{"id":250293,"date":"2016-06-03T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-06-03T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/thats-a-wrap\/"},"modified":"2016-06-03T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2016-06-03T07:00:00","slug":"thats-a-wrap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/thats-a-wrap\/","title":{"rendered":"That\u2019s a wrap!"},"content":{"rendered":"

FilmOut\u2019s LGBT Film Festival is ready for prime time<\/strong><\/p>\n

Por Ken Williams | Editor contribuyente<\/p>\n

If you like to laugh, FilmOut San Diego has something for you. If you like to cry at the movies, bring your tissues. And if you like films that are moody or dramatic, that\u2019s on the festival program, too.<\/p>\n

The 18th annual San Diego LGBT Film Festival returns Friday through Sunday, June 3 \u2013 5, at the Observatory North Park, located at 2891 University Ave.<\/p>\n

Director Casper Andreas snagged both the Opening Night (\u201cKiss Me, Kill Me\u201d) and Closing Night (\u201cFlatbush Luck\u201d) films. The former is a film noir with a gay murder twist and the latter is a mainstream romantic comedy with a \u201ccoming out\u201d subplot.<\/p>\n

\"SDUN_060316_Film-Out-Imageweb\"<\/a>Michael McQuiggan, FilmOut\u2019s longtime programming director, chose 37 full-length and short films for the 2016 festival \u2014 out of more than 900 entries from around the world. It\u2019s a daunting task to produce a final lineup.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s difficult at times, because we have to turn down several really good films each year,\u201d McQuiggan said. \u201cHowever, we do manage to screen a few of them during our monthly screenings throughout the year.<\/p>\n

There really isn\u2019t a formula or specific \u201ccriteria\u201d for choosing the films for the annual festival, McQuiggan said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are constantly looking at other LGBT film festivals throughout the year and of course check out the films selected for Berlin, London and Sundance,\u201d he said. \u201cFilmmakers find us now since FilmOut is in a major LGBT film festival database.<\/p>\n

\u201cShort films are definitely more difficult to select \u2014 especially when you receive 700 of them,\u201d he continued. \u201cSo hundreds of LGBT short films slip through the cracks. We could literally have an LGBT Short Film Festival and still not have enough room to screen them all.\u201d<\/p>\n

After 17 years, FilmOut has become special to a number of filmmakers, such as Andreas, whose films have been showcased at the festival for more than a decade. Board members regularly get highly positive feedback from filmmakers who attend the festival.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are a low-maintenance festival and we treat our filmmakers\/talent exceptionally well \u2014 hotel rooms, air\/travel for spotlight films, additional comp tickets, etc.,\u201d McQuiggan said. \u201cLGBT filmmakers talk [about the festivals they attend] and I have had dozens of messages each festival from filmmakers telling me specifically how well-respected FilmOut is as an LGBT film festival.\u201d<\/p>\n

A few years ago, FilmOut slimmed the festival down to only three days.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheater rental cost was a deciding factor,\u201d McQuiggan said. \u201cIdeally, FilmOut should be four days: Opening Night on a\u00a0Thursday, then two\u00a0movies on Friday\u00a0evening and all day the rest of the weekend. Adding\u00a0Thursday\u00a0would allow us to add two more features that we normally have to pass on.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs of right now, I am OK with a three-day streamlined festival,\u201d he added. \u201cOur festival is too big for Hazard Center in Mission Valley and Hillcrest Landmark Cinema. They only have 100-150 seats in their theaters. Some of our films draw 750 people. Observatory North Park or Ken Cinema are our only options. We will definitely expand for our 20th anniversary \u2014 the number of days to be determined.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Scene<\/a>
Scene from \u201cShared Rooms,\u201d the Boys Centerpiece showing at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 4
(Courtesy of FilmOut San Diego)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But McQuiggan is getting ahead of himself. What about the 2016 festival?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe selections this year were pretty much dark in tone \u2014 \u2018Kiss Me, Kill Me,\u2019 \u2018Paris 05:59 (Theo and Hugo),\u2019 '<\/strong>ToY,\u2019 \u2018Downriver\u2019 and \u2018Closet Monster\u2019 \u2014 or rom-coms, \u2018Coming In,\u2019 \u2018Shared Rooms,\u2019 \u2018S&M Sally,\u2019 \u2018Front Cover\u2019 and \u2018Flatbush Luck,\u2019\u201d McQuiggan said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere really was no middle ground. There were a few more outstanding documentaries to include, but simply no room,\u201d he added. \u201cAnd documentaries that play at FilmOut are a tough sell, unless they are about a celebrity, like \u2018Tab Hunter Confidential\u2019; contain risqu\u00e9 themes such as \u2018Interior Leather Bar\u2019; are socially relevant like \u2018In The Turn\u2019; or are about our history, as in this year\u2019s \u2018Upstairs Inferno.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

In all, the film festival will showcase two world premieres, six U.S. premieres and four West Coast premieres.<\/p>\n

Here is the schedule of events for the festival:<\/p>\n

FRIDAY, JUNE 3<\/strong><\/p>\n