Chicago’s 23rd annual lesbian and gay film festival continues Friday through Thursday, November 5 through 11. Unless otherwise noted, screenings are $9 at Landmark’s Century Centre, $7 at Chicago Filmmakers, and $6 for all matinees (until 5 PM). Advance tickets can be purchased from 10 to 6 weekdays and noon to 5 Saturday at Chicago Filmmakers, 5243 N. Clark, or anytime at www.reelingfilmfestival.org; same-day tickets are available only at the venue box office 30 minutes prior to first screening of the day. Discount passes are available; for more information call 773-293-1447 or the festival hotline at 312-458-0639.
Un amour de femme
The longest of the eight videos on this program are two 24-minute media satires. In Robyn Paterson’s breezy Straight Hike for the Butch Dyke, a hetero “femme four” make over a butch dyke, banning her rainbow flags and hiding her dildos in nicely colored containers. Alanna Ubach’s A Mi Amor Mi Dulce, in which a female baker lusts after a ditzy waitress in the rival shop across the street, is a camp parody of camp, with a ridiculous drag queen, the “big black sex machine” who betrays him, and a lesbian happy ending. In Todd Broder’s amusing Butch in the City, a bored butch wonders about trying it with a man, though her friends try to discourage her with horror stories (“he came in my ear”). 95 min. (FC) (Chicago Filmmakers, 8:45)
SATURDAY 6
The Hidden Fuhrer: Debating the Enigma of Hitler’s Sexuality
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German historian Lothar Machtan caused an international uproar with his 2001 book The Hidden Hitler, which asserted that Hitler was gay. But judging from this video documentary, the furor over the fuhrer may be overblown. Scholars, journalists, and activists weigh in on the dictator’s sexuality, presenting sketchy evidence (the fact that he destroyed most records of his past is offered as proof that he was gay) and much speculation. It’s fertile territory for savvy directors Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato (The Eyes of Tammy Faye), who’ve proved themselves adept at transforming gossip into entertainment. In English and subtitled German. 80 min. (AG) (Chicago Filmmakers, 1:30)
Alison Honor’s video documentary (71 min.) follows a gay New York couple’s efforts to get their wedding sanctified by the Catholic church. Also on the program: Debra Chasnoff’s 19-minute short One Wedding and a Revolution. (Chicago Filmmakers, 3:15)
