Opening Gala

Undertow (Contracorriente)

Thu | Aug 12 | 7:00 | Empire Granville 7 Cinemas
(Gala Party to follow at Celebrities Nightclub!)
Thu | Aug 19 | 9:30 | Cinemark Tinseltown

Undertow's breathtaking Peruvian seaside setting will effortlessly capitivate you. It will just as easily sweep you away with the story of Miguel and Santiago—a pair of passionate and handsome men having an affair. But this debut feature by director Javier Fuentes-León delves far deeper than forbidden love on moonlit beaches. (Spanish with English subtitles.)

Javier Fuentes-León | Peru | 2010

Youth Gala

Fri | Aug 13 | 8:00–11:00 | Roundhouse Art & Recreation Centre

Join Vancouver's young queer and allied artists at our Festival Youth Gala! The evening includes a guided tour of the Pride In Art exhibition. The creativity continues with the premiere screening of the 2010 NO HATE Youth Films and PSA Competition winners. Next, there is time for everyone to shine at the Caffeinated Queers open mic and cabaret, so bring your poems, your drag costume or any short live act you'd like to share. Your audience awaits! The party ends with dance tunes by DJ Jef Leppard.

Admission is free. Under 25 only.

Centrepiece Gala

Sea Purple (Viola Di Mare)

Thu | Aug 19 | 7:00 | Empire Granville 7 Cinemas
(Gala Party to follow at The Century House!)

Being born female earns Angela little favour in her nineteenth century Sicilian mining village. When she grows up and announces her wish to marry her childhood best friend, she is under a troubled spotlight. The community eventually accepts their love—on the the condition that Angela becomes Angelo. (Italian with English subtitles.)

Donatella Maiorca | Italy | 2009 | 14A

Closing Gala

Strella

Sun | Aug 22 | 7:00 | Empire Granville 7 Cinemas
(Gala Party to follow at Celebrities Nightclub!)

Strella has all the makings of a post-modern Greek tragedy, with just as many twists of strange fate as Sophocles' Oedipus Rex. Suspense, romance, birth and death are all rendered with incredible gusto. But rather than leave its players maimed or exiled, like the plays of ancient Greece, Strella reveals a provocative, vital humanity through its one-of-a-kind characters. (Greek with English subtitles.)

Panos H Koutras | Greece | 2009