Movie Love: Shelley Winters livens up “The Balcony” and Translations Film Festival announces line-up.

Lee Grant and Shelley Winters give each other the eye in "The Balcony" screening at NWFF as part of "Outlaw: Jean Genet on Film"

We’re already up to the third film in Three Dollar Bill Cinema’s spring film series, “Outlaw: Genet on Film” a 4 part series devoted to films based on the works of noted queer French writer, Jean Genet. Tonight, (Thursday, April 21) the series will offer up the Academy Award nominated film, The Balcony, based on Genet’s play of the same name, which stars Shelley Winters as a whore house madam, and Lee Grant, Peter Falk and Leonard Nimoy. Things get sexy in notorious brothel while a political revolution rages outside in this film directed by Joseph Strick and originally released in 1963. The Balcony screens at 7pm at Northwest Film Forum on Capitol Hill…get your tickets HERE.

Also just announced is the line-up for Translations: The Seattle Transgender Film Festival now in its sixth year and produced by Three Dollar Bill Cinema. This year’s festival runs May 12-15 and features nearly a dozen screenings of films with transgender content from around the world including the local premiere of the Chaz Bono documentary, Becoming Chaz which documents the gender reassignment of LGBTQ rights activist Chaz Bono, who’s perhaps best known as the child of iconic actress/singer Cher and Sonny Bono. This moving look at one trans man’s journey will be the Gala Opening film for the festival and screens Friday, May 13 at 7pm at AMC Pacific Place Cinema with an after screening reception at the Sixth Avenue Inn. For tickets, go to the Translations website.

Subject Chaz Bono is flanked by filmmakers Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato in a promo shot for their new documentary "Becoming Chaz" the opening gala film for the 2011 Translations Film Festival.

Other films screening in the festival include the documentaries Lost in the Crowd, focusing on homeless trans youth in NYC; Girl Inside, a coming of age story about a MTF that explores gender, feminity and sexuality and  XXWhy: A Transgender Story which examines a trans man and his girlfriend living in India. Fiction films include two French films, the romantic comedy, He is My Girl and the noirish thriller Queen Bitch. A shorts program and a sing-along video screening will also be screened. Venues this year for the festival include Northwest Film Forum, AMC Pacific Place, and Hunthausen Hall at Seattle University. For tickets and more info, visit the website.