Philadelphia's fifteenth annual QFest
opens Thursday, and picking this year's winners will not be easy.
The festival is set to premiere two
highly-anticipated films: Hollywood, Je T'aime and The Big
Gay Musical. (OK, technically, Je T'aime will premiere at
Los Angele's Outfest, let's call Philly its East Coast premiere,
then.) But other contenders for prizes lurk beneath the surface,
including Make the Yuletide Gay.
We only know a pinch about Director
Capser Andrea's lyrical gay tale, Musical. But what's leaked
out sounds promising. After heartbreak, Paul decides to give up
dating for more immediate pursuits. He's working on the new musical
hit Adam & Steve: Just the Way God Made 'Em, where he
shares the stage with Eddie. Eddie's got his own big gay problem:
How do you reconcile being gay with a faith that calls it a sin?
Paul manhunts on the Internet while Eddie comes out to his
Bible-thumping parents, which leads to sassy musical numbers with
bikini clad tap dancing angels and a bunch of showtunes. Fabugay!
Musical will bring down the
curtain of QFest
2009 on July 20 after 11 dizzying days of screenings at three venues.
Make the Yuletide Gay premiered
earlier this year in Toronto, but has remained fairly closeted since.
The movie gives the old comic premise of “meet my parents at
Christmas” a gay spin. The movie includes the genre's three
requisites: the fawning but clueless parents (the Gunnundersons), the
distant parents (the Stanfords), and the cute couple who yearn for a
Merry Christmas curled up in a stocking hung by the chimney with care
(Olaf and Nathan).
Problem is Olaf, the big college gay
rights advocate, remains closeted to his lovable parents. So when
boyfriend Nathan decides to join the holiday cheer at the
Gunnunderson home … well, you've seen this film, right? (Pssst:
Gay double entendres and homo hijinks ensue.)
Still, Director Rob Williams' latest
film is a sweet treat certain to be a gay family Christmas favorite.
Meanwhile, Director Jason Bushman's
first feature film Hollywood, Je T'aime has a strong buzz
going for it, making it the presumed film to beat this year.
Parisian Jerome's life is a forlorn
mess after heartbreak. In an attempt to mend himself, he travels to
Hollywood to be discovered. It happens in the most unusual way, but
not before Jerome walks on the beach with Ross, played by Chad Allen
(Save Me), and befriends some wacky Angelenos. Will Hollywood
save Jerome?
Je T'aime kicks
off the gay fest Thursday with a special screening and appearance by
the openly gay actor Chad Allen.
(Yuletide and
Je T'aime will also screen at this year's Los Angeles Gay and
Lesbian Film Festival Outfest,
which also opens July 9.)
Gay Entertainment Report is a feature
of On Top Magazine and can be reached at
ontopmag@ontopmag.com.