, meet playing football and begin a relationship. They fall in love supported by their family and friends. As their love for each other grows, a past tragic event involving their mothers comes to light. This revelation tests their own love and Benny's close-knit family.

Throughout this reflective love story, with the beauty of rural Ohio as its backdrop, Benny travels an emotional journey that examines both his own feelings and his family's ability to come to terms with the past. AKRON is a sensitive and unique independent film that puts a progressive, Midwestern spin on a classic family drama.

So I was doubly thrilled to have a chance to speak with writer/director, Brian O'Donnell by phone.

(OUTview AMERICA) MK's 'JOINT' Inter-view with the Stars of 'You're Killing Me" now out on VOD and DVD!

George Hopes Joe is Joking!                 Wolfe

by MK Scott

George (Jeffery Self), a narcissistic wannabe internet star, starts dating Joe (Matthew McKelligon), a monotone serial killer. While all of George's friends agree that Joe seems a bit strange, George claims his new beau "isn't scary, he's gorgeous." But as George's friends start to disappear, the remaining group decides to take matters into their own hands.

Directed by Jim Hansen, creator of the viral video smash series "The Chloe Videos", this gay mixture of "Dexter" and "Gilmore Girls" blends witty banter, pop culture references and good old-fashioned murder. YOU'RE KILLING ME employs humor, camp, and razor sharp wit to tell a morality tale about self-obsession and our growing disconnection with the world around us. After sold out festival screenings and critical acclaim last year, the film is now available to nationwide audiences.

Starring popular gay actor Matthew McKelligon (Interior. Leather. Bar., Eastsiders, and My Sweet Suicide), Jeffery Self (Logo's "Jeffery & Cole Casserole"), Drew Droege (The Chloe Videos), Mindy Cohn ("The Secret Life of the American Teenager"), and Edi Patterson ("Blackish," "Partners").

(OUTview AMERICA) INTER-view: MK gets Below 'The Surface' with Director, Michael Saul, now on DVD and VOD!

Saul with actors, Hains and Redford        (Ariztical)

by MK Scott

Following a world premiere at Frameline, the San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival, The Surface has captivated audiences and critics at screenings nationwide.

From award-winning director Michael J. Saul (Crush, Adults Only, Go Go Reject), The Surface stars Australian model Harry Hains in his leading role debut, alongside Michael Redford and Nicholas McDonald.

The Surface tells the story of Evan Jones, an orphan who was shifted from one foster home to another for years. Now a disaffected college student, he lives with his wealthy boyfriend, Chris. Their social and financial differences have made their relationship increasingly volatile despite their love for one another.

While sifting through relics at an elderly man's yard sale, Evan finds an 8mm movie camera. The man offers to teach Evan how to use it if he comes back the following week. Upon returning, Evan meets the man's 43-year-old son, Peter. Peter gives him reels of old 8mm movies that are collecting dust in the garage. The home movies, featuring a young Peter and his boyhood friend touch a nerve with Evan. Their youthful flirtations and tenderness are uncomplicated and pure. Evan begins to live vicariously through the home movies and his friendship with Peter soon turns romantic. Evan's relationship with Chris splinters as he pushes for greater understanding of himself and the notions of family, love and fulfillment.

I spoke with Saul, via email, about his intriguing film and what's next? 

(OUTview AMERICA) INTER-view: All about Arthur Allen's 'WINNING DAD' available at Vimeo On-Demand on 12/1!

by MK Scott

Just in time for the holidays--the season of many potentially strained family dinners--comes "Winning Dad," a movie that aims to ease the generational divide over gay rights through humor and understanding.


Already an audience favorite (and one of my Top 5 at this years SLGFF) at more than a dozen film festivals around the world, "Winning Dad," will soon be available, according to a press release, in the US exclusively through Vimeo-On-Demand on December 1st.

(SLGFF 2015) WRAP-UP: the FAB, Good, Fair and WTF?! Films of this year's Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival!

OUT to Win was Beyond FAB!

by MK Scott

The 20th Annual Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival ended this past Sunday after 10 days of Great film that showed a glimpse of what the future holds in film as taboos are crashing from small town drama to acceptence from other cultures. There were about 54 features and 99 shorts representing 24 countries, including 8 US feature premieres, 12 Seattle feature premieres, 30 Northwest feature premieres, and a world premiere (CAPITOL HILL 2). In addition there will be two live performances, but I only personally saw 16 features and 14 shorts and our contributors, Sara Michelle Fetters and Paul Torres, saw 17 more. The following are my choices for FAB, Good, Fair and WTF?! all coming to a Film Fest, Theater or DVD in the coming year!

(SLGFF 2015) Jury and Audience Award Winners Announced!

Our Pal, Camina won for Best Doc!

[Photo credit: Urban Focus Photography]

[Photo credit: Urban Focus Photography]

The winners of the juried prizes at the 20th annual Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival are as follows:

BEST FEATURE FILM: NAZ & MAALIK by Jay Dockendorf

A rarity in queer cinema, this film is an intimate portrait of two young Muslim men that places gay relationships within a political, even geopolitical, context.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM: UPSTAIRS INFERNO by Robert Camina [pictured above]

Utilizing brutally honest interviews and visceral footage, Upstairs Inferno is an important record of the largely unknown yet deadliest attack in LGBT history.

DOCUMENTARY FILM HONORABLE MENTION: PETER DE ROME: GRANDFATHER OF GAY PORN by Ethan Reid
Important and entertaining biography of a filmmaker and artist whose honest, beautiful and explicit work unabashedly celebrated gay sex and social justice in pre-AIDS era NY and London.

BEST SHORT FILM: TRÉMULO by Roberto Fiesco

Distinguished by gorgeous cinematography and a rich, compelling visual narrative, TRÉMULO tells the story of an unlikely romance between a soldier and a young man, with tension, beauty, and tenderness.

SHORT FILM HONORABLE MENTION: HOLE by Martin Edralin

MOST INNOVATIVE SHORT FILM: POP-UP PORNO: M4M by Stephen Dunn

Pop-up porno takes a story we've never heard and tells it in a wholly original and innovative way

(SLGFF 2015) FRIDAY at the Fest!

It is Day 8 of the 20th Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival (SLGFF):


Nasty Baby (directed by Sebastián Silva)
7:00 pm @ AMC Pacific Place

Like a delightful child, NASTY BABY reels you in with free-spirited laughter and a calm appearance. It isn’t until the climax that you realize this aptly named film has suddenly turned on you. From Chilean director Sebastián Silva comes this dark dramedy that not only stunned audiences at this year’s Sundance Film Festival but also took home the distinguished Teddy Award for Best Feature at the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival and the Best US Dramatic Feature award at Outfest 2015.

Freddy (played by Silva himself) and Mo (“Tunde” Adebimpe), a genial gay couple in Brooklyn, have been attempting to get pregnant with their best friend Polly (Kristen Wiig) who eagerly wants to have a baby. Each member of this “modern family” approaches the world in a different manner: Freddy has a silly sensibility that leads him to create a project in which he acts like a baby, Mo provides balance in the relationship and fills their apartment with plants, and lighthearted Polly becomes earnest when it matters most. Problems arise when a troubled neighbor known only as “The Bishop” puts them all at wit’s end and events soon spiral out of control

NASTY BABY pleases with an embracing handheld style and down-to-earth performances by the whole cast, especially Wiig. It also challenges with engaging paradoxes, juxtaposing infantile behavior with adult situations that send the viewer into an awkward yet illuminating state of observation.

Centerpiece Reception at Il Fornaio Atrium Café, 600 Pine St, 9:00PM

(SLGFF 2015) THURSDAY at the Fest!

It is Day 7 of the 20th Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival (SLGFF):

Naz & Maalik (directed by Jay Dockendorf)
7:00 pm @ SIFF Cinema Egyptian

Naz and Maalik are gay Muslims in Brooklyn—but nobody knows they’re together, especially their devout families. The teenagers are happy traipsing around the city selling lottery cards to earn extra money until they find themselves being followed by the FBI for a simple misunderstanding. Their lives now disrupted, Naz and Maalik have to face who they are and what they want with each other and out of life. Their charismatic portrayal of young men in love won newcomers Curtis Cook Jr. and Kerwin Johnson Jr. the Best Actor Award at Outfest 2015.

(SLGFF 2015) WEDNESDAY at the Fest!

It is Day 6 of the 20th Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival (SLGFF):

What We Have (directed by Maxime Desmons)
7:00 pm @ Northwest Film Forum

Theatre and life become intertwined in writer-director-actor Maxime Desmon’s compelling film about Maurice, a Frenchman haunted by his past who seeks out the quietude of a small town. Things start off well as he lands a job tutoring 15-year-old Allan, as well as the lead role in a local production of a Molière play. The play’s stage manager turns out to be Michael, a handsome one-night stand whose further advances Maurice rebuffs. Instead, he finds himself becoming more drawn into Allan’s life as both protector and confidant. As the awareness of his actions sink in, so does their connection to his childhood.

(SLGFF 2015) TUESDAY at the Fest!

It is Day 5 of the 20th Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival (SLGFF):

Winning Dad (directed by Arthur Allen)

Colby and Rusty are two handsome men in love. The only hitch: his conservative family thinks Rusty is a straight potential business partner in need of funding. Having convinced Rusty to go on a weekend camping trip in the mountains of Washington State with his homophobic father, Colby backs out at the last minute. Things go awry in the wilderness when Rusty decides to tell all, revealing a bit more than either of them can handle. Each man must redefine his idea of family in this locally led drama that gets right to the heart of matters.

Plays with: OUT THERE Hanna Brustad; 2014; UK; 4 min.
It’s rehearsal time for this young man as he gets ready to give his parents the big news.

*Contains sexual situations*

Party at Diesel, 1413 14th Ave, 9:00 PM

(SLGFF 2015) MONDAY at the Fest!

It is Day 4 of the 20th Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival (SLGFF):

Seed Money: The Chuck Holmes Story (directed by Michael Stabile)
7:00pm @ SIFF Cinema Egyptian

Chuck Holmes, a San Francisco videographer who created Falcon Studios, single-handedly transformed the porn industry from back alley to mainstream, shaping how gay men saw themselves. He was also a founder of the Human Rights Campaign and Democratic fundraiser—but while his money was welcome, he often was not. This revealing documentary also features interviews with stars Jeff Stryker, Tom Chase, and Jim Bentley; Falcon directors Steven Scarborough, Chi Chi LaRue, and John Rutherford; and fans of the films, including John Waters and Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears.

Party at Purr, 1518 11th Ave, 8:30 PM

(SLGFF 2015) SUNDAY at the Fest!

It is Day 3 of the 20th Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival (SLGFF):

7:00pm CENTERPIECE: Beautiful Something (Directed by Joseph Graham)
SIFF Cinema Egyptian
Loosely based on writer-director Joseph Graham’s experiences in the ’90s, BEAUTIFUL SOMETHING weaves through the lives of four creative men during one night in the City of Brotherly Love. Brian, a poet with writer’s block and a penchant for being unlucky in love, manages to have a steamy sexual encounter with Jim, a hot young aspiring actor and dramatic muse for Drew (Colman Domingo, LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER, LINCOLN), a sculpted sculptor. Jim’s jealousy of Drew’s talent precipitates dangerous choices, which both inspire and infuriate Drew. Meanwhile, talent agent Bob cruises the streets in his big white limo playing both sugar daddy and knight in shining armor in a quest for his next stripling man-ingénue. They soon discover that their hollow, quick, dirty romps can’t mask their insecurities and failures.

Party at Gay City