One of this year's most exciting arrivals is the stylish French drama Gigola, a no-holds-barred look at the seedy side of Paris in the 1960s. The stunning Lou Doillon stars as a lesbian escort-in-drag: An almost vampiric figure, she dresses as a man and caters to wealthy women.
Another highlight is Jitters, an Icelandic coming-of-age tale about a group of teens who have to deal with heavy issues. A crossover European hit, it deals with characters straight and gay.
"The frankness and complexity of the characters and stories are rare to find in American films," Murray says.
Other crossover pics include the BBC's The Night Watch, an adaptation of the novel by Tipping the Velvet author Sarah Waters; and Perfect Family, which stars Kathleen Turner as a devout Catholic who has a less-than-conventional family, including a gay daughter (Emily Deschanel) who is about to marry her lover (Angelique Cabra).
Another good bet this year is the offbeat, literate drama Private Romeo from Alan Brown, who made a splash in 2007 with the searing psychological thriller Superheroes. Set at a boys' military academy, it's a spare, minimalist adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet about forbidden love between two cadets.
QFest includes noteworthy locally connected films.
Gay marriage is explored in Allison Kole's Married in Spandex, which documents Kole's sister, Amanda Kole, and her partner, Rachel Turanski, as a West Philly couple who take a road trip to Iowa to be married by performance artist Leslie Hall. (Same-sex marriage is legal in Iowa.)
