Second annual event moves to larger venues, building on last year’s successful debut.
MEDIA ADVISORY
CONTACT: ACLU of Florida NW FL Regional Director Sarah Latshaw, (850) 637-4835, slatshaw@aclufl.org
PENSACOLA, FL – The second annual Pensacola LGBT Film Festival, featuring 14 short and full-length independent films, is set for Oct. 8 to 11 at venues across Pensacola. The 2013 festival will feature the North American premiere of “Model CiTizen,” a documentary about a Muslim transgender woman from the Philippines. Admission is free to all screenings.
Last year, the first ever Pensacola LGBT Film Festival was an enormous success, bringing together people from across the Panhandle to enjoy films from and about the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community from all over the world. Due to the success of the previous festival and excitement about this year’s festival, organizers have moved the second annual festival into larger venues to screen 14 films depicting the LGBT experience.
One of those films, “Model CiTizen” is a documentary about Brigite Salvatore, a trans Muslim woman who experiences discrimination and yet keeps her faith. Brigite was born and raised on the island of Jolo, Sulu, in the southern Philippines. “Model Citizen” has been playing to crowds in Asia and will be featured at the International Film Festival Manhattan.
“Last year’s festival was a big success, and we’re glad to be bringing the community an even bigger and better festival this year.” said Sara Latshaw, one of the festival organizers. “We are very excited to host the premiere North American showing of ‘Model CiTizen,’ as well as thirteen other films that celebrate the LGBT experience.”
Another short in the festival is “Jonathan & Dwayne: A Story of Love,” the story of Pensacola couple Jonathan and Dwayne Beebe-Franqui. They were legally married in Maryland on Jan. 1, 2013, and later ceremonially married in a Pensacola church. Same-sex marriage is legal in Maryland, but not recognized in Florida.
The festival spans four days across four locations across Pensacola:
Tuesday, October 8 at UWF CFPA Music Hall beginning at 6:30pm
Wednesday, October 9 at Vinyl Music Hall beginning at 6:30pm
Thursday, October 10 at Bayview Park Pier beginning at 7:00pm
Friday, October 11 at Artel Gallery beginning at 6:30pm
The festival includes three feature-length films:
- “deepsouth,” a documentary about how four Southerners are dealing with the AIDS/HIV crisis, showing on Tuesday, Oct. 8
- “Conceiving Family,” a documentary about lesbian and gay couples adopting children, showing on Thursday, Oct. 10
- “What’s the T,” a documentary that explores the challenges, successes and lives of five transgender/transsexual women, showing on Friday, Oct. 11
The festival is sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, HIVevolution, the University of West Florida, Pensacola Alliance for Equality, Joshua Aaron Jones Attorney At Law, Appetite4Life, Q-Up, Gay Grassroots of Northwest Florida, the Red Ribbon Charitable Foundation, Artel Gallery, Vinyl Music Hall, Cactus Flower Café and the UWF and Pensacola Gay-Straight Alliances.
For more information, including a full list of films, go to pcolalgbtfilmfest.com.
