Monthly gay film showcase for Auckland

Gay film fans in Auckland will be able to enjoy the latest cinema from around the world with the launch this month of a new gay cinema showcase at Galatos.

Number 8 Films, a local film-making trust, is hosting the monthly series of screenings which will be held on Thursday evenings.

“It’s great to have a gay film festival, but that only happens once a year,” says event organizer Christopher Banks. “Auckland is New Zealand’s gay capital, and GLBT people here should have more opportunities than that to see films with themes and characters that are relevant to them, and there’s lots of great stuff out there being made.”

The showcases kick off on Thursday September 16 with the New York comedy ‘Violet Tendencies’. It stars Mindy Cohn (from the 1980s sitcom ‘The Facts of Life’) as an aging ‘fruit fly’ looking for love in Manhattan’s gay scene.
“She doesn’t want to leave her gay friends behind, so she goes in search of the mythical male version of herself – the ‘fag stag’,” Banks says. “We’re really pleased to have secured this film for its New Zealand premiere, it has been going down a storm at all the major summer gay film festivals in the USA.”

Tickets to the showcase are $20 and can be booked online, with door sales priced at $25. Seating at the venue is cabaret-style and free snacks will be provided. Spot prizes (dinner and a bar tab) have been generously provided by Caluzzi and Urge Bar.

“We decided to go with the cabaret style seating to provide a different kind of feel,” Banks explains. “Going to the movies is a communal experience, and we thought it’d be great to be able to come along with a bunch of mates, sit at a table, have a drink and a laugh and enjoy the film.”

The showcases will also take advantage of web video technology to host live Q&A sessions after the screening with the filmmakers, over Skype.

“Filmmakers rarely travel to New Zealand for festivals, so we thought this would be a great opportunity to give Auckland audiences a chance to interact with filmmakers in the same way that festival audiences overseas get to all the time,” Banks says. “We’re really looking forward to it.”

To book tickets for ‘Violet Tendencies’, head to: http://www.number8films.com/special-events.htm
WHAT: Auckland Gay Film Showcase – ‘Violet Tendencies’
WHEN: Thursday September 16, doors open 6:30pm, film starts at 7:00pm
WHERE: Galatos, 17 Galatos St, Newton