The best of the NEW FEST September 8, 2006

In the Girls Room (Shorts Program) 86min
Fri, Sep 8 at 2pm
Sat, Sep 9 at 2pm
Various directors
This collection of shorts examines young women coming to terms with their sexuality or gender, and features Peace Talk, winner of the 2006 NewFest Best Short Award.
Boys Shorts Showcase (Shorts Program) 100min
Fri, Sep 8 at 4:30pm
Sun, Sep 10 at 2pm
Various directors
Gay male relationships, dating, and sex are at the center of this program, which features Available Men, winner of the 2006 NewFest Audience Award for Best Short.

Cruel & Unusual (2006) 67min
Fri, Sep 8 at 6:50pm
Directed by Janet Baus, Dan Hunt & Reid Williams
This illuminating documentary looks at the horrific plight of transgendered women forced to serve out their prison sentences in men’s prisons, because prisons place inmates according to anatomical sex, not gender identity. Winner of the 2006 NewFest Audience Award for Best Feature.

For The Love of Dolly (2006) 60min
Fri, Sep 8 at 9:15pm
Directed by Tai Uhlmann
Country legend Dolly Parton has amassed a remarkably devoted fan following over the years. In this delightfully smart documentary, meet five of her most ardent followers, both men and women, who display quasi-religious devotion to the performer.

Camp Out (2006) 78min
Sat, Sep 9 at 4:30pm
Directed by Larry Grimaldi & Kirk Marcolina
This entertaining and enlightening doc shows what it’s like to be young, gay, and Christian in America. Camp Out follows campers at the first overnight camp for gay Christian youth. Winner of the 2006 NewFest Showtime Vanguard Award and of the 2006 NewFest Best Documentary Award.

Rag Tag (2006) 98min
Sat, Sep 9 at 6:50pm
Directed by Adaora Nwandu
Young black British boys Rag and Tag share a close bond—perhaps too close. After a trip to Nigeria, they must reconcile their love with pressures from family, friends, finances, and bigotry. Propelled by a fantastic hip-hop score, Rag Tag is a lyrical film about love and friendship set against a cultural backdrop that has never before been seen in gay film.

Boy I Am (2006) 80min
Sat, Sep 9 at 9:15pm
Directed by Samantha Feder & Julie Hollar
For some within the lesbian community, the act of FTM (Female to Male) transitioning is viewed at best as a naïve social trend, or, at worst, an anti-feminist rejection of butchness and female power in favor of male privilege. This documentary uses the engaging stories of three NYC-based FTMs to explore this controversy and get to its historical and cultural roots.

White Shadows (2006) 82min
Sun, Sep 10 at 4:30pm
Directed by Mialyn Hanna
An inspirational story of survival and transformation, White Shadows profiles Dalee Henderson, a famed African-American hairstylist from the deep South living in California. Henderson is diagnosed with AIDS and must reconcile himself to the changes the disease affects upon his body and mind.

Mom (2006) 70min
Sun, Sep 10 at 6:50pm
Directed by Erin Greenwell
Brooklyn filmmaker Erin Greenwell (21) puts a fun and sexy lesbian twist on the classic buddy comedy formula. Mom follows a pair of market researchers as they conduct interviews in a small town. Uptight Kelly wants to finish her job so she can prepare for an important interview, while carefree Linda finds reason to take her time when a bored housewife enters the mix.

Pick Up the Mic (2005) 95min
Sun, Sep 10 at 9:15pm
Directed by Alex Hinton
Queer rappers performing queer hip-hop: welcome to the underground world of homohop, a living, breathing contradiction. Hinton embarks on an odyssey to uncover whether there is room for diversity in an industry plagued with misogyny and homophobia. Pick Up the Mic embodies what hip-hop should be representing—unconditional acceptance through music.

Official Website: http://bam.org/film/series.aspx?id=21