by chris carpenter –
Back-to-school month sees the return of the 12th annual edition of Cinema Diverse: The Palm Springs LGBTQ Film Festival, whose mission is, “dedicated to advancing and further strengthening our diverse gay community through the establishment of a world-class film festival that presents lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender cinema from around the world.”
Presented by the Palm Springs Cultural Center, each year filmmakers, film lovers, distributors and other industry professionals are invited for an exciting celebration of motion pictures that reflect, inform, enrich and even transform lives. “We believe LGBTQ films and LGBTQ film festivals are critical to our local community, and to the world community, because they tell stories that remind us of where we came from, who we are, and who we can be. They empower our community, advance our efforts to gain equal rights, and often introduce us to a world that has heretofore never known us.”
This year’s Cinema Diverse features an interesting assortment of movies featuring religious or spiritual content. The fest will kick off on Thursday, September 19 with the premiere of For They Know Not What They Do. A follow-up to 2007’s acclaimed For the Bible Tells Me So, this revealing documentary continues the conversation about the impact of religious beliefs on the lives of LGBTQ people. It challenges the far-right’s use of the Bible and the U.S. Constitution to fight against equality for LGBTQ citizens and also takes on the horrors of reparative therapy.
Other religious-themed films to be screened are Dear Fredy, a documentary exploring the fascinating life of a proud openly gay Jew who defied the Nazis; The Harvesters, where a fiercely religious mother brings home a hardened street orphan to save and become a “brother” to her emotionally frail son; and UnUnited, which details the fight for LGBTQ inclusion in the United Methodist Church.
A Wake is another provocative premiere taking on spiritual/religious topics. Children in a religious family clash with their parents as they prepare for the wake of their brother, Mitchel. Teenager Mason desperately tries to reach his lost identical twin through spiritual means. Precocious preteen Molly meticulously organizes the event expecting everything to go exactly as planned. Megan, their older sister, returns home after a long absence, no longer interested in repressing the truth. Their Baptist grandmother and parents attempt to maintain normalcy when an unexpected stranger arrives, forcing the family to face secrets and lies around Mitchel’s death.
Cousins blends religion and big-screen sexiness in this Brazilian drama. Young Lucas lives with his devout Catholic aunt in a quiet, small country town. When his charitable aunt announces the arrival of another nephew, Mario, just out of jail, then goes out of town… things between them can’t help but get exciting.
Last Ferry, meanwhile, is just plain sexy. Young gay lawyer Joseph (Ramon Torres) arrives on Fire Island to explore his sexuality. Unfortunately, he ends up drugged and mugged, then becomes witness to a murder. Handsome stranger Cameron (Sheldon Best) helps Joseph and introduces him to his eclectic group of friends. Just when things heat up with Cameron, Joseph discovers his savior may be friends with the killer. Written by Torres and directed by Jaki Bradley, Last Ferry explores a darker side of the East Coast gay mecca than we usually see. It also offers some thoughtful reflections on the progress that’s been made by the LGBTQ community, as well as the tendency to be our own worst enemy at times.
In addition to all the great feature films being screened, Cinema Diverse also boasts a large number of unique short film programs with such titles as OMG, Asian Influence, The Political Climate, Scare Ya? and X Chromosome.
So while the kids are heading back to school, let’s all head to Palm Springs and get our movie fix on!
Cinema Diverse takes place Thursday, September 19 through Sunday, September 22 at Camelot Theatres in Palm Springs and Friday and Saturday, September 27 and 28 at Mary Pickford Theatre in Cathedral City. For the full festival schedule, tickets, passes or more information, go to cinemadiverse.org.