Gay Film Fest Now On

The Durban Gay & Lesbian Film Festival is in full swing at the KZNSA gallery, 166 Bulwer Road, Glenwood, Durban. R35 for features and R20 for documentaries/shorts; an inexpensive bar is open during the evenings (R10 beers, R10-R20 spirits, R10-R15 wines) along with great Pride memorabilia, flags and books of interest.

All major credit/debit cards are accepted for reasonable transactions & purchases.

THU 03 NOV 10:00AM - Milk (screening of film for afternoon discussion)
THU 03 NOV 1:00PM - Activism & Martyrdom: discussing Milk in the SA Context
THU 03 NOV 6:30PM - London Shorts: Short Set #1 (3 short films)
THU 03 NOV 8:00PM - 2 Frogs in the West (feature film, English&French+subtitles)
FRI 04 NOV 2:00PM - Film Makers Workshop: Indep. films that tackle LGBTI issues
FRI 04 NOV 6:00PM - Interactive discussion with director of House of Boys
FRI 04 NOV 7:30PM - House of Boys (feature film)
FRI 04 NOV 10:00PM - Mulligans (feature film)
SAT 05 NOV 10:00AM -Sexuality Workshop: Opening the doors to your closet
SAT 05 NOV 1:00PM - Sexuality Workshop: Love safer sex
SAT 05 NOV 4:00PM - Breaking out of the Box (documentary)
SAT 05 NOV 5:00PM - Difficult Love (documentary)
SAT 05 NOV 6:00PM - Waited For (documentary)
SAT 05 NOV 8:00PM - Judas Kiss (feature film)
SAT 05 NOV 10:00PM - Official Closing Party at the KZNSA
SUN 06 NOV 2:00PM - 2 Frogs in the West (feature film, English&French+subtitles)
SUN 06 NOV 4:00PM - London Shorts: Short Set #2 (3 short films)
SUN 06 NOV 5:00PM - Beyond Gay: The Politics of Pride (closing night film)

Please come support us! Share this info with your friends. For more info & trailers:
www.dglff.org.za / or call 0318110959 (office hours) / or email bookings@dglff.org.za

Pink Mynah Festival 11-18 Dec 2010

Our brothers in Pietermaritzburg have been working hard to extend their Pink Mynah Festival to Durban and this year sees the crowning of the Mr and Ms Gay KZN at the Bat Centre on the 18th.

The Festival takes place over the period 11th - 18th December and includes workshops, drama performances, movie screenings culminating in the parade down Florida Road and pageant in Durban.

Here is the full programme:

PINK MYNAH FESTIVAL PROGRAM

Saturday, 11 December- kick-start festival

Soccer Day PMB 11am

Pink Party @ Kismet Hotel, PMB @ 8pm

Pink Mynah festivities at the Lounge Stamford Hill Rd &Angelos West Street, Durban

Monday, 13 December

10h00 Hate crime workshop – Darkchildz office, DBN

19h00 Book Fair –The Butchery PMB(Exclusive Books)

Tuesday, 14 December

10h00 Heterosexism workshop – Imbali PMB

18h00 Drama performance by Thespian drama group & Injongo Performing Arts & Entertainment – BAT Centre, DBN

Wednesday, 15 December

10h00 Homosexuality and the Bible (Q&A session) – Deo Gloria Family Church48 Gordon Road, Morningside (off Florida Road)

19h00 Film show screening – Nino’s Restaurant Golden Horse Casino, PMB &BAT Centre, DBN

Thursday, 16 December

10h00 Drama performance by Thespian drama group &Injongo Performing Arts & Entertainment –Winston Churchill Theatre PMB

Friday, 17 December

Preparation for parade and pageant

Saturday, 18 December

10h00 – 14h00 Street parade starts at Mitchell Park in Florida Rd to Bean Bag

19h00 – Mr & Ms Gay KZN pageant – Sipho Gumede Hall, BAT Centre, DBN

PROGRAMME TIMES & VENUE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

STAY GAY IN DURBAN

 There is still space at the inn if you would like to stay over in Durban.. remember the 16th is a public holiday here so most people will be making a long weekend of it.

Pride Films in Durban

Not very well publicised but Ster Kinekor are halfway through their Pride Film Fest in South Africa with 2 movies left to screen in their Cinema Nouveau complexes around the country.

In Durban there will be a screening of The Kids are Alright on the 12th November whilst their other movie Eyes Wide Open screens only at 4 venues excluding urban on the 12th (Rosebank and Cavendish) and 26th November (Brooklyn and V&A Waterfront).

Last year I was appalled by the lack of publicity for the few films they were showing and adverts at the Cinema for the gay film fest apologised to straight patrons for the screening on one day of the year of films to suit the gay community. Poor show Ster Kinekor.

WineTasting at the Guesthouse

Latter Days - the movie. We spent an awesome Sunday afternoon WineTasting and watching gay movies here at the guesthouse. It was a Facebook Event we created for the group Gay Durban.

Christian (Wes Ramsey), a hunky, 20-something, West Hollywood party boy gets more than he bargains for when he tries to seduce 19-year-old Elder Aaron Davis (Steve Sandvoss), a sexually confused Mormon missionary who moves into his apartment complex. When Christian exposes Davis' secret sexual desire, Davis' rejects Christian for being shallow and empty, The encounter shatters each boy's reality and draws the two into a passionate romance that risks destroying their lives. Latter Days is a charming, sexy, and moving tale that will leave you believing in the transformational power of love.

Inbetween this, we had a little Lanzerac 1999 Cabernet Savignon, some Douglas Green 2006 Cabernet Savignon, a little Woolies Chardonay and some Tall Horse Merlot (the latter was actually the best).

Back to the movies, we followed up the wine and first movie with a second - Shortbus.. a movie which had its Premiere at the Cannes Film Festival - lots of sex scenes and planty of cock, but quite stirring as several couples work though their sexual and relationship woes.

Pink Mynah Festival 2008

The first ever Gay and Lesbian festival in KwaZulu-Natal, to be held in Pietermaritzburg, will feature a parade, picnics, film screenings, workshops and parties.
The Gay and Lesbian Network will be hosting the festival from 29 November to 6 December 2008. The event encompasses World Aids Day and as such many workshops will be held on that topic.
However, it's not just all serious business - the festival kicks off on Saturday, 29 November with a carnival-style street parade through the Capital, and includes such events as nightly film screenings (courtesy of Out In Africa G&L Film Festival), workshops on various topics, an exhibition, and so on...
The grand finale of the festival is the Mr. and Miss Gay KZN pageant.
For more information, pageant application forms, to register as a volunteer or to sponsor, please contact:
Ponie on 033 342 6165Anthony on 072 536 2978Emma on 072 024 4899

Overview of The Queer Zulu Natal Festival Program
Saturday, 29th November - Festival Opening at 8.30am: Press and Public Welcome, Street Parade, entertainers, expo, After Party
Sunday, 30th November - 1 - 5 pm: Community Picnic - Various entertainment sports & games
Monday 1 December - World Aids Day Partner with Department of Health on World Aids Day campaign with workspops and Film screenings
Tuesday, 2nd December - 10.30am: Workshops, Pink Tuesday at Café Vacca Matta and film screenings
Wednesday, 3rd December - 10:30: Workshops & Film screeningse (lesbian film)
Thursday, 4th December - 11am Workshops
Friday, 5th December - 8pm: Kismet Hotel Christmas Party
Saturday, 6th December - 5pm: Mr and Miss KwaZulu Natal Pageant

So lets support this "family" event. Come stay with us at Durban View Gay Guest House and drive through for the day to attend the events of your choice.

Durban Pride Film Festival 3rd-9th Oct

ANOTHER GAY SEQUEL

Not very well publicised but on at the moment and till the 9th October is the Pride Gay Film Festival showing at Gateway Nouveau.

A popular choice will be the sequel to ANOTHER GAY MOVIE which was about getting laid for the first time. In true gay fashion, ANOTHER GAY SEQUEL: GAYS GONE WILD! is about who can get laid the most.

ANOTHER GAY SEQUEL finds our heroes ANDY, NICO, JAROD and GRIFF reuniting at a gay resort in sunny Fort Lauderdale for Spring Break. They participate in a contest called 'Gays Gone Wild!' to determine who can attain the most "buttlove" over the course of the vacation.

Between Wet Package contests, Evil Gay Fratboys, and genital crabs the size of kittens, it's a bumpy road to booty victory. But this time around, love proves to be the biggest conflict of all as the boys struggle to rectify just how casual sex fits into their lives.

Showing Mon 6 Oct 6pm, Tues 7 Oct 2.30pm and Thurs 9 Oct 9.45am

HOLDING TREVOR

Young, beautiful and intelligent, Trevor is in a stalemate. Entangled in an unhealthy relationship with Darrell, a self-destructive heroin addict, and trapped in a telemarketing job, Trevor finds scant comfort in Los Angeles' vapid party scene. At the hospital for his boyfriend's latest overdose, Trevor finds a potential new beginning in Ephram, a medical intern with ambition, a warm demeanor and strikingly good looks. After they spend a romantic evening together, Trevor gets poised to make changes.

Showing Sun 5 Oct 2.30pm, Mon 6 Oct 12.30pm, Tues 7 Oct 9.45am, and Wed 8 Oct 2.30pm

KISS THE BRIDE

In high school, Matt and Ryan were best friends. More than friends, actually. But in the ensuing ten years, they've lost contact. So when Matt receives an invitation to Ryan's wedding he's surprised - especially that Ryan is marrying a woman! Matt interrupts his ideal alternative lifestyle to return to his hometown. He plans to rescue his former love from whatever "she-devil" has trapped him into this huge mistake

Showing Sun 5 Oct 8.15pm, Mon 6 Oct 2.30pm, Tues 7 Oct 6pm, and Wed 8 Oct 9.45am

RAINBOW'S END - DOCUMENTARY

With the advent of same sex marriage, homosexuals have achieved near-equality in much of Europe. Everything seems rosy, so why should they keep on fighting? RAINBOW'S END is a revealing and entertaining multinational journey from the center to the borders of Europe. Touching personal stories and social, religious and political insights make this film a must see and a starting point for the most relevant discussions about the future of lesbian, gay and transgender people within Europe and throughout the world.

Showing Tues 7 Oct 8.15pm, and Thurs 9 Oct 12.30pm

SHELTER

Forced to give up his dreams of art school, Zach spends his days working a dead-end job and helping his needy sister care for her son. In his free time he surfs, draws and hangs out with his best friend, Gabe, who lives on the wealthy side of town. When Gabe's older brother, Shaun, returns home, he is drawn to Zach's selflessness and talent. Zach falls in love with Shaun while struggling to reconcile his own desires with the needs of his family.

Showing Sun 5 Oct 12.30pm, Mon 6 Oct 8.15pm, Tues 7 Oct 12.30pm, Wed 8 Oct 6pm and Thurs 9 Oct 2.30pm

TALK STRAIGHT: THE WORLD OF RURAL QUEERS

A controversial documentary about four gay men, who are living on the countryside of Swabia (a rural area in the south west of Germany) far off big cities. Being alone as Gays among a entirely heterosexual environment, they still try to live a rich and happy life. The film provides a bitterly comical portrait of a heterosexual perspective on gay men in Germany's country towns.

Showing Sun 5 Oct 6pm, and Wed 8 Oct 12.30pm

THE WORLD UNSEEN

Free-spirited Amina has broken all the rules of her own conventional Indian community in South Africa by running a cafe, a safe haven of laughter, music and home-cooked food; a 'grey area' for those who fall outside the strict 'black and white' rules of the apartheid-led government. Miriam, on the other hand, is a doting mother to her children and a demure and subservient wife to her chauvinistic, frustrated husband, Omar. Quietly intelligent, Miriam has never assumed that she may have choices in life. When Miriam meets Amina, their unexpected attraction throws them both off balance.

Showing Thurs 9 Oct 6pm

MY SUPER 8 SEASON

This is a refreshing account of a youthful gay activist Marc caught up in the events of May 1968. When he is confronted by the realities of a young worker unable to come out at work, his politics and his life begin to collide. He is swept into political engagement, and the film brilliantly conveys the bold ambitions of left wing activism in the period which led to the creation of the French version of the Gay Liberation Front (FHAR).

Showing Wed 8 Oct 8.15pm

EAST/WEST: SEX AND POLITICS

Both in 2006 and 2007, the Gay Pride Parade attempts in Moscow are violently beaten down. For many observers, the attitude towards the sexual minorities seems to be the litmus test of the state of democracy in Russia. The film shows both the organizers of the Pride events and also the survival strategies of the majority Russian lesbians and gays, to whom the fight for democracy on the streets doesn't seem to be an attractive alternative.

Showing Mon 6 Oct 9.45am

Come to Durban's Pride Film Festival

Pride Film Festival

5th - 11th October is Pride Film Festival at Cinema Nouveau, Gateway Shopping Centre. Hosted by Sterkinekor this is an inaugural Pride event and features 9 diverse movies with a focus on light entertainment. The featured movie "Another Gay Movie" also opens on the general movie circuit this week.

ANOTHER GAY MOVIE, is described as "the dirtiest, funniest, most scandalous gay-teen-sex-comedy-parody ever," in which four young gay friends make a pact to lose their virginity by the end of the summer.

THE MOSTLY UNFABULOUS SOCIAL LIFE OF ETHAN GREEN is a screwball comedy about an adorable 26-year old looking for love in all the wrong places.

THE TRIP is an unlikely and humorous love story about a sexy, blonde gay activist and a closeted Republican set in the turbulent political climate of the 70's and 80's, while APRIL'S SHOWER is another comedy; a tale of lesbian love, romance, and expectation, which takes place in the midst of a bridal shower.

On a more dramatic note, POSTER BOY tells the story of a gay college student who is placed in a difficult position when his right wing father is embroiled in a tight race for re-election as senator.

Two films with an ostensibly factual slant top out the festival's offerings: NAKED FAME is a documentary portrait of widely successful gay adult film star Colton Ford who, at the age of 40, decides to leave porn behind to pursue his dream of making it in the music business, while SHOWBOY, an award-winning "mockumentary", is the journey of Christian, in his bizarrely erratic and passion-fuelled attempt to become a Las Vegas showboy.

Tickets to the Pride Film Festival are R40 per person; Vitality, Edgars Club and Movie Club concessions apply including half-price Tuesdays for Movie Club Members.
Bookings can be made:
o via the award-winning Ster-Kinekor Theatres website ? www.sterkinekor.com
o on your W@P-enabled cellphone via www.sterkinekor.com
o via TicketLine ? 082 16789 (vas rates apply)
o at Self-Service terminals at Cinema Nouveau screened by Jameson
o at Cinema Nouveau screened by Jameson box offices.

The screening times are:

Sun 2.30pm Poster Boy

6.00pm Naked Fame

8.30pm April's Shower

Mon 8.30pm Another Gay Movie

Tues 8.30pm Show Boy

Wed 8.30pm Mostly

Thur 8.30pm The Trip

Is Harry Potter Gay?

"Of course Harry is gay. He grew up in a closet under the stairs; only allowed out to be useful around the house, and certainly never when visitors came. Poor orphaned Harry was destined to go to Stonewall High3 until an invitation from Hogwarts School of Wizardry allowed him to realise his true self — to practice pooffery (or magic then, if you like) — every suburban gay boy’s dream; dispense with your parents I mean, and then run away with the fairies. At school Harry learns to fly, and meets the lovely red-headed Ron Weasley; fairy-boy and tight companion.4 Harry seems doomed to court the clever if manipulative Hermione, but don’t be fooled, his true love is for Ron." extracted from an article by emu Nugent

Out in Africa Film Festival

Starting this evening and until Sunday 12th November the "Out in Africa" - South African Gay and Lesbian Film Festival - shows at the Berea Cine Centre in Durban. The following movies will be exhibited during the Festival according to the offical programme:

Thurs 9 November

6pm - Aggressives.. about unapologetic butch womens' love and life in New York City;

and Ndim Ndim.. A story about a black lesbian living in a homophobic Xhosa community educating the people around her.

8pm - TransAmerica... a woman undergoes gender re-assignment surgery and then finds out he/she has a son.

10pm - Breakfast on Pluto.. the story follows the expoits of an endearing, witty, deceptively clever and tough young transvestite, Patrick Braden.

Fri 10 November

6.30pm - Mom.. a fun and sexy lesbian movie with a twist about the lives of a pair of market researchers.

8.15pm - BrokeBack Mountain.. heartrending epic romance between two cowboys destined never to be together.

10.30pm - Exposed: The making of a Legend.. a roudy movie about 39 buffed and fluffed men and one woman: a porno-mentary.

Sat 11 November

2pm - 5.30pm - Noah's Ark.. the first 9 episodes of the first ever-sizzling black gay series.

6pm - TransAmerica

8pm - Girl Play.. this movie questions the commitment of the committed - as the fine line between real life and character development becomes blurred.

and - Tai Chi for Tipplers.. a timeous hilarious self-help using secret ancient teachings to assist lesbians.

and - Wanted.. a single gay man's struggle to adopt.

10pm - Beyond Vanilla.. a graphic movie about the practices of the people who constantly seek the intensity and adrenalin rush of extreme sex.

Sun 12 November

2pm - 5.30pm - FingerSmith.. a film of betrayal and intrigue set in 1862 involving Susan and Maud.

6pm - Breakfast on Pluto

8.30pm - BrokeBack Mountain.. see storyline above and earlier review on this page.

Tickets are R15 per movie and bookings may be made at the cinema at upper level Berea Centre, 247 Berea Road, Durban. Enquiries 021-461-4027.

Happily Ever After

We decided to snuggle on the couch yesterday afternoon and hired BrokeBack Mountain on dvd to watch. It is not a movie we had seen on the big screen and after a few people had given us their reviews decided it was not a priority movie to go out of our way to see. I like happy endings and there is so much unhappiness and heartbreak in the gay world, I did not think it would be a movie we would enjoy watching. (post a comment if you have a happy story to share).

To our surprise however, we thoroughly enjoyed it and thought the guys were quite cute and the story quite moving. It was particularly exciting when they initially discovered each other and brought back memories of my days as a straight married guy finding a man for the first time. That was when I really knew what I was missing in life… more about this in future days of this blog.

So if you haven’t seen BrokeBack Mountain, I would recommend it.. particularly if you have not yet taken the plunge to move in with the guy you love.. it really is worth every bit of agony the decision may take.