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Film festival feedback
Sensory Perceptions organizers reflect
on another successful year
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... t h e y ’ve been
I
doubles.
J im R a d o s t a
nyone who attended
opening or closing
night of last month’s
queer film festival
already knows it was a
smashing success. Lines
snaked out the door and
around the comer, empty
seats were nowhere to he
found, and the receptive
audience was loud and
energetic.
But just how successful
was Sensory Perceptions?
Let us count the ways.
Attendance grew by
about 30 percent over last
year, hundreds of feedback
Produced and shot in Oregon, E b a n an d C h arley was among the
cards were filled with over
festival favorites
whelmingly positive re
everyone, but they
sponses, and three shows sold out— a festival
sure do try. This
first. Not bad for a 4-year-old operation.
year’s slate included
“I think in some ways we’ve grown into
eight gay, seven les
young adulthood as an organization,” festival
bian and three trans
director Maura King says. “W e’ve certainly got
gendered programs.
ten our feet wet and learned how to swim.”
Among the
The only gripe turned out to he something
tossups was the
that’s beyond the festival organizers’ control.
Japanese film I.K.U.,
Some audience members thought Hollywood pro
a last-minute addi
duced a particularly weak crop of films this year.
tion Mendoza says
“T hat’s one of the interesting things about a
should’ve appealed to
festival,” Sensory Perceptions publicist Gabriel
gay, lesbian, straight,
Mendoza says. “They seem to attract a wide
Maura King
hi and even trans
variety of people with wildly diverging tastes.”
And the audience is getting more diverse
audience members alike. Instead, it was the fes
every year. King was delighted to see all
tival’s least popular entry.
types— gay and straight, artsy and main
“I.K.U. is a provocative, well-fashioned,
stream— converge at Cinema 21 from all over:
beautifully made film by a talented, uncompro
southwestern Washington, Eugene, Portland
mising, up-and-coming lesbian director,” M en
and the suburbs.
doza says. “There were very angry reactions*to
But therein lies more room for improve
the film with comments that it wasn’t gay
ment. For all the progress that has been made
enough or that it was even insulting.
in attracting new festivalgoers, the audience
“O n ce again, people want films to direct
remains segregated.
ly reflect their experience. I . K . U . is an
“As has always been the case, the gay films
exploration of, not a validation of, alterna
were almost 100 percent men, and the lesbian
tive sexuality.”
films were almost 100 percent female in atten
As for financial success, Sensory Percep
dance,” says Mendoza, who finds this trend
tions continues to struggle to break even. But
unfortunate. “1 think as a community of lesbians,
because it is a nonprofit organization, the main
gays, his and transgendered folks, we wait and
money matter is to build a strong support base.
expect recognition from mainstream culture, yet
“Financial success can always he defined in
we aren’t quite able to extend that courtesy to
different ways,” King says. “We continue to
the other sex in our own community.”
receive support from our community both
Festival organizers realize you can’t please
locally and nationally, and without this support
we really wouldn’t even be able to book our
films.
“Are we getting rich? I’d have to say no.”
One way Sensory Perceptions stays afloat is
by holding events throughout the year instead
he C 1T V Viewers Choice Award will
of concentrating solely on the festival. King
honor the top audience pick with $1,000
promises several screenings as well as one or
as well as a possible television distribution
two programs of short films that didn’t make
deal. The winner has yet to be announced, but
the cut because the field of possible selections
these were among this year’s favorites:
was so crowded.
• Get Your Stuff
The remedy to this congestion could come
• Ebon and Charley
as soon as next year. Mendoza says the festival
• W hat’s C ooking?
might expand from two weekends to a week-
• Annie and Jaguar
long event.
• The Broken Hearts Club
“I’m really confident that our motley crew is
• I’m the One That I Want
up for the challenge,” King says. “W e’re all the
• “Rick and Steve: The Happiest Gay Cou
type who are happiest when busy doing things
ple in All the World” (Boys Shorts)
we love.”
• “Davie Street Blues” (Boys Shorts)
• “Wonderland” (Girls Shorts)
To volunteer or to becom e a m em ber o f
• “Baking with Butch” (Girls Shorts)
S ensory P er c e p tio n s , call 5 0 J4 4 9 -8 7 7 2 or
Best of the test
T
in
11-6 MON-SAT. 12-6 SUN, 226-8141
visit the Internet site wwsv.sensoryperceptions.org.