“Breaking Through,” a documentary focused on LGBT politicians, makes its Atlanta debut at the Atlanta Film Festival, screening March 20 at the Plaza Theatre.
While the Atlanta Film Festival is not the world premiere of “Breaking Through” — that happens March 16 at the Sun Valley Film Festival in Sun Valley, Idaho — director, writer and producer Cindy Abel hails from Atlanta and will share her completed project with her hometown for the first time.
Abel, whose LGBT political activism includes stints as co-chair of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and executive director of Georgia Equality, says she came up with the idea with Allen Thornell, a well-known Atlanta LGBT leader who passed away in 2009. The pair discussed ideas including a documentary on U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), but someone was already working on that project.
‘Breaking Through’ screens tonight at the Atlanta Film Festival
When police raided a Fort Worth, Texas, gay bar on June 28, 2009, it was just the beginning of angry City Council meetings, protests and rallies — and, eventually, healing and change.
“Raid of the Rainbow Lounge,” a documentary that chronicles what happened in Forth Worth following the police raid, premieres in Atlanta on Oct. 7 as part of Out on Film.
Director Robert Camina said he looks forward to bringing his film to Atlanta because of the similarities he sees in Texas raid and the one at the Atlanta Eagle, just 10 weeks later. Camina and Atlanta Eagle attorney Dan Grossman will join a panel discussion after the film.
Atlanta Film Fest features three gay films as part of today's schedule
There’s a lot of masturbation, literal and figurative, going on in the LGBT entries in the 2011 Atlanta Film Festival, whether they’re included in the gay “Pink Peach” section or in general narrative categories.
It’s common in festivals to find the results of filmmakers’ onanism splayed across the screen, but this year actors are doing the deed as well. Look for werewolf movies next year to explain all the hairy palms.
Joslyn Jensen in “Without” and Mark Cirillo in “The Seminarian” are each given more close-up face time than Meryl Streep has had in her whole career, so it’s not surprising that the camera doesn’t venture below the waist when they pleasure themselves. The prize for the most masturbation goes to Lydia Hyslop, who can’t keep her hand off herself in “Vacation!” except when she’s substituting household appliances, especially a blender.
A funny faux-historical documentary and two films with compelling characters bring LGBT themes to the Midtown Art Cinema tonight.