To close out the year, I watched the free encore screening of the short films of the New Voices Filmmaker grant with NewFest. (I expect that link will die soon, but c'est la vie!).
Here's some thoughts:
Lucky Fish (2022) directed by Emily May Jampel was incredibly compelling. I think the soft looks and the scenic piece of the fish tank worked very well for a clandestine meeting in a (suddenly sapphic) storage room.
Mānoa Valley (WIP) (2023) directed by Emily May Jampel once again was... not my cup of tea. I think they were doing something interesting, but it didn't interest me all that much. The locations were nice though!
Only for the Night (2021) directed by LaQuan Lewis hurt my heart a bit! I do mean that as a compliment. The heart of the piece shines through, as does the hurt, and given some of the conversations I've been having with friends recently, it hit close to my own heart.
Where Do We Go from Here (2022) directed by LaQuan Lewis definitely had the heart and the hurt of Only for the Night, but didn't resonate with me as much. I think this was more a personal fatigue thing rather than a quality of the film thing. I'd like to see more of these types of stories out and about in the world.
-Ship: A Visual Poem (2020) directed by Terrance Daye was immaculate in it's commitment to telling a cogent and compelling story via visuals and context rather than spoken words. A great usage of the medium, and a heartbreaking story.
PRITTY (WIP) (2022) directed by Terrance Daye is actually a film I backed on Kickstarter years ago! It's great to see that it's progressing, though if I'm honest I'm a bit disappointed to see how long it's taking. That isn't to say they need to speed up - I know animation takes a very long time - but gosh I want to see the full thing!
Last Call (2021) directed by Drew de Pinto didn't do much for me, but again, I think this was a me-being-post-covid-brain-foggy rather than the film being weak. The loss of gay clubs and explicitly queer spaces spurned on by the pandemic is a genuine tragedy. Long live the gay bar.
Comptons '22 (2022) directed by Drew de Pinto moved me, unexpectedly. When the people started chanting "Black Trans Lives Matter!"... I teared up. It struck something within me that so many people were mobilizing to support and defend the people who it feels like no one fights for. I love learning about queer history, and how long, and how successfully, we've been fighting and winning.
And happy new year everyone! I'd like to do a little (read: relatively large) list of movies that I watched this year. Just this past week I added four more, so it's been a wonderful world at the movies for me! Here's to a year of wonderful media in 2024! Cheers!