QFlix, the area’s LGBT film festival, opens July 7 with writer/director Joseph Graham’s locally made drama “Beautiful Something,” and closes July 12 with the Philadelphia premiere of writer/director Joey Kuhn’s “Those People.”
In between, there are dozens of features, shorts and documentaries that showcase LGBT life.
Set in Philadelphia, shot with a local cast and crew and produced by locals Kelly Burkhardt and Calvin Woodruff, “Beautiful Something” (7:30 p.m. July 7 at Perelman Theater) is a striking mood piece that follows a handful of characters over the course of a single day. Brian (Brian Sheppard) is a writer who falls in love with just about every guy he meets. Meanwhile, Jim (Zack Ryan) is making an important decision about his relationship with Drew (Colman Domingo), a famous artist, while Bob (John Lescault) cruises around town in his limo, looking for someone to love, if only for a little while.
“Beautiful Something” eschews plot and dramatic crescendos to focus on the intimate and intense moments shared by the gay men who reveal their insecurities, as well as their chiseled chests, to one another. Graham’s strength as a writer/director is to give his actors room in each scene to breathe and develop, and Sheppard delivers an outstanding performance.
In a recent phone interview, Graham spoke about making the film, which is based on a series of his own life experiences.
“I made the film in Philadelphia because Philadelphia is a city that has been so wonderful to me over the past 10 years,” he said. “My films ‘Vanilla’ and ‘Strapped’ screened there, and I made friends there. I consider it a second home. Shooting there afforded us the opportunity to make the film grittier, and give it a stronger backdrop than doing it in San Francisco, where I live. It gave it a stronger edge.”
Other worthwhile films playing at QFlix include:
“All Yours” (5 p.m. July 8 at Prince Theater) is a frisky romantic drama about Lucas (Nahuel Pérez Biscayart), a scruffy young Argentine who meets a heavyset Belgian baker, Henry (Jean-Michel Balthazar), online. When Henry flies Lucas to Europe to live with him, the Latino is visibly uncomfortable with both the sleeping and working arrangements. Writer/director David Lambert’s vivid, engrossing character study features some graphic sex scenes, opera singing and plenty of baking as Lucas and Henry navigate their relationship, which is further complicated when Lucas finds himself attracted to Henry’s other employee, Audrey (Monia Chokri).
The inspiring documentary “Game Face” (7:15 p.m. July 8 at Prince) tells the parallel coming-out stories of transgender MMA athlete Fallon Fox and the closeted college basketball player Terrence Clemens. How both athletes navigate their sexuality and sports will have viewers rooting for them. Fox wants to be licensed to compete in MMA but her life changes when her transgender status is made public. The fallout includes a debate on whether Fox should be allowed to fight women. Meanwhile, Clemens struggles to find the right time to come out and gets some support and guidance from openly gay NBA player Jason Collins. As the film laudably shows, both Fox and Clemens find a measure of happiness and work to change the culture, combating fear, ignorance and discrimination in the process.
The sweet, unpretentious film “That’s Not Us” (7:15 p.m. July 10 at Prince) is a terrific comedy-drama about three couples — lesbians Alex (Sarah Wharton) and Jackie (Nicole Pursell), gay couple James (Mark Berger) and Spencer (David Rysdahl) and straight couple Liz (Elizabeth Gray) and Dougie (Tommy Nelms) — who spend a late September weekend together at a New York beach community. While each couple spends their time alone together fucking or fighting, all the characters are dealing with partnership issues involving honesty and (mis)communication. “That’s Not Us” is consistently warm and engaging, thanks to the assured performances by the entire cast, who improvised most of their scenes. This is a perfect film to see on a summer night with someone you care about. The cast and filmmakers are scheduled to be in attendance for a post-screening Q&A.
“Seed Money” (9:30 p.m. July 10 at Prince) provides a nostalgic portrait of Falcon Studios’ Chuck Holmes, his success and his legacy through assiduously chosen clips, interviews and photographs. This thin but lovingly made documentary chronicles Holmes’ landmark career in porn, creating visibility for gay consumers in an era when it was risky to do so.
“Seed Money” is preceded by the sexy, evocative short “Been Too Long at the Fair,” co-directed by Charles Lum and Todd Verow. In a wistful voice-over, Lum recounts his memories of and experiences at the Fair, a gay adult movie theater in Queens, N.Y. The film conveys Lum’s excitement of entering this venue and features some explicit activity to complement the narrator’s fond memories. It’s an appropriate companion to “Seed Money.”
For tickets and more information, visit www.qflixphilly.com.