The Seattle International Film Festival includes several gay titles worth seeing during the month of June.
Here are the gay highlights during June for the 250 movie festival.
Far Away From Ural (27 minutes) – This gorgeous puppet animation fantasy portrays a real-life Finnish Civil War general who takes a young Kirghiz man as his valet and lover. This is just one part of the Waking Dream short movie presentation.
SIFF Cinema – Sunday June 1 – 3:45 pm.
Call Me Troy – A rousing, riveting paean to a hero of the contemporary fight for LGBT rights, Call Me Troy traces the life and times of the charismatic Reverend Troy Perry, a founder of the Metropolitan Community Church in Los Angeles, self-proclaimed “polar teddy bear” and tireless activist for gay rights and protections since coming out of the closet himself some 40 years ago. (The Stranger review)
Harvard Exit – Monday June 2 – 7:00 pm.
Egyptian Theatre – Thursday June 5 – 4:00 pm.
Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life – While Billy Strayhorn may not be a household name, many of his songs are among the most recognizable in jazz. This is the story of the pioneering gay composer, arranger and pianist who wrote many of Duke Ellington’s most famous songs, including “Take The A-Train” and “Satin Doll.” (The Stranger review)
Harvard Exit – Monday June 2 – 9:30 pm.
Harvard Exit – Wednesday June 4 – 4:30 pm.
Boystown – A ruthless real-estate agent is murdering little old ladies in Madrid’s Cheuca district as he and a happy pair of young, gay “bears” plunge into a dramatic farce of comic mishaps, sexy seductions, and a growing pile of bodies. (The Stranger review)
Harvard Exit – Thursday June 5 – 9:15 pm.
Harvard Exit – Sunday June 8 – 4:00 pm.
Be Like Others – Remarkable documentary about the dichotomy of the way homosexuality in Iran is punishable by death, yet gender-reassignment surgery is not uncommon after the Ayatollah Khomeini pronounced trans-sexuality legal some 20 years ago. (The Stranger review)
Harvard Exit – Friday June 6 – 9:15 pm.
Egyptian Theater – Saturday June 7 – 1:30 pm.
Otto; or, Up With Dead People – Gay zombie movie! In cinematic provocateur Bruce LaBruce’s latest film, the eponymous zombie wanders the streets of Berlin until he falls under the tutelage of underground filmmaker Medea Yarn. He soon becomes the lead subject for her documentary film while also being cast in her “politico-porno-zombie” film, Up With Dead People. Director Bruce LaBruce scheduled to attend both screenings. (The Stranger review)
Egyptian Theater – Friday June 6 – 11:55 pm.
SIFF Cinema – Saturday June 7 – 7:00 pm.
Saturn in Opposition – When a Roman man’s strapping young lover inexplicably falls into a coma, a modern day group of poly-sexual friends find themselves pushed to the edge of truth in this dark comedy. Ozpetek packs in an interlaced variety of stories accessible for all orientations but also includes a timely tie-in to the issue of legalized gay marriage. (The Stranger review)
Pacific Place Cinema – Friday June 6 – 9:15 pm.
Pacific Place Cinema – Sunday June 8 – 11:00 am.
XXY – Lucía Puenzo’s accomplished debut, explores the painful search for gender identity of Alex, a hermaphrodite, as she enters adolescence and is pressured by her parents to “choose.” When a surgeon is invite to their home Alex strikes up a friendship with his son Alvaro and it soon emerges that they are equally confused and curious about sex, sexuality and gender in this astonishing film. (The Stranger review)
SIFF Cinema – Sunday June 8 – 6:30 pm.
Pacific Place Cinema – Tuesday June 10 – 4:30 pm.
Fairytale of Kathmandu – When filmmaker Neasa Ní Chianáin first met poet Cathal Ó Searcaigh, she was immediately enchanted by him, and later agrees to film one of his annual visits to Nepal. But although Ó Searcaigh’s philanthropy allows many young men to further their education, she soon comes to believe his benevolence serves to feed his darker appetites. (The Stranger review)
SIFF Cinema – Thursday June 12 – 9:30 pm.
Pacific Place Cinema – Saturday June 14 – 11:00 am.
