Dear SIFF: Why Is The Party For Your GayLa At A Club That Turned Its Back On The Gay Community?

May 28, 2014• bySeattle Gay Scene

HELICOPTER MOM is SIFF’s choice for its annual “Gay-La” film. We’re guessing it’s very, very cutesy pootsy like all Gay La films. The after party is unfortunately at the formerly gay club Q. Apparently, SIFF didn’t get the memo that Q is off the LGBTQ Xmas card list…

I’ve been confused ever since I heard the news that SIFF, the Seattle International Film Festival, was going to have their after party for their annual “Gay La” at Q Capitol Hill, the infamous Seattle club that opened a couple years ago to great fanfare as a club being marketed to the LGBTQ community. But after a lot of infighting between the owners and the subsequent removal of the gay partner in the club, Q swiftly dumped any interest in Seattle’s LGBTQ community to focus on their current clientele of tacky suburban straights desperate to be seen in a “cool club” on the Hill, a move that angered many in the community.

But, it seems that apparently Q likes the gays when a big, apparently clueless local non-profit is willing to shell out the money, (or, more specifically, their sponsor’s money) to host an early evening event on an otherwise lackluster night, like a Wednesday…

So, my suggestion is, by all means support SIFF, and this year’s Gay-La film, HELICOPTER MOM but avoid the after party; why support a business that deliberately turned their backs on us? Also: let SIFF know they need to support local QUEER establishments for their LGBTQ events. True, not a lot of venues are big enough for a SIFF party but Neighbours is across the damn alley from the Egyptian.

Oh, and MAYBE it would behoove SIFF to actually reach out to the LGBTQ community to help plan and promote such an event…ahem. Despite the large number of gay people on staff over there, they don’t seem to have a clue on how to market to us.

More info on HELICOPTER MOM:

Gay-La Film and Party
Wednesday, June 4 | 7:00PM
Film venue: Egyptian Theatre
Party: Q Nightclub

$25 | $23 SIFF Member Ticket includes admission to the film and after-party.
$12 | $10 SIFF Member  Ticket includes screening only.

Oh, how far we’ve come from the dark days of rampant homophobia. But teenager Lloyd Cooper (Jason Dolley) may think society—or at least his mother—has progressed a bit too far on this topic. Lloyd’s mom Maggie (a hilarious Nia Vardalos) says she would not only accept a gay son, she actively encourages it, as it would be “really cool” to have one. In fact, Maggie becomes so convinced that Lloyd himself is gay that she “outs” him to his entire high school. Like any good “helicopter mom,” who hovers over every aspect of her children’s lives, Maggie takes control of Lloyd’s social life, setting Lloyd up on dates with boys whom she has approved and filing for a gay student college scholarship. There’s just one wrench in her grand plans: Lloyd doesn’t even know whether he’s gay or not. Director Salomé Breziner, who added fresh touches and well-rounded characters to her previous coming-of-age comedy The Secret Life of Dorks (2013), breaks new ground in Helicopter Mom as well, depicting a mother who is willing to accept her son for who he is—or at least who she thinks he is. The film shows, in uproarious fashion, how an overabundance of understanding, however well-intentioned, can be almost as stifling as narrow-mindedness.

Director Biography

Belgian-born and Florida-raised writer/director Salomé Breziner caught the directing bug early, becoming a script supervisor on various projects while still a teenager. After directing a few shorts, her debut feature was Tollbooth (1994). Her other feature credits include the action dramas An Occasional Hell (1996), and Fast Sofa (2001), plus the teen comedy The Secret Life of Dorks (2013).

Sponsored by Three Dollar Bill Cinema, Greater Seattle Business Association, The Stranger, Poquitos, Q Nightclub

Director:	Salomé Breziner
Principal Cast:	Nia Vardalos, Jason Dolley, Mark Boone Junior, Scott Shilstone, Skyler Samuels
Premiere Status:	World Premiere
Country:	USA
Year:	2014