Courtesy of the Scottsdale International Film Festival, November 2017 Web Exclusive.
As part of its 17th annual event, the Scottsdale International Film Festival will screen four titles of specific LGBTQ interest.
The 2017 festival, which will take place at Harkins Shea 14 Theatre from Nov. 2 to Nov. 6, will feature films in 11 different categories. The "LGBTQ Themes" category will include the following titles:
Chavela
Screens Nov. 4 at 5 p.m. and Nov. 5 at 3:05 p.m.
Chavela is the captivating portrait of barrier-breaking Mexican ranchera singer Chavela Vargas whose international fame peaked after a triumphant return to the stage at the age of 71. Born in Costa Rica in 1919, Chavela Vargas ran away to Mexico City as a teenager to sing in the streets. By the 1950s, she had become a household name, delivering her performances with raw passion and a unique voice. Just as influential were her cultural contributions; Chavela was a bold, rebellious, sexual pioneer who defied gender and sexuality stereotypes at a time when being “out” was often dangerous. Chavela centers around a 1991 interview – the singer's first public appearance after 15 hard years lost to alcoholism and heartbreak. In the final years of her life, Chavela rises to her momentous third act, achieving international fame, a Lifetime Achievement Grammy, and becomes a muse to many, including renowned filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar.
Director: Catherine Gund & Daresha Kyi
Country: US/Spain/ Mexico
Year: 2017
Runtime: 90 minutes
Language: English/Spanish with English subtitles
Principal Cast: Chavela Vargas, Pedro Almodóvar, Elena Benarroch, Miguel Bosé, Alicia Elena Pérez Duarte y Noroña
Producer: Catherine Gund & Daresha Kyi
Cinematographer: Catherine Gund (Mexico), Natalia Cuevas (Mexico), Paula Gutierrez (Spain)
Editor: Carla Gutierrez
Music: Gil Talmi
In Between (Bar Bahar)
Screens Nov. 4 at 12:35 p.m. and Nov. 5 at 7:45 p.m.
Lalia , Salma, and Nur share an apartment in the vibrant heart of Tel Aviv. Lalia, a criminal lawyer with a wicked wit, loves to burn off her workday stress in the underground club scene. Salma, slightly more subdued, is a DJ and bartender. Nur is a younger, religious Muslim girl who moves into the apartment in order to study at the university. Nur is both intrigued and intimidated by her two sophisticated roommates. When her conservative fiancé visits, he is horrified by her secular friends, entreating her to hasten their marriage, leave Tel Aviv, and assume her proper role as a wife. She refuses, and his violent response leaves all of the women shaken. Salma and Lalia also face turmoil: Lalia has found love with a modern Muslim man whose acceptance proves less than unconditional, and Salma discovers that her Christian family in a northern Galilean village is not as liberal as they claim. These three very different women find themselves all doing the same balancing act between tradition and modernity, citizenship and culture, fealty and freedom.
Director: Maysaloun Hamoud
Country: Israel
Year: 2016
Runtime: 103 minutes
Language: Hebrew / Arabic with English subtitles
Principal Cast: Mouna Hawa, Shaden Kanboura, Sana Jammalieh,Shaden, Mahmoud Shalaby, Henry Andrawes, Aima Sohel Daw, Riahd Sliman, Ahlam Canaan, Ferass aser, Khawlah Dipsy, Suhail Hadad, Eyad Sheety
Writer: Maysaloun Hamoud
Producer: Shlomi Elkabetz
Cinematographer: Itai Gross
Editor: Lev Goldser, Nili Feller
Music: MG Saad