2009 Best Narrative Feature - ImageOut Audience Award

Congratulations to Sweden's Ella Lemhagen and her fabulous film, Patrik, Age 1.5, for touching and entertaining so many of our patrons in winning ImageOut 17's Audience Award for Best Independent Narrative Feature. This award comes with a Certificate of Recognition and a Kodak Film Stock Certificate worth $750. This win highlights the strength of women filmmakers this year as all of our 2009 Audience Awards were won by films with four females at the helm.

Many thanks to Andrea Krauss and our Marquee Sponsor, here! Films, for sharing Patrik, Age 1.5 to our audiences.

This category, yet again, shows a very strong competition among our 27 narrative features. The top films rated so close to each other that I am posting the points with three decimal positions. Here are your Top 15 Narrative Feature Films from our amazing lineup this year.

4.826 Patrik, Age 1.5
4.824 Hannah Free
4.821 I Can't Think Straight
4.812 Chef's Special
4.753 Just Say Love

4.740 Eating Out: All You Can Eat
4.701 An Englishman in New York
4.673 Baby Love
4.608 The Big Gay Musical
4.553 Night Fliers

4.516 ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction
4.475 Make the Yuletide Gay
4.453 Watercolors
4.450 The Baby Formula
4.438 Drool

2009 Best Documentary - ImageOut Audience Award

Congratulations to Susan Muska and Gréta Olafsdóttir and their amazing documentary film, Edie & Thea: A Very Long Engagement, for winning ImageOut 17's Audience Award for Best Independent Documentary Feature. It was truly one of the most moving and, at the same time, most entertaining screenings we had during the festival. They will receive a Certificate of Recognition and a Kodak Film Stock Certificate worth $750.

Our documentary lineup this year has been the strongest and most diverse we've had -- with discussions covering gender issues, same-sex marriage, homophobia in sports, masculinity within the GLBT culture, a legendary lesbian folk singer, a cult drag show, GLBT senior housing, teen bullying in schools, sexuality within the African-American community, and even homoeroticism in wrestling, to name a few. And our audiences agree! This has been the highest scoring documentary lineup I've seen since we started handing out Audience Awards. The competition was so tight I have to post the ratings with three decimal positions. Here's how you ranked all our documentary feature films.

4.885 Edie & Thea: A Very Long Engagement
4.879 Ferron: Girl on A Road
4.867 Swimming With Lesbians (Flower City Flicks)
4.824 Training Rules
4.817 A Place to Live: The Story of Triangle Square

4.750 Standing-N-Truth: Breaking the Silence
4.738 Diagnosing Difference
4.661 Out in the Silence
4.607 "Showgirls" Provincetown, MA
4.579 The Butch Factor

4.524 for my wife ...
4.500 Amancio: Two Faces on a Tombstone
4.456 Prodigal Sons
4.176 STRONGHOLD: In the Grip of Wrestling
3.661 College Boys Live

2009 Best Short Film - ImageOut Audience Award

The ballots have been tabulated and the results are in! Congratulations to Toronto filmmaker Christine Chew and her romantic comedy short, Falling for Caroline, for winning ImageOut 17's Audience Award for Best Independent Short Film. Her film was screened as part of Program 10 - Quick Licks (Women's Short Program). Chew receives a Certificate of Recognition and a check for US$500 from ImageOut's Board of Directors for winning the award.

Curious how some of your favorite short films fared? Here's a list of the Top 20 Short Films (together with the program they were part of), out of the 52 we screened at ImageOut 17.

4.66 Falling for Caroline (Quick Licks)
4.65 Second Guessing Grandma (Edie & Thea)
4.62 Thirteen or So Minutes (I Like Men)
4.61 Claiming the Title: The Gay Olympics on Trial (Training Rules)
4.59 Get Happy (Diagnosing Difference)

4.58 Zombie Prom (Zombie Prom)
4.50 Girl Talk (Zombie Prom)
4.46 I've Got U (Edie & Thea)
4.45 Raw Love (Zombie Prom)
4.44 The Window (Oh, Hell No!)

4.41 Mother Knows Best (I Like Men)
4.37 James (I Like Men)
4.33 I Am Gay (An Englishman in NY)
4.33 U-Haul Rap (Quick Licks/Hannah Free)
4.24 The Yellow Tent (Zombie Prom)

4.22 Kristy (Night Fliers)
4.22 Steam (I Like Men)
4.18 At Home [Or Love as Well] (Girl Seeks Girl)
4.10 Chased (Just Say Love)
4.09 Boy Meets Boy (I Like Men)

ImageOut 17: Quite the Success

Wow. It is indeed over ... at least, the film presentation part of the festival. Attendance must have been one of the best I've witnessed in my 7 years at ImageOut. Positive audience feedback and comments about the films, events, special guests, and the whole festival operation were generous and encouraging. Thanks to all our loyal patrons, sponsors, donors, members, guests artists, hardworking volunteers, and the theater staff in all of our venues.

Even the "strange" episode at last night's final film just made this year's festival even more special, in a way.

As we tally the paper ballots in the next few days, I will post some of the more interesting and colorful commentaries (anonymously, of course!) I read to share with the blog visitors. Of course, you can continue adding comments to any of the posts here as I am sure the filmmakers will continue to check how their films did here in Rochester.

On behalf of all the ImageOut Board and our volunteers, thanks again. You are all fabulous!

Just a reminder that our ImageArt! exhibition is still open to the public until Oct. 25. Have a look if you haven't yet.

~MG

photos by Matt DeTurck

Day 10: JUST SAY LOVE

Well folks, we have come to the end of ImageOut 2009 as we present the last film of our lineup, Just Say Love. This film challenges conventional storytelling in movies to present a story of finding connectedness in a most surprising way. I hope audiences will be pulled in by the intelligent writing, the captivating performances, and the unique stage-to-screen adaptation of this ImageOut There! Series offering. I am most intrigued by how the ImageOut audiences would react to the film. It is a treat to have both the filmmaker and the playwright/screenwriter at our screening, only its second time in a theatrical setting, to be able to answer questions.

NOTE: The short film Chased screened in this program.

Day 10: MR. RIGHT

The British seems to have perfected not only the art of making fabulous period films but of making ensemble casts perform their very best as well. Even in gay movies! Mr. Right is a sexy comedy intertwining the stories of a group of London gay friends as they struggle with love, sex, and relationships. And each other. Join us for this gay comedy entry for ImageOut's last screening day.

Day 10: STRONGHOLD: In the Grip of Wrestling

Hola wrestling aficionados! Will someone be wearing a singlet to the screening today? Hmmm. Enjoy this thought-provoking and entertaining film on musings and discussions about homoeroticism and homophobia in wrestling, from upstate NY native Victor Rook. This is the first time that this film will be screened at a theater venue. ImageOut is honored to be its World Premiere screening.

Day 9: PATRIK, AGE 1.5 (Closing Night)

I can easily say that this is by far the best Closing Night film I've programmed in my 7 years with ImageOut. I've seen Patrik, Age 1.5 in festivals twice already and audiences gave the film a standing ovation in both instances. It will make people think, laugh and cry. And I cannot wait to hear what the ImageOut audiences think about the film, possibly the winningest gay film in the film festival circuit this year.

Day 9: EDIE & THEA: A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT

From the filmmakers that brought us The Brandon Teena Story comes this sweet, tender, heartbreaking film about finding one's soul mate and life partner, and going through life's challenges no matter what. Though it's easy to say that the wonderful couple, Edie and Thea, could easily be the faces for the campaign for gay marriage, it is their touching love story and their inspiring relationship, politics aside, that truly make this film one of my favorite documentaries of the year.

NOTE: Three short films were screened in this program: Make A Mate, I've Got U, and Second Guessing Grandma.

Day 9: COLLEGE BOYS LIVE

The film's title and the publicity stills are just the beginning. Wait till you watch the stories of these young men on screen as they sometimes verge on being a Jerry Springer episode on webcam. I love that the audience would get more than what they expected from this film when they bought their tickets. At least, that's what I'm hoping for.

Day 9: STANDING-N-TRUTH: BREAKING THE SILENCE

Standing-N-Truth: Breaking the Silence is probably one of the most important films in our roster of strong documentaries this year as it tackles the issues of sexuality in the African-American community, and how religion sometimes play a big role in the repression of homosexuality especially among African-American youths. This powerful discussion will hopefully continue from screen to the ImageOut stage with filmmaker Tim Daniels in attendance.

Day 8: MAKE THE YULETIDE GAY

Rochester gets into the holiday spirit early with our Spotlight Screening of Make the Yuletide Gay, a very funny and sometimes over-the-top romp about coming out and familial acceptance. This film has been playing to packed festival audiences and inducing many laugh-out-loud moments. I'm very excited that filmmaker Rob Williams will be on hand for a Q&A after the screening. Even though we have sold out on advance tickets for this show, try the RUSH line tonight and join us for a jolly evening.

Day 8: DROOL

I love this movie! It was a blast to see this with a packed house in Toronto earlier this year. Anyone who has been to movies with me over this week has heard me rave about Drool. I hope Rochester has just as much fun with this screening!

Day 7: I LIKE MEN (Men's Shorts)

Very pleased with the huge turnout for this year's gay-themed shorts program. The flavor for this program is decidedly more international hoping to capture the diversity of themes and style of gay short films in the circuit. It's really difficult for me to choose a favorite as I selected each one for different reasons. Do you have one?

NOTE: The short films included in this program are:
A Day at the Beach
Steeling Magnolias
Nocturne (Noturno)
Frequent Traveller
Thirteen Or So Minutes
Boy Meets Boy
James
Steam
Mother Knows Best

Day 7: HANNAH FREE

So what did everyone think of our Narrative Centerpiece Film? During the screening process, Hannah Free was a favorite for many. We are very happy to have it as a highlight of this year's festival.

Day 6: for my wife...

Personal tragedy turns into activism and the fight for equal rights for all. This poignant and touching documentary is sure to be a contender for this year's "best documentary" audience award.

Day 6: ZMD: ZOMBIES OF MASS DESTRUCTION

The zombies are finally here! I wonder what all of you brave and adventurous souls would think of this wacky and gory political zomedy. But this is truly what ImageOut is all about. Bringing in films that you will never see played anywhere or that you think you might not even want to see. This is one of my favorite fun films in the lineup. But then again, I love my B-rated horror stuff. =)

Day 6: TRAINING RULES

Audiences are in for two well-made and fascinating documentaries at the Ingle Auditorium tonight. First up is Training Rules. It is stunning how many careers and even lives were destroyed by this one coach and her homophobic ways!

NOTE: the short film Claiming the Title:Gay Olympics on Trial screened as part of this program.

Day 6: HOLLYWOOD, JE T'AIME

Hollywood, Je T'aime, with Chad Allen leading a fabulous supporting cast, is charming and almost hopelessly romantic in a way. Sometimes, running away from love is not really an option.

ImageOut Festival Pictures Are Now Online!

As I'm sure most of you have already noticed, the ImageOut photographers have been out and about at every screening and festival event. Now you can see the product of their labors online at the ImageOut Festival Fotki account. More photos are being added daily, so make sure you keep checking back!