Last night was opening night for Reel Affirmations 18, the LGBT film festival in Washington, DC. The 11 day festival, presented by One In Ten, is the premier event organized by the group -- who also produces comedy shows, mini-film festivals and other fun events throughout the year.I served on the board of One In Ten for a number of years, so opening night is always a good chance to catch up with some good friends.
The opening night film, Breakfast with Scot, was quite fun and I would highly recommend it. The comedy features Tom Cavanagh, of the hit series ED, Scrubs, and the new series Eli Stone, and Ben Shenkman of Angles in America and Law & Order.
Eric (Cavanagh) lives for all things hockey, manly and orderly. His partner Sam (Shenkman) suddenly finds that he is temporary guardian of his young nephew Scot - a swishy 11-year old who was recently orphaned. As the three settle in Eric soon begins to rethink the compromises he's made in his own life in order to be 'accepted.'
The breakthrough with the making of this film is that it's the first time a professional sports league has allowed their logo and uniforms to be used in a gay-themed movie.
Breakfast with Scot is a touching film that should be viewed by the whole family. It deals in a subtle way with prejudice, and how one young boy manages to bring even the school bully around to become his friend. The film is available on DVD, so if you get a chance to see it, do.
By this point you might be wondering why the title of this post is "Fun at Ben's Chili Bowl." Well, before the film started my friend and I ducked into Ben's for a chili dog and fries. Ben's Chili Bowl is a landmark in Washington, DC -- a place where it's not uncommon to see Bill Cosby when he's in town, or a host of other celebrities. Well last night Ben's lived up to its reputation in that regard.Almost as soon as we sat down, out walks Sarah Jessica Parker -- who had been dining in an adjacent room. A couple of young women quickly surrounded her to have their picture taken with the Sex in the City star. Sarah looked great, was very friendly with everyone, and said hello to my friend and me as she passed our table.
As she left Ben's I turned to my friend and quipped, "I only take you to the best spots in DC!" ha
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3 comments:
Aren't you the hobnobber!?
I'm so glad to see more mainstream movies about gay issues. Cavanaugh was also in a gay movie with Heather Graham a while back--can't remember the name but it was an okay film.
I'm glad to see something like the festival.
Most LGBT film is so awful and I wish it were not so. This is a step in the right direction, for sure.
Dguzman - it was quite fun!
CK - there are a lot of good LGBT films out there, and there have been for a long time. This particular festival is celebrating it's 18th year! Part of the challenge some festivals are facing these days is that so many gay-themed film is being released by mainstream distribution groups -- making the timing of their release challenging for fiting them into a festival schedule.
BAC
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