The true-life story of the passionate three-decade relationship between British writer Christopher Isherwood and American portrait painter Don Bachardy, thirty years his junior. From Isherwood's Kit-Kat-Club years in Weimar-era Germany to the couple's first meeting on the sun-kissed beaches of 1950s Malibu, their against-all-odds saga is brought to dazzling life by a treasure trove of multimedia. Bachardy's contemporary reminiscences artfully interact with archival footage, rare home movies, reenactments, and, most sweetly, whimsical animations based on the cat-and-horse cartoons the pair used in their personal correspondence. With Isherwood's status as an out-and-proud gay maverick, and Bachardy's eventual artistic triumph away from the considerable shadow of his life partner, Chris & Don: A Love Story is above all a joyful celebration of a most extraordinary couple. the web site

cast: Don Bachardy, John Boorman, Leslie Caron, Charlie Gordon, Christopher Isherwood, Jack Larson, Liza Minnelli

plus: The Chosen Family by Victoria filmmaker Maureen Bradley, 2001, 13 min. Margaret is the target of multiple familial comings-out. Is ANYONE straight any more?

Three other brilliant films that can be rented from the MM/Yo Video Collection

Monday 18 Aug 2008

She's A Boy I Knew

An incredible film from Vancouver about a young man becoming a woman, but more particularly about his family, wife and friends' adjustment to his decision.

"Using archival family footage, interviews, phone messages, and animation, Haworth's documentary She's a Boy I Knew begins in 2000 with Steven Haworth's decision to come out to his family about his life-long female gender identity. The resulting auto-ethnography is not only an exploration into the film maker's process of transition from biological male to female, from Steven to Gwen, but also an emotionally charged account of the individual experiences, struggles, and stakes that her two sisters, mother, father, best friend and wife brought to Gwen's transition." official site

Mar 20 2006 and Nov 15 2008

Georgie Girl

Meet Georgina Beyer, the latest "it" girl of New Zealand politics. A one-time sex worker of Maori descent turned public official, Georgina stunned the world in 1999 by becoming the first transgender person to hold national office. Born George Beyer, this unlikely politician grew up on a small Tarankai farm and later became a small-time celebrity on the cabaret circuit in Auckland.

With charisma, humor and charm, Beyer unapologetically recounts her fascinating life story, shares how she overcame adversity and discloses the reasons she decided to run for office in a mostly all white, conservative electorate. Incorporating an unbelievable montage of colorful archival images dug up from Georgina's days as an exotic dancer, theatre and television performer, this absorbing documentary breaks down stereotypes and promotes greater understanding of transgender people.

"Georgie Girl is both a chronicle of Beyer's daily life as a Member of Parliament, and an account of the journey that took her from farm boy to cabaret performer to community organizer to national leader. As Georgina attends to her political duties, making speeches, judging sheep races, meeting constituents, riding in parades, it quickly becomes clear why her rural neighbors elected her: first, as mayor of Carterton and then in 1999 sending her to Wellington as representative of the picturesque Wairarapa district, the country's largest. Georgina is eloquent, spontaneous, funny, and honest to a fault — the antithesis of the modern parliamentary politician"

Georgie Beyer has served three terms as MP, pushing for the rights of sex workers and people in her gay/trans community, as well as serving the everyday concerns her loyal electorate. She became a star in the Dance With The Stars and last we talked with her in 2006 was being courted by a couple of prospective bows, one of them a Commonweath Games athlete. (in the film she is resigned to remaining single as she felt the glare of public position would be too much or a partner.) Go Georgie! She addressed the International Conference on LGBT Human Rights in Montreal in later in 2006. She left the political scene February 2007. more and view the Trailer

Monday Oct 13 1997 and Monday 10 Oct 2005

Outrageous

A 1977 classic Canadian film, newly reissued on DVD. Craig Russell, the great drag impersonator, does fabulous routines as Ethel Merman, Liza Minnelli, Barbara Streisand, Carol Channing, Mae West, but the film holds together with a sweet unusual love story between him and a young woman who has schizophrenia who moves in with him after escaping a psych hospital. Turns out it was not just a sweet plot to showcase Russell's act but based on a short story written by such a young woman who Russell put up for a year! more

30 YEARS, kids! Here's the Summer Camp experience you never had - with Bill Murray in his prime (and his first starring part) as a zany yet inspiring and empathetic as the camp counsellor. Brought to attention by my 29 year old son, "a fun kids' film heralding the summer (as in its maddening theme song 'are you ready for the summer?')... it has scene after scene of Bill Murray as head counsellor being charming and hilarious, and bonding with this lonely camper in a touching way. Give it a try perhaps, it might tickle you." It did. Pg 1979! more

cast: Bill Murray, Tripper Harrison, Harvey Atkin, Kate Lynch, Russ Banham, Kristine DeBell

The Immortal Beaver is a look at the history of the Canadian workhorse bush plane and an amazing reconstruction by Sidney BC's Viking Air of a derelict plane from the airplane bone yard near Tucson, Arizona into a spanking 'new' plane. Written by Arwen Hunter ~ The official site

Also: Crowded At The Bottom - Award Winning Bravo! Blues Documentary about Victoria street/waterfront veteran busker Dave Harris 2003 48 min more and visit Victorias' Causeway Artists