Reel Affirmations

Last updated
Reel Affirmations
RA17 program cover.png
Cover of the Reel Affirmations 17 program guide.
Established1991

Reel Affirmations (RA) is a non-profit, all-volunteer LGBT film festival in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1991 and held every year in mid-October, as of 2011 Reel Affirmations was one of the largest LGBT film festivals (in terms of attendance) in the United States. [1] Baltimore's Gay Life newspaper called it "one of the top three films festivals for the entire LGBT community." [2] A 2007 guidebook claims it was one of the largest LGBT film festivals in the world. [3] A listing of LGBT film festivals claims it is the largest all-volunteer film festival in the world. [4]

Contents

Organization

Reel Affirmations is a program of One In Ten, a Washington, D.C.-based LGBT non-profit arts organization. One In Ten is overseen by a board of four officers and nine board members. Until 2009, a full-time, paid executive director oversaw the day-to-day operations of the organization. But as of 2011, its operations were run by the board and three volunteer directors. [5] All One In Ten programs, including Reel Affirmations, are conceived, organized, and implemented by volunteers.

Planning for Reel Affirmations begins after the conclusion of each year's festival. Deposits are placed to secure venues, and corporate sponsors are secured (an ongoing process which lasts until August). Programming teams for feature films, women's shorts, men's shorts, and documentaries begin researching and screening films in February. Films are secured by contract beginning as early as May, although most contracts are not finalized until early July. A coordinating committee oversees implementation of VIP relations, hospitality, volunteer coordination, marketing, embassy relations, public relations, and other aspects of the film festival.

Most funding for Reel Affirmations comes from corporate sponsorships and ticket sales. Additional support comes from grants provided by the D.C. city government. [6]

Reel Affirmations previously sponsored a two-day film festival which coincided with Capital Pride. [7] The program began sponsoring monthly film screenings titled RA Xtra beginning in 2000, [8] but stopped these events after RA15 in 2005. RA Xtra resumed in November 2010. [9] The organization also formerly sponsored "Divas Outdoors", a two-movie outdoor screening of classic gay-related movies at Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, the former home of Marjorie Merriweather Post (heiress to the Post cereal fortune). [10]

History

Early years

Charles Sumner School, a venue during the 1993 Reel Affirmations film festival (RA3). Charles Sumner School - Washington, D.C..jpg
Charles Sumner School, a venue during the 1993 Reel Affirmations film festival (RA3).

Reel Affirmations was co-founded by Barry Becker, Mark Betchkal, Matthew Cibellis and Keith Clark, gay residents of Washington, D.C., who wished to found a gay arts organization. [11] They began meeting in 1990, and founded the LGBT arts organization One In Ten, with Reel Affirmations as the organization's first program. [12] The four sought the advice and input of Frameline, then the largest LGBT gay film festival in the U.S. [11] With financial and administrative assistance from Frameline, the first Reel Affirmations film festival opened on October 11, 1991. The first festival venue was the Biograph Theater in Georgetown. The 10-day festival screened 62 feature films, short subjects and documentaries to 2,500 attendees. [13] The opening night film was My Father Is Coming, [14] and the closing night film was Together Alone . [8] [15] [16]

In 1992, the festival expanded to screen its opening night film at the Cineplex Odeon Embassy Theatre in the District. Author Armistead Maupin opened the festival. [8] RA2 screened 76 short and feature-length works shown at the Biograph. [12] [17]

The following year, the festival screened 24 features and 44 shorts [18] and added screenings at the Goethe-Institut and Charles Sumner School. With the film festival on firm financial footing, Frameline did not provide administrative and financial support for RA3. [8]

The festival continued to expand in 1994, screening 130 films and dropping smaller venues (Biograph, Sumner School) while adding larger ones (such as the West End 1-4 cinema). The festival also conducted a screening at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden—one of the first gay events to be held in a federal building. 1994 was also the year the festival scored its first U.S premiere. [8] [19]

By its fifth anniversary in 1995, Reel Affirmations was the fourth-largest LGBT film festival in the United States in attendance, with more than 12,000 attendees. [11] Although the festival screened only 102 films that year, it expanded to a fifth large venue (the AMC Courthouse Theatre in Virginia). A year later, it dropped two of its smaller venues in favor of the 275-seat Goldman Theatre in the D.C. Jewish Community Center in Dupont Circle. [8]

Lincoln Theatre years

The Lincoln Theatre in Washington, D.C., Reel Affirmations' primary venue between 1998 and 2008. Lincoln Theatre - U Street.jpg
The Lincoln Theatre in Washington, D.C., Reel Affirmations' primary venue between 1998 and 2008.

Reel Affirmations' growth led it to move out of the Cineplex Odeon Embassy and West End theaters in 1998. The film fest moved into the 1,200-seat historic Lincoln Theatre located near U and 14th Streets, N.W. RA8 screened more than 140 feature films, shorts and documentaries at the two venues. [20]

1999 was a turning point for Reel Affirmations. Several years of declining attendance by women led festival director Sarah Kellogg to create a special women's program. The event, known as the Women Filmmakers Brunch, has continued ever since and features women filmmakers, screenings, and a discussion of films with particular appeal to women. [21] RA9 also was the only LGBT film festival of the season to screen Boys Don't Cry . The award-winning film debuted in New York City, screened at Reel Affirmations, and then opened in theaters nationwide. [8] [22]

In honor of the festival's continuing success, the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance bestowed its 2004 Distinguished Service Award on Reel Affirmations festival director Sarah Kellogg. [23] In 2006, RA 16 screened more than 100 movies to more than 30,000 attendees during its 10-day run. [3] [24]

Post-2008 festival

In 2008, in addition to the Lincoln Theatre, the film festival used several locations including the Goethe-Institut, Sixth & I Synagogue, and Landmark E Street Cinema (all in Washington, D.C.), as well as the AFI Silver theater in Silver Spring, Maryland. [25]

In 2009, Reel Affirmations struck a relationship with the Shakespeare Theatre Company. The film festival did not use the Lincoln Theatre, holding its larger film screenings at the company's Sidney Harman Hall. Festival executive director Margaret Murray left in November 2009 after four years as RA head—leaving the festival with about $40,000 in debt. [9] [10] According to the Washington Blade , an LGBTQ newspaper in D.C., a number of factors were responsible for the debt: A diminishing number of corporate sponsors, the timing of Murray's resignation (just as donor recruitment was beginning for the following year), lack of preparation by RA for Murray's departure, an increasing number of popular LGBTQ events competing with the festival in October, fewer advertisers in the festival's program booklet, poor weather during several days of the 2009 festival, discontinuation of the festival's VIP program (which left it dependent on single ticket sales), and a heavy drop in single ticket sales. [25] Many board members left the organization, new board members were recruited, and three volunteers took over RA's day-to-day operations. [25]

In July 2010, RA organizers announced that the film festival would move from October 2010 to April 2011 because of funding shortfalls. [9] [25] One news source reported that RA organizers had intended to hold an October film festival, but a community fundraiser brought in only $5,000—far less than hoped, and not enough to allow an October festival to occur. [25] The move to April was prompted, in part, by the hope that a $75,000 D.C. government grant would allow the festival to occur. [25] However, on March 8, 2011, RA officials cancelled the April event because of continuing heavy debt and because several grants had not been awarded to the organization. [26] Festival organizers scheduled the 20th Reel Affirmations LGBTQ film festival for October 13–22, 2011. [26]

Additional changes occurred during the 20th film festival. The film festival no longer held events at the Shakespeare Theatre Company. The primary film festival venue was Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University (GWU). [27] Other venues included GWU's Documentary Center, GWU's Marvin Center Amphitheatre, Atlas Performing Arts Center, the FHI 360 Globe Theater, and the West End Cinema (one of the original venues for the film festival in the early 1990s). [28] [29] The festival also instituted an "Embassy Screening Series," in which LGBTQ films from a specific country were screened at that nation's embassy in Washington, D.C. Screenings occurred at the Embassy of Israel and Embassy of France, and by the Embassy of Germany at the Goethe-Institut. [29] The Women and Filmmakers' Brunch continued to be held, although the venue was now the U.S. Navy Memorial Heritage Center's Arleigh Burke Theater. [29] Festival volunteer coordinator Mark Heckathorn estimated that the festival would draw 20,000 attendees in 2011. [28]

Reel Affirmations continued to recover from its financial crisis in 2012. In March 2012, it held an "Oscar Party" (with muscular men covered in gold welcoming patrons) in which the public was invited to view the Academy Awards in a gay-friendly setting. [30] Reel Affirmations hosted a truncated four-day festival (November 1–4) in 2012. Once more, its venues changed. The festival returned to its long-time venue at the D.C. Jewish Community Center and the Goethe Institut as well as its RA Xtra venue at the Carnegie Institution for Science. [31]

End of annual festival

Reel Affirmations ceased to offer an annual film festival at the conclusion of the 2012 event. One In Ten turned the Reel Affirmations program over to The DC Center, a nonprofit organization offering several different programs to the local LGBTQ community. The DC Center reestablished the RA Xtra program of monthly film screenings, which it offered beginning in 2015.

Reel Affirmations planned a three-day film festival for August 28–30, 2015, at the Gala Hispanic/Tivoli Theatre.

Awards

Reel Affirmations presents four major awards each year. Each award is bestowed based on audience balloting. Honors are given for Best Feature, Best Documentary, Best Male Short, and Best Female Short. Beginning in 2011, Reel Affirmations added two new awards. These included a First Time Director and a Best International Movie award. [32]

Reel Affirmations formerly distributed a Plant-A-Seed filmmaker grant at the end of each festival. The grant was established in 2000. It was supported by audience donations and a silent auction held throughout each year's festival, and varied in amount from year to year. The grant was awarded by the One In Ten board to a filmmaker or filmmakers who had previously produced a feature film, short or documentary, and was intended to help the filmmaker complete a current work in progress. This grant was discontinued in 2008. The festival re-established its filmmaker's grant award in 2011, renaming it the Keith Clark & Barry Becker Filmmaker Award (in honor of the co-founders of the festival). [32]

Related Research Articles

NewFest: The New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Film Festival put on by The New Festival, Inc., is one of the most comprehensive forums of national and international LGBT film/video in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inside Out Film and Video Festival</span>

The Inside Out Film and Video Festival, also known as the Inside Out LGBT or LGBTQ Film Festival, is an annual Canadian film festival, which presents a program of LGBT-related film. The festival is staged in both Toronto and Ottawa. Founded in 1991, the festival is now the largest of its kind in Canada. Deadline dubbed it "Canada’s foremost LGBTQ film festival."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vito Russo</span> American historian and LGBT activist

Vito Russo was an American LGBT activist, film historian, and author. He is best remembered as the author of the book The Celluloid Closet, described in The New York Times as "an essential reference book" on homosexuality in the US film industry. In 1985, he co-founded the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), a media watchdog organization that strives to end anti-LGBT rhetoric, and advocates for LGBT inclusion in popular media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival</span> American film festival

The North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Festival is an annual LGBT film festival produced by the Carolina Theater in Durham, North Carolina, typically held in mid-August. The festival has been credited in previous years as the second largest LGBT film/video festival in the Southeastern United States.

Outfest is an LGBTQ-oriented nonprofit that produces two film festivals, operates a movie streaming platform, and runs educational services for filmmakers in Los Angeles. Outfest is one of the key partners, alongside the Frameline Film Festival, the New York Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Film Festival, and the Inside Out Film and Video Festival, in launching the North American Queer Festival Alliance, an initiative to further publicize and promote LGBT film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frameline Film Festival</span>

The Frameline Film Festival began as a storefront event in 1976. The first film festival, named the Gay Film Festival of Super-8 Films, was held in 1977. The festival is organized by Frameline, a nonprofit media arts organization whose mission statement is "to change the world through the power of queer cinema". It is the oldest LGBTQ+ film festival in the world.

The Iris Prize, established in 2007 by Berwyn Rowlands of The Festivals Company, is an international LGBT film prize and festival which is open to any film which is by, for, about or of interest to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or intersex audiences and which must have been completed within two years of the prize deadline.

One In Ten (OIT) is a non-profit, all-volunteer LGBT arts organization in Washington, D.C. Its largest program is Reel Affirmations, the third largest LGBT film festival in the United States and the largest all-volunteer film festival in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlanta Film Festival</span>

The Atlanta Film Festival (ATLFF) is an international film festival held in Atlanta, Georgia and operated by the Atlanta Film Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Started in 1976 and occurring every spring, the festival shows a diverse range of independent films, with special attention paid to women-directed films, LGBTQ films, Latin American films, Black films and films from the American Southeast. ATLFF is one of only a handful of festivals that are Academy Award-qualifying in all three short film categories.

<i>Edie & Thea: A Very Long Engagement</i> 2009 American documentary film

Edie & Thea: A Very Long Engagement is a 2009 American documentary film directed and produced by Susan Muska and Gréta Ólafsdóttir for their company Bless Bless Productions, in association with Sundance Channel. The film tells the story of the long-term lesbian relationship between Edie Windsor and Thea Spyer, including their respective childhoods, their meeting in 1963, their lives and careers in New York City, Thea's diagnosis with multiple sclerosis and Edie's care for her partner, and their wedding in Toronto, Canada, in May 2007, because gay marriage was not then legal in their home state of New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston Jewish Film Festival</span>

The Boston Jewish Film Festival (BJFF) is an annual film festival that screens the best contemporary films on Jewish themes from around the world. The festival presents features, shorts, documentaries, and conversations with visiting artists in order to explore the Jewish identity, the current Jewish experience and the richness of Jewish culture in relation to a diverse modern world.

Julie Casper Roth, is an American artist, documentary filmmaker, experimental video artist, and writer based in Connecticut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stu Maddux</span> American film director

Stu Maddux is American freelance writer, editor, and cinematographer. He is a movie producer and director of his own non-fiction independent films. He is best known for his work Gen Silent, a documentary about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender older people who hide their sexuality or gender change in order to survive in the long-term care system. He also wrote and produced the films Bob and Jack's 52-Year Adventure and Trip to Hell and Back. His work has been featured internationally on television including on Showtime, TLC, and the BBC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT culture in Metro Detroit</span>

The LGBT community in Metro Detroit is centered in Ferndale, Michigan, as of 2007. As of 1997, many LGBT people live in Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge, and Royal Oak. Model D stated in 2007 that there are populations of gays and lesbians in some Detroit neighborhoods such as East English Village, Indian Village, Lafayette Park, and Woodbridge and that the concentration of gay bars in Detroit is "decentralized".

The Reelout Queer Film Festival is an annual LGBTQ film festival in Kingston, Ontario.

Peter Knegt is a Canadian writer, producer, and filmmaker. He is the recipient of four Canadian Screen Awards and his CBC Arts column Queeries received the 2019 Digital Publishing Award for best digital column in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connecticut LGBTQ Film Festival</span> American Film festival

The Connecticut LGBTQ Film Festival, hosted by Out Film CT and held annually in Hartford, Connecticut, is an American film festival with a focus on films created by and for members of the LGBTQ+ community. Established in 1988, it is the longest running film festival in Connecticut. The festival is traditionally held in early June, when it's seen as a lead-in to other events during LGBTQ Pride Month. Shane Engstrom has been director or co-director of the festival since 2001. In 2021, Jaime Ortega was appointed as co-director alongside Engstrom.

Apricot Groves is a 2016 Armenian–Iranian drama film directed by Pouria Heidary Oureh. The film is one of the most internationally appeared film in the history of Armenian cinema, with dozens of international film festival selections.

References

  1. ↑ Dickey, p. 238.
  2. ↑ D'Longcroi , Rose. "Reel Affirmations Reaches 20th Year." Gay Life. September 30-October 13, 2011. Accessed 2012-04-22.
  3. 1 2 Yenckel and Frommer, p. 283.
  4. ↑ "Reel Affirmations." Film Festivals Pro. No date. Archived 2011-05-23 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 2012-04-22.
  5. ↑ O'Bryan, Will. "Movie Magic." Metro Weekly. October 13, 2011. Accessed 2012-04-22.
  6. ↑ Thomas, Desson. "Are 2 Roles Too Many at Filmfest DC?" Washington Post. April 29, 2007.
  7. ↑ "Growing Pride." Washington City Paper. June 5, 2003. This event was later discontinued.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Reel Affirmations 15 Program Guide. Washington, D.C.: One In Ten, 2005.
  9. 1 2 3 Geidner, Chris. "Spring Affirmations." Metro Weekly. July 30, 2010.
  10. 1 2 Najafi, Yusef. "One in Ten's Debt." Metro Weekly. March 25, 2010.
  11. 1 2 3 Plowman, Terry. "Rehoboth Beach Film Fest Makes A Splash at the Box Office." Delaware Today. October 2000. Archived 2008-11-21 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 2012-04-22.
  12. 1 2
    • Howe, Desson. "Gay and Lesbian Festival." Washington Post. October 16, 1992.
  13. ↑ Documentary films formed a significant portion of films screened at Reel Affirmations in its early years. See: "News at 11." Washington City Paper. October 18, 2001. Archived November 2, 2005, at the Wayback Machine Accessed 2012-04-22.
  14. ↑ My Father Is Coming at IMDb
  15. ↑ Together Alone at IMDb
  16. ↑ "An Italian's Real 'Story'." Washington Post. October 11, 1991.
  17. ↑ Each Reel Affirmations film festival is referred to by the acronym "RA" followed by a number which indicates which festival it is. For example, the fourth Reel Affirmations film festival is "RA4"; the eleventh Reel Affirmations film festival is be "RA11."
  18. ↑ Nambiar, Shanthy. "A Reel Look at Gay, Lesbian Experience." Washington Post. October 16, 1993.
  19. ↑ Howe, Desson. "Celebrating Gay Cinema." Washington Post. October 14, 1994.
  20. ↑ O'Sullivan, Michael. "Gay Film Fest Changes Venue." Washington Post. October 16, 1998.
  21. ↑ O'Sullivan, Michael. "Gay and Lesbian Film Fest Adds a Women's Program." Washington Post. October 15, 1999.
  22. ↑ Fritz, Daniel. "Boys Don't Cry." Archived 2007-10-14 at the Wayback Machine MovieMaker. October 1, 2007. Accessed October 27, 2007.
  23. ↑ "GLAA Announces 2004 Distinguished Service Awards." Press release. Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance. February 23, 2004. Accessed January 2, 2008.
  24. ↑ McCarthy, Ellen. "Shia LaBeouf Has Come of Age." Washington Post. October 13, 2006.
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Jr, Lou Chibbaro (August 2, 2010). "'Reel' debt delays festival". www.washingtonblade.com.
  26. 1 2 O'Bryan, Will. "October Affirmations." Metro Weekly. March 8, 2011.
  27. ↑ Ebner, Juliette. "Reel Affirmations Back With 'Dirty' Opening Feature." Washington Blade. October 6, 2011. Accessed 2012-04-22.
  28. 1 2 Miller, Shauna. "Affirming Images." Express Night Out. October 13, 2011. Accessed 2012-04-22.
  29. 1 2 3 Ebner, Juliette. "D.C.'s Gay Film Festival Rebounds After Tumultuous Off Year." Washington Blade. October 13, 2011. Accessed 2012-04-22.
  30. ↑ Exis, Pete. "Reel Affirmations Oscar Party." Washington Blade. February 29, 2012. Accessed 2012-04-22.
  31. ↑ "Reel Affirmations Returns." Washington Blade. November 1, 2012. Accessed 2012-11-07.
  32. 1 2 Shulman, Randy. "Reel Affirmations 20: And the Winning Films Are -- ." Archived 2012-05-03 at the Wayback Machine Metro Weekly. October 24, 2011. Accessed 2012-03-31.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.