The Abominable Crime – when your love is against the law

The Abominable Crime is a documentary that follows the lives of two LGBT people from Jamaica, highlighting the homophobia in the country and the anti-gay violence which has been on the increase by around 400% since 2011. It that gives voice to gay Jamaicans who, in the face of endemic anti-gay violence, are forced to flee their homeland. 

Rating:

 
 

When you think of Jamaica, most people think of an exotic holiday destination; few probably know of the dangers that LGBT people and those associated with them face.

This documentary follows Simone over a period of 4 years, from her being shot when it was discovered that she was a lesbian. She lived to tell the tale, and spent 4 years trying to flee Jamaica then working to be reunited with her daughter who she had to leave behind.

We also meet Maurice, who is one of Jamaica’s leading gay rights activists, married to a Canadian, but working hard to make life better for his LGBT compatriots, often putting his life at serious risk.

There are some shocking facts in this documentary; and it is not for bedtime viewing. However the documentary is well shot and whilst it is informative and heart wrenching, it is not graphic and does not contain footage of violence. It is very well produced and acts as a reminder that whilst we may be safe in our own country many places like Jamaica still have a long way to go.

As one of the 78 countries where homosexuality is a criminal offence, and whereby murders are on the rise; this documentary does well to raise the issues whilst giving a message of hope.

For this documentary does have a happy ending for those we meet. It is a stark reminder of the problems in this and many of the other countries facing similar problems; however it also includes a glimmer of hope to it, the perfect balance.

This documentary is timed well, with recent news articles around Russia and Uganda and Arizona and anti-gay law on the rise.

 

http://abominablecrimefilm.com/

The Abominable Crime was produced by Common Good Productions with funding from The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. The Pulitzer Center promotes in-depth engagement with global affairs through its sponsorship of quality international journalism across all media platforms and an innovative program of outreach and education. The Center's reporting on HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean is supported by the MAC AIDS Fund.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Abominable-Crime-Film/549581698395229

Length: 68 minutes

Awards: Winner Best Documentary, 8^th Annual Belize International Film Festival

             

By Naomi

I Do - Two words can change everything

I Do - available from Peccadillo Pictures on from Monday 28 October. Details on how to buy your copy (or win one!) are at the bottom of the article. 

I Do is an LGBT film that stands out, in terms of its quality and the way it focuses on a gay issue without over doing the gayness of it.

Whilst looking after his niece and sister-in-law (Alicia Witt), Jack (David W. Ross from 90s boy band, Bad Boys Inc) a British gay man living in in New York City, finds himself at risk of losing his family when his work visa is denied. Threatened with deportation he has to compromise his ideals in order stay in the USA and enters into a marriage of convenience with his lesbian best friend, Ali (THE SOPRANOS star, Jamie-Lynn Sigler). The couple quickly wed but have to prove the validity of their marriage to the authorities.

Whilst Jack and Ali live a contented married life, Jack meets the Spanish, Mano (Maurice Compte) and they fall madly in love with each other. 

Because of this whirlwind romance Ali feels that her new husband is neglecting her and decides that she wants to leave. What occurs is a revelation that Jack had never considered; his gay relationship is not recognised in the eyes of American federal law.

The themes of I Do are universal, which is why the film has such wide appeal. It's not a political drama about equal marriage, it's not a gay romance film. It's about the complications within families and situations where there are children, in-laws, death and new love. Typically, the new relationship has a giant barrier to overcome if it is going to be successful. Through these complexities, Ross is able to explore the irritatingly frustrating DOMA laws that affected the ability for same sex couples to apply for green cards based on their relationship status.

David W Ross says "I Do started off life as a broad gay comedy." However as the story developed, and real experiences, stories of gay couples' green card dilemmas became known to Ross, including a personal experience of losing a partner back to the UK, the drama unfolded.
He says "I wanted to show a "slice of life" of the gay experience without glossing over anything. I was very vocal during the making of the film to make sure we stayed on track. After working with and meeting so many couples effected by the Defense Of Marriage Act I thought it would do them and the issue a disservice if we went the brightly-lit comedy route."

 

Additionally, there was a clear lack of understanding within the LGBTI community and outside it, when it came to green card rules and federal law. Although at the time of filming, gay marriage was legal in some states, there was not a federal level recognition of the relationship meaning it did not qualify for green card acceptance.

Did the film have a role to play in the overturning of DOMA legislation? Ross jokes that "Some of my twitter folks thought perhaps the Supreme Court justices saw the film which swayed their vote. I'd love to think the film was seen by people in Washington." 

However it's more likely that the timing was right for the film, as Ross remarks, "I think the tide was turning and I DO now fits nicely in a place where people can see why change was necessary. Why marriage equality is so important. how it effects everyone, not just the couple desperate to stay together. There is a global struggle for LGBTI people, let's not forget."

From the early idea to a 2013 release, there was a 9 year labour-of-love journey for Ross and his team. It's a independent film and as producer Ross had to work hard to generate funding for the production. "I started the original Kickstarter in February 14th 2011. Romantic fool that I am. My dream was to have the film out by the end of 2012 for the run up to the presidential elections. We were in festivals at that time.... I really wanted this story to be told so there was a documentation of how gay people were treated in America."

The work isn't over yet as I Do is still touring festivals and gearing up for it's UK release.

Ross is also planning the next feature, which may go into production next year, as well as exploring options for more acting roles, and holding onto a desire to do some with in the UK too.

Get yourself a copy!!

Available: Amazon & Video on Demand from Monday 28 October.
WIN: Visit our competition page and answer 'What boy band was David W Ross, writer, producer and star of I Do a member of in the 1990s?'

#LLGFF: Thick Relations (dir. Jules Rosskam)

“Thick Relations” defies traditional description as either fiction or non-fiction as the cast play improvised versions of themselves and the lives they inhabit but then I suspect the last thing the people involved would ever wish to be described as is traditional. We are given an all too brief invite into one section of the Chicago queer world where the label LGBT barely begins to scratch the surface. 

There we meet a community of people some of whom may well have felt themselves marginalised and judged. Not just within the straight world but also within the LGBT world but they have refused to be cowed and gone on to create a family related by choice rather than DNA. It’s a family which would have the Daily Mail foaming at the mouth, (that’s a hugecompliment by the way), but is as loving and supportive as anybody could wish for.

Occasionally the non-professional status of the cast shows but it’s a small price to pay for the willingness to throw the doors open and invite us strangers into what is essentially their private lives. This astounding level of honesty is worth the risk however because what Jules Rosskam’s film demonstrates is that family can mean many things but at its core is love and support. If anyone can tell me where the bar is I’d love to pay a visit.

By Laura

 

#LLGFF: Les Invisibles (dir. Sébastien Lifshitz) & Lesbiana: A Parallel Revolution (dir. Myriam Fougère)

By sheer chance I ended up watching these two films back to back and they turned out to be excellent companion pieces, “Les Invisibles” tells the story of ageing gay men and women if France whilst “Lesbiana: A Parallel Revolution” charts the rise of the feminist movement in the US and Canada. The subjects of “Les Invisibles” were born between the 1920s and the end of World War 2. The women in “Lesbiana” are mostly of the baby boomer generation and as the stories of “Les Invisbles” are coming towards an end with the birth of the gay rights movement in France in the the 1970s “Lesbiana” is just starting out with the rise of the feminist and gay rights movements in the USA and Canada.

Given that the individuals speaking in “Les Invisible” survived by keeping their sexuality secret there is a limited amount of archive film available. Instead their stories are told over modern footage of their current selves in an area of France so achingly beautiful it is hard to believe that anything bad ever happened to anyone. 

Their stories are fascinating and there is an argument to be made that each individual or couple would have been better served by a series of one hour documentaries instead of a two hour film which interweaves the stories but the power of the stories still leaves me wanting much more. But that brings to my one major criticism of the film, much as I’d like to tell you more about the couple who met when the godson of one decided his godfather, at the age of seventy, needed a new partner and posted an ad on a dating website or the woman who made the most of her youth but whose sexual confidence went with the menopause I can’t. 

Names are not used, instead I can only talk about the woman who ... or the man who ... The participants are of an age where most of us would think they deserved a bit of peace and quiet if that’s what they want but by agreeing to be in this film each has actively chosen to out themselves in a spectacular way but by refusing to use names the film has rendered them invisible again.

The stories in “Lesbiana” obviously benefit from being part of a recent well documented political movement. We can see the original footage and compare it with the reflective current thoughts of the interviewees. 

The late 1960s and 1970s saw a burgeoning of political rights movements which included the feminist movement which fed into the nascent lesbian and gay rights movement. It’s interesting to see how, once the lesbian part of the movement gained momentum there was a necessary learning curve of ‘just because we are all lesbian doesn’t mean we are all the same lesbian’. An African American woman will have a very different experience to someone whose cultural background is Jewish or native American or northern European. Some will choose to live in women only settlements, some as part of main street society. 

This growing understanding that although everyone in the room shares the same sexuality there are many different identities within the room has continued to inform the movement and goes someway to explaining ongoing arguments within the lesbian world. 

It was these women and their male counterparts who brought us equal employment rights, maternity rights and are still fighting for marriage equality but both films make the same point. These right should not be assumed to be permanent. The ongoing recession in the west is giving new voice to conservative voice including those within the UK who oppose equal marriage rights.

“Lesbiana: A Parallel Revolution” and “Les Invisibles” are two incredibly powerful films but they are a call to action not a reason to rest on our laurels.

By Laura

 

#LLGFF: Margarita dir. Dominique Cardona, Laurie Colbert

“Margarita” is a gorgeous feel good film about a Mexican nanny who makes Mary Poppins look  like a light weight as she takes care of a well meaning but ineffectual Canadian couple and their fourteen year old daughter who would happily trade Mum and Dad for Margarita. For all that Margarita has lived with the family for six years they have failed to notice that she is an illegal immigrant with no legal rights. 

A combination of collapsing middle class finances and a minor cycling accident bring Margarita to the attention of the immigration services and she is given one week to leave Canada, the life she has built, the woman she has asked to marry her and return to a country she barely knows anymore.

At last everyone wakes up and rallies to Margarita’s defence. The one sure fire way to keep her in the country is for Margarita to marry. They all offer – Carlos the pool man, Jane her adored lover, Ben her straight employer offers to divorce his wife, Gail, so he can marry Margarita and Gail points out that the lesbian nanny is much more likely to have an affair with the woman of the house than the man and as same sex marriages are legal in Canada she too offers to marry Margarita. To everyone’s astonishment Margarita turns them all down but why? Turns out Mary Poppins does have a human flaw after al and it is left to the only person who can’t marry Margarita, fourteen year old Mali, to offer the words of wisdom that set Margarita on the right track.

Whilst Margarita’s sexuality is central to who she is it’s a side issue to the film, Margarita is not tormented by her sexuality, her relationship with Jane is as stable as the heterosexual ones around her, her employers don’t care that Jane sometimes sleeps over, they’re happy for their daughter to be cared for by an openly gay woman and the daughter clearly thrives on the care she receives. Margarita’s sexuality is no more significant to the film than her eye colour or her employer’s profession. It’s accepted and that feels good.

Take any opportunity you can to see this film. Grab you girlfriend, (Or the one you want to be your girlfriend.), and go, she’ll be putty in your hands, then savour the DVD as perfect under a duvet Sunday afternoon viewing. “Margarita” is a gem.

By Laura

 

#LLGFF: Mosquita y Mari dir. Aurora Guerrero

“Mosquita y Mari” is set in a Hispanic area of Los Angeles where poverty is never further than a few streets away. 

Two teenage girls meet in their high school class; quiet bookish Mosquita who doesn’t get why the other girls in her class make such a fuss over the and feisty street smart Mari who has just arrived at the school. 

Both are outsiders but as Mosquita keeps to her promise of helping Mari catch up with her maths studies a relationship begins to develop. 

Each has difficulties at home. Mosquita is the only child of older parents whose fear of the poverty they have escaped means the only version of Mosquita they are interested in is the straight A student. Mari is the older child in a single parent illegal immigrant parent family.  Poverty, with its endless moonlight flits and new schools have hardened her, making it difficult for her to forge new friendships and she is teetering on the edge of prostitution to help the family survive. 

Happily the parents are so busy worrying about unsuitable boys that they encourage the girls to spend time together, giving them the space they need to learn to trust each other and take the first tentative steps towards a loving adult relationship.

By Laura

 

#LLGFF: Molly’s Girl dir. Scott R. Thompson

Mercedes, an uptight LGBT political lobbiest, has just been dumped by her fiancé when she bumps into kooky Molly in a bar. We know Molly is kooky because we have seen her disastrous attempts at speed dating and she is constantly nearly being run over. Too busy staring at herself in a mirror with her name written on the back to check traffic. 

Molly has clearly been modelled on Phoebe from “Friends” but with the volume ramped up so far past eleven that we’ve long since left kooky behind and entered into the area of mental health problems. 

Alcohol is consumed, they end up sleeping together and before you know it Mercedes has taken out a restraining order to keep ‘kooky’ Molly out of her life. Naturally kooky Molly ignores this minor detail. 

Then, would you believe it, of all the outlandish attention seeking stories that Molly tells, the one which actually turns out to be true is that her father really is a state senator. What’s more he is an independent state senator who could be persuaded to vote in favour of the equal marriage rights bill Mercedes is promoting, yes the vote is on a knife edge and it is happening soon. Suddenly Mercedes is volunteering to go with Molly to the father’s much dreaded birthday party and pretend Molly is her lesbian lover.

Would it surprise you to find out that Molly’s family are such a bunch of reactionary bible thumping horrors that if Molly had turned out to be an axe wielding murderer rather than just ‘kooky’ it would have seemed a reasonable response? 

And since we’re firmly in cliché land at least two members of the family are in the closet. Molly isn’t one of them, she’s only pretending for attention. The characters in this film are so deeply unsympathetic that by the time Molly began to sing her ‘love me as I am’ song squarely paving the way for the required happy ending, for Mercedes at least, I would have given anything to be listening to “Smelly Cat”. Hats off to whoever wrote the festival guide and found a way to describe this as a comedy. I found it offensive.

By Laura

#LLGFF: Facing Mirrors dir. Aynehaye Rooberoo

Origin: Iran

Director: Aynehaye Rooberoo

“Facing Mirrors” begins with a lie, ends with a truth, and in-between we discover that it is possible for help and understanding to come from the most unexpected people. 

Rana is a socially conservative young woman visiting her husband in prison. She tells him that her friend’s nephew is borrowing their car to work as a taxi driver and the rent he pays on the vehicle helps support the family whilst the husband is absent. Truth is Rana is the taxi driver but in Iran for a woman to drive a car on her own is synonymous with being a prostitute. 

This work brings Rana into contact with people, male and female, who are more than willing to make their own assumptions about her morality. One of those people not only turns out to be an unexpected hero but also the catalyst for Rana to challenge her own assumptions.

Edi is escaping Tehran where his father is trying to force him into an arranged marriage. Rana is on a rural road being pursued by two men who have the worst of intentions towards her, when Edi rescues her. 

Initially, Edi is solely interested in Rana’s ability to take him far from where he is and Rana is solely interested in the hugely extravagant fare he is willing to pay but it’s a long journey and there is nothing much to do but talk.  Gradually they open up to each other to the point that Edi admits he is actually Adineh with her hair shorn short and the reason her father wants her back in Tehran is that a forced marriage is far better than the shame Edi will bring on the family if he is allowed to go through with gender reassignment surgery he has arranged in Germany. 

Rana struggles with this information, trying to reconcile the clearly caring and honourable person she is travelling with against the sexual deviant her upbringing teaches her to see Edi as. In a short scene, touching in its simplicity, it is Rana’s young son who sees Edi solely as the man happy to play football with him whilst his father is away that helps Rana to overcome her social conditioning. Finally she is able to see Edi as what he is, a young man trying to find his way in an often confusing world. In accepting Edi’s reality Rana also frees herself to be honest with her husband.

The world that Edi and Rana inhabit with its incredibly restrictive moral code is hard for those of us who have grown up in the late twentieth century western world to fully comprehend. 

This gripping film gives a glimpse not just into that world but also how it is possible for us to move beyond what we were taught as children and see an individual as an individual.

By Laura

#LLGFF: Routes of Acceptance, dir. Heather Tobin

Three for the price of one...

This concept film, a take on Sliding Doors, if you will, does something I've never seen before in a film - gives the audience three versions of Ryan's life, as we see what would happen depending on which University acceptance she chooses. 

Three very different outcomes follow - although Ryan herself doesn't change too much, just the situations around her. It highlights the importance and consequences of these big decisions in a young person's life... but also shows us that whatever path we take, there will be good times and bad times, laughter and sorrow.

The film is deliberately confusing and ambiguous as it flows between the possible futures, and overlaps common moments and recurring people (soul mates, perhaps?) - emphasising the cloudy nature of what might come in any of our lives, any of the routes we may take.

Emily Alatalo is outstanding and captivating as Ryan, and Ryan subtly portrayed across all the different circumstances. She is ably supported by Ryan Barrett as her brother and Yvonne Gautier as his fiancee Emily, who crop up in the different paths, having significant roles in Ryan's future.

By Katie

#LLGFF: Submerge

Dir. Sophie O'Connor
Writer: Kat Holmes

Set in Melbourne, swimmer and student Jordan, with Olympic hopes, is your girl next door lesbian, at ease with her sexual orientation and enjoying her young adult life - athough at times she struggles to stay afloat in her highly pressurised drive for success in both swimming and academia - often at conflict with each other.

As her desire for a potential career in history academia grows, so does her passion for her tutor, the Professor's beautiful wife Angie. Her new interests distract Jordan from her rigorous swimming training routine, as dictated by her enthusiastic parents, but also give Jordan a chance to explore taking control of her own life and her own feelings. There is clear chemistry between Angie and Jordan and creates a genuine support for their relationship to develop.

When things don't work out as she wanted in her risky new interests, Jordon starts on a path of self desruction that threaten to leave her with nothing and having to move back home to her parents. We are taken from the pool and student life to the darker side of LGBT sub culture, S&M, drugs and sexual liberation are treated with respect and not just an excuse to bring sex into the storyline.

It's a postmodern story, told through different lenses, reflections and refractions. Self awareness and self judgement is a key theme - the modern human condition - as is the exploration of what it takes to break through the surface and submerge into emotional depth.

submerge took  nine years to go from script to screen. It's one of the first Lesbian Australian features ever, and persevered to actuality through no financing (it was shot in 2 stages as the producers rallied for the cash to make it happen, thank goodness for a patient talent and crew) and a growing global lesbian media presence.

There is no distrubtor currently. submerge will  travel the festival circuit and use social media promotion to spread the word. It's definitely worth a view and worth of the support of the community to increase its visibility.

By Katie
 

Topp Twins Untouchable Girls

I was invited to attend a special screening of the TOPP TWINS Documentary. If I'm totally honest I was expecting some dreary life story of two struggling lesbian comedians. But what i got was totally different.

This film follows the lives of two Country Singing, comedy lesbian twins, whose closeness and free spirited approach to life is something to be admired.

The audience goes on a very uplifting journey of their lives in the Country Music scene in New Zealand. It focuses on their political view points in a light-hearted way but with very strong beliefs in women and gay rights.

The main highlight of this film is the multifaceted characters they play out in front of packed audiences.

Some of their regular characters include Ken and Ken, two older sophisticated gentlemen with an eye for the ladies, Camp Mother and Camp Leader, two outrageously outrageous women, Belle and Bell, fabulous yodellers and many many more.

They put on a colourful, energetic showcase of pure fun and some very impressive singing.
Think a Kiwi version of French and Saunders but Country and Western style.

In my opinion, this is a powerful piece of companionship, friendship, love, free spirited, easy going lifestyle we should all strive to. Its about two successful, genuinely enjoying life twins who are out and proud. I genuinely felt like i want to stand up and cheer...

It's beautifully shot, with a montage of unseen footage from the late 70’s right through to the 90’s. It follows their highs, lows and loves, how they survived and where they are now. It has highs, lows, jokes, songs, interviews and many genius gags which will put a smile on even the Republicans faces.

Go and see this film... it will leave you feeling uplifted and loaded with some funny one liners to amuse your mates with. But be warned, there is an emotional twist.