Film Fest

Dirty Girl Opens Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Fest This Friday

By Laura Dannen October 12, 2011

Now in its 16th year, the Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival brings the best in queer cinema, including closing-night documentary Vito about gay rights activist Vito Russo, whose groundbreaking book about homosexuality in Hollywood movies, The Celluloid Closet (1981), paved the way for festivals like this one.

But the party kicks off with significantly more kitsch. Juno Temple stars as a naughty Oklahoma schoolgirl in new release Dirty Girl, which opens the festival on Friday, October 14, at Egyptian Theatre.

Here’s a rundown of all the gala screenings (click on the links for trailers):

Opening Night: Dirty Girl
Friday, October 14, 7:30pm, Egyptian Theatre

Danielle (Juno Temple) is the easiest girl at Norman High School. Clarke (Jeremy Dozier) is a closeted loner whose father wants to ship him off to military school. The two skip town (road trip!) to find Danielle’s estranged father and solve all her daddy issues. Mary Steenburgen, William H. Macy, and Milla Jovovich costar.

Centerpiece: Leave It On the Floor
Sunday, October 16, 7pm, Egyptian Theatre
This modern reboot of Paris Is Burning explores the underground drag ball scene in Los Angeles, with choreography by Frank Gatson Jr, the man behind Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” video.

Centerpiece: Wish Me Away
Friday, October 21, 7:15pm, AMC Pacific Place
A little over a year ago, Chely Wright became the biggest country music star to come out. It didn’t go over so well. “Country music would rather an artist be a drunk—they even encourage and endorse that one,” she told the LA Times shortly after. This is her story.

Closing Night: Vito
Sunday, October 23, 6:30pm, Cinerama

Director Jeffrey Schwarz interviews Vito’s family and friends—including Armistead Maupin, Jeffrey Friedman, Rob Epstein, and Lily Tomlin—to create a portrait of the activist who gave the LGBT film community a voice.

The Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, cosponsored by Seattle Met, runs October 14–23 with screenings at the Admiral, Egyptian, Cinerama, AMC Pacific Place, Central Cinema, and Northwest Film Forum. Single tickets are $7–$35; festival passes are $80-$200. For the full lineup, visit threedollarbillcinema.org.

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