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Thursday, June 22, 2023

LGBTQ Filmmakers at Ptown Film Festival Speak OUT (AUDIO)


 





In this exclusive audio montage Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with filmmakers and activists at the 25th annual Provincetown International Film Festival (PIFF) press luncheon that took place at the Boatslip Resort & Beach Club in Provincetown, Massachusetts. First we spoke with director Sophia Castuera and writer Ali Edwards about their first feature film “August At Twenty-Two” that’s receiving a lot of buzz and will be available on most VOD streaming outlets next month. The film is about actress Cal (played by Edwards) who is floundering after college and is shocked to discover that her childhood soulmate has a serious girlfriend Em (Lilli Kay) who Cal unexpectedly falls in love with. “August At Twenty-Two” is an evocative and deeply felt portrait of young artists struggling to find their way in their craft and their lives. We also talked to Sophia and Ali about their inspiration for creating this film and their spin on our LGBTQ issues. 

Next we chatted with producer Fermin Rojas and director Mike Syers about their short film “There Are Things To Do” about LGBTQ activist and author Urvashi Vaid who passed away last year. Vaid was an outspoken immigrant, lesbian and woman of color who was an LGBTQ superhero and believed in human rights for all people. Urvashi led the charge in shaping the modern-day LGBTQ rights movement as Executive Director of National LGBTQ Task Force from 1989 to 1992 to founding LPAC the first lesbian Super PAC raising millions of dollars for candidates who are committed to social justice. The film chronicles her life in Provincetown and 34-year relationship with partner/wife comedian Kate Clinton who inspired her call to action resulting in achieving equality for our LGBTQ community. We concluded our montage with director Sam Shahid whose documentary “Hidden Master: The Legacy of George Platt Lynes” uncovers the life and work of photographer George Platt Lynes. Best remembered for his dazzling celebrity and fashion photographs of the 1930’s and 1940’s, Lynes was forced to keep his male nude photos hidden from the public. Shahid hopes his film will help reclaim this gifted artist’s full legacy and lasting influence as one of the first openly gay American artists. 

The Provincetown Film Society, Inc. (PFS) is a non-profit year-round organization and home of the Provincetown International Film Festival. PFS is dedicated to showcasing new achievements in independent film and honoring the work of acclaimed and emerging directors, producers and actors. For More Info…

Monday, June 5, 2023

Andrew Peterson Talks 25th Provincetown Film Festival (AUDIO)


 





In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with Andrew Peterson, Director of Programming of the Provincetown International Film Festival that takes place June 14th to June 18th in Provincetown, MA. PIFF is celebrating its 25th year with over 100 films that include diverse BIPOC and LGBTQ filmmakers as well as wildly talented first-time filmmakers along with PIFF’s longstanding commitment to gender parity. The opening night film will be “Cora Bora” starring Megan Stalter and directed by Hannah Pearl Utt. Written by Rhianon Jones “Cora Bora” follows the story of Cora a messy millennial and struggling musician. When she goes home to Portland to win her girlfriend back Cora realizes there’s a lot more than her love life that needs salvaging. As we announced earlier Stalter will receive the festival’s Next Wave Award this year. “Theater Camp” from directors Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman is set to close the festival. It tells the story about staff members of an upstate New York theater camp who must band together when their beloved founder falls into a coma. Also honored this year will be Bruce LaBruce with the Filmmaker on Edge Award, Billy Porter the Emmy, Tony and Grammy Award-winning actor will be honored with this year’s Excellence in Acting Award and along with Megan Stalter, writer, director and actor Julio Torres will receive the Next Wave Award. There will also be lots of fabulous special events and parties. We talked to Peterson about what he hopes to accomplish at the 25th annual Provincetown International Film Festival and his spin on our LGBTQ issues. 

Andrew Peterson has served as the Director of Programming for the Academy Award Qualifying Provincetown Film Festival for the last 21 years. Peterson is also the Executive Director of FilmNorth one of the largest filmmaker service organizations in the country. Previously he was Vice President of Production for Werc Werk Works where he co-produced Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman’s “Howl”, Todd Solondz’s “Life During Wartime”, Jill Sprecher’s “Thin Ice” and Lawrence Kasdan’s “Darling Companion”. Andrew holds an MFA from New York University Graduate Film School and has taught filmmaking at Macalester and Middlebury Colleges. The Provincetown Film Society, Inc. (PFS) is a non-profit year-round organization and home of the Provincetown International Film Festival. PFS is dedicated to showcasing new achievements in independent film and honoring the work of acclaimed and emerging directors, producers and actors. This is our 16th year covering PIFF for OUTTAKE MEDIA™. For Info & Tix…