Acclaimed director and writer of ‘Grey Gardens’ Patricia Rozema (I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing, The White Room, Mansfield Park) will attend the Festival and officially open GAZE 09 on 30 July. This year’s programme will be divided into a number of strands including: Gala Events, Gaze Vision, Queer Heros, Queer Curios and Gaze Specials.
The Festival’s opening film will be the European Premiere of new HBO adaptation, ‘Grey Gardens’, a dramatic feature version of the renowned documentary, featuring Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange. ‘Grey Gardens’ is written by Patricia Rozema and directed by Michael Sucsy. Audiences will also have a rare opportunity to see the original ‘Grey Gardens’ by Albert and David Maysles as part of Lavender Lens (offering an interview with Patricia Rozema about the impact of the film on her life and work).
Also screening over the five day event will be:
- ‘Patrick Age 1.5’, the story of a newly arrived gay couple in ‘Sameville’ who after a bureaucratic cock-up adopt a different child than they were expecting. So instead of Patrik aged 1.5 years they get Patrick aged 15 – a homophobe with a criminal past!
- ‘Fur Coat and No Knickers’, (Irish Premiere) a romantic comedy set in the Dublin theatre world. The film will be introduced by Director Paul Ward and members of the cast.
- ‘The Fish Child’, Lucia Puenzo’s follow-up to XXY (one of the recent great discoveries in South American Cinema), is based on a bestselling novel and offers a truly sumptuous film full of rich and evocative images.
- ‘The Baby Formula’ - a warm and wry Canadian comedy where Athena and Lilith decide to forego men for a scientific experiment in pursuit of an all-female double pregnancy!
- A UK and Irish premiere of the phenomenal new film from Mexican auteur Julian Hernandez, Berlinale Teddy award-winner for Best Feature ‘Raging Sun, Raging Sky’
- ‘Drool’, a colourful, hilarious and provocative road-movie featuring Mullholland Drive’s Laura Harring.
- Cagney and Lacey star Sharon Gless co-stars in the European premiere of ‘Hannah Free’, adapted from the award-winning play. Despite their long relationship Hannah is prevented from visiting comatose Rachel until a kindly nurse and a curious young woman intervene.
- ‘Prodigal Sons’ documents its director’s return to small-town Montana for a high school reunion. But things are not quite as they seem as Kimberly encounters much more mysterious and surprising identity issues than expected.
- ‘Born in ’68’, is an ode to activism and a powerful alternative family saga that celebrates lives less ordinary.
- ‘Campillo, Yes I Do’, celebrates the power of the human spirit and inclusiveness. The film focuses on one small town in Spain with only 50 inhabitants who, led by its openly gay Major, happily welcome same sex couples worldwide get married in their country town.
QUEER HEROES – icons and local heroes whose stories inspire and encourage including:
- ‘Every Little Step’ which follows the new stage production of choreographer icon Michael Bennett’s A Chorus Line.
- John Greyson, acclaimed director returns with ‘Fig Trees’. This part documentary, part opera, part animation, part rallying political cry is a visual and aural explosion following Tim McCaskell and Zackie Achmat who hit the headlines after refusing to take anti-retroviral drugs until they were made available to all.
- Academy award-winning screenwriter (for Milk) Dustin Lance Black’s new feature ‘Pedro’ about ‘Real World’ HIV campaigner Pedro Zamora.
Cian Smyth, GAZE Film Festival Programme Director says: “What we’re showing in GAZE this year stands up with the best that any film festival in Ireland has to offer. This is a festival programme of some truly outstanding and alternative cinematic work. To see new work by John Greyson, Patricia Rozema, Maria Beatty, Allyson Mitchell and films about the Kuchar Brothers and Warwick Broadhead to name only very few highlights.”
Tickets are currently on sale for each of the events. For more information log onto www.gaze.ie
