The prestigious 8th Annual Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, presented by Avis Rent-a-Car and the Sundance Channel , has enjoyed a successful 10-day run with sold-out screenings and wild parties attended by a wide variety of special guests including Latin superstar Charytin, Peter Paige and Melvil Poupaud as well as noted international film directors, producers and distributors Strand Releasing, Regent Entertainment, here!TV, Wolfe Releasing and TLA Releasing. In the tradition of the Festival, its own competition sponsored by HBO, awarded films were based on program committee panel reviews and audience ratings.
Best Juried Fiction Feature ($5,000)
A Love to Hide, directed by Christian Faure. A wartime epic of gay love in Nazi occupied Europe. Two men who are madly in love take in a young Jewish refugee. They offer protection and help her establish a false Gentile identity.
Best Juried Documentary ($1,500)
small town gay bar, directed by Malcolm Ingram. Deep in the heart of the homophobic bible belt of North East Mississippi is home to two gay bars both battling to survive and create a safe getaway place for the local LGBT community.
MGLFF Audience Favorite Short ($500)
THE BLACK BOX: a personal essay, directed by Shay Sellers. Intercutting between home video footage and frank interviews with family, three distinct chapters define the director’s passage from pre-teen to womanhood.
MGLFF Audience Favorite Feature ($1,000)
A Love to Hide, directed by Christian Faure
MGLFF Audience Favorite Documentary ($1,000)
Laughing Matters…More!, directed by Andrea Meyerson. An all access pass to four of the hottest hilarious lesbian comedians working today; Elvira Kurt, Sabrina Matthews, Rene Hicks and Vickie Shaw in this documentary sequel.
Special Jury Award for Originality of Vision
Ramón Salazar for “20 Centimetersâ€
PlanetOut Short Movie Award Winners
Butler (Best Animated Short), Dani & Alice (Best Dramatic Short), Jaywalking (Best Documentary Short), Surf Gang (Best Experimental Short) and Sissy French Fry ($10,000 Grand Prize Winning Short)
