The 1st Annual Black Europe Film Festival will be held from January 30 - February 2 at St. Anthony Main Cinema.
The festival will screen six LGBT interest films. These films provide a perspective of being an LGBT person of color in various parts of Europe, and they honor Afro Descendant filmmakers.
Of the six LGBT interest films in the festival, four shorts will be included in their Global Queer Blackness Block. One other short will be included in their Black Diaspora Block. One feature (Edelweiss) will be screened as its own entity. The two blocks are free admittance. Admittance for Edelweiss is $12, $8 for members.
This year’s LGBT lineup includes a variety of genres: romance, avant-garde, dramas, and documentaries. Some of these filmmakers will be present for a Q&A after the screening of their films. Those who will be present include director Anna Gaberscik (Edelweiss), actor Lamin Leroy Gibba (Black Fruit) and director Jordan Anderson (The Black Queer Italian Experience).
Simisolaoluwa (Simi) Akande answered a few questions about his documentary The Archive: Queer Nigerians. This documentary provides a glimpse of being LGBT in Nigeria, where homosexuality (as Nigerian law calls it) carries a 14 year prison sentence. During which, she talked about the making of the documentary, interviewing the five individuals who lived through this ordeal in Nigeria, what we can do to better support these people, and what's next for her.
Your film The Archive: Queer Nigerians is being screened as part of the Global Queer Block in Black Europe Film Festival. What was your initial reaction when you first heard that your film was selected for the festival?
Anytime a festival is willing to share the work to a wider and wider audience, it feels really affirming that the work we did on the film resonates in so many different cultures because the film is very specifically about Nigerian British culture. I think that it's always so joyful to me when I see that it resonates with people in America, people in Canada, Brazil, all the different places that it's been. I'm just surprised, but it reminds me that the core thread of our experiences as human beings transcends these kinds of cultural boundaries sometimes.
The Archive: Queer Nigerians shares testimonies from 5 Nigerian people who identify as LGBT. These people immigrated to the UK so they can express themselves without fear of persecution. What inspired you to do this documentary?
Inspiration is a good one cause there were so many. I was inspired to pursue a documentary about queer Nigerians, specifically Yoruba queer history, which is the tribe I'm from in Nigeria. When I had a discussion with a school friend of mine, he was doing a PhD looking into gender in Yoruba culture and had stumbled across research done about the possibility of queer ancestry, stemming from analysis done on the Yoruba language. We don't have gender pronouns, and it's the kind of research that went on to speculate from those kinds of evidence. What type of societies did we live in if we literally did not have the vocabulary for he and she? I think this conversation was the root of my interest in going about this documentary because I felt that I had not been allowed to wonder about the possibility of queer ancestry for my people. In doing that, I was really excited to make more connections with other queer people, queer Nigerians around me and share stories. I wanted to create a space where we could talk about what it was like being both Nigerian and queer and not have to choose between the two identities. I wanted it to be a really therapeutic experience for everyone where they could just share their truths.
As noted in The Archive: Queer Nigerians, homosexuality (as Nigerian law calls it) carries a 14-year prison sentence in Nigeria. How challenging was it finding LGBT people from Nigeria to participate in the documentary, and how challenging was it for the interviewees to share their stories?
My original plan for this documentary was to actually travel to Nigeria and make it there, but I was probably 21, and not really having the infrastructure of safety to offer, like, any participants that might want to be in the documentary, I just felt a bit ill-equipped to actually go back home to Nigeria and ask people to participate in something that could get them in trouble. So I pivoted, and I instead focused on the queer Nigerian communities in England specifically. I was based in London at the time, so that became the scope of the people. Many of the people are either second generation immigrants or asylum seekers. One of them was from Nigeria, [and] they live in Canada, but they were in The UK for a holiday.
They just looked at my Instagram post, and that's how they joined the film. In terms of how I went about finding participants, I did something very simple, which is I just did an Instagram call out. I posted on Instagram welcoming any queer Nigerians in The UK to message me if they were interested in the project. I think I like this way of working because the algorithm affects things. So, it's like, who is more likely to see my posts or the posts of my peers. I think in my head, it opens up the scope a little bit beyond my own bubble, and I catch people who I might never have stumbled upon. Like, one of our participants, Alex; in my head, I'm like I don't think I would have ever met you to have welcomed you into this space with me. I'm really happy that somehow they found the call out, and they responded to it. When I did the initial call out, I had over 20-30 responses, and I would do a Zoom call with each person, introducing them into the concept of what the documentary is. I did Zoom meetings with everyone, and then I sent everyone the task of creating audio diaries for 2 weeks. From those two weeks, we just started narrowing and narrowing down which stories we wanted to follow, and people would also intuitively either desire to continue, or some people would just stop. I think it was a natural understanding that maybe, their part in this journey has ended, and other people had more to discover for themselves. So we would carry on, and that would take about 3 months of us doing audio diaries with them.
The documentary has been screened in multiple other film festivals, most notably London Film Festival, where it won Best Short Film. How does it feel knowing that your documentary has reached so many people?
It's such an honor to be able to make the type of work that I make, which is what I'm very aware that can only be made in places of refuge, where it is safe enough for for communities to gather without the risk of persecution and where it is safe enough for and where the where the government also funds the practice, because the film was funded by the BFI (British Film Institute). One being able to have access to the finances to make the film, cause we also shot on 16 mm film, these are really expensive materials. So having that backing, being in a country where I can safely gather people together to talk about things that are difficult, and myself being in an environment where I felt safe enough to do that, this is work. I feel like this is a work that really comes from safe places. It's a film that attempts to create safe spaces for its participants, but it's also a film that is only able to exist due to the safety of where I live.
The fact that it's really resonated with so many people, especially from people in places where safety is precarious and is in constant negotiation (and they still feel that they are) that their experiences are being recognized, feels really good, because the anxiety with making films about communities is that you will never be able to encapsulate the diversity of experience, especially from country to country. Like, a Queen Nigerian's experience in England is very different from a Queen Nigeria's experience in Ireland and is especially different from a Queen Nigeria's experience in Nigeria. Having a screening in Nigeria and having people DM me talking about how they felt, that was when I really felt like we had done a really good job. That's why we wanted to make the film, is that we all felt in some ways, a reciprocal gaze in the media, that we consume. So winning at the London Film Festival was amazing, but I think being invited to be screened in these small communities, and also being screened in Nigeria, those were the marks of, like, ok, something worthwhile has been done here that is beyond accolade, and has transitioned into being an important object for the community, which is always my aim.
One individual who was interviewed for the documentary was granted asylum in The UK. What do you think needs to be done to support those in this position?
I think there are different sectors of care that could be provided, which is the interpersonal, familial ones that friends and family can provide. They speak a lot about how they have found a chosen family whilst being in England, and I think that is a type of care that is well afforded to them in their coming. Having communities where they can speak on their experiences as a queer person where they can feel self-actualized as a queer person and where they can also mourn the loss of the life that they had to leave behind because nobody really wants to leave their home, but a lot of us find ourselves having to. So there is a lot of mourning to be done, a lot of grief around the person you leave behind, and the people that you leave behind. I think they speak on that really well in the film, about the tensions of being in England and feeling really loved by their partner, the opportunity of being loved openly, needing to leave friends behind, and needing to distance themselves from their mother, for example. I think the type of care that can be done is those interpersonal ones of building community where they are.
Then there's the other side of things, which is the more practical help that can be given, which is like helping people find housing when they come. I think they were fortunate because they had some savings, and maybe they knew some people as well before coming.
Thinking of other asylum seekers that might not have such robust foundations to enter a new country, having access to safe housing, compassionate immigration workers, and mental health practitioners that can support them. A lot of people are coming from quite traumatic environments when seeking asylum, so having mental health support is really good. The thing about seeking asylum is, especially from Nigeria; it's even like a condition that the general middle to upper class can afford, and it's not something that everyone can really afford to do. It really pains me to think of the queer individuals who are also living in poverty that cannot afford escape.
What do you most hope that audiences learned from watching the documentary?
I think when I was making the film, the aim I really had was to instill less of a lesson and more of an experience for people. I wanted people to feel a level of intimacy with the participants that they were listening to. I really wanted people to feel other queer people in the diaspora, other people living in the contexts where almost every context is a context where queerness is under threat. I really wanted people to feel seen. I wanted people to feel that it was a film made by the community of the community with the community in mind. I didn't want people to feel preached to. I didn't think it was really about exposing something because the film doesn't deal with facts, as we would understand them. They deal with experience, and I think that one of the biggest compliments that we've received about the film is that it felt really consensual, and for a documentary to feel consensual, it's a really good thing considering the kind of dark history, especially with black bodies and black lives. I just really wanted people to leave the screening feeling a sense of intimacy with other human beings, feeling really seen, and that they're really loved by the film. I just hope everybody gets a big hug. Maybe they want to give somebody a hug after, or they want to get closer to somebody else in their life.
You're in post production of your next film Baby. Can you tell me a little bit about Baby, and when will the public get the pleasure of watching it?
Baby is a short film that explores two sisters who are trafficked from Nigeria to the UK and enter into um sex work. The story really focuses on how the labor that they're forced to do affects the bonds between the sisters and between the other women in the house. It challenges the levels of intimacy of sisterhood that are allowed to develop when they are surrounded by so much violence. We tried to engage with this topic in a way that is respectful. We worked a lot with a charity called MIT in Paris, which was created by survivors, and they help get other women out of these situations, and help create awareness. We worked really closely with them to develop the story to best represent some of these experiences that these women go through, and it was a very nerve-wracking journey. Even as I speak on it, I'm always anxious because it's such a big and important thing to talk about, and it's one of those ones where you never want to talk about it because you feel ill equipped. It really requires lots of research and lots of asking those who do know what's best to do.
When will it be out? I think we're trying to finish the edit by March. March [or] April maybe, we'll be sending it to festivals and seeing if they bite. This is my first time working on a narrative. I didn't write it. This is also my first time working on a script, just on my own. It's a lot of first times. The opportunity to just get to try all these new things is just amazing. I'm trying not to get too hung up on success or festivals. March around April, hopefully we'll be putting it out into festivals and stuff.
Is there anything else you want to add?
The stuff I said about kind of making this film as really wanting it to be a therapeutic experience for people, really wanting the process of making, I really wanted the process of making the documentary to be good for people, to feel sincerely, nourishing, such that whatever the documentary ended up being, wouldn't really matter, because we would have all reaped the rewards of the hard work that we put in. I'm just really interested in making work in this way where the practice of making is just as important, or maybe even more important than whatever the result of the thing is. I think that's how you make work that feels consensual because when you're so concerned with the ways that your participants are experiencing, what they're making, I think it makes for better work.
The other thing I was going to add was that we did a lot of work with the participants to create those visuals for the film. They would help direct the scenes in accordance to how they wish to be represented. One of the really big highlights of this film was using film as a wish fulfillment to allow queer bodies to be represented in ways that they wished to be celebrated, in ways that they see themselves. I think that that was really important, and I think that brought so much magic to how the film turned out.
The final thing was also really thinking about what it means to share stories because the world will often ask people to share their story and to share their story to share what is quite traumatic to them. I have a bit of a qualm with this, with the ideas of representation, I think these ideas are quite limited in that they're not broad enough to encompass. To encompass conflict that an individual's own identity might have, how some people talk about being queer, being able to engage in, for example, being a Christian or growing up in a religious environment, still having faith, still loving those environments but being aware of those environments. These are very normal situations that we all have to deal with as human beings, the fact that I am not just one thing. I have to figure out a way to accommodate everything that I am. One of the biggest aspects of the film was the anonymity. When we did audio diaries, we didn't want to show people in an interview. I didn't really have questions for them. It was really an exercise in having people have the opportunity to know that they are being listened to. What it revealed is that people are so forthcoming with themselves when they know that there's somebody else listening. They are so willing to share themselves, and I think that's the power of storytelling. It's not about consuming each other's images, but it's about learning how to sit and listen. The level of respect and love that it takes to do that. It's so transformational for so many of our participants, the opportunity to just be listened to. I know it did a lot of good for them, and it did a lot of good for me as well. I think those are the key things that I think really made this documentary very special for all of us.
Here's the Black Europe Film Festival website.
Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster makes its run in Children's Theatre Company from January 8 - March 9, 2025.
Do you remember the two-part book version written by Mo Willems? This production was adapted from that.
This stage adaptation included puppets, projectors, screens, and music. It appears to have drawn inspiration from Jim Henson, the legend we have to thank for The Muppets, Labyrinth, and more. This is great for all ages.
Emmy winning director Sarah Fornace answered a few questions about Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster. She has an impressive resume in the entertainment world that she can bring to Children's Theatre Company. Here's what she had to say:
Tell me about Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster.
This show combines puppetry, live original music, live acting on camera, and lip sync to bring the world of Mo Willems books to life in front of the audience's eyes!
This production is based on the two-part children’s book series. What do you love most about the books?
I love the characters in the book and the way that they do not do what is expected of them! The drawings in the books are so emotionally evocative (and funny) and gave us a lot to work with while creating the adaptation.
What’s the best part of adapting the book series into a stage musical?
I loved taking individual pages of the book and turning them into full songs. My favorite song in the show is the Library Song. It was inspired by a two page spread in which Leonardo is researching and trying to find the most scaredy cat kid in the whole world.
You have an impressive resume! You were one of the founders of Manuel Cinema, a film production company in Chicago. Through this company, you won an Emmy in 2017 for The Forger. Also, Chicago Tribune named you Artist of the Year in 2018. What are the most important skills that you learned from this company that you can transfer from there to Children’s Theatre Company?
At Manual Cinema, we make shows that take the experience of watching a story on screen and make it live and weird and handmade. We want the audience to go on an emotional journey with the characters but also think about how the show is being made in real time with simple materials. We hope that the CTC audiences are inspired to make their own puppet shows and tell their own stories.
This production uses hundreds of puppets. You have previous experience with puppetry, notably with Manuel Cinema. How did you get interested in puppetry?
I was working in the physical theatre scene in Chicago, and I started working for companies like Blair Thomas and Co and Redmoon where I started performing a lot of puppetry. My grandfather also used to perform puppet shows at all of our Christmas parties, so I suppose puppetry is also in my blood!
What’s the most memorable moment during rehearsals?
Everyone in the cast is very funny. I have many memories of Lindsey Noel Whiting (who originated the role of Leonardo) and Lily Emerson (the narrator who voices many of the characters) riffing together during rehearsals and telling so many jokes in character. I also remember staging the improvised section of the show with Lily and Julia Miller (who originated Sam) and Leah Casey (who originated Kerry). Julia and Leah lip sync on the fly as Lily makes up answers from the kiddos, and it is always hilarious. I remember the first few times that they did it felt like some kind of impossible stage magic mind meld!
This country is anticipating some challenging times ahead. How do you plan to use your artistry to stay active in the community
I think that puppetry is an art form that encourages empathy. All of us in the room together invest in bringing an inanimate puppet to life and in caring about its journey. We will continue to make shows that tell stories of empathy and the importance of taking care of other people and of resisting cruelty and fascism.
Anything else you want to add?
The songs in the show are total jams, and I am always thrilled to have them stuck in my head. We made this show to be enjoyed by the whole family, so there are jokes and moments for all ages!
Do you remember Aeryn Blackheart? They introduced the world to The Zine last Summer. That issue was about kink and consensuality.
Guess what! Issue two is coming soon. Activist, musician, and actor Ryan Cassata will be featured in the issue. Issue two comes just in time for the presidential inauguration. It will cover mostly trans related topics and being creative while active in the community.
Aeryn Blackheart answered some questions about what to expect from issue two, their goals for The Zine, and how they're staying active by being creative.
Tell me about The Zine.
The Zine, as a whole concept, is my ever-evolving passion project. As a Graphic Design student and artist, I enjoy sharing my creativity and the personal experiences of myself and those around me.
This is your 2nd edition of The Zine. The 1st edition covered kink and consent. What will you be covering in your 2nd edition?
This edition is a collection of Queer and Trans "stories" that showcase contributions from local artists and creatives.
The 2nd edition covers trans related topics. What do you believe is the most important thing you hope that readers learn from this edition?
This Zine's release date is Inauguration Day, 2025, and this was purposeful. I am hopeful that readers will see the beauty, love, and creativity found within our LGBTQIA2S+ community amidst all of the hate and violence promoted by this impending administration.
Many trans people in the nation are moving to Minnesota from another state for trans refuge. What do you think needs to be done to best support them?
As a Trans person from Florida, I have chosen to stay in Minnesota, because it is a safer place. As the co-parent of a Trans refugee teenager, my greatest advice is to love and support them. Do your best to be a means of safety and security for yourself and others.
This country is anticipating some tough times in the next four years. How do you plan to stay active during this time?
Self care is a huge piece for me. I publicly came out as Trans Nonbinary during the first Trump administration and I learned very quickly how important self and community care are.
How do you plan to use the zine to stay active?
I plan to use the Zine to continue highlighting musings, works of art, and stories from our community. The Zine serves as a communal space and can morph into any kind of soapbox that we need it to be.
Have you started on edition #3? What should we expect from #3, and when should we expect to be released?
Ha, I forever have ongoing mental Post-it notes of all the creative projects I'm working on and want to work on. Yes, I've started on Edition 3 and, without giving too much away, this will be a personal piece about Duluth, therapy, and recovering when life turned upside down. I plan to release Edition 3 this Summer.
Anything else?
This edition will be released digitally on 1.20.25 and can be found via Instagram @aerynblackheart
Physical copies will be released TBD.
2024 was an interesting year of LGBT movies that were screened in the Twin Cities. The list of films include comedies, dramas, horror, musicals, animation, and documentaries. They tell compelling stories that audiences view the world differently.
These films were screened at Minneapolis/ St. Paul International Film Festival, Twin Cities Film Festival, Flip the Script Festival, Sound Unseen Music + Film Festival, HUMP! Film Festival, Twin Cities Black Film Festival, Cine Latino, Lumières Françaises, and Romanian Film Festival. Others were screened independently. They were produced in various parts of the world, Minnesota included.
SCENE Best in Show 2024 honors the best in locally shown LGBT cinema and stage productions. Here's SCENE Best in Show 2024:
Cinema
Best Picture: Solo - MSPIFF
Best Picture Short: The Bend - Flip the Script & TCFF
Best Documentary: Linda Perry: Let It Die Here - Sound Unseen
Best Documentary Short: Dirty Old Man - HUMP!
Best Director: Solo (Sophie Dupuis)
Best Lead Performance: Waiting for the Bus (Michael Wolfe) - Parkway Theater
Best Supporting Performance: Delicious Meal (Madeleine Rowe) - Flip the Script
Best Screenplay: Listen Up! (Erlend Loe & Nora Landsrød) - MSPIFF
Best Editing: Extremely Unique Dynamic (Michael Scotti Jr.) - Flip the Script
Best Cinematography: Solo (Mathieu Laverdière)
Best Music: Linda Perry: Let It Die Here (Linda Perry)
Best Newcomer: The Bend (AP Looze)
Honorable Mention: The Most Dangerous Gains - Heights Theater
Best Picture winner Solo takes home the triple crown! Combine Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, To Wong Foo, Thank for Everything! Julie Newmar, and The Birdcage. Throw in lots of colors, lights, and glitter. The result? Solo. This French Canadian dramedy follows rising star Simon as he juggles drag, family life, and a destructive relationship. Solo is available for streaming on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and YouTube.
The Bend and Linda Perry: Let It Die Here are this year's double winners. In local short and TCFF winner The Bend, the protagonist relocates from Tennessee to Minnesota for trans refuge. While stranded in a secluded area in Wisconsin, he encounters a conservative fisherman. This encounter may change their lives forever. The brutally honest documentary Linda Perry: Let It Die Here channels producer Linda Perry through music, motherhood, hardships, and health. In the documentary, Perry talks about often being compared to Joan Jett and Bruce Springsteen. Surprisingly, the most prominent similarity is never mentioned: Carole King. The similarities between Linda Perry and Carole King are so prominent that viewers are left optimistic that Perry may repeat King's historic album Tapestry(1971).
Waiting for the Bus, Delicious Meal, Extremely Unique Dynamic, and Listen Up!, were also awarded. The former two are local. Waiting for the Bus takes viewers inside the mind of a neurodivergent person. Actor Michael Wolfe shines in his performance by sharing the dance moves he does while waiting for the bus. Delicious Meal is a quirky comedy about a woman whose lover concentrates more on his phone than her and the dinner they're about to eat. The highlight is Madeleine Rowe's adorable performance as the woman's love interest. Extremely Unique Dynamic masters the difficulty of putting a movie in a movie in a movie. The editing makes it easier for the audience to follow the storyline. Norwegian/ Pakistani feature Listen Up! examines a teenager whose younger sibling comes out as trans. Reactions from the family are mixed. Listen Up! can be found on Amazon Prime.
The Most Dangerous Gains was honorably mentioned. This comedy horror B-movie was never intended to be the next Psycho, but that's a good thing. The movie is fun, it's cheesy, and it challenges social norms. Its premiere at Heights Theater was met with immense laughter from the audience and ended with a two-minute standing ovation. This movie challenges toxic masculinity with its story of two sexist men who are lured into a mansion where nothing is what it appears. The Most Dangerous Gains has potential for a large cult following.
Best Documentary Short Dirty Old Man runs only five minutes, but viewers learn a lot. Producer Dr. Jallen Rix examines age and sexuality in this HUMP! Film Festival fan favorite.
In the documentary, Rix educates viewers about age and sexuality. He proves that regardless of the stigma surrounding age and sexuality, nobody is too old to think about sex.
Dr. Jallen Rix chatted about Dirty Old Man. He included his acceptance speech, the making of the documentary, his expertise on human sexuality, and his HUMP! Film Festival experiences.
Congratulations! Dirty Old Man is being honored in SCENE Best in Show 2024 for Best Documentary Short! Do you have an acceptance speech?
Thank you for the honor. It's very flattering. I'm glad that the movie is connecting with so many people.
The festival screened in many major cities including Minneapolis, several audience members consider it a favorite from the 2024 season. How does it feel knowing that lots of people have viewed it and loved it?
It's incredible. Throughout the season, you could watch who is voting for what. Mine was right up there for Best in Show. I came in second, but I could not have ever guessed that it would connect with so many people and to even sit there in the audience at some of the festivals. Hearing the people's reactions was really, really great.
Congratulations on it being HUMP! Film Festival second Best in Show. What inspired you to do the documentary?
I'm a sexologist, and I work with individuals who are wanting to expand and enjoy a healthy sexuality more robustly. I'm always on the lookout for ways to express that, not just in teaching or in sessions or sex therapy but also artistically. I am one of those. I mean, I've done documentaries before. I've created films before and inevitably, a few years back, I was sitting in my first HUMP! Fest and watching these movies go by. Anybody can enter the competition, and so they select whatever their favorites are. Three or four videos in, I was like, I could do this, I could do this. As my creative energies usually do, it all just laid itself out in my mind. I'm like, oh, now I've got to do this; I got to put it together. From the start I pretty much knew exactly what I would do with it and how I would put it together, and it was just a matter of time for me to do that.
Dirty Old Man covers the topic human sexuality, as you mentioned before. You also earned a doctorate in human sexuality. What makes you passionate about the topic?
What's not to be fascinated about it? I am just fascinated by how people react to sexuality. The crazy beliefs that we have developed out of shame. That sabotages healthy sexuality. Sexual energy is the essence of life. We have to recognize that the world all around us right now is procreating madly for survival. Sexual energy and pleasure are erupting. They are what created this planet. It's living essence and yet we want to like, oh it's that shameful thing we're doing, doing secret at night and nobody knows about it. It's bullshit, and that kind of shame does nothing for people except make them feel miserable. That is the opposite of sexual pleasure. If it wasn't for sex, none of us would be here. That's pretty important, and yet the way contemporary society plays with it, it's titillating. It's fun to sell products but to use sex to sell sex, oh, that's pornography; that's horrible. And it's all bullshit. HUMP! Fest is a wonderful vehicle that turns that upside down because it elevates the art of sexual expression to something that's worthy to be watched in a theater, and there's no shame. It was very festive, and people were laughing. It's a celebration of diversity about sexuality, and there's absolutely nothing to be scared of.
In the documentary, you mentioned the stigma about age and sexuality that lingers in our society. What do you hope most that audiences learn from watching?
I joked that I was calling it docuporn because on the one hand, it's like a documentary, but there's also plenty of things going on right there in the moment, and it's full on sex. Other videos in HUMP! Fest, they didn't use that kind of format at all. It is just porn, and that's fine. But my preference, I like to kind of get to know the person a little bit, that there's a little narration as to why we're seeing what we're seeing. I love this kind of format, especially our expression as a teaching tool. That's what I live for: the more I could use my own body, my own sexuality, my own ability to be a role model. That is often the most effective way to teach people. We're not just talking about group chat online or texting back and forth. No, I'm someone who will show up, I will be there in person, and I will say, "Let me show you how it's done." That is a powerful way to learn, and I feel like I did that in the video.
I live in Palm Springs and consequently, the majority of the people that I work with are gay men. Most of them are retired gay men, and a big chunk of them are just coming out of the closet. They've done their many years of making money for the family, and the kids are grown and out of the house. They get into retirement, and there are things that they have wanted to experience. A lot of times, the wife has died so they have an open door to really get it right this time, so to speak. It's easy for our younger counterparts.
In our gay male community, the whole daddy thing has become quite prominent because I think we don't have the role models. We've had an absence of role models with the AIDS epidemic. Our brothers have passed on earlier. So I think a lot of people are looking for mentors, and I do a lot of training so that when we are in front of someone who's having sex for the first time, we do our best to make sure they have a positive experience.
What was the most valuable thing you learned about human sexuality during production of the documentary?
What I learned the most is when I put myself out there authentically and vulnerably as I did in that video, people are attracted to it. People gravitate to it. I was sitting in the audience, and the straight people would laugh at my jokes, and they were getting it. They could see what I was talking about, about feeling invalidated as we get older. If there's anything that I learned, it would be that I was on the right path. I am continuing on the right path that sharing who I am and my celebration of sexuality is contagious, and we can share it with others as well. We just have to talk about it.
What did you think of the HUMP! Film Festival, and what were some of your favorites from the festival?
I've been to a lot of them. There was a lot in our particular season in the first half of 2024 that was really great. There was one where they took a guy. They rope tied him up in mid air, and then they poured hot wax all over him and planted on different parts, piles of wax on his body. He pulled back, and he looked like this giant human chandelier. It was stunning and beautiful. It was beautifully filmed. The lighting was perfect. It was amazing. And so, and that one that is the one that won Best in Show [HUMP! Film Festival].
There was another one where there were two trans people. One was a trans M to F, and one was an F to M one. The male had really light white skin, and the female had really, really beautiful dark skin. At first they were on their own path. The screen was split. But then into the video, you realize they were in the same hotel room. They started undressing and the whole yin and yang and dark and light and male and female and dicks and vaginas, it was fascinating. It was beautiful the way they were interacting and having sex with each other. It was really, really quite cool.
There was this set of women that were having almost like a sexy bachelorette party but they had a guy there who was their slave, and it got really intense. They're slapping him around, and he's having a great time. It's getting more and more intense.
The one that you're talking about, the candles, that one is called Human Chandelier. The one you were talking about with the transgender people, that one is called Transit.
The last one was about God, God feeling that he wasn't getting enough attention from heaven. So he made a porn to put on OnlyFans. Oh my God! It was so funny. And the guy who played God was really hot!
Not Safe for Church
Oh, yes.
I love that one. That was hilarious.
I've really enjoyed the creativity. I'm trying to think what I can do next.
What's next?
I have a private practice in Palm Springs. I am working on another book. You can always kind of keep track of me on my OnlyFans page. I always have several retreats every year that allow for people to come together and explore their sexuality and stuff like that. That's what I do.
You can check out more about Dr. Jallen Rix here:
Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/jallenrix.bsky.social
Onlyfans: https://onlyfans.com/jallenrix
Teaches of Peaches screened at Sound Unseen Music + Film Festival this year. This film was awarded SCENE Best in LGBT Show for Best Message!
The documentary flips between her 20th anniversary tour and the history of how Peaches became Peaches with how her classic songs were born. It also shows how she evolved from a music teacher to an underground music legend. In the anniversary tour, Peaches performs her classic songs Rock Star, Fuck the Pain Away, AA XXX, and more.
Teaches of Peaches comes at an ideal time, considering the national and international affairs. The documentary proves that despite the turmoil, there's still hope. It emphasizes that people have a place to go to feel less isolated. The documentary emphasizes this message so fiercely that the documentary becomes equally poignant as a Peaches concert. Teaches of Peaches proves that Peaches is more than just a musician. It shows how she connects with her audiences and how she strives for equality. It includes interviews from Feist, Shirley Manson (lead singer of Garbage), and others that answer why millions love Peaches.
Director Philipp Fussenegger took the time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions about what inspired him to make Teaches of Peaches. He includes his intended message, his interesting introduction to Peaches' music, and how the documentary relates to current affairs.
Congratulations! You're being awarded by Twin Cities Gay Scene Best in LGBT Show for Best Message for Teaches of Peaches. Tell me about the message you're trying to convey through Teaches of Peaches.
I think the movie speaks for itself. There’s a scene where Peaches stands in front of the mirror, half-naked, touches herself, and says, 'Look, this is what you have. As long as you love yourself for it, they will love you for it.' That quote really sums it up—be proud of yourself and embrace who you are. It’s such an inspiring moment, and it inspired me too.
Twin Cities Gay Scene is not the only one who has awarded you for Teaches of Peaches. Most notably, you are also awarded the Teddy Award for Best Documentary from Berlin International Film Festival. How does it feel knowing that the documentary is reaching so many people?
I can relate to the project, and me and Judy, we checked it out to put pieces together and was super excited that we could actually really make a piece that the audience really connects with her. We are super happy that it works out that her message gets across in the movie and to the audience. We're super thrilled by it, and I think it's a very important movie in these really, really difficult times right now.
I hope nothing but a lot more success for you.
Thank you.
The documentary follows the 20th anniversary of Peaches' album, also named Teaches of Peaches, which was released in 2000. It spawned hit songs Lovertits, Set It Off, and Rock Show. Why do you think people still love the album today?
I got completely hooked the first time I had sex with a man. Teaches of Peaches was playing in the background, and I remember thinking, What is this? What is this music? Who is this artist? That was my first introduction to Peaches, and it left a lasting impression. I think many people who watch the movie might not share the exact same experience, but they’ll connect to Peaches in their own way—maybe through their coming out or the moment they realized they were unique or different. She’s always been such an unapologetically bold and unconventional artist, which resonates deeply with queer audiences. Her music and presence have this rare ability to touch those who’ve felt hurt, misunderstood, or out of place, making them feel truly seen and empowered.
What do you love most about Peaches?
I’ve always been curious about how it all comes together—how Peaches built this extraordinary world and grew into the icon she is today. Following her with a camera gave me a glimpse into who she really is, a deeper understanding of her essence.
Peaches, originally from Toronto, has made Berlin her home—a city that mirrors her bold, multicultural, and boundary-pushing spirit. But what she’s created here is more than just a home; it’s a living, breathing hub of creativity and connection. In the movie, you see how she’s cultivated this space—not just in Berlin, but globally. She’s not only an artist but a trailblazer who inspires countless people.
What’s incredible about Peaches is that her journey wasn’t instant. It was a process, an evolution shaped by the people and ideas that flowed into her life. Fans, friends, and collaborators contributed to her vision—bringing her things like inflatable dicks, iconic costumes, furs, and stage props. Her art is a dialogue—a constant exchange of ideas with those around her. Through her music, performances, and films, she’s built something entirely unique.
This collaboration and shared creativity didn’t just spark her style—it forged a worldwide community, a movement. That’s what I hope the movie captures: the richness of her world, the details of her life, and the way she’s both inspired and been inspired. It’s not just a story about Peaches—it’s about the power of art to connect, provoke, and transform.
The release of Teaches of Peaches comes during a crucial time in the world, as you had mentioned before. Does that also play a role in the timing of the documentary? If so, how?
I think the message is very important right now, and I think we should try to keep the dialogue that the movie tries to make. I made this movie as well, but my mom can understand what I'm doing, and my mom does not know what queer is or what non-binary is, all this pronouns and stuff. She has no fucking clue about that, but she gets the sense what it means - identities, feminism, and sexual. What I was hoping to do with this kind of movie is to portray her as a person to get the universal language out that my parents also understand. My mom went to the cinema and was like, Oh wow, this is a strong woman, and she's very inspiring. I think there's a lot of things we can all agree on, and it doesn't matter if you're right or left. We could all agree on those things as our human rights, what she's talking about, and we should all put that in the constitution.
I'm so happy to hear that you have a supportive family.
Thank you.
The topic of reproduction rights is mentioned in Teaches of Peaches. Roe v Wade was overturned during the 20th Anniversary Tour. What effect did that have on the tour and the making of the documentary?
I cannot speak for Peaches here, but it was always Peaches' message. She's pretty clear about all these reproduction rights. For me as a filmmaker it was more, How can I dig into it? How can I portray it? How can I get the messages across? Because it's so obvious. But I don't think that they have any problems or anything. As is shown in the movie, you go there to the venues and then, all the queer people, or you feel like, oh, they have somewhere to go. They come to a Peaches concert. This is their place, their haven.
What's next for you?
We're working on the Kit Kat Club documentary. That's where I'm in at the moment, in the editing room. It shows how a utopian world free, with hedonistic polyamory world, could be in the club, seeing Berlin in stark contrast to the reality that politically right now. That's what I'm doing.
When you mentioned the Kit Kat Club, is that going to be connected anyway to Cabaret at all or a fresh take?
No, that's just the club in Berlin. It's only connected. Release date has yet to be determined. Meanwhile, you can still check it out somewhere in the film festival circuit.
Children's Theatre Company is hosting its stage production of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
It runs from November 5, 2024 - January 5, 2025. In this beloved holiday classic, the cankerous Grinch plans to steal Christmas from a close knit town. Does he succeed, or does he learn the true meaning of Christmas? Those who have never read or seen this classic will find out.
This production includes an eclectic cast. Cast member C. Ryan Shipley took a break from rehearsals to share a little about the production, his favorite holiday stories, and what he's doing for the holidays.
Tell me about the Children’s Theatre Company production of Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
This show originally premiered at CTC in 1994 and was the first stage production ever! Based on the children's book and the 1966 television special, it follows the Grinch and the Whos as they learn how to co-exist through community and open hearts.
You play JP Who. Tell me about getting into character.
When I was thinking about my character I was inspired by classic TV dads like Mike Brady from The Brady Bunch, Danny Tanner from Full House and Phil Dunphy from Modern Family. I was also really inspired by Goofy from The Goofy Movie. JP Who is a father of five who just wants to be a good dad and husband. He wants to give his family and his community the very best that he can.
What’s the most memorable moment on set?
My favorite moments often come during our student matinees. Having an audience filled with little ones is particularly magical because they're not afraid to just talk right back to you. Just yesterday we had a student matinee of K-4th graders. I have a line, asking Grandma & Grandpa Who, "Do you hear it? The silence all over town?" From smack dab in the middle of the house came the loudest "Yep! I do!"
What should audiences expect from this production?
Audiences should expect a major dose of joy, a lot of laughs, and for their hearts to grow a few sizes. It's a world class production that you don't need to have kids to come and enjoy. There's plenty for the grown ups too.
Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas is one of many beloved holiday classics out there. How do holiday books, movies, plays, music, etc. get you into the holiday spirit?
I think that Holiday music, movies, etc resonate with people through the generations because they are all ultimately about kindness and connection. It's always helpful to be reminded of those things, especially during the darkest time of the year.
What’s your favorite holiday story?
A Christmas Carol is a classic for a reason. To me, it is the most perfect story. The Grinch is very similar. Transformation, redemption...we've all got the option to choose goodness and honor one another's humanity.
What are you doing for the holidays?
Well, I'll be in Whoville ten shows a week. But, I'll be heading to Iowa for a super fast trip to see some family on Christmas and I'm really, really looking forward to that.
The holidays can be a tough time for many who are LGBT, especially those who can’t celebrate with their family. Do you have a message for them?
There is a line in the show that goes, "Christmas day will always be, just so long as we have we." It's the heartbeat and the message of the show. Chosen family IS family. I hope that everyone can find a space where they feel seen and loved fully. Community is especially important during these times.
The 25th Annual Sound Unseen Music + Film Festival was held in Minneapolis from November 13-17, 2024. Parkway Theater, Main Theater, Trylon Cinema, Bryant Lake Bowl, and other businesses and venues hosted the festival. This year's lineup included ten films with LGBT interest.
Two of them are shorts. The most common topics in this year's LGBT selection include the political climate in the nation and sexism in the music industry.
The LGBT lineup is: Linda Perry: Let It Die Here, 1-800-ON-HER-OWN, Hello Dankness, The World According to Allee Willis, Teaches of Peaches, Pretty Ugly: The Story of The Lunachicks, Since Yesterday: The Untold Story of Scotland's Girl Bands, S/He Is Still Her/e, Stud Country, and Heavy Metal Parking Lot.
SCENE Best in LGBT Show will include a special award that's as prestigious as Best Picture.
And the award for Best Message goes to…Teaches of Peaches
This year's LGBT selection is so impressive that choosing Best Picture for SCENE Best in LGBT Show is the most difficult decision I've made in my writing experience. Five films deserve this honor. Sadly, I can choose only one.
And the award for Best Picture goes to...Pretty Ugly: The Story of The Lunachicks
The Lunachicks ruled the punk rock scene in the 80s and 90s. Pretty Ugly: The Story of The Lunachicks proves that The Lunachicks are more than a punk rock band. They're also human rights activists. This documentary shows the good times and the dark times. The film is easy to follow. The nation's sign of the times makes this documentary a must-watch for everybody, Lunachicks fan or not.
Lead singer of The Lunachicks Theo Kogan and director Ilya Chaiken appeared for a Q&A after the screening. They also did a meet and greet at Extreme Noise Records the night before. After the screening, Theo and Ilya answered some questions about Pretty Ugly: The Story of The Lunachicks and gave an acceptance speech.
Congratulations! You're being recognized in SCENE Best in LGBT Show for Best Picture for the documentary Pretty Ugly: The Story of The Lunachicks. Do you have an acceptance speech?
ILYA: Yay, we are so excited to be recognized! Thank you so much for believing in this movie! It's been a labor of love, and I'm very honored that The Lunachicks allowed me to bring their story to life in movie form, that they trusted me. I really hope more people get to see it. It was my goal to make the movie fun and interesting and accessible to audiences even if they are not already familiar with the band. I think everyone can find some form of inspiration in their story and relate to something in there, whether it's the music, the humor, the rebellion, the struggles, the strong friendships...
This nation is dealing with a lot right now. Does this play a role in the timing of the documentary? If so, how?
ILYA: Yes and no. We've been heading in this very bad direction for quite a while now, and now it feels like a free-fall. When we started working on this documentary, it was still several years before Roe got overturned. We knew things were getting dark but didn't know how dark and how long-lasting it would be. In the movie, you see the band contending with mixed feelings about doing a reunion. The 2016 election was actually a big factor in their deciding to do it. Unfortunately, a lot of when an indie doc is able to get finished and then get released is not in our control, like we would've loved it if the book and the movie came out at the same time. But Covid was but one factor derailing that, and the timing of the reunions.
Pretty Ugly: The Story of The Lunachicks includes footage of Theo attending pro-choice events? Also, The Lunachicks released the song Fallopian Rhapsody (1995), which covers why this topic is important. What makes you passionate about this topic?
ILYA: Well, in a nutshell, if we don't have control over our own uteruses, (uteri?) then we don't have control over our own lives. There can never be equality. Both Theo and I have daughters, and they now face a future with less rights than we grew up with. But the movement to end these rights started in our own childhoods, so we've had to fight ever since then. The Lunachicks loved to be clowns, and so much of their music is humorous and goofy, but they also sang a lot about kick-ass women and were always serious about women's and LGBTQ+ rights.
As shown in the documentary, The Lunachicks faced a lot of sexism. One example that's included in the documentary is lewd comments from some audience members during concerts. How do you think sexism in the music industry has changed, if it has, between then and now?
THEO: Audiences that we have experienced since 2021 are so loving, accepting, and interested in a way that they may not have been in the past when they didn’t know us. However, we have heard from other bands that lewd comments still happen. I think there are a lot more women and femmes and non-binary people in bands, but the industry has been focused on pop stars and solo performers more, like in the later 90's from what I can tell. Women who are more accessible/ unthreatening seem to be in the forefront these days, which is not surprising given the American political landscape. I think the music industry is still sexist.
In the documentary, you express your passion for social change. What keeps you motivated to stay active in the cause?
THEO: We can’t ever stop speaking out and fighting for what is right. Nothing good has ever come from complacency, and all social change has come from people standing up to fight for what is right and usually against the status quo. Bodily autonomy/ reproductive rights should not be in question but here we are again. We are very weary of this fight, and I have to say that in the climate we are headed in, white men need to stand up for women like never before. White (cis) men don’t have to worry, but everyone else that exists does. We need them to speak out and fight for all of us. Black cis and trans women especially need to be protected and fought for, always and more than ever.
The documentary includes a Lunachicks reunion. Theo, is there any chance of a reunion album? Ilya, if that album happens, is there a chance of Pretty Ugly Part 2: The Reunion Album of The Lunachicks?
THEO: We (Lunachicks) have been planning to get some of our vinyl re-released and some never released tracks out there too and also talking about a "best of". I will say that I know Ilya would love to make a Lunachicks doc series for TV/ streaming as far as I know. :)
ILYA: Well, I certainly have enough material for it!
When will the documentary be available for streaming and/ or purchase?
ILYA: We are still seeking the right home for the movie, meaning a distribution partner to bring it to more theaters and to streaming platforms. So the more people there are out there demanding to see it, the better our chances are. Follow the band on social media @lunachicksofficial and spread the word!
Is there anything else you want to add?
ILYA: Just that we both had a blast visiting Minneapolis for the Sound Unseen Fest, we met so many cool folks (including you!) out there! We're very grateful for all the wonderful feedback. Stay tuned!
Please check out the movie trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VL8KGlVwSXQ
Please check out the new book Fallopian Rhapsody: The Story of The Lunachicks here: https://www.amazon.com/Fallopian-Rhapsody-Story-Lunachicks/dp/0306874482
SCENE Best in LGBT Show:
Best Picture: Pretty Ugly: The Story of The Lunachicks
Best Message: Teaches of Peaches
Best Director: Linda Perry: Let It Die Here (Don Hardy)
Best Storyline: Hello Dankness (Soda Jerk)
Best Editing: Hello Dankness (Soda Jerk)
Best Cinematography: Linda Perry: Let It Die Here (Mike Abela, Richard Bakewell, Don Hardy)
Honorable Mention: The World According to Allee Willis
Combine techno pop, punk rock, sexuality, rawness, and in-your-face realness. What does that equal? Peaches! In Teaches of Peaches, this underground legend flips between her anniversary concert and the history of how Peaches became Peaches. Meanwhile, the documentary delivers heartfelt moments at the perfect times. Overall, Teaches of Peaches is edgy and tender. A noteworthy strength is comparing Peaches’ performances of her hit songs then and now.
The most impressive audience reaction from the LGBT selection comes from Linda Perry: Let It Die Here. The screening ended with a two-minute standing ovation, something that seldom happens in film festivals. Linda Perry and director Don Hardy appeared afterwards for a Q&A. Then Linda Perry performed an acoustic set. In this documentary, Grammy and Golden Globe nominee Linda Perry gets candid about her ups and downs musically and personally. Perry tackles childhood trauma, addiction, and depression as she navigates audiences through her world. Throughout her career, she has consistently delivered heartfelt and raw music. This documentary is no exception.
Hello Dankness sets itself apart as the festival's only non-documentary LGBT interest film. Filmmaker Soda Jerk uses movie clips to tell the story of how the 2016 election, the 2020 election, and COVID affected the world. This satire gives the movie characters a fresh approach that incorporates humor while pointing out the social and political climate. Movies include Wayne's World, American Beauty, Love Simon, The Social Network, Napoleon Dynamite, and more. Hello Dankness successfully gives humor to serious topics.
Allee Willis is best known for writing the song classics Boogie Wonderland, September (both Earth, Wind & Fire), I'll Be There For You (The Rembrandts; Friends theme song) and more. The World According to Allee Willis includes lots of her work and archival footage. Willis was known for excess and boldness. This documentary acknowledges that part of her personality and artistic signature. The home footage gives viewers multiple angles of her personality. Viewers who are not familiar with Allee Willis should expect to learn a lot.
Grammy winner Ani DiFranco has always been known for her independence, her fierce activism, and her music. In 1-800-ON-HER-OWN, DiFranco proves that her career and life would be radically different had she signed on to a major label rather than founding Righteous Babe Records. This documentary delivers powerful and inspiring messages about being true to one's self while emphasizing that what appears impossible is not impossible. Surprising, the documentary concentrates more on her family life than her music. This isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Genesis P-Orridge died shortly after being interviewed for S/He Is Still Her/e. S/He Is Still Her/e is a powerful dedication to the artist of many talents. P-Orridge was a musician, an artist, an activist, and the inventor of industrial music. The cinematography stands out as an extension of P-Orridge's artistic expression. This allows viewers to understand P-Orridge's artistic vision that paintings and music alone can't always do.
Since Yesterday: The Untold Story of Scotland's Girl Bands navigates audiences through how the Scottish girl band scene evolved from the 1960s to today. It teaches viewers on the sexism that these girl bands faced. Interviews from those in the girl bands provide an intimate look at the documentary’s subject matter. In this case, this film technique works better than having a narrator. Interviewees include The McKinlay Sisters, Strawberry Switchblade, and The Twinsets.
Stud Country is one of two LGBT shorts in the festival. Stud Country also played at Flip the Script Festival last October. The timing of Stud Country is perfect! Country music is mainstream now! Those who love line dancing will love Stud Country. As pointed out in the documentary, line dancing culture is underrepresented in Los Angeles. This documentary delivers representation of this subculture. Viewers ought to expect to learn more than the average 11 minute documentary without feeling overwhelmed with new knowledge.
The festival's other LGBT short is the 1986 throwback Heavy Metal Parking Lot. The short was released over a decade before lead singer Rob Halford came out. Despite this, it stands out as an LGBT interest. The short includes footage of devoted Judas Priest fans who are about to see them in concert. This short stands as a testament on why people love Judas Priest.
Please check out the Sound Unseen Music + Film Festival website:
Ani DiFranco! Dana Flor! Linda Perry! What do they have in common? They're making their Minnesota premiere at Sound Unseen Music + Film Festival!
Grammy winner Ani DiFranco's new documentary 1-800-ON-HER-OWN will make its Minnesota premiere at this year's Sound Unseen Film + Music Festival on November 16 at 11:00 AM at Parkway Theater. Please watch it.
Ani DiFranco has made a name for herself in the music industry. Unlike others who made it, she did it without a major name recording label. She often uses activism, politics, and poetry in her music. DiFranco tells her story in a new documentary 1-800-ON-HER-OWN. Its world premiere happened last June at Tribeca Film Festival.
I chatted with Ani DiFranco and director Dana Flor about their newest venture. They talked about the documentary, independence, juggling career and family life, and Ani's collaboration with Prince in 1999.
Tell me about 1-800-ON-HER-OWN.
Ani DiFranco (AD): That's still the phone number of my record company home office, Righteous Babe. So that's where the title comes from. I can tell you that I actually haven't seen the final film. I traveled with it a little bit. We just did a run of swing state screenings, Dana Flor, the director, and I, to help get out the vote and raise money for Emily’s List. We were doing Q&A's after the film played. It's a little bit funny because I can't answer specific questions about the film, having not seen it myself. We go somewhere else during the screenings because it's just too much for me to watch myself. I just really gave over to Dana, the director, and trusted her to make a film that was meaningful to her, and I didn't even really want to see it.
Dana Flor (DF): 1-800-ON-HER-OWN is a story about America's best folk singer, in my opinion, Ani DiFranco. It is intercutting between her present life at home and her on the road and then flashing back to her past. I hope that it's an inspirational film. She's a really dynamic musician, but more than anything, she's an activist who has inspired a lot of people. I think that this is a film that really resonates right now, seeing as we're just about to elect our first woman president!! The documentary is about the life of one of our most outspoken feminist icons.
1-800-ON-HER-OWN will be screening at Sound Unseen Music + Film Festival. Do you have a message to the people in Minneapolis?
AD: I hope they find the film inspiring or at least entertaining, but hopefully inspiring. That's why I entrusted Dana with coming into my life, getting on the bus and depicting my life in a documentary, because having seen her other films, I think she can inspire people with her filmmaking. I have heard from people that they find the film inspiring and invigorating, and that really does my heart good.
DF: We're so excited to come to Minneapolis. I know that it's a place that is close to Ani’s heart as she's been in and out of your great city since she started, as I'm sure a lot of her fans know. It's a special place for Ani, and it's really a special place for the film to come to. We're really excited for Minneapolis fans to come out and see the film, it's going to be the bomb, and I'm really thrilled that we can screen there.
Dana, what attracted you to do a documentary about Ani DiFranco?
DF: First of all, the story hadn't been done. She really has been a dynamic musician, an amazing guitarist, an amazing lyricist. But what really drew me to her was her as an iconic feminist, an outspoken feminist. I think women's stories need to be told more, and her’s is absolutely riveting. What she's done, the barriers that she's broken, and what she represents for people has been really singular. I was really drawn to that. I also felt there was such a connection between us immediately. What I found on a 1 to 1 level when I met her was what so many fans connect with, so many people say: “I feel like she wrote the soundtrack to my life”, and I felt that way myself when I talked to her. Then when I talked to her fans, so many people said, oh my gosh, she has changed my life. And so many people said, she's actually saved my life. And I thought, wow, this is an amazing story; this is an amazing woman, and not enough people know about her and know about what she's done. So I really felt like that was the impetus for it. As I started filming her, I realized she was a unique subject. You rarely meet a person who is so vulnerable and so uncensored and so eloquent at the same time. She's a poet, so it was really a magical journey to be able to follow her.
Why tell the story now?
AD: I don't know if there's any significance to now other than I met up with Dana, and we had an instant bond. She just felt to me like a woman on a mission, a woman who makes films for a reason, to inspire, to expand the audience's awareness, maybe of their world, their country, their culture. She made a wonderful film called Check It, which is a documentary about a black gay gang in DC and how they parlay their chosen family into a fashion line and business. And she made a film called The Nine Lives of Marion Barry, which looks into the life and career of the former mayor of DC. I just think her films are interesting, and I agreed to let her do one about me.
DF: Fingers crossed, we’re just about to elect our first woman president! Women's rights, women's reproductive freedom is on the forefront of our national discussion right now. For Ani DiFranco, that's been her mission. That has been her North Star. She was out there talking about women's reproductive rights when she was a teenager, and that has been really her crusade throughout her life. It's a central part of who she is as a person, as a musician, as an activist. The timing couldn't be better really because this is a topic that we're all paying attention to, and it's absolutely critical.
Dana, what's the most valuable thing you learned through doing this documentary?
DF: When you're with Ani, you learn about grace. She's a woman with a lot of grace. She gives grace, and she has grace. She's very generous, and she's very honest, and it's lovely to be in the presence of someone like that, and it makes you want to be like her. I really value that. Grace is a rare quality. Not a lot of people have it, and she truly does. I do think that that's part of why people are attracted to her and her music because you can feel it. You see it.
Ani, you included a clip of Prince praising you in the documentary. You also collaborated with Prince in 1999 for the song Providence in your album To the Teeth. Tell me about your experience with collaborating with Prince.
AD: I've been a huge fan since I was a teenager and felt very blessed. Of course you could tell him from a million miles away, but up close, he becomes no less vivid. I watched him one night when we were jamming at Paisley Park after a recording session. I watched him jump from instrument to instrument, drums, keyboards, guitar, and just slay everything he touched. He was really a one of a kind musician.
DF: I adore Prince. Prince meant everything to me. I don't know how you get any better than Prince.
Dana, did you ever get a chance to meet Prince?
DF: I did not, but I did see him in Madison Square Garden. It was absolutely magical, and I wish that I had seen him more. But I am glad that I saw a spectacular concert in an incredible venue. That was my only encounter, along with probably 20,000 other people. It felt very, very special to me. I still have my ticket. That was probably 20 years ago. I framed it.
Ani, you talked about in the documentary how COVID influenced Revolutionary Love [2022]. How has your music and life shaped you beyond Revolutionary Love from then to today?
AD: More than maybe a couple of years that Dana, the filmmaker, was following me around, I was recording my album before last, which is titled Revolutionary Love. Then in the course of that time period, the pandemic hit, so she recorded my experience of that roller coaster ride, and I, like many people, had my job just vanish, the job of touring around and gathering people together and spinning on them just was over, like so many people's jobs. Again, I don't know what all is in the film, but those are things that were happening when she was around.
Ani, you mentioned in the documentary about your family often. How has your family helped shape who you are now musically and personally?
AD: They change everything. They really do. They take precedence over your art or your vision or so many things in your life. My oldest is about to turn 18. It has brought a balance to my life. It was hard to be forced away from my art and my activism and everything that I feel so inspired by. But of course, I can't help but be grateful because kids are great teachers. Also, they brought this balance to my life that I didn't have before then. They gave me a reason to step away, which actually I didn't know I needed.
How do you think your career would be different had you signed on to a major name label instead of an indie one or starting up Righteous Babe?
AD: I imagine it would be different in many ways. Some of them maybe positive. I think I have a lot of regrets about my recordings, and now there are 23 albums or something that I've put out there, and I did it on my own as the title of the film says, recording, mixing, producing. I think if I had worked with major labels or what have you, the typical industry route, I would have had people come in and help me make records. I probably would have less regrets about the sound of my records and the translating of my songs for posterity so that probably would have been quite helpful, but for better or worse, I made my own mistakes. I was in charge of my own journey. In that sense, I am beholden to no one, and I have no one to blame but myself, and I'm grateful for those things and all of the freedom that I've had being independent and outside of the music industry.
DF: I don't think it would be even vaguely similar. That was everything for her. She called the shots. She put out albums when she wanted to, she wrote about what she wanted to say. She presented herself and packaged herself in the way she wanted the world to see her. None of that could have happened probably if she signed with a label.
Is there anything else you want to add?
DF: I'm just grateful for the film to be coming to you guys. It's a special place, and I’m just excited for you all to see it.
You can purchase tickets here: https://www.soundunseen.com/events/mpls-festival-film-1-800-on-her-own
You may know Linda Perry from her 90s classic What's Up as former lead singer of 4 Non Blondes. She also wrote and produced the gay anthem Beautiful sung by Christina Aguilera. This year, she released a documentary called Linda Perry: Let It Die Here, and it will make its Minnesota premiere as part of Sound Unseen Music + Film Festival! In the documentary, Perry gets candid about her career and her life battles in the documentary.
Linda Perry chatted about the upcoming Minnesota premiere, her music ventures, what to expect from the documentary, and what's coming next.
Linda Perry: Let It Die Here will make its Minnesota premiere on November 16th at 5:15 PM at Parkway Theater. Director Don Hardy and you will make an appearance with a Q & A. You'll also do an acoustic performance. Do you have a message to those in Minneapolis?
I think that people will find it an extremely honest film about my process as a songwriter and how as a creative person we tend to get lost. It's very raw at some points, extremely embarrassing. It's definitely a movie to watch. There's no other music documentary that is this honest and raw. I think it's an emotional experience for people from the experience of what I've been noticing that people have. I think it's because it's so raw. I think people will relate to the honesty.
What inspired you to tell your story?
I wasn't inspired to tell my story at all. It just happened. Don and I worked on a project together called Citizen Penn, a film about Sean Penn. Then he asked me if he could film me at my studio. I said, Yeah, sure. Can I use some of it? My social media? He was like ok because I'm terrible with social media. So I thought, this is a good opportunity to just get some clips. I had no idea I was making a documentary until he came to me one day and said, "That stuff I've been filming? Everybody thinks there's a documentary here." I just said, "I don't want to know about it. I don't want to hear about it. If you want to film me, go for it, but I don't want to be involved." He was like, ok. Then I said, "Show me the film when you think it's ready." I made a couple of suggestions: please do not do any reenactments. If you, if you need to, make it my claymation animation. Voila, there's a documentary.
In Linda Perry: Let it Die Here, you discussed the song Beautiful (2002) sung by Christina Aguilera. You wrote and produced the song. It went on to become a gay anthem. How does it feel knowing that Beautiful has resonated to the LGBT community?
I think it's great that people embraced it that much. It's a song about discovering who you are, and I think it relates to a lot of people. The gay community embraced it with such openness and beauty. It's great to see how they took in Christina with that song. Then she made a great video with it that showed the struggles of many people: anorexia, transgender, gay people, and in general that are struggling. I didn't go, I'm going to write a big gay anthem. I just wrote a beautiful song that was true to who I am and honest.
You shared in the documentary the story of when you emerged into the music scene with the hit song What's Up (1993) as lead singer of 4 Non Blondes? The song has since become a 90s anthem. Why do you think people still love the song?
I was told the other day that it's gotten over a billion Spotify streams, and it's gotten over a billion on YouTube. I get people from around the world doing karaoke versions of it. I believe that I wrote a song that is so relatable in any decade. That song could come out right now with somebody, and it would be a hit. There's never a moment that we're not questioning what the fuck is going on in the world, in life, and today in politics, I don't know who to trust, and I think that's why that song is so timeless. We're always in struggle, we're always questioning people's intentions. There's a lot of mean people in the world. There's a lot of fucked up shit going on. I think that song is an anthem to scream what's going on. Right now I could be fucking singing that song right at this moment because I have so much anxiety about tomorrow [2024 election] and what's going to happen from here on. I'm nervous. I'm really scared to be honest. So I think that's why that song is so big because it's just so honest and relatable.
Thank you so much for opening up about what you feel about the song and everything that's going on. Along with Christina Aguilera, you've also collaborated with Adele, Brandi Carlile, Dolly Parton, Miley Cyrus, and many other artists. Three out of five were interviewed for Linda Perry: Let It Die Here. Of those with whom you've never collaborated, who's your dream collaboration and why?
I've always wanted to work with Madonna and Barbra Streisand. Those two because they're just legends and icons. I feel that I could contribute to them in a way that hasn't been in a long time. I think it would be a really special creative collaboration.
Both of them are great choices. I love them both too. In the documentary, you mentioned motherhood changing you personally. How has it changed you musically?
I'm way more focused and clear. It's helped me in my production and the way I approach music. I have a lot more tolerance, more patience, and I'm a little less judgmental on what I'm doing because I'm extremely hard on myself. You see that in the film. I'm a workaholic, and I go, and I go, go, go, go, go, go all the time. It helps me slow down, be thoughtful, and think about what the priorities are, me being a mother first and raising that child. When you bring a child into this world, you're responsible, you're now obligated by so many things by love, by blood, by being a parent, to make sure that this child is protected, has all the right information, and that you do the best that you can to raise them to be a kind, strong, creative, intelligent child to be a human adult with empathy and compassion. That is my job. That is my priority. Music and me getting down on myself is not more important than me making sure my child is up.
I wish there were more people like you, more people who thought just like you because if there was, there would be a lot more better mothers out there. So thank you so much for that.
Thank you.
You opened up about childhood trauma, addiction and depression in the documentary in relation to them. What do you most hope that audiences learn from the documentary?
It's a difficult one because you can be 50 years old and still experience the things that happened to you when you were five. It's tricky to navigate those emotions because it's certain things in life that will trigger it. In the documentary, you see me talking about it, but what I also do is I create. I take the darkness and the sadness and the pain, and I use it to create. I apply it so it's not festering inside me. I think that what people will see is what using all that pain, that darkness, and what you can turn it into, as someone who's done a lot of drugs and had that experience. You're going to hear stories that you can relate to. You can relate to childhood trauma, you can relate to depression, but all of it goes together. It's the trauma that creates the depression and the addiction. So they all go together. I think because I'm so honest about all of it, I think people can walk out with, That's how I feel. There's someone who's expressing exactly how I feel inside, and I haven't heard anybody be that honest about it.
In the documentary, you give viewers an insight of you composing music for Luckiest Girl Alive (2022) starring Mila Kunis. You were also nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Song for the movie Dumplin' (2018). What do you look for in a movie before accepting the role as the composer or songwriter?
I just want to know if I'm gonna have fun doing it. I never looked at things regarding how much money I was going to make, is this going to win me an award. I just try to look at it as: Will I be doing something different? Will this challenge me? Will I have fun? Is this something different that I've never done before? That's what I do. That's how I approach all projects.
Is there anything else you want to share?
I'm working on an album to go with the documentary. So right after the documentary was done, I wrote an album in three weeks, which was really amazing. It's really beautiful. I'm going to call it Let It Die Here as well. I'm planning on releasing it with the documentary when it gets its home and its release date, and I'm excited about that. I haven't released a record in decades. I'm nervous, I'm scared, I'm excited.
Here's where to purchase tickets for Linda Perry: Let It Die Here: https://www.soundunseen.com/events/mpls-festival-film-linda-perry-let-it-die-here-filmmakers-in-attendance-performance
In the Summers is making a big splash in the film festival circuit.
It has received an outstanding 90% Rotten Tomatoes score. It has won numerous movie awards. It has played in theaters in multiple cities. Now, you can stream it on Apple TV. The success is not done yet!
In the Summers tells the story of a complicated relationship between father and daughter during a summer that changes everyone's lives forever. Director Alessandra Lacorazza answered some questions about what inspired her to write and direct this film, how it was inspired by her own childhood, and what's next.
Tell me about In the Summers.
At the heart, In the Summers is a story about a father who has two daughters that go and visit him in the summer. That's the only time he gets to see them, and he's trying his best to be a good father. But his addiction and mental health issues get in the way, and it's about their connection and trying to have a relationship despite those difficulties.
In the Summers is loosely based on your childhood. What inspired you to tell this story and why now?
It's semi autobiographical, and I would say that there are parts that are inspired by my story. There are parts that are totally fictionalized, but this is my perspective on my upbringing. It does not necessarily reflect what my family or siblings would say, but the [reason] why now is I just wanted to tell a nuanced story about our complicated relationships with our fathers and specifically in the Latin community. We're so used to seeing certain stereotypes with Latin men specifically, and I wanted to show something that expanded on that. Showing a complicated father who, yes, has addiction issues, yes, has an anger problem but also deeply loves his daughters and also is very smart. I think we need more varied representations in the Latin community.
How did this time of your life shape you to who and where you are now?
I think I am the person I am because of my father for good or for bad. He taught me to love, to love thinking, to love questioning, to stand up for myself, to stand up for others. I think that is a core of who I am. I think it's a long life journey to process our childhood. It's something that we will come up with in different venues when you have a kid. When you get married, all those dynamics that you have with your parents continue to influence you up until you're done with this life.
In what ways do you view this part of your childhood differently now compared to before production of In the Summers?
I think the biggest change for me is being able to see my father's perspective more so than just my own. I think a few things influenced the making of this film and examined what he went through and the trauma that he went through at the same time that I was going through it and also seeing it through his addictions and his mental health issues. Secondly, I also became a parent during that time and being with my son knowing how difficult it is and how hard it is to be a parent and how easy it is to make a mistake and how easy it is to not be the best version of yourself. I have a lot more compassion for my father that doesn't negate some of the hurt and anger and things I went through, but it does add to the picture
Congratulations on being a new parent.
Thank you.
Have any family members watched In the Summers? If so, what were their reactions?
I'm very close to certain people in my family, and I've had the people that have seen it have had very lovely but intense reactions. I think my two sisters are probably at the top of that. You know what? My sister that's two years younger than me, she has a very different perspective on things, and she's very proud of me and loves it. I think it was hard for her to watch in a lot of ways, and my youngest sister was very young when my father died. I think seeing any representation of him is very hard, but they've both been very supportive. I think there's a lot of love for my father and his complexity, and I think they at least realize that I was able to capture that.
What's the most memorable and most challenging parts of production?
Making an indie film, it is all hard and memorable. I think doing something like In the Summers, I think one of the biggest obstacles we encountered was funding. Every film, I think no matter what your budget is, it's never enough. That is very much true for indie filmmaking specifically. But also because we had children, because we had multiple time periods that ended up being a bit of a logistical nightmare, because kids could only be on set for a certain amount of time, we had to shoot everything in disorder. So some days, we were shooting three or four summers in one day. What did the house look like? Turning over the house? It just became really complicated. I think that added to the stress and the difficulty, but I had an incredible team that was able to pull it off, and we pretty much made our days, which was a blessing.
In the Summers has achieved a lot of success, most notably debuting at Sundance where you won the Grand Jury Prize and the Directing Award. How does it feel knowing that the film is reaching audiences?
It's incredible beyond my wildest dreams. We [had] our theatrical release [September 20], and I think I'm anxious and excited for more people to get to see the film. It all feels like a gift that I've been given, and I hope that it reaches more audiences and audiences that might not get the opportunity to see this film.
This is your debut feature film. What's next?
I'm working on my next script. It's still at the early beginnings. It'll be something very different, but it's a military project that I'm currently working on.
What do I love the most about making movies?I love how complicated it is and how many steps there are. There's something about that that's very satisfying. I write my own films. The writing process is difficult and beautiful. Then getting a team together because filmmaking is a team sport and the logistics and difficulty of production. I come from an editing background. So editing is one of my favorite parts. How it all comes together and it all, it always feels like a bit of a miracle when a film gets done. I think the journey for me is my favorite part.
You can stream it online on Apple TV: https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/in-the-summers/umc.cmc.5e36yn7qizz3lh8z8qxq9m2ub
Extremely Unique Dynamic was honored by SCENE Best in Show in the Flip the Script Fest for Best Picture Feature!
Extremely Unique Dynamic will be in theaters this January with a digital release to follow soon after. Write that on your calendar now.
Extremely Unique Dynamic is a stoner comedy about two best friends who spend their last weekend together making a film. One of them is relocating to a city far away. During the weekend, mishaps occur, and secrets are revealed that may jeopardize their friendship. Hudson Yang makes a cameo. You may remember Yang from Fresh Off the Boat.
Ivan Leung and Harrison Xu acted, produced, directed, and wrote Extremely Unique Dynamic. They chatted with me about their funniest moments on set, what they love about comedy, how they came up with the idea, and their acceptance speech.
You got honored by SCENE Best in Show for Extremely Unique Dynamic for Best Picture Feature in Flip the Script Fest. It was also honored for Best Editing and Cinematography for SCENE Best in Show. Do you have an acceptance speech?
Harrison XU (HX): We're very honored to be in those categories. Unfortunately, Ivan and I weren't able to make it out to Flip the Script, but we heard such incredible things about the festival and our screening, and we'd really love to make our way out there in the future because we heard it was such an amazing time. But obviously, we're very appreciative, and our cinematographer Steven and our editor Michael were very happy to accept on their behalf because they were a huge part of our film, and they're really special to us as well.
Ivan Leung (IL): We want to especially thank Flip the Script because they're one of the few festivals that really highlighted the films and the filmmakers. You can really tell that Flip the Script really cared about how they want to curate their experience. We have a nice sponsored glass blowing merchandise during our film as well. That was so creative, so special, so unique. So I just want to really thank Flip the Script.
What gave birth to Extremely Unique Dynamic?
IL: Me and Harrison, we always wanted to work together, but we never had the chance to, and Harrison was about to move away to Canada. So during one night of eating Thai food on the floor, we just decided we were very...how do I say stubborn? We just kept egging each other on saying,hey, we should make something, we should make a movie; oh, sure; but, are we actually gonna do it? And then Harrison was like, yes, if we're gonna do it, we're gonna do it. And that's how it was birthed.
HX: We had known each other for 10 plus years as actors, and we always wanted to do something together. It was a great opportunity for us right before I got to move, to do that. And we hadn't worked together in a professional setting like that before. We've just been in acting classes, and we've known each other as friends. We just recently worked together for the first time on the marketing campaign for Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey. We had a lot of fun working on that, and we thought it would translate really well with the humor and the work ethic and to making a future.
IL: We both realized that we were both obsessed workaholics. Harrison is one of the most hardworking people I've ever known. It was a very nice honor to be able to work with such a guy.
What was the funniest moment during production?
IL: The funniest moment for me is how much Harrison just did not care about wardrobe or hair or makeup or the art...
HX: ...and the funniest moment for me was how I was on set, still didn't understand the meta of the movie. He never understood what layer we were in. We were filming us with characters, and it fit well to his performance.
IL: It was real. It was a funny thing for me that Harrison had to not only just be an actor but also a director on set. So I just see Harrison walk around with his head thinking the whole time. It was just really amusing to me as well.
HX: Yes, I am a Virgo.
How much of your characters are based on your real life selves?
HX: I would say a lot. I think we're playing heightened versions of ourselves, but a lot of the characters are grounded in reality. The circumstances that we're in were obviously heightened a little bit. [For example,] it wasn't [actually] my final weekend. It was my final few months. I didn't [actually] move to Edmonton. I moved to Vancouver. A lot of the relationship in the movie, between the characters, is very similar to how we interact with each other in real life. I'm smarter in real life than this character.
IL: I'm a lot smarter in real life. It's just crazy how smart I am in real life than the movie.
What were some inspirations that brought on Extremely Unique Dynamic?
IL: Inspiration wise, I think that just working in the industry, we never had the opportunity to do the characters that we wanted to do. So we decided to take the balls by its horn. We've always just wanted to show everyone what way we could actually do. Other movies that were inspirations were obviously the Kevin Smith movies, Legally Blonde, Mary Kate and Ashley's Passport to Paris, Seth Rogen movies, Superbad.
HX: One of my favorite musicals was this musical called [title of show], which is a meta music school about people writing a musical. That was a big inspiration for the meta aspect of us making a movie about two guys making a movie about two guys making a movie.
IL: That's the most biggest important one. Yes.
What do you love most about comedy and making movies?
IL: I love seeing people laugh, and I love making people laugh. And making people feel something different. I have any experience in the theater. It's just really magical.
HX: I feel like with comedy too, a lot of comedy is grounded in truth and reality, and I feel like those are some of the funniest moments in the film where people can actually relate to that. I think it's also really fun doing comedy as well because in our film, we have a lot of improvised dialogue, and we just had so much fun ripping with each other. So that was a really, really fun time on set.
Where can we find Extremely Unique Dynamic?
HX: So we are finishing out our festival run. We will be playing next at Vancouver Asian Film Festival, San Diego, Asian Film Festival and Philadelphia Asian Film Festival. We just finished playing at NewFest in New York and Montclair, New Jersey. We will be having a theatrical run in January, and then we'll be releasing digitally most likely at the end of January so that it will be available for everyone to see.
What's next?
IL: We're working on a horror movie together called Near Death as actors. That's going to be filmed in November. Director is Shaina Aiden. It's going to be a really, really fun time. We're really excited to travel a little bit more, spend some time together because Harrison is in Vancouver now, and I'm in Los Angeles. So it's basically more bonding time.
HX: We had a lot of fun making this film, and we want to continue creating content together. Hopefully, we'll have more movies and potentially even a TV series on the horizon next year. We're constantly thinking and writing, and once we're finished getting this movie out in the world, we'll get started on our project.
Is there anything else you want to add?
IL: I just want to say thank you, David, for watching the movie. Thank you so much for enjoying it. It just really means a lot to us that it resonated.
HX: Just echoing Ivan. Thank you so much. While we're bummed, we couldn't be at Flip the Script, we had a really great reception, and everyone was so nice. It's just really special being honored by you as well, so we really appreciate the time.
October was quite a month for film festivals in the Twin Cities! Flip the Script Fest, Twin Cities Film Festival, and Twin Cities Black Film Festival are three of them.
They included an eclectic lineup of LGBT films. A few are local. All three festivals included their unique lineup of LGBT films. This year's hot genres are drama, comedy, horror, and documentary.
Notably, local short The Bend screened at Flip the Script and Twin Cities Film Festival. Local artist AP Looze is being recognized twice by SCENE for their poignant performance as Pip, a person seeking trans refuge. Looze shared their experiences on set, the success of The Bend, what the future holds, and an acceptance speech.
Congratulations! You're being honored for Best Performance by SCENE Best in Show in Flip the Script and SCENE Best in LGBT Show in Twin Cities Film Festival for the short movie The Bend. The Bend is also being honored for Best Picture by SCENE in both fests. Do you have an acceptance speech?
I'm honored. This whole experience of making that film and being in it was completely unexpected. It just landed in my lap. It was a stroke of luck. I feel like I've received really great feedback from different festivals as well. I feel both humbled and surprised because acting is not my wheelhouse. It's not something that I've ever pursued. I make experimental solo performances, but I am myself in those contexts--I'm not playing a character. So this was my first time ever doing that. So my reaction to recognitions like these have been like, Oh me? Are you sure?
You also won Best Actor in Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival. The Bend has been screened in other film film festivals such as Milwaukee Illuminate Film Festival. It's also playing in the Twin Cities Film Festival this season. How does it feel knowing that the film has been so successful?
I feel like it's worth getting a little bit into the story of how this all came to be. I was having an extremely, extremely hard time, and a friend called me, my friend Jay, and he was like, Oh, my friend Sarah McCarron is doing this short film about a trans masculine person from Wisconsin who relocated to Tennessee and is trying to get back to Minneapolis for their chosen family. And I remember laughing, thinking how similar it was to my own life--having grown up in Wisconsin and moving to Minneapolis. I was like, Jay, I'm not an actor, and he's like, I knew you would say that, but I believe you can do it. What's funny is that I simply was not tracking that Sarah was going to be submitting the film to festivals. It was just so naively unexpected. I feel grateful I surrendered to this experience in such a dark time, because now, later, being in a much better place, I'm able to take in the brightness of the recognition. While I did not recognize it at the time, saying yes to this film was a form of me rooting for myself and believing in my capabilities.
The Bend covers the topic of trans refuge states. Your character relocates from Tennessee to Minnesota to seek refuge. What do you hope most audiences get out of watching The Bend?
There's so many layers in that film. I think at the core it is about the importance of safety. The joy, celebration, and growth, comfort and expansiveness that comes with safety. When Pip arrives in Minneapolis, it's such a dear, sweet homecoming. He's literally desperate to get home because it's safe. It's not unnoticed to me that trans people are seeking refuge in Minnesota--particularly the Twin Cities. Queer social media housing groups have exploded with asks for housing from trans people trying to leave states where massive anti-trans legislation is being passed. While the term refuge state may sound like a symbol, there is something to be said for living among other trans and queer people--the feeling of being understood without having to explain anything is gold. I'm so curious what will happen with more and more trans people relocating here. What will the community become?
I feel like there's this broad spectrum hatred for trans people among conservative groups. It's not even a phobia. It's not fear, it's hatred, and it was instigated by Trump and some alt right shit. When there wasn't anything else to focus on within the right's agenda, they decided to use trans people as a scapegoat for their own pain and suffering and their own lack of self love and inquiry into their own experiences. They hated some of the more liberated people of our society.
It gets me thinking about the hatred megaphone of a political party. Is that really what individual people feel and/ or is it this sort of a propaganda campaign? Leaders have so much power to completely influence how a group of people thinks about the world. Then you have these one on one interactions--like between Pip and the fisherman--where the hatred seems to fall away or someone has at least a modicum of decency to help. It gets me thinking: Who are we really? What is this hatred covering up or obscuring? What do we actually feel and think and like on our own and not as a result of some leaders' hatred megaphone?
What turned you on to The Bend when you were introduced?
I thought, well, I have nothing else to do. I guess I'll do this. But the story itself did compel me! Probably because it was so similar to my own life. Sarah, the director and writer, was so kind and so open and so willing to meet me where I was emotionally at that time. I was like, Oh, ok, this person cares about me, and I think that made me feel like I could do it. I also know the person who played the fisherman--Dan Dukich. We've collaborated before. It was a gift to work with people I trusted, and I think that's the most compelling part of making anything--trusting those I am working alongside. Sarah invited me and Dan to ad lib stuff as we felt fit. She was really organic in the whole process of making this. She's so generous in how she creates. I felt like she wanted me to lean into my power and my choices and impulses, and she really trusted me to do that.
What's the most memorable moment on set?
It was right when we started rolling. I just was like, Whatever, I will literally do anything. I felt so uninhibited as a result of my really hard place that I was in. We were on set at 7 A.M. It was cold out. And the first scenes we shot were in the water. I was in my underwear and I just submerged myself and started floating. Looking back on it now, I was in a place of needing to surrender and let go of a lot of stuff in my life. That act of literally letting go and floating in this super cold water, it felt like it was a bit of an oracle for the next step and stage of my own life. I know that sounds wild to say, but it really was. It was a tremendous turning point in my life. And in the story, Pip is sort of at the end of his rope and doesn't know what to do. He's lost. He has no idea where he's going to go next, how he's going to get out of that predicament. He's frustrated and scared and pissed, and then he surrenders. It felt like my own internal experience of my personal life at that moment. Again, this was not planned. It just happened, and I really believe that opportunities that fall into your lap are little keys. They're keys out of or into the next stage of your life. You can't plan for those things. You just can't.
What does the future hold for you?
I am a multidisciplinary artist. I do so many things. I'm making new music through the Cedar Commissions at the Cedar Cultural Center that will be performed January 31st and February 1st. I also am a flag maker, and I'll be having a trans and non-binary flag raising celebration at the Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association next June for Pride Month. I'm working on a watercolor and poetry book based on a contemplative and esoteric practice I have of accessing the Akashic Records. I'm working on an ode to my grandmother who recently died. Her death has made me wonder deeply about what ancestry even is and the beautiful roles we play in our families. Her death opened up this massive ineffable feeling of unconditional love for my lineage in a way I never imagined possible. What happens when I choose to love every part of the story of how I came to be--the pain, the love, the heartache, the bullshit--all of it? That's the next arena I will be exploring and tending to in my artistic practice.
Anything else?
I was exceptionally grateful to have this opportunity to be in this film. I met and worked with so many wonderful people who contributed to this film. I think collaborative art projects like these often create new relationships and avenues for more collaborations. My world is expanding as a result of this experience and it's really wonderful.
Flip the Script
The 5th Annual Flip the Script Fest was hosted at Emagine Willow Creek Theater from October 11-13, 2024. They included a virtual option for most of their selection from October 11-19, 2024. This LGBT film festival included features and shorts of various interests. The festival had an intimate setting for the audiences to enjoy the fantastic lineup of LGBT films.
Flip the Script Fest included three films that connect with the Conflict in Israel: Photo Booth, Foragers, and Blessed Blessed Oblivion. In this satire operatic documentary, Photo Booth follows a group of activists working to boycott Eurovision 2019. Foragers follows a group of people in Israel who are affected by the unfair nationwide ban on some crops. Blessed Blessed Oblivion is a short poetic avant garde piece of toxic masculinity. Flip the Script donated the ticket sales of these films to The Ghassan Abu Sittah Children’s Fund.
Three Other Features were screened in the festival: Extremely Unique Dynamic, Pride and Prejudice: Swedish Film Queer, and Lady Like. Extremely Unique Dynamic is a stoner comedy of two best friends who try to make a movie together during their last weekend together, but mishaps that could jeopardize their friendship happen. Pride and Prejudice: Swedish Film Queer chronicles how Swedish queer films have shaped cinema. Lady Like follows Lady Camdon's journey as a contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race Season 14.
The segment Comedy Shorts included six hilarious films, all revolving around love. Delicious Mealis a local silent comedy of someone who flirts with a "living" human head in front of her phone-obsessed lover. The Escape Room is the shortest of this segment of two lovers whose trip to an escape room begins with a breakup but still need to work together to escape. Thank You examines a teenager in dire need of a tampon and has a crush on a classmate. 9 Lives includes a series of mishaps of a woman who eventually offers to help bury her crush's dead cat. In the comedy horror Thank You, two lovers on a date night unknowingly have a spirit who ends their night sooner than anticipated. Matinee Baby steps away from romance with its witty comedy of two best friends who work in a historic movie theater known for its quirky customers.
Five films were included in Drama Shorts. Three of them include a romantic story. In Apocalypse Dream, a woman living in a post-apocalyptic world, meets a woman who needs assistance. In Everything is easy, everything is hard, a man explains to his lover the tragedies he experienced in his home country. Pigeons are dying, when the city is on fire explores the sensual aspect of two lovers who try to rescue a pigeon trying to flee from their habitat that's in flames. Queen is an avant garde piece about a teenager who searches for their socioeconomic and racial binaries. In local short The Bend, a trans man relocates from Tennessee to Minneapolis and encounters a conservative fisherman while stranded in rural Wisconsin.
Documentary Shorts segment included six films. Stud Country introduces audiences to line dancing in LGBT culture. Don't Cry for Me all You Drag Queens commemorates a beloved drag legend. Sultana's Reign shares the challenges of Sultana performing in drag in conservative societies. Old Lesbians presents a research study on senior citizen lesbian life. The Landmarks of Memory takes viewers on a tour of a Lebanese tattoo shop. System Errors educates viewers about online sex work.
5th Annual Flip the Script Audience Awards winners are Delicious Meal for Best Short and Foragers for Best Feature.
SCENE Best in Show:
Best Picture Feature: Extremely Unique Dynamic
Best Picture Short: The Bend
Best Director: Foragers (Jumana Manna)
Best Performance: The Bend (AP Looze)
Best Screenplay: 9 Lives (Millie Rose Evans)
Best Editing: Extremely Unique Dynamic (Michael Scotti Jr.)
Best Cinematography: Extremely Unique Dynamic (Steven Shulgach)
Best Music: Photo Booth (David Wall)
Honorable Mention: Delicious Meal
Twin Cities Film Festival
Ten LGBT films were included in the lineup of the Twin Cities Film Festival. Three were features, seven were shorts. The lineup of LGBT films included comedies, dramas, horror, and documentaries.
The three features were Body Electric, Hauntology, and We Strangers. Body Electric is a documentary on the pressures of looking sexy. Hauntology follows a woman who shares ghost stories with her sister to prevent her from leaving town for good. We Strangers presents a woman who accepts a job as a house cleaner and falsely claims to be a medium.
Three short films were filmed in Minnesota, whether fully or partially. First, The Bend. Second, $55 Private Room in a Safe Quiet Neighborhood combines comedy and murder in a woman's plot to kill her husband doesn't go as smoothly as expected. Third, Orange Vests and Cigarettes spotlights a boy ordered to do community service and meets a group of people who change his view on life.
Four other shorts were included in the festival. In Boy Mode, a young trans girl seeks support in drag clubs while not receiving it at home. Canyon Chorus is a documentary on a group of choir men who go canoeing in the outdoors. Safety State focuses on a couple who live in a US state that stripped away all LGBT rights, so they relocate to a safety state. In the shortest of the LGBT shorts Festival Child, a music festival trip turns into a babysitting job.
SCENE Best in LGBT Show:
Best Picture: The Bend
Best Director: The Bend (Sarah McCarron)
Best Performance: The Bend (AP Looze)
Best Screenplay: $55 Private Room In A Safe Quiet Neighborhood (Lauren Norby)
Best Editing: $55 Private Room In A Safe Quiet Neighborhood (Andrew Weed)
Best Cinematography: Boy Mode (DJ Zachary)
Best Music: Hauntology (Jonathan Snipes)
Honorable Mention: Orange Vests and Cigarettes
Twin Cities Black Film Festival
The 22nd Annual Twin Cities Black Film Festival was held from October 10 - 13. They screened 26 films, shorts and features. They screened a powerful LGBT film called Cornelius. Cornelius is a documentary that honors activist Cornelius Wilson for four decades of educating, advocating, and raising awareness of HIV/ AIDS.
Minnesota author and educator Michael Lee
Lee will be publishing his book, When the Band Played On, this October 8. The book covers the life of Randy Shilts (1951 - 1994), the first openly gay journalist who broke social barriers. Shilts covered the AIDS crisis during a time when most people feared to mention the topic. Lee proves in his new book that Randy Shilts is an important figure that people today should know because of his LGBT and HIV activism that continues to inspire generations after him.
Michael Lee sat down for an interview about his novel. He spoke about the writing process, what inspired him to do this, and what the future holds.
Tell me about When the Band Played On.
When the Band Played On is the first mass market biography of Randy Shilts who was the author of And the Band Played On. It's been the focus of my work for the last decade. It has been a really deep and meaningful project for me as a researcher and a writer, and I hope that comes through to people. I really wanted this to be the very intimate life story of Randy. There's been a lot written about his career. There's been a lot written about his trailblazing journalism as the first openly gay journalist to cover gay issues in the mainstream press. And the Band Played On had a lot of controversy to it as well, but I feel like people haven't necessarily gotten to know the person behind that work and for someone who was as influential as he was in LGBTQ history and especially HIV and AIDS history. I just thought that was a real gap, and I wanted When the Band Played On to fill that gap, and I'm excited for people to read it and understand this person better.
When the Band Played On is based on And the Band Played On (1987) by Randy Stilts, which deals with HIV topics. What got you passionate about the topic HIV?
I came out in the mid 90s, so we did not have at that point the medications to save lives. Those came out shortly after I came out. I remember a time when it was just absolutely deadly to try to exist as a gay man in this society, and in many ways, it still is. That was part of my life experience as a young gay person. Then as I started to move into the community professionally, one of my first professional internships was at an AIDS organization, and that eventually led me to getting hired at the Minnesota AIDS Project almost 21 years ago. A lot of it was just this feeling of connection to my community and seeing how hard people were working and how scared they were. This pandemic that, up until the mid 90s, was completely untreatable and was unfortunately a death sentence for many people who are no longer here. It was always there as a piece of the background. Then I would say it became my professional life in the early 2000s in a way that was really meaningful. A lot of my work was doing outreach and testing in the bars alongside coworkers and many, many volunteers. We were working really hard to try to create a community that embraced health and embraced taking care of each other. Those were hard efforts but rewarding, and that work has always stayed with me, even as I've moved on from that direct work in my life. Writing this book almost felt like a natural extension of that.
Why should our generation and future generations know about Randy Shilts?
I think it's easy to forget that there was a time where even talking about gay issues in the mainstream press was sort of an oddity or a novelty. Before Randy, a lot of the stories that would make it into the major newspapers or major TV programs were very much slanted around the idea of "who are these people and what's wrong with them." Randy was one of the first to really normalize conversations about gay topics in the mainstream press that never questioned whether we as a people were legitimate or illegitimate. It was just accepting that gay life was part of life. It hasn't always been as easy for us to talk about queer topics in mainstream venues. We didn't have social media. We did not have this wide variety of channels that people can really find topics of interest to them or find their own people. He was really pioneering, he was really courageous, and he took a lot of backlash for that at points in his career. I think it's important for generations coming up to understand that what we enjoy now came with a struggle, and it was earned. It was something that we should not take for granted because people like Randy fought for us to have the visibility and the access that we do have. In the course of this, I think he also demonstrated that we can have hard conversations about our community and our community life in ways that don't necessarily tear our community down but make us stronger for having those difficult conversations.
During your research, you interviewed family, friends, acquaintances, and other people who knew Randy Shilts. What are the most surprising things about Randy Shilts that you learned?
I interviewed more than 70 people who knew Randy, and most of those interviews were oral history. They were more detailed, with people giving me more intimate stories of the person that they knew. He was just quite a character. He was very colorful, very fast talking. He had a very unorthodox sense of humor. He could quickly grasp and respond to someone and ask questions in a really smart way to provoke their thinking. In terms of what surprised me about him, [it's] hard to say in terms of surprises. When you're researching someone's life and you start from the very beginning, it's kind of a wide open tableau in terms of finding out what they experienced along the way, who they became friends with, who they offended. I think it was interesting to find out that he was a very conservative republican at the beginning of his life because his family was. He was very active in conservative politics all the way up through high school. I think it was really the [Vietnam] war that started to change his mind, and he became more liberal, more part of the anti war youth movement of the late 60s. I think that really influenced his coming out as a gay person, which he did for the time quite early. He was only 20 when he came out to a room full of his college classmates, and that was a remarkable breakthrough for him. One thing that's remarkable is once he came out of the closet, he never went back in. He really devoted himself, even when he graduated from college and was looking for jobs in journalism, to being an openly gay journalist. He got turned down by a lot of newspapers because of that, even though he was an award winning student journalist, but he was determined from about the end of his college career onwards that he was only going to be a journalist. He was only going to write, and he was going to be open about writing about gay issues. Even though his career suffered for that in the short term, I think it's really amazing that he made that decision to not go back in the closet to try to establish his career. He was bold and upfront about being who he was on every resume he sent out to every potential employer when he was a college graduate. I just think that that kind of courage and confidence for that time is really remarkable.
Tell me about the writing process of When the Band Played On.
It was long, and it took a lot of sitting with some very in depth material. The thing about writing a biography, it's nonfiction, which means every fact has to be accurate. You have to have a source for it. You have to be able to justify the conclusions that you draw, and yet you still have to do it in a way that draws people in and gives them an emotional connection to the text. The writing process for me was a lot of taking the factual evidence and turning it into something that I would enjoy reading. So it reads more like a novel in a lot of ways. It does require some creativity, some imagination in terms of setting a good scene but then also leaning into the material that people gave me, and that Randy left behind in his papers. It was very much a process of sewing together the factual evidence, all of that documentation, into something that people could sit down and read and find interesting and exciting so that it has that emotional component to it as well. It took a long time. I started writing in 2016, which was a couple of years after I first started the research. I finished it in early 2022. That was a good six year period of just writing a manuscript, while I was also working as a part time professor and a grant writer. You have to pay the bills too. It was a very intensive process of sitting with that material, trying to write it in a voice that I thought was true to Randy as well as myself, and then lots of editing and revising along the way. It was a very long intensive process.
Many times I've come across people who've asked who I am writing about, and they don't recognize the name Randy Shilts. When I say And the Band Played On to a certain age or older, let's say 40 or older, they have this immediate recognition. Oftentimes those people will start telling me a story about someone they lost from the AIDS epidemic. Something I came to realize from those conversations was that for them, And the Band Played On was a way of making sense of their own grief, of their own loss of a loved one in their life, given how much stigma and shame have been associated with HIV. Over the years, it gave them a way to think about their loved one in terms of the injustice they experienced and not just the shame around sexuality or using injection drugs or things like that. It was a touchstone for them to someone who they still held in their own hearts. When they connected back to And the Band Played On, it was through the memory of their own loved ones. That was really powerful. The number of times people would tell me those kinds of