Sunday, June 27, 2010

Frameline 34 (SF Intl. LGBT Film Festival) - Day 10

This year’s internationally renowned showcase for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) cinema runs June 17-27, with San Francisco screenings at the historic Castro Theatre (429 Castro Street), Roxie Theater (3117 16th Street) and the Victoria Theatre (2961 16th Street), and in Berkeley at Rialto Cinemas Elmwood (2966 College Avenue).Tickets for Frameline34 are on sale  through  www.frameline.org.

Perhaps I am slowing down, but as Frameline 34 passes through its closing weekend, I have a smaller schedule. Today, I had a single film (as I chose to pass on BEAR CITY, and the masses of Pink Saturday partiers in the Castro).

FIT (dir. Rikki Beadle-Blair, UK, 2009, 108 Mins.) Director Rikki Beadle-Blair (METROSEXUALITY) was present to introduce his film, which has really become his passion and a project he has worked on for a few years now.  It began as a touring performance piece to schools in the U.K., which challenged kids about homophobia and how they express it.  However, after a few years of touring, Beadle-Blair felt it was time to expand its reach and adapted the evolving play into this dramatic, video format that crosses genres: it is as if DEGRASSI HIGH mixed with a hip-hop version of GLEE.

It is divided into chapters, played out as La Ronde; each arriving character taking the next chapter. And each chapter becomes darker than the one before it. What starts as addressing labels, moves to definitions, relationships, bullying and, eventually, beating and abuse.  However, this is quite purposeful, as each chapter can be taken out of context and used within a specific classroom.  As a piece of educational material, FIT is incredible. It is a part of the curriculum in the greater UK educational system. It is Rikki Beadle-Blair's performance as the Dance and Drama Teacher that lifts the piece into an entertainment.

His Q&A was just as fabulous as the messages within the video, of course. He had to prep us before hand with definitions of the slang of UK teenagers, and looked forward to not necessarily "hearing the voices of sweet little homophobes" during the Q&A after the screening. It received an enthusiastic standing ovation. The DVD is available through the website, though it is hard to say whether it is US compatible.


Maxxxxx says re FIT:  "I love you too!"


You can contact Maxxxxx or myself here: JayCBird@AOL.COM

1 comment:

watch movies said...

It is Awesome...It sounds like you enjoyed lot in film festival. Envious..I am feeling envious...I would be more than happy if share some video regarding the same..Thanks in advance !!