Glasgay 2009 was launched last night in Glasgow with a strong series of film's showing at the GFT. Headlining was Shank, a new film by Simon Pearce which looks at the way an unspoken attraction between two teenage gang members leads to jealousy and conflict. It was warmly received by an excited crowd whose high spirits may have had something to do with the copious amounts of wine flowing at the launch party, but the night was also thick with political controversy relating to artist Dani Marti, whose short film exhibit about older gay men and HIV has recently been dropped by the city's Gallery Of Modern Art owing to political pressure. Dani will be speaking with Eye For Film this weekend, so watch this space.
Also screening at the festival over the next few days will be Jacques Martineau's Born In 68, which has received international acclaim, and Greek Pete, a docudrama about a London hustler which is also showing in selected cinemas around the UK. Heather Tobin's To Each Her Own explores the relationship between a married woman and her lesbian best friend, Bandaged pays a humorous tribute to horror classic Eyes Without A Face, and the award winning Patrik 1.5 tells the story of two men who try and adopt a baby only to find that a decimal point has been misplaced and they're looking after a 15 year old homophobe by mistake. It's a great opportunity to see some strong examples of independent cinema, few of which will make it to your local multiplex.
