Sharon Gless' first starring role as a lesbian will be screened this week during the 13th annual Portland Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. The festival, which began Friday, runs through October 8.

Yet to be screened are three must-watch features, including Hannah Free, which stars Gless.

Director Wendy Jo Carlton brings us a romantic tale of love denied by public disapproval. Hannah (played by Gless, Queer as Folk) and Rachel share a lifetime mostly at arms length through marriage, war and familial conflicts.

Gless has been praised for her portrait of a contemporary woman coming to grips with her sexuality.

Hannah Free screens October 6 at 7PM.

Fans of all things Quentin Crisp will surely relish An Englishman in New York, which screens at the festival on October 8 at 9PM. The movie focuses on the gay writer's ascension into New York society, where he was lauded for his flamboyance. It is a follow-up to the British television movie The Naked Civil Servant. In that 1975 film John Hurt played the younger Crisp, a role he reprises in Englishman.

The movie also stars Sex In The City star Cynthia Nixon. The openly lesbian Nixon plays the role of Penny Arcade, a close friend of Crisp in his later years.

The festival will also feature the highly-anticipated Hollywood, Je T'aime, which kicked off Philadelphia's QFest in July.

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?

Hollywood, Je T'aime screens October 5 at 9PM.

Gay Entertainment Report is a feature of On Top Magazine and can be reached at ontopmag@ontopmag.com.