You’ll see the results on Friday, Oct. 14 when the Dayton LGBT Film Festival gets underway. During the course of the weekend, patrons can screen five feature films and 13 shorts. Over the past 17 years, the festival has become one of Dayton’s most well-attended.
“This year’s screening committee had a lot of phenomenal work to consider, and there were particularly so many great documentaries,” says festival director Jonathan McNeal. For that reason, he says, three of the five feature-length films are documentaries this year. “Our shorts and narrative features range from fun and sexy to sweet and poignant - with something for everyone in the mix.”
Subject matter ranges from the true love story of two women imprisoned at a concentration camp during the Holocaust to a British drama that takes a deep dive into rugby.
“Inside the Beauty Bubble,” the 30-minute film by beautifully coiffedBookout and her co-director Cheri Gaulke, takes a close-up look at a kitschy roadside attraction in Joshua Tree, California and the special individual who runs it. The unique beauty salon is filled with 3,000 vintage beauty artifacts and sculptures, created by owner Jeff Hafler, that look like hairdos.
“You can see everything from actress Veronica Lakes’s perm machine to hair dryers from the ‘70s,” says Bookout, who was living around the corner from the shop when she decided to make an appointment. " No matter what age the tourists are, they gravitate to something that reminds them of their mother or grandmother. It’s a very nostalgic place.”
Bookout, who grew up visiting her grandparents in Dayton each summer, will be in town to answer questions about the film, along with Gaulke. “Cheryl and I are both visual artists who are fascinated with telling stories about art and artists and what our lives are like,” Gaulke explains. “We’re interested in making visible what’s not often seen–artists of color, women artists, queer artists.” She says although Hafler, the subject of their film, isn’t a fine artist, he’s a creative soul who does everything in an artful manner. “This story is his journey from being in a small community to being on an international stage when he is invited to exhibit items he’s collected at the SFO Museum, the first museum in an airport,” she explains. The film also focuses on Hafler’s personal life in the community as a white gay man with a husband and adopted African-American child. Hafler, who grew up in Pickerington, Ohio, has friends and family who still reside there and are planning to be in Dayton for the festival.
Working on the festival
One of the newer members of the 10 person film committee is Brie “Howie” Hope of Trotwood who is passionate about film in general and says LBGT films are inspiring, especially for those, like themself, who identify as non-binary.
“We started screening films in our homes in May and probably saw at least 100 films,” they said. “Then we all got together to choose our favorites. Being on the committee is a great film lesson because we watch both good and bad ones so you learn a lot.”
Among Hope’s favorites are “Code Switch,” a short film about a Black trans person who navigates a barbershop. A favorite feature film is “So Damn Easy Going,” which focuses on a girl with ADHD whose financial troubles leave her without the prescription that makes her symptoms manageable.
“I like that the The LBGT Festival brings out a diverse crowd,” Hope adds. " And it’s great to see a variety of good films in one weekend.”
HOW TO GO
What: Seventeenth annual LGBT Film Festival
When: Friday, Oct 14- Sunday. Oct. 16 with an encore screening on Monday, Oct. 17
Where: The Neon movie theater, 130 E. Fifth St., Dayton
Tickets: $9. Opening night tickets are $15 and include the after-party with light fare and first cocktail.
Parking: Free lot across the street and on street parking.
Safety: In an effort to provide a safe gathering space, the theater will not be at maximum capacity. Additional screenings may be added, check www.Daytonlbgt.com
Related programming: Friday night ticket holders are invited to the Opening Night Party at Top of the Market (32 Webster St).In addition to the directors of “Inside the Beauty Bubble,” other special guests will include Michael Rice, director of “Black As U R,” Charles Gould, writer and star of “Unicorn,” and Wendi Cooper, co-producer of “Cans Can’t Stand.”
Here’s the line-up:
Friday, Oct. 14
7 p.m.
“Keep the Cameras Rolling.” AIDS activist Pedro Zamora refused to give in to the disease he knew would kill him, demanding throughout his decline and hospitalization that MTV “keep the cameras rolling.” Preceded by “Inside the Beauty Bubble.” A year in the life of a flamboyant collector of hair artifacts fighting to keep his salon and roadside attraction as they face a year of lockdowns, protests and societal change.
OPENING NIGHT AFTER PARTY: Top of the Market – 32 Webster St.
Saturday, Oct. 15
1 p.m.
“Top Drawer Shorts:
- “F^¢k ‘em Right B@¢K. An aspiring rapper must outwit his vengeful day-job boss.
- “Split Sole.” Two young men secretly express their feelings for each other through their love of dancing.
- “Work.” Unable to move on from a recent breakup, Gabi impulsively drops into an old job where she runs into a friend from her past.
- “Unicorn.” A bisexual man meets a couple to explore the possibilities of life as a ‘unicorn:\.”
- “Code Switch.” A Black trans person navigates the barbershop.
- “Small Congratulations.” A queer writer tells the story of joining a women’s community hockey league .
- “How Not to Date While Trans.” Follows the dating life of a Black trans woman.
- “Tank Fairy.” The magical Tank Fairy delivers tanks of gas to the home of a lonely dreamer
- “Troy.” A darkly comedic tale about the unexpected consequences of unasked-for intimacy.
4 p.m.
“Black As U R.” Do all Black lives matter - or only heterosexual Black lives? A dive into the intertwined damage of racism and homophobia within Black communities. Preceded by “Cans Can’t Stand.” This doc follows a group of Black trans women in New Orleans who are fighting to repeal Louisiana’s Crime Against Nature by Solicitation (CANS) law.
7 p.m.
“So Damn Easy Going.” Joanna has ADHD and is only at peace in the water. Trouble at home and with finances leave her without the prescription that makes her symptoms manageable at exactly the same time a new girl appears at school.
Preceded by “The Syed Family Xmas Eve Game Night.” A queer Pakistani Muslim woman brings her Puerto Rican partner home for the first time.
Sunday, Oct. 16
1 p.m.
“Nelly & Nadine.” The long-hidden, extraordinary love story of two concentration camp prisoners. Nelly’s granddaughter, keeper of the family archives and its secrets, delves into the past and uncovers a trove of writing, films, and photos that her family has ignored for decades. Preceded by “Monsieur Le Butch,” When Jude ends up unexpectedly living at home in their 30s, they must deal with a lovingly opinionated mother who doesn’t quite get the whole “trans thing.”
4 p.m.
“In From the Side.” As a “B Squad” of gay athletes tries to overcome inexperience and push past rivalries to score an elusive win, a secret affair simmers among them.
Monday, Oct. 17
7 p.m.
An encore screening of “Black As U R”
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