Born: September 5, 1946 in Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania Died: November 24, 1991 (age 45) in Kensington, London, England, UK
[speaking in 1974] I am as gay as a daffodil.
[on Mary Austin, late 1970s interview] All my lovers asked me why they couldn’t replace Mary but it’s simply impossible. The only friend I’ve got is Mary and I don’t want anybody else. To me, she was my common-law wife. To me, it was a marriage. We believe in each other, thats enough for me. I couldn’t fall in love with a man the same way as I have with Mary.
[statement released on 23 November 1991] Following the enormous conjecture in the press over the last two weeks, I wish to confirm that I have tested HIV positive and have AIDS. I felt it correct to keep this information private in order to protect the privacy of those around me. However, the time has come for my friends and fans around the world to know the truth and I hope that everyone will join with me in the fight against this terrible disease.
RecoverED is a compelling documentary that explores the journey of recovery from disordered eating through powerful personal stories of resilience. The film highlights the vital role of community support and the transformative power of hope in healing. It delves into the physical, emotional, and psychological challenges faced by individuals battling eating disorders, shedding light on the multifaceted nature of recovery. RecoverED aims to inspire those struggling and to raise awareness about the recovery process, underscoring that with the right support, perseverance, and resources, recovery is possible.
This piece, RecoverED: A Documentary Film About Eating Disorder Recovery, is a true testament to the power of hope. It does an incredible job presenting a wide variety of people from all walks of life, coming together to feel understood and supported.
Honouring the affirming work done by BridgePoint Center For Eating Disorder Recovery in Saskatchewan, Canada, it is all the more intimate in that the young man who does the videography is also a participant in the program. The fact that he is already a talented photographer makes the film even more beautifully shot, with nature footage of the surrounding area, in addition to many well-chosen shots of BridgePoint from above and within. Being a participant himself, his footage possesses an acute sensitivity to the thoughts and feelings of others with an eating disorder.
The documentary aptly highlights the many facets of the program, such as group discussions about the physiology of eating disorders and the challenges of a diet culture, and interactive activities such as relating with animals and food preparation and ingredient analysis. Soft vocals and light instrumentals support the emotional nature of the topic.
The most endearing part of the film is how it highlights the experiences of several participants in a more in-depth manner. You really get a sense of their uniqueness and struggles and willingness for recovery — largely due to their stay at BridgePoint. Hope being their key to success resonates loud and clear.
The FEEDBACK Female Film Festival (FFFF) was created for women filmmakers and screenwriters. The goal is to showcase the best of female talent in film & TV from around the world.
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Film Festivals (short & feature) occurs 12 times a year (every month) in Los Angeles and Toronto.
Accepted films get their film screened at 2 festivals. The Audience Feedback Festival where you will receive a video of people’s reactions to your film. (Great asset to promote your movie). Plus, the Film Festival Streaming Service Festival where it will be seen by people in the industry and film fans.
Plus, each filmmaker gets the opportunity to do two interviews to further promote them and their work. A blog interview, and a podcast interview on the Film Festival ITunes show.
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Screenplay Readings also take place EVERY SINGLE MONTH.
Every submission received full feedback on their script from an industry professional. Winning scripts get their script performed by professional actors and make into a video for you.
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The irony of this festival is that its goal is to not be around in 5 years time. To eventually not be relevant because there is zero need to have a festival geared for female talent and female stories because the stories presented in Hollywood and around the world are a balanced showcase of the human experience from both sexes.
Our goal is to achieve a lot of success and then fold into oblivion simply because there is no need for this festival.
This festival was created by the FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival as a simple reaction to a strong need to showcase female talent from around the world in a more profound way.
When putting together the weekly festival, the administration noticed a lack of a female presence in the stories being shown at the festival.
A classic example and analogy to the frustration is how the festival noticed that even the smaller roles in a screenplay were written for a man to play. There was zero reason for this in many stories. How a police officer, or a political campaign manager, for example with 3-4 lines in a screenplay was a “HE” character. Why? And these are the screenplays written by the winners! The talented one who have obtained agents and have began/beginning their careers as a writer.
The festival quickly realized when doing the casting for the writing festival readings and setting up the film festival each week two distinct things:
There are so many talented female actors out there who don’t have enough roles to play. 65% of the assigned roles in a screenplay out of over 500 winning readings from 2018-21 were for males. A woman character got only 35% of the roles! And it’s safe to say that so many elite & talented women out there are sitting on the sidelines for no other reason than there is a lack of diversity in Hollywood and around the world in the stories being written.
There is a silent revolution happening around the world with female Indy directors. The festival has noticed out of the last 100 films shown at the festival in the last year, 41 of those films were directed by a female. That is a great achievement in relation to how it is with Hollywood produced films, (3 out of 100 of the last films directed by a female.) but is that really something to be proud of? If 50% of the world’s population is female, then shouldn’t 50% of the films be produced and directed by a female? This is what the goal of this festival is.
Simply put: There NEEDS to be more stories told from the female point of view. And those stories need to be presented.
In this 9-minute and 55-second experimental film, viewers are taken on a journey of “undoing” as the film’s author-protagonist unstitches her way to healing and catharsis, one stitch at a time, after the end of an abusive 20-year marriage. The subject: their wedding garments.
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BODIES, 3min., USA Directed by Maria Maya After enduring a brutal homophobic attack, drag artist Pietra Parker embarks on a deeply personal journey of healing backstage, where she transforms her trauma into a stunning performance that not only reclaims her identity but also ignites a powerful message of resilience and empowerment for the LGBTQ community.
NOTWITHSTANDING, 9min., USA Directed by Cris Castro A death in the family ignites old memories for Adrian, overwhelming him with guilt. He falls back into old habits as he attempts to let go of the past and accept the man he has become.
GOOD BEHAVIOR, 19min,. Brazil Directed by Mathews Silva Ana, a woman whose life was marked by the tragedy of losing her sister to an unknown killer, decides to introduce her girlfriend, Julia, to her family during a dinner. As the night progresses, dark secrets about her sister’s murder come to light. Confronted with the shocking truth, Ana and Julia must find strength in each other to face the past.
THE BOY WHO PLAYED WITH DOLLS, 10min., USA Directed by Dale Guy Madison A gay man tells the childhood memory of losing his “action figure” and how it sparked a desire to collect dolls. He eventually creates and design dolls as a business, a passion, and a form of identity expression
GOD’S DAUGHTER DANCES, 25min., South Korea Directed by Sungbin Byun A transgender female dancer, Shin-mi, gets a call from the Military Manpower Administration, to attend for the Military Service Examination. Shin-mi, with everything in readiness, takes her steps to the Military Manpower Administration.
LOVE FROM THE SHADOW, 20min., Chile Directed by Ale Gálvez Marta works as a telephone fraudster in her improvised office under a bridge, where she lives all alone. On Mother’s Day, Marta contacts her daughter Laura, but she doesn’t want to have any contact with her, so she lies to her about an illness, and they agree to meet. Marta waits until nightfall, her daughter does not arrive. Finally, she takes out her cell phone and continues to scam.
CHEMSEX, 7min., Brazil Directed by Daniel Porto A group of unknown gay men connect via a dating app for casual encounters. The starting point is a chemsex party, where drug use intensifies sexual experiences, but also reveals the depths of human emotions. The film explores both the fascination and liberating energy of these encounters and the emptiness and loneliness that can haunt a gay man’s life.
Married to: Dondre Whitfield (8 September 2002 – present) (2 children)
Her mother Marcia Harris is African American/Native American (Cherokee) and her father Duel Richardson, who is the director of Neighborhood Relations/Educational Programs and Office of Community Affairs for the University of Chicago, is Caucasian (English/Italian).
Born: November 23, 1888 in New York City, New York, USA Died: September 28, 1964 (age 75) in Los Angeles, California, USA
[on ‘Duck Soup’] It was the only time I can remember that I worried about turning in a bad performance. The trouble was not with the script, the director, or the falls I had to take. The trouble was Adolf Hitler. His speeches were being rebroadcast in America. Somebody had a radio on the set, and twice we suspended shooting to listen to him scream.
Born: November 23, 1934 in Los Angeles, California, USA
Died on July 1, 2024
The [American] dream was more “If you can be similar in that way, you can be American and have equal opportunities.” Whereas today it’s, how can I put it? It’s kind of Balkanized: Black pride. Gay pride. White, Anglo-Saxon Protestant pride. All of these things, you know, they’re more polarized, aren’t they? The red and blue states. Christians, that’s the most insidious aspect of it, giving into this great Christian image of America. That’s the most frightening thing of all. Whereas [in the past] they’re trying to find things that unite us, to minimize the differences. Whereas today there’s this belief in empowerment and entitlement by maximizing differences. I’m not so sure that that’s healthy. I don’t mean that it’s not healthy to want to hang onto your culture. But I think it’s unhealthy to set it up against somebody else’s and say “ours is better.” Then there’s the Christian Right saying that this is a Christian country when it’s not.
Married to: Rhonda Tollefson (22 December 2000 – present) (3 children)
When I left drama school, I had very long hair, and I just cut it a year and a half ago. Now [nobody recognizes me] and I have a comfortable anonymity.
Born: November 23, 1971 in Louisville, Kentucky, USA
Married to: Lydia Hearst (20 August 2016 – present)
[on quitting drinking] Ultimately, it’s the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. There’s an economy of energy that you have in your life. You just have to devote it to things that are good for you, for the most part, that’s more constructive than drinking. And one of them doesn’t end in uncontrollable vomiting and crying…The first thing I noticed about sobriety? I lost about 20 pounds within a couple of months. I started getting compliments. This was highly motivating. Years later, and through much therapy, I would come to discover all of the really bad things (as opposed to weight gain) alcoholism caused, like anxiety, paranoia, and perpetual emotional infancy.
Salli Richardson-Whitfield
Robert Towne
Oded Fehr
Chris Hardwick
Festival Reviews 