The 12th Annual Q Cinema Film Festival was an all-around entertaining experience for me. I had never been to Ft Worth, TX before so I didn’t know what to expect. I assumed it wasn’t much different than Dallas since they were so close together, but upon arrival I was greeted with a festive Tex-Mex atmosphere; which I didn’t remember being as apparent in Dallas. I arrived a little late, so I rushed to the showing of Ticked-Off Trannies with Knives. I made it just in time to be wisped to my front row seat by Todd Camp, the festival’s Artistic Director.
From start to finish the film was a roller-coaster ride of witty comedy, grind-house gore, with of course a heap of transsexual edge and a dash of show girl sarcasm. The film lived up to it’s reputation with over-the- top- violence that was dare I say “Offensive”, not the kind of offensiveness being peddled by the protesters but the kind of offensiveness necessary for this genre’. Without the offensive and graphic nature of the hate crime that was depicted at the start of the film the audience would not have been able to embrace the victims as heroines on their dark journey of revenge. This is why those that have seen the film in it’s entirety get the message and those protesting based on the impression of a 3 minute and 34 second trailer are severely off base. Those of you protesting have a moral obligation to see this film, because you have a responsibility to know what you are protesting in order to educate the public accurately! Those of you conflicted about seeing this film should base your decion on personal tastes; Do you like gory movies? Do you like campy humor? And Most importantly , Do you like HOT TRANNIES? If so, then this movie is for you! If you consider yourself an honorary member of the PC POLICE, then avoid this movie at all costs!
After the film, the cast minus Erica Andrews and Kelexis Davenport…(shade the house down boots?) proceeded to have a Q&A session with the audience. Through the questioning, they laughed, joked, and talked about the experience and controversy. The look in their eyes filled the stage with warmth, leaving us with the impression that their journey was fulfilling even through all the ups and surprising downs.
When the Q&A session was finished, it was time to party! After all, this was Saturday night. The cast and audience all met up at The Rainbow Lounge. Like the name suggests, this was a colorful atmosphere. There were go-go dancers of all genders (and I do mean all genders), friendly waiters of the same variety, and four different bars (2 on the inside and 2 on the outside patio). I ordered a few cocktails and began to mingle and watch the people have fun. I had planned to interview director Israel Luna at the party but I decided against it. This was his hometown premiere full of fans and clouded with protesters. I did not want to spoil the fun by stuffing a camera in his face. To my surprise, before the night was over Israel sent one of his friends to tell me that he wanted to talk to me before I left which made this black girl blush! How special is that?… We talked off the record about the movie, my thoughts, and future plans of a sequel that he playfully calls a ”tranquel.” I suggested his new movie be called “Whinny Trannies with Signs.” Nevertheless, I could tell that this was his night and he was the belle of the ball.
Q.O.M. Special Correspondent Diamond Stylz, Anonymous Twink, and Meiko Love from TeaTime
Sunday morning (maybe it was afternoon… blame the cocktails), I woke up and headed back to the Rose Marine Theater to enjoy the rest of the festival. As I walked up to the entrance, I saw chalk outlines of dead bodies like you would see at old homicide crime scenes. I didn’t notice them the night before because instead of looking like bodies, they looked more like children’s scribble scrabble. The sun allowed me to see that they had MISSPELLED names of slain hate crime victims next to them. This was a demoralizing and insensitive ploy by the protesters in an attempt to bring attention to their claim that Ticked-off Trannies with Knives exploited the victims’ legacies. Inside the theatre, the environment was more artistic. The walls of the theater were covered by beautiful artwork from local artists that you just can’t help but appreciate. I proceeded to ”Trans Talk”, an open forum intended to construct a dialogue about the controversy of Ticked-off Trannies with Knives. Ironically, as vocal as the protesters were outside the theater, none of them showed up to actually discuss their concerns like civil people do. Luckily there was some opposition in the crowd which allowed for a great discussion. The TransTalk was the most fulfilling part of the whole trip.
After the Trans Talk, I had the opportunity to see a romantic comedy called Is It Just Me directed by J.C. Calciano. About two roommates, one a hot over sexed hunk and the other a Plain Jane average guy, that gets entangled in an internet romance filled with switched identities and funny gay wit that will surely leave you with a smile on your face.
The Q Cinema Film festival’s art director, Todd Camp, really chose great films to showcase this year. I can’t wait to see what is chosen next year.
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Tags: Diamond Stylz, Israel Luna, Kelli Anne Busey, Meiko Love, Q Cinema Film Festival, The Queenz Of Media, Ticked Off Trannies with Knives, Todd Camp
