Sharon Gless' first starring role as a
lesbian will be screened this week during the 13th
annual Portland Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. The festival,
which began Friday, runs through October 8.
Yet to be screened are three must-watch
features, including Hannah Free, which stars Gless.
Director Wendy Jo Carlton brings us a
romantic tale of love denied by public disapproval. Hannah (played
by Gless, Queer as Folk) and Rachel share a lifetime mostly at
arms length through marriage, war and familial conflicts.
Gless has been praised for her portrait
of a contemporary woman coming to grips with her sexuality.
Hannah Free screens October 6 at
7PM.
Fans of all things Quentin Crisp will
surely relish An Englishman in New York, which screens at the
festival on October 8 at 9PM. The movie focuses on the gay writer's
ascension into New York society, where he was lauded for his
flamboyance. It is a follow-up to the British television movie The
Naked Civil Servant. In that 1975 film John Hurt played the
younger Crisp, a role he reprises in Englishman.
The movie also stars Sex In The City
star Cynthia Nixon. The openly lesbian Nixon plays the role of Penny
Arcade, a close friend of Crisp in his later years.
The festival will also feature the
highly-anticipated Hollywood, Je T'aime, which kicked off
Philadelphia's QFest in July.
Parisian Jerome's life is a forlorn
mess after heartbreak. In an attempt to mend himself, he travels to
Hollywood to be discovered. It happens in the most unusual way, but
not before Jerome walks on the beach with Ross, played by Chad Allen
(Save Me), and befriends some wacky Angelenos. Will Hollywood
save Jerome?
Hollywood, Je T'aime screens
October 5 at 9PM.
Gay Entertainment Report is a feature
of On Top Magazine and can be reached at
ontopmag@ontopmag.com.