r
üLtooe: ¿1. 2005 ' iU»t OUt 41
eatingout
After five years of European production,
Musawa put the publication in her hackpack
and returned to the Oregon women’s land she
co-founded in the 1970s, WHO (Women
Having Options) Farm. Renamed We’Mixin
Healing Ground, the community reflected a
focus on the nurturance of women and their
creative gifts, and an atmosphere that contin
ues to offer their children a different vision of
women’s significance.
2006 contributor Kim Antieau calls the
publication “an integral part of my life” and
says, “When 1 feel like 1 just cannot stand being
a stranger in this strange land one more minute,
I get We’Moon, sit at my kitchen table and flip
through it slowly, savoring the art and the
words. It is a nourishment 1 cherish all year
around.”
Production remains a volunteer activity and
a labor of love for those who have helped get
the calendar into the hands of its many fans.
This year’s theme is, appropriately, “In the
Spirit of Love.” 2006 special editor Bethroot
Gwynn calls the publication “a balm for the
sore heart in these oh-so-troubled times for the
human family.”
For more information call Mother Tongue
Ink at 877-693-6666 or e-mail
•
matrix@wemoon.ws.
—Patricia L. MacAodha
eatingout
eatingout
eatingout
Local Motion, a program of 20 films made in
Oregon.
In addition, the Canadian film A Curious
Shower is a meditation on the art of shower
taking. From Australia there’s Dentally
Disturbed, a comedy about the ramifications of
the disappearance of dental floss. On a dramatic
note, Danielle Lurie’s Sundance entry In the
Morning concerns a 13-year-old Turkish boy
who avenges a brutal attack on his sister.
PISS Fest! screens 7 and 9:10 p.m. Oct. 21
and 22 at Hollywood Theatre, 4122 N.E. Sandy
Blvd. Admission is $6.
—Stephen Blair
THE BEST GAY & LESBIAN FILMS
Short and sweet
If brevity is the soul of wit, then the 62
films in this year’s Portland International
Short Short Film Festival ought to be pretty
damned clever.
Now in its fourth year, PISS Fest! (as it is
affectionately called) limits the running time
Arriving just in time for Portland’s queer
of each film to 10 minutes or less, with a differ- : film fest, The Best Qay & Lesbian Films:
ent lineup of films set for each showtime.
Qlitter Awards 2005 (Blood Moon
Expect everything from glossy 35 mm produc
Productions, 2005; $23.95 softcover) is a won
tions to makeshift movies shot on Fisher-Price
derful guide through the maze of films offered
toy video cameras.
by independent filmmakers in the sexual
Queer content is hardly ubiquitous, but gays
minorities community. This is the official btxik
and lesbians do pop up in a couple of places.
of record for this year’s Glitter Awards, aka
Matt Donaldson’s Hello?, a film about loss and
“The Gay Oscars.”
madness, features a lesbian couple. And Bo
Offen against powerful <xlds, independent
Mehrad’s Ping Pong Love puts a gay couple front
filmmaking with gay and lesbian overtones is a
and center.
flourishing subculture in the United States.
Ping Pong Love is a lighthearted, borderline
This is a book about 37 of those films thought
insipid movie about a straight guy with a
to be the best in their genre. Most of the films
vicious case of writer’s block. He’s trying to pen
reviewed are strong in content, original in
a hetero romance, but two of his male neigh
themes and defiant of s<x:iety’s expectations. As
bors continually interrupt him. One is a blabby
you read, it is easy to see how these gutsy film
dork who incessantly bounces a pingpong ball
makers help change the audience’s perceptions
on a paddle, and the other is a nerdy, fastidious
of gay life. Their films challenge people’s views
type. The pair fall in love on the spot, and they
of the sexual minorities community as to what
look to the writer for advice on how to carry on
is “normal.” In this vein, authors Darwin
their courtship.
Porter, Danforth Prince and Theodora
The script and acting are so clunky that, at
Chowfatt have done a credible job in convey
times, it’s almost embarrassing to watch the
ing some of the creative dilemmas faced by
proceedings. That said, it's refreshing to see a
each of the filmmaking teams.
movie in which a queer relationship is present
In addition to reviews, you get to feast your
ed as a functional, everyday thing—not an
eyes on 300 photos that grace the pages. You
aberration from some hetero norm.
will find reviews and interviews with stars, pro
Nonhomo highlights of PISS Fest! include
ducers and directors, and you get to read what
mainstream critics had to say about
each film.
The text has an easy-to-read
style, but the book could stand a bit
more organization and clearly
defined sections. It is a bit difficult
to track some of the information
presented. The photographs need
more contrast to make them easier
on the eye.
If you are planning on attending
this year’s Portland Lesbian & Gay
Film Festival (continuing Oct. 22
and 23 at HollywcxxJ Theatre), you
will definitely want to kx>k for rhe
b(X)k, or you can order a copy online
at www.bkx xlrnix >npr<xlucti<jns.com.
Ping Pong Love screens 7 p.m. Oct. 21 during the Portland
—Suzanne Deakins
International Short Short Film Festival.
All that glitters
n
Imagine a wine bar where a glass of wine
doesn't cost as much as your mortage...
and your waiter is as cute as you are...
Retail
Music
Seminars
Winery tours
PARADISO
Flights
Gallery
Wine Tastings
Epiphany Menus
A Friendly Wine Bar A Bistro
417 NW TENTH AVE.
PORTLAND, OR 97209
phone 503.295 9530
VINOPARADISO.COM
FOR A GREAT STEAK,
LOOK FOR
THE
REVOLVING
STEAK SIGN
fen'l'tg all
Sl»ce
..
Our revolving steak sign has become a
landmark in Portland. A sign of quality.
Where you know you can get a great
steak dinner at a fair price.