Festival artistic director Ray Murray said the work of the gay movement to combat prejudice over the last four decades has had one ironic result. Today, more films with gay themes are accepted by mainstream audiences, but this also has taken these films out of festivals specifically targeted to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
In addition, Murray said, the rise of gay-centric cable stations such as here! and Logo also has meant a drain on specialty fests.
But don't write off the local fest just yet, organizers say.
"Every year, someone asks me about the demise of queer cinema. But there will always be a need for audiences to see themselves on screen," said associate artistic director Carol Coombes. "What has changed is the polish and quality of gay and lesbian cinema over the past 15 years."
Coombes said more films deal with new and unique subject matter and genres.
"Films in the '80s and '90s were [made] in response to HIV and [issues that involved] coming out. There were hardly any transgendered films, for one," Coombes said, adding that there has been an explosion of themes and genres.
Critics say the Hollywood musical is back, what with the success of Moulin Rouge, Chicago and the High School Musical films. But the genre has never been out of favor in gay film fests. The Big Gay Musical, which will have its world premiere at QFest, is about the lives and loves of the members of a New York theater troupe preparing to stage a musical called Adam and Steve, Just the Way God Made Them.
H.P. Mendoza, who made a splash with 2006's Colma: The Musical, which he wrote, scored and starred in, adds director to his resume with Fruit Fly, a joyous pop-tune tribute to San Francisco that follows a Filipino performance artist on a quest to find her mother.
Mendoza, 32, also will be presented with the Rising Star Award.
