Queer is Here!

The 20th Anniversary Vancouver Queer Film Festival opened last night with this rousing cheer from the packed house: “Like a virgin / touched for the very first time…” We were honouring the amazing people who started up and have made this festival grow into the must-see, must-do event it is. And we were celebrating the Opening Gala Film, “Like a Virgin” from South Korean filmmakers Lee Hae-yeong and Lee Hae-jun about a boy dreaming about Madonna and wishing for his own sex change operation.

I started off the night with my colleague Dino (our superuvoyeur) in the sweatiest, thirstiest, most animated VIP reception anywhere. We talked to a few filmmakers, including Gwen Haworth (“She’s a Boy I Knew“) who will be one of the judges for our exciting new SuperU contest “Out There” for films by and about the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered communities. Then we stood in the corner and sweated some more, Dino gallantly tossing me a piece of bread – dinner!

Now, I don’t read movie synopses before the film, so I got all my info from Dino, who told me that the movie was about a boy who competes in a Madonna impersonation contest to win money for his sex change operation. Actually, It turned out that the movie was about a boy who trains and competes as a wrestler in order to win money for his sex change operation so that he can take part in a Madonna impersonation contest. (There’s a slight difference there, Dino.) While waiting for the lip-synching to begin, I was pleasantly surprised to be introduced to the traditional Korean wrestling practice called SSireum. 

Look for Super U at a couple of upcoming screenings we’re sponsoring: The Coast is Queer (Monday Aug 18, 7 pm Tinseltown), Confessions of a Sorta Str8 Drag King (Saturday Aug 23, 7 pm Tinseltown). All the details are at the VQFF website. 

Gotta run, it’s Friday and it’s hot.