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SUN DAY J U N E 2 1 , 2 : 3 0 C A S T R O $4
EUNUCHS:
I N D I A'S TH I R D G E N D E R
T O P LAY O R D I E W E ST C O A S T P R E M I E R E
Harish yearns to be a woman, but has a wife
T R U E C O LO R S F I LM A N D V I D E O M A K E R S D I SC U SS T H E I R WO R K
PM
T H AT T E N D E R TOU C H Described by Variety as "One more variation
A N D I SS U E S O F D I V E R S I TY
on the Lesbian thing," That Tender Touch stars
"We must refashion a world where differences
minor cult figure Sue Bernard (Playboy's Miss
are openly acknowledged, layer by layer,
December 1966 and star of the Russ Meyer
castrated four months ago; "I thought it would
side by side. "
classic Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill !). Bee Tomp
be better if Kiran got castrated," says his truck
What does diversity really mean for gay audi
driver boyfriend, "So he could wear a petticoat."
ences? Recent years have seen a powerful, lib
and two children. His best friend Kiran was
-Marlon Riggs
Eunuchs: India's Third Gender is a new docu
erating proliferation of aesthetics, addresses
mentary (made for BBC television) about the
and commentaries from lesbian and gay artists
people who are man and woman in one body.
of color. Already, a history has emerged, im
There are more than half a million eunuchs
pacting the shape of all new lesbian and gay
or hijras-in India; they are variously despised
independent work, much of which is on show
and revered, and they are all granted with the
at this year's Festival.
power to bless and curse. Three years in the making, Michael Yorke's film easily captures the pleasures and painful contradictions of a living alternative to Western ideas about gender. From the Netherlands, Frank Krom's To
But what role should film festivals play in increasing the visibility of this work? What
obstacles remain? Do established sy�tems of
distribution, funding and exhibition inherently exclude gay people of color? What indepen
Play or Die is a powerful school-set psycho
dent network can festivals, filmmakers and
drama. Kees is an introverted lad, bullied by
distributors form to meet audiences' needs?
his handsome classmates. When his parents
True Colors is a panel discussion with
leave town, Kees works up the courage to in
visiting filmmakers, including Aarin Burch,
vite the ringleader, Charel, to his home. His
Catherine Saalfield, Susana Blaustein-Munoz,
plan is to take revenge, but Charel gets the up
Thomas Allen Harris and Marlon Riggs, re
per hand . . To Play or Die recalls the memo
cipient of this year's Frameline Award.
.
ries of loneliness and victimization familiar to
S P O N SO R E D B Y
any gay teen, and turns them into an intense,
T H E LA I N E F A M I LY F O U N D AT I O N
enigmatic psychological thriller.
Eunuchs: India's Third Gender and To Play or Die are repeated in separate programs at Pacific Film Archive on Wednesday June 24, 7:30 and 9:00pm.
kins co-stars as her older lesbian ex-lover, who shows up years later (check out the Mommy/Girl iconography) to cause trouble between Bernard and her new husband. In true Hollywood style, Tompkins ends up face down in the swimming pool, another narra tive casualty of the h0mophobia of the silver screen. "That Tender Touch has a multitude of scenes between the two femmes," says Variety, "which probably will be explOited for good response in certain bookings." While that "good response" was probably supposed to come from male audiences seeking soft-core titillation, contemporary lesbian audiences will respond wildly to the camp value of this obscure and hilarious motion picture. Please note: this 35mm archive print is complete and unedited, but in poor condition. And don't miss Big Time Wrestlers From
Hollywood with June Adair "The Battling Ballerina" versus Lynn O'Conner "The Lovely Terror." BIG TIME WRESTLERS FROM HOLLYWOOD Dir. Hubbard Hunt
(circa 1950s) USA 5 mins. 16mm b &:w � THAT TENDER TOUCH Dir. Russel Vincent
(1969) USA 88 mins. 35mm P A RT I A L P R O C E E D S F R O M T H I S
EUNUCHS: INDIA'S THIRD GENDER
SC R E E N I N G W I L L FU N D R E S E A R C H
Dir. Michael Yorke (199 1 ) GB 40 mins. 16mm
A N D P R O DUCT I O N O F T H E F R A M E L I N E
� TO PLAY OR DIE Dir. Frank Krom
L E S B I A N /G A Y F I L M A N D V I D E O
(1991) Netherlands 50 mins. 1 6mm
Dutch language/English subtitles
.
DATA B A S E PROJ E CT