Gay film festival coincides with Pride Parade

This weekend, The Greater Park Circle Film Society will present "Reel Grits Pride Fest," the Lowcountry's first gay film festival, at the Olde North Charleston Picture House.

The two-day event will be Friday and Saturday and will coincide with the Gay Pride Parade and Celebration.

Executive Director Dr. James Sears says the fest is a long-standing dream of fellow film society member and planner Sharen Mitchell.

"The region is growing." says Mitchell, "It's a new time and a new day with people coming together to celebrate our diversity and similarity in family, friendship and love."

The film society chose three award-winning feature-length films of varying subject matter and type. The common theme of all three works, is "Youth and Our Future."

When choosing the films, Sears said that the society was most focused on "identifying great films that are just now in the circuit. These three were chosen as they have the commonality of youth, but also diversity in terms of genre, message and insights that people may leave with. Our goal is not to push a particular position or to have people think a certain way, but to give recognition of great films."

"Reel Grits" kicks off at 7 Friday night with "Rivers Wash Over Me," a drama following a black teenager from Brooklyn struggling to adjust to life in rural Alabama. Director John Young drew inspiration for the film after hearing friends recall stories of segregation in small-town America. "While the main character is gay," says Young, "it's not exclusively about being gay. It's about being different and yearning to have someone reach out to you. It's about trying to make a difference and reach out to someone in need."

At 9 p.m., audiences will be drawn into the rocking world of director H.P. Mendoza's "Fruit Fly," a musical comedy packing 19 hits into an hour and a half.

The story follows Bethesda, a Filipina artist who moves to a commune to work on her latest performance piece.

Along the way, she gains an artistic family. Beyond sexual identity, Mendoza says that he wants people remember "the uncertainly of youth, what it's like to be young and transition into adulthood."

The last film, "Itty Bitty ... Committee," will be shown Saturday evening at 7. The comedy trails Anna, a mundane lesbian, who is inspired to explore her radical side after meeting a fiery Sadie.

"Radicals are needed in every movement to push the middle forward," says director Jamie Babbitt. "What the radicals are saying today is what the middle will say tomorrow, and that's why we need them." The film won the Jury Prize at the South by Southwest Film Festival and was an official selection at the Berlin Film Festival.

As the Park Circle theater can hold only 90 seated guests, it is recommended that audiences buy tickets in advance. The entire block is $12, or each showing may be purchased for $5. All tickets come with complimentary popcorn.

Sears says about the film festival, "We're really most interested in showing good films that you can't see elsewhere."