Tue. January 24, 2006
Park City, UT -
As Stephen Gutwillig, executive director of Outfest, LA's Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, points out, the Sundance Film Festival is not only the most important independent film festival in the country, but one of the foremost queer film festival gatherings as well. And the most important event at the biggest queer film festival? None other than the 10th annual Outfest Queer Brunch, this year's gathering proving to be the largest and most successful ever.
Produced in conjunction with presenting sponsor here! Networks, the brunch at the Grubsteak Restaurant boasted a red carpet mobbed with camera crews, journalists and photographers from around the globe. Actors and filmmakers strolled the carpet, posing for pictures and doing on-camera interviews.
Arrivals kicked off with our favorite queer storyteller, Armistead Maupin, and his collaborator Terry Anderson. The writer of Tales From the City is at Sundance with the film version of his novel, The Night Listener. Maupin wrote the screenplay with Anderson, and the film stars Robin Williams and Toni Collette, and is directed by Patrick Stettner. An eerie, psychological thriller about a late-night radio host who gets embroiled with a troubled young listener, the film is one of the hottest tickets at Sundance.
Collette joined Maupin, Anderson and Stettner on the carpet. Looking gorgeous and glamorous, Collette is also the star of Little Miss Sunshine, which has taken the festival by storm and was sold the first day to Fox Searchlight for over $10 million.
Collette was just the first of several beautiful women arriving at the brunch. Daniela Sea, the new star of TV's "The L Word," lit up the carpet. Making her first visit to Sundance, Daniela charmed everyone at the brunch with grace. Supermodel Jenny Shimizu, who also has a new TV show in production, made a splash as well.
Others names meeting the press included hunky David Milbern, costarring in the upcoming In Her Line of Fire with Mariel Hemingway (premiering on here! in April), Outfest's exec director Stephen Gutwillig, Queer Brunch founder filmmaker Jenni Olson, and here! CEO Paul Colichman.
Rufus Wainwright, performing in Park City during Sundance, made his first visit to the Queer Brunch and of course caused a major stir with this arrival.
But the biggest noise was reserved for John Waters. Mr. Waters, the personification of independent film, came to the brunch to launch his much-anticipated first venture into television. His new series, "John Waters Presents Movies That Will Corrupt You," premieres February 3 on here! Networks, and Mr. Waters introduced a short clip at the brunch that had the crowd spellbound and in stitches.
The brunch itself was packed with as always. With music from superstar DJ Casey Alva in the background, the schmoozing and networking was intense but friendly. Many queer film fest directors made the rounds. We saw Carol Coombs and Jaie Laplante from the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, the Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian Film Festival's Thom Cardwell, and the Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Film Festival's Patti Barcena and Aileen Lauer. With over 600 gays and lesbians from around the country, the Brunch was definitely the largest and most exciting Queer event during the festival.
After the brunch, we headed off to the Levi's pop up shop on Main Street, where all proceeds from sales go to support Population Service International's YouthAIDS organization. Levi's has donated more then $2.2 million dollars to YouthAIDS since 2001. Celebrities visiting the store are asked to make a donation for swag they receive. With all the free gifting going on during the festival, it's refreshing to see a company partner with an AIDS non-profit to raise money for a good cause.
We'd like to thank Levi Elder and Irene Cho in the Sundance Press Office for facilitating our coverage of the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. We'd also like to thank Kerri Stoughton-Jackson and John Finco from Outfest for all of their help. Thank you for tuning in to here!'s coverage of The 2006 Sundance Film Festival.
For more information on here! Networks, please visit www.heretv.com.
Read: Part 1
Read: Part 2
See: Photo gallery
Photo: The Night Listener writers Armistead Maupin and Terry Anderson
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