A lot has changed since the Austin Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival debuted 24 years ago as one of the first film festivals in the country dedicated exclusively to gay and lesbian content. For starters, the G and L in its acronym has expanded to include B and T and Q concerns, too. If you’re scratching your head, we mean bisexual and transgender and queer. But don’t worry: Programmers for the festival, which kicks off Tuesday, Sept. 6, make the job of finding good-fit films easier for you by designating each film accordingly (“For the Gals,” “For the Guys,” “Ally Friendly,” etc.). Preview screeners weren’t made available to us, but you can read about the entire slate at www.agliff.org. And allow us to point out two standouts from the lineup. We Were Here is a documentary about the arrival and impact of AIDS in Eighties San Francisco, and it’s from the same filmmakers behind the terrific doc The Cockettes; it screens Thursday, Sept. 8. Centerpiece film Mangus! is a musical comedy starring Jennifer Coolidge and Heather Matarazzo and with a cameo by John Waters; it screens Friday, Sept. 9, at the Paramount and will be followed by a chance to stomp your feet on the theatre’s historic boards with a dance party emceed by Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum Tom Lenk.
aGLIFF runs Sept. 6-11. For ticket and venue info, see www.agliff.org.
This article appears in 30th Anniversary.
