Boy

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(Philippines, 2009, 80 min)

International Dramatic Feature In the fourth feature film by Auraeus Solito (THE BLOSSOMING OF MAXIMO OLIVEROS, TULI), a teenage poet instantly falls for gorgeous rent boy Aries. He sells his prized comic books to buy a night of bliss with Aries, thereby shedding his innocence and coming into his own identity - as an artist and a gay man. Recently banned by Singapore censors for "romanticizing" gay sex, BOY is Solito's contribution to the beloved Filipino macho dancer genre.

Chef's Special

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(Spain, 2008, 111 min)

International Dramatic Feature Gay type-A-plus chef Maxi (Javier Cámara, TALK TO HER) is too busy trying to run his chic restaurant and dreaming of a write-up in the Michelin guide to have a personal life. But when his estranged wife dies - leaving him two kids to raise - and a gorgeous Argentine soccer player (BenjamÃ-n Vicuña) moves in next door, Maxi may have to change the menu. This tasty Spanish comedy also features AlmodÃ3var regulars Lola Dueñas and Chus Lampreave.

City of Borders

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(USA, Israel, Palestinian Territories, 2009, 66 min)

Documentary Features CITY OF BORDERS is a fascinating, multifaceted portrait of Jerusalem, home to adherents of three great world religions, but also to queers from all walks of life. The absorbing cityscape is rendered through several richly drawn portraits that demonstrate the intersecting lines of identity and the possibilities for connection and political leadership when sexuality is introduced as a variable. Gay, lesbian or straight, Israeli and Palestinian, Muslim, Arab or Christian: every resident of Jerusalem faces numerous borders, but also occasional liberations, in this eye-opening documentary.

Edie & Thea: A Very Long Engagement

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Gréta Olafsdóttir and Susan Muska 2009 59 min, United States

Edie and Thea aren’t just poster children for gay marriage, they are standard bearers for loving, affirming relationships everywhere. Their love affair was the stuff of legend – the two of them cavorting with friends in the Hamptons, moving up the career ladder in New York (Edie at IBM, Thea as a psychologist), traveling to far-off lands, all while protecting their closely held secret. Despite their meeting in the closeted sixties, a pre-Stonewall era of secret bars, intimate parties and the constant fear of reprisal, the women lived a life of excitement, love, and passion. The passion for each other has never dimmed; in fact, some of the most moving moments in the film take place as Thea twirls a rapturous Edie around the dance floor — in her wheelchair. With a treasure trove of archival photos, two sassy protagonists, and the loving direction of Gréta Olafsdóttir and Susan Muska (The Brandon Teena Story), this tender documentary travels from exotic safaris to physical therapy, from twirling nightlife to the twilight years with a loving gaze and a sense of awe. In what will surely bring out the hankies, Edie and Thea travel to Canada, after more than 40 years together, to finally wed — the ultimate adventure for two soulmates.

An Englishman in New York

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(UK, 2009, 74 min)

International Dramatic Feature John Hurt stars as Quentin Crisp in this delightful biopic about the final years of the famed gay wit. Following the aging eccentric, newly famous as a wry author and public speaker in England through his final years in New York, the film traces his on-again, off-again romance with his new home. Celebrated, exploited and misunderstood, the brilliant Crisp never seems to have expected anything different. Joined by a stellar supporting cast, including Cynthia Nixon, Swoosie Kurtz and Jonathan Tucker, Hurt is pitch-perfect in this illuminating portrayal of the unique queer pioneer.

Girl Seeking Girl (Chica Busca Chica)

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Sonia Sebastian 2009, 80 min Spain

Chica Busca Chica is the sensation of Spanish TV, depicting the intertwining tale of 4 women’s lives. Follow these chic chicas in Madrid as they look for love, usually in the wrong places, hop- scotching from one bed to another. Meet Nines, the comely butch flirt, who lives for a steady series of one-night stands. Meet Monica, her latest conquest, who while trying to make a quiet exit one morning runs into her beautiful and bi-curious roommate Carmen. But Carmen’s boyfriend has different ideas about how his novia should spend her time. Meanwhile, Monica refuses to accept that Nines is anything other than the love of her life, and makes sure to let everyone know! Throw in a Greek chorus of young friends, exes, and soon-to-be exes, and you have a delightful blend of sexy comedy — made by women for women! This Spanish L-Word-style soap opera has all the ingredients to keep you on the edge of your seat: lust, love, passion, deception, and good ol’ fashioned romance.

On These Shoulders We Stand

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(USA, 2009, 75 min)

Documentary Features Too seldom told is the story of Los Angeles' rise as a mature gay mecca, but its struggles and achievements have been many. In this stirring documentary, 10 noteworthy gay and lesbian seniors recall the challenges, trials and triumphs of the city's gay past. From hidden identities, underground parties and police raids, to organization, defiance and leadership, the details of this story reveal its sweep and grandeur and remind us of the advancements we can't afford to take for granted.

Shank

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Simon Pearce 2009, 89 min, United Kingdom

Teenage gang member Cal (18 year old Scally), hides his sexuality from the his fellow happy slapping gang members despite their often futile and violent dislike of anyone that isn't the same as them be they unsuspecting shoppers, foreign students, gays etc. Hooking up with a random stranger (Scott), Cal is unaware that this chance meeting will eventually provide him with choices and routes of escape from the tedium of his unambitious and depraved life. When his world collides with Olivier, a student he rescues from a pointless beating, he encounters a lifestyle that presents as many new experiences as it does obstacles.

Trinidad

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Jay Hodges, P.J. Raval 2008, 86 min, United States

For the 9,000 residents of the quiet, rural town Trinidad, Colorado, "sex change capital of the world" is just another way of saying "home." Located on the Santa Fe Trail, where the Rockies fade into the Great Plains, this one-time mafia-run, coal mining town is an unlikely destination for more than 6,500 transsexuals who have gone there to align their bodies with their minds. In 2003, Dr. Marci Bowers left her family and thriving OB/GYN practice in Seattle to take over Dr. Stanley Biber’s genital reassignment surgery (GRS) practice in Trinidad. In 1969, years before the practice had been established in more cosmopolitan cities, Dr. Biber performed Trinidad’s first GRS. With no training in the surgery, he referred to another surgeon’s drawings for instruction, a testament to the confidence of his pioneering spirit. With an increasing number of patients awaiting GRS, Dr. Biber couldn’t keep the surgeries a secret for long in the Catholic-run hospital. At eighty years of age, with over 5,800 sex-change operations under his belt, Biber turned his practice over to Marci. Formerly Mark, Marci is the first transgender surgeon to perform GRSs. Having refined her GRS method so that it is roughly 85 percent different from Dr. Biber’s, and because of the innovations and empathy she brings to patients from having undergone the surgery herself, Marci is considered by many to be the best GRS surgeon in the world, a claim supported by her yearlong waiting list and the patient testimonies as she makes her rounds in the hospital. More generally, Trinidad explores the growing popularity of the town among the transgender community; the intersection of the recently formed transgender community with long-term residents; how the death of much revered Dr. Biber may influence the town’s acceptance of the GRS practice; and where gender dysphoria fits in terms of God’s creation.