QFILMS RETURNS TO THE SPOTLIGHT

The QFilm Festival is upon us again and this year they manage to again pack Long Beach with three days of high quality LGBT cinema and great parties. Here we spotlight just a few of the many films screening at the Art Theatre on Long Beach’s Retro Row.

APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR — Fri., Sep. 12, Art Theatre @ 7:00 PM (Opening Night Film)

This year the festival opens with APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR, a dry comedy about bisexual Shirin‘s (Desiree Akhavan) struggle to come to terms with her breakup with her previous girlfriend Maxine (Rebecca Henderson). This issue is further complicated by the fact that she’s not out to her conservative Persian family. The rollercoaster of emotions and rebounds Shirin goes through to put her shattered life back together is contrasted with flashbacks showing us the lifespan of her relationship with Maxine. Anyone who has ever felt lost after the end of a relationship will cringe and laugh along with this story.

BOY MEETS GIRL— Sat., Sep. 13, Art Theatre @ 7:00 PM

Set in rural Kentucky, BOY MEETS GIRL is a beautifully simple, funny, and tender story of finding your first love with a twist. Ricky is a transgender high school girl who doesn’t hide it from anyone, with good and bad repercussions. She set in living a simple life caring for her father and little brother and hangout out with her best friend Robby (Michael Welch from Twilight), when she starts to develop feelings for Francesca, a beautiful girl who just happens to be engaged to a Marine and old school friend serving overseas. It’s nearly impossible not to love Michelle Hendley in a seemingly effortless performance as Ricky. This film will challenge your ideas of gender and sexuality while winning your heart.

TRU LOVE — Sun., Sep. 14, Art Theatre @ 7:30 PM (Closing Night Film)

Shauna MacDonald (from Hemlock Grove) stars as Tru, a middle-aged lesbian who is great with getting women in bed but not so great at relationships. The always in control Tru agrees to help her friend Suzanne (Christine Horne), an overworked lawyer, by keeping her mother, Alice (Kate Trotter), occupied while visiting town after the death of her husband. What starts as simply killing time and simple conversation between Tru and Alice quickly blossoms into a comfortable, flirtatious, and emotional relationship between the 37 year-old True and 60 year-old Alice. All three women in this story are dealing with their own person issues of love, loss, and acceptance woven together in a soft spoken and gentle way.

Other films to watch include:

BLACKBIRD — Sat., Sep. 13, Art Theatre @ 9:15 PM

Randy a 17-year-old African-American singer struggles with his sexuality, his family, and his place in their Southern Baptist church in conservative Mississippi, featuring stand-out performances by Mo’Nique and Isaiah Washington

TRANSVISIBLE:Bamby Salcedo’s Story — Sun., Sep. 14, Art Theatre @ 11:30 PM

An inspirational film about Bamby Salcedo, a Trans Latina woman, now a renowned international leader and Trans community advocate.

The Art Theater is located at 2025 E. 4th Street, Long Beach, CA. For a complete listing of all the films and ticket info check out qfilmslongbeach.com.