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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 6, 2002)
24J Liam! C amera ! (LOTS O P CAY) A ction ! PHOTO BY S ensory P erceptions has bic thincs IN STORE EOR THE EILM TEST— AND MAYBE EVEN BEYOND by L isa B radshaw nke the hunky Portland-grown filmmaker Miles Swain, funny San Diego director Helen Lesnick, Steve Guttenherg, small-town hutches, queer crip artists, hathrmm sex, bisexual husbands, transsexual MPs, torrid love affairs and flirty Slovenian girls— toss in a few lost souls— and what have you got? T he sixth annual Portland Lesbian Gay Ri Trans Film Festi val, slamming its way into Cinema 21 from Sept. 20 to 29. T h e volunteers of Sensory Perceptions, who usher in the festival every year with no foresee able end in sight, have increased the programming this year to 32 total screenings. They have gixxJ reason. A year ago the festival began 10 days after Sept. 11. “List year," says executive director John Cam- p.», “our concern was O h God, can this festival still p u m ’ Q m we set primer We couldn't contact From |eft> , ohn Ca G * c W Mendoza, Debbie Caselton and reclining volunteer coordinator pcs,pie; we dtdn t know if they were alive or not. But, he continues, something wonderful happened. Topher W ailace on , he shows. ( I W t , th do„ ,, let them work the counter.) everything arrived on time, everyone was great, and our attendance increased by 34 percent. W ith those kind of numbers, it’s time to up the ante and see if people continue to attend in they’re of high quality and because they’re so diverse. T h e festival has, continues Mendez, “a lot of droves. If they do, the nonprofit wants to expand its offerings. T he film festival would remain at the documentaries that represent a wide variety of experiences.” heart of its efforts, hut, says artistic director Gabriel Mendoza, “we’d like to see Sensory Perceptions Beyomi Vanilla, for instance, explores the kinkier aspects of sexuality. Admittedly, the folks of become an all-around arts organization, focusing mostly on queer interest...branch out into theater Sensory Perceptions are not beyond vanilla hut love the film. “It’s explicit," says development and performance art or bring gay and lesbian authors to town, that sort of thing.” director Debbie Caselton, “hut it moved really well; it kept my attention the whole time. I might It does rely, however, on audience participation in the festival. “There really is no show without have been shix:ked, hut I like it." Mirim. an audience," Mendoza admits. And no expansion without a solid film festival base. Some Real Heat, a documentary about female firefighters in San Francisco and hailed by the In the meantime, all four members o f Sensory Perceptions arc humming around the city ordering whole team as one of the best films of the festival, is more up C aselton’s alley. “T he women are films, organizing nonfilm events, obtaining sponsors, publicizing and reining in volunteers. good-looking,” she assures. “T h e unifonn, you know." And they’re humming about the extraordinary film lineup, which includes 17 features, eight T he popular Boys Shorts and Girls Shorts programs have been increased from one each to two, shorts programs, six documentaries and the trademark closing night sneak preview. Roth opening which make up only half the scheduled shorts. “O nce again,” comments Mendez, “there’s just a lot night films (T he Trip and A Family A ffair) include the directors in tow, and actor Steve Guttenherg of diversity of people’s experience, and that’s the best thing about the festival. T he shorts really will attend the Sept. 22 screening of his directorial dehut, P.S. Your C at Is Dead. show that in a big way." T he goal is to bring in the best o f the best they’ve seen from around the country, always with an Mendez is particularly taken with a collage of films titled Raw, which is composed of three- eye on representing the diversity of the gay, lesbian, hi and trans community. “We always want to minute shorts by New York filmmakers. “Even if it’s not directly about 9/11,” he speculates, “it get stuff that is new or [that] you’re not going to see next week,” Mendez notes. really comes across...especially the Manhattan crowd...you don’t even really identify what it is; it T he documentaries and shorts programs arc both ranking high on organizers’ lists this year because becomes a part of our culture...a part of the way we th in k ...it’s pretty powerful." * Campos shares his own Portland-based Sept. 11 reactions in regard to the festival. “I’ve had a lot to think a lx x it.. .what my life is about and my point in life. Rut really at the film festival last year, so many people gave us perspective on that by thanking us for being able to, number one, escape things that were going on but, two, being able to see things that otherwise they would never see." And that’s the whole point for Sensory Perceptions. “You can arguably say that film is the greatest fVERYTUIIIC YOU I1EED TO MOW art fonn ever,” asserts Mendez. “It’s visual, it’s intellectual, it covers the whole gam ut...if you have a voice or you want to communicate, having it on film really defines its importance. You’ve got people, if TO MARE YOUR WAY II1TO THE EESTIVAl ytxj were telling a story, who won’t respond to it, hut when they see it, it takes on an extraordinary life of its own— it’s almost supernatural. Recause of that, having gay films or any other minority or disen franchised group, anykxly who...isn’t represented as a whole, it’s very important. Really, in a nutshell, that’s what we’re doing." J H All screenings are at Cinem a 2 1 , 6 1 6 N.W. 21st Ave. You can park free at the 3-2-1 Acnon! P lace Legacy/Gcxxl Samaritan parking structure at 22nd Avenue and Kearney Street two hkxiks north and one bltxzk west of the theater. T ickets Single tickets to all programs are $7 and available in advance at www.ticketweb.OYm or 866-468-7623. Tickets may be purchased at the Cinema 21 box office the day of the show. The box office opens cine h<xir before the day’s first show. P asses Half Passes for the festival are $75 and allow you into 16 shows (that’s $4.69 a program) and to the Sixth Anniversary Gala. Full passes are $125 and get yixi into all 32 shows (that’s $3.91 a prtYgram) and the gala. Platinum passes are $175, get you into all 32 shows and the gala, and allow you to enter the theater at any time and sit in a special reserved section. According to organizers, you will “be treated like royalty.” Passes are available online, at Balkxrns on Broadway and at Gai-Pied. Ytxi can also buy passes at the will call table at Cinem a 21, which opens one htxir before the day’s first show. See Page 27 for a complete list o f programs or pick up a P o rtland LESBIAN G ay Rl T rans F ilm FESTIVAL guide at area venues. Visit www.sensoryperceptions.org for an online guide. LlSA R r a DSHAW is the Arts and Culture Editor at Just O ut. W hat E lse ? I ts nor just about movies qiiymore m Sensory Perceptions invites you to In Vino We Trust, a wine-tasting benefit 7 p.m. Sept. 10 at Crush, 1412 S.E. Morrison St. Food, music, prizes (in the form o f the coveted festival passes), all hosted by wine-swilling gcxJdess Rhea Neati. Tickets are $ 2 0 in advance from www.ticketweb.com or at Crush. Sensory Perceptions also invites you to the Sixth Anniversary Gala 8 p.m. Sept. 22 at the Fez Ballroom, 316 S.W . 11th Ave. Food, drink specials, dancing, entertainm ent and prizes. A festival pass or $7 gets you in. Join them, won’t you?
