The first annual Hollywood Gay Film Awards were announced to recognize gay theme films that have had limited theatrical releases and have been overlooked by the main stream awards shows. These films, strong in content, original in themes and defiant to society’s expectations is what has made the independent vision of filmmaking what it is today. By changing perceptions of gay life and enhancing the community’s visibility worldwide through film, the independent gay films nominated have challenged people’s ideas of what’s normal and accepted.
The Award show will be held in the heart of Hollywood at the Gay & Lesbian Center Village Theater at Ed Gould Plaza on Friday, March 22, 2002 at 7:30 pm. For Ticket information call (323) 876-0975. The event will be an evening to celebrate the theatres, film festivals, distributors, filmmakers, financiers and stars who have contributed in bringing these stories to audiences worldwide. Presenters of the Awards will be celebrities and filmmakers from the independent film community.
The awards show seeks to acknowledge the contribution of the filmmakers and the people who help bring these stories to theatres. This select number of films are paving the way for creating understanding and showing the world in many ways that life is full of diversity and many of these stories touch us through the human aspect of our own personal relationships.
Winners will be awarded the GLITTER AWARD. “The name glitter was chosen because we believe that all of these films one way or another have had an impact on peoples lives and deserve an opportunity to shine,” says Jorge Ameer, Executive Director of the awards show. The show is produced by the film/event company A.J. Productions. The Presenting sponsor of the show is the theatrical distribution company Hollywood Independents. Other sponsors include The Advocate, SkyyVodka, New Times, Planetout.com, FilmThreat.com, Sockpuppet Enterprises, Hollywood Reporter, Ringer Video and Advanced Video among others.
The Glitter Awards will also pay tribute to a long standing, notorious or up and coming Gay & Lesbian Film Festival both domestic and international. This year on the international front, the award show will pay tribute to the Turin Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (Torino, Italy) now in its 17th year and the Barcelona Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. From the U.S., the San Francisco Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (26 years) and Outfest- The Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, which is celebrating its 20th Anniversary this July. The award show will close with a montage of the upcoming Gay & Lesbian films to be released in 2002.
Following are the gay themed films released in United States theatres in 2001 and nominated for the 2002 Hollywood Gay Film Awards:
FEATURES ^ ADVENTURES OF FELIX-Winstar Cinema ^ ALL OVER THE GUY- Lions Gate Films ^ BIG EDEN- Jour de Fete Films ^ BURNT MONEY (Plata Quemada) – Strand Releasing ^ COME UNDONE (Presque Rien) – Picture This Entertainment ^ EBAN & CHARLIE – Picture This Entertainment ^ HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH- Fine Line Features ^ IRON LADIES – Strand Releasing ^ I WILL SURVIVE (Sobrevivire) – Hollywood Independents ^ JUST ONE TIME-Cowboy Booking International ^ L.I.E. – Lot 47 Films ^ NICO & DANI – Avatar Films ^ OUR LADY OF THE ASSASSINS (La Virgen de Los Sicarios)- Paramount Classics ^ PRINCESA – Strand Releasing ^ PUNKS – Urbanworld ^ SECOND SKIN (Segunda Piel)-Menemsha Entertainment ^ SORDID LIVES- Regent Entertainment ^ SPEEDWAY JUNKY- Regent Entertainment ^ THE CLOSET – Miramax Films ^ THE DEEP END – Fox Searchlight Films ^ THE FLUFFER-First Run Features/ TLA Releasing ^ THE MONKEY’S MASK – Strand Releasing ^ TOGETHER- IFC Films
DOCUMENTARIES ^ HISTORY LESSONS- First Run Features ^ TREMBLING BEFORE G_D- New Yorker Films ^ PARAGRAPH 175-New Yorker Films ^ SOUTHERN COMFORT-HBO
VOTING: Voting will be done through several local, national and international Gay & Lesbian entertainment publications. All nominated films will be listed. Readers will not vote on popularity, but excellence of storytelling based on films seen in theatres. Several gay entertainment publications will present their readers favorites from their individual publications/outlets. Gay & Lesbian film festival programmers will have the opportunity to vote on two awards to be given on behalf of their festivals from the United States and the world.
For information on getting tickets to the first annual Hollywood Gay Film Awards, call 323-876-0975.
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