Feb 16, 2007  |  By: HARRIETTE YAH  | COMMENTS     

PARK CITY, Utah — The annual Sundance Film Festival held here can yield great things for queer cinema (witness last year’s award-winning “Quinceañera” or 2001’s “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”). Often, the films screened at Sundance head out to the gay film festival circuit, so plan on seeing some of these flicks at your local festival or perhaps in a more mainstream venue.

“Save Me,” co-written by Craig Chester (“Adam & Steve”) and directed by Robert Cary, tells the story of Mark (Chad Allen) who falls in love with Scott (Robert Gant) after a failed attempt at conversion therapy at a gay rehabilitation center called Genesis. Sweet and unassuming — to its big screen detriment — “Save Me” plays more like a television movie than a theatrical film. You get that sense from the leading music and shot composition; the presence of TV-mainstay Judith Light, richly on mark as the rehab mom, adds to the small screen feel. The film’s attempt to portray the circumstances of men caught between identity and faith is worthy, though. And perhaps its sweet and pure feel — with the exception of an opening sex and cocaine melee there’s nothing raw in sight — is meant to appeal to that cross-section of folks who, well, are sweet and pure, and might find “Save Me’s” content unabashedly inoffensive. Watch for the film to have solid festival play and a queer cable life with DVD sales winning out over a theatrical run.   

“For The Bible Tells Me So” brilliantly crafts the stories of Christian gays and lesbians and their families who are grappling with and coming to terms with faith and queer sexuality. Included in the film are Gene Robinson (the first openly gay Episcopal bishop) and the inspiring young Jake Reitan, who risks arrest with his parents as they attempt to deliver a letter about their family’s values to the Focus on the Family headquarters in Colorado Springs.

Rounding out the gays and religion theme at Sundance was “The Protagonist.” This ambitiously conceived though unevenly executed documentary by Jessica Yu weaves together the life stories of four men meant to be characters — or “protagonists”— in their own evolving life dramas following the arc of classic Euripidean story structure. Mark Salzman is the gay one of the bunch, the charismatic light of the film, a man who was once an “ex-gay” evangelist and is now happily at peace with both his faith and gay life.

Closing night brought “Life Support” to Sundance. Billed as a look into the world of AIDS and the African-American community, the film has a gay character central to its plot, Amare (played by Evan Ross, Diana Ross’ son). “Life Support” beautifully tells the story of a community underrepresented on the screen: inner city blacks living on the down low, struggling with AIDS and HIV. Queen Latifah is excellent as an ex crack-addicted mother who becomes an AIDS activist. Unfortunately “Life Support’s” cable airing in March may nix its play at a festival near you, so catch it on HBO when you can.

SUNDANCE IS ALSO about networking, and gay people have their very own hub. The Queer Lounge, an independently run hotspot for queer and queer-friendly professionals and film-lovers founded by Ellen Huang, changed locations this year from its previous close-to-Main-Street spot. The new off-the-beaten-path venue made up for its lowered foot traffic by offering a cozy respite from the festival madness, solid programming, celebrity sightings, pool parties and plenty of fun swag.

Filmmaking panels at the Queer Lounge included “The Religious Agenda: Gays, Faith, and Film” and “Online & Original: Filmed Content on the Web.” Among the celebrities who stopped by the Queer Lounge were Lili Taylor, Chrissy and Dick Gephardt, Here! Tunes artist Stewart Lewis and “L Word” stars Katherine Moennig (Shane) and Leisha Hailey (Alice).

Among Sundance films with lesbian content was “Tuli,” a humble tale shot on video from the Philippines, from gay director Auraeus Solito (“The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros”). Opening with the circumcision of young boys, Tuli eventually evolves into a story of a young woman forging a path of her own in the face of her controlling father and conservative cultural norms. It’s not theatrical, and unfortunately the lush surroundings lose their cinematic flavor due to the flat video look, but for the small niche audience whose story it’s telling, Tuli will have resonance.

Even though the overall number of queer screenings were down this year at Sundance, the business — and celebration — of the gay film world was in full swing, setting the stage for future queer cinema, in Park City and beyond.