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Sixth Annual Dayton LGBT Film Festival

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With the sixth annual Downtown Dayton LGBT Film Festival starting this week at The Neon, moviegoers should be looking forward to what has been promised to be the best year yet.

To kick off the festival, Steven Williford’s The Green will be shown at 7:30p.m. Friday, September 23rd. The picture is about an accusation of a male teacher improperly involving himself with a male student.  Directly following the screening, there will be an opening night party at Sidebar in downtown Dayton’s Oregon District. All viewers need is their ticket stub for entry.

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Beginning at 12:30p.m. Saturday, September 24th, Stu Maddux’s Gen Silent will be presented, a film about being forced to change your sexual orientation in order to receive medical care. Next, a series of six short films, or “Top Drawer Shorts”, will begin at 3:00p.m. At 7:30p.m., Celine Sciamma’s picture Tomboy about a 10-year-old girl disguising herself as a young boy in a new town will certainly entertain movie lovers. Ending the night at 9:30p.m. is Casper Andrea’s Going Down in LA-LA Land, a film about an actor’s survival in Hollywood, which “has a great central performance by Matthew Ludwinski” who will attend this year’s festival (http://www.daytonlgbt.com/).

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Ending the three day festival on Sunday, September 25th will be Dori Berinstein’s Carol Channing: Larger Than Life (12:00p.m.) and Andrew Haigh’s Weekend (3:00p.m.). Closing with a documentary about one of Broadway’s most beloved singers and actresses and a drama about a passionate encounter between two strangers, this impressive lineup is sure to interest longtime fans of the festival as well as attract new viewers.

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Single showings are $8 and a Festival Pass is $50. Tickets can be purchased at The Neon Movie Theater. Tickets are on sale now. “See you at the movies!”

Tom Shadyac’s I AM Starts Today!

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Hello Everyone.
Opening this week is a film that was quietly released back in February.  No one asked me about it.  Then the press started to hit a few weeks ago – radio shows, afternoon talk shows (including Oprah)…and we started getting numerous calls and e-mails.  Tom Shadyac’s I AM is a documentary that we hope will live up to the requests.
In addition to opening I AM, we will hold onto OF GODS AND MEN and JANE EYRE for one more week.
Synopsis for I AM:  “I AM, a probing exploration of our world, what’s wrong with it, and what we can do to make it better, represents Tom Shadyac’s first foray into non-fiction following a career as one of Hollywood’s leading comedy practitioners, with such successful titles as ACE VENTURA, LIAR LIAR, and BRUCE ALMIGHTY to his credit. I AM recounts what happened to the filmmaker after a cycling accident left him incapacitated, possibly for good. Though he ultimately recovered, he emerged a changed man. Disillusioned with life on the A-list, he sold his house, moved to a mobile home community, and decided to start life anew.”  (Shady Acres Entertainment) Visit the OFFICIAL SITE
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Tickets are now available on at THE NEON box office for next week’s special screening of VEER.  “Start your Miami Valley Cycling Summit experience a day early with Bike Film Night at THE NEON on Thursday, May 19 at 7:30 – featuring the Dayton premier of VEER.  This critically acclaimed documentary tells the stories of people who have made a difference in the world of cycling, and how cycling has made a real difference in people’s lives.  Join us for this inspiring film and support one of the Miami Valley’s own cycling advocate organizations: Bike Miami Valley.  All proceeds from your $5 admission will benefit this growing cycling non-profit organization.” (taken from press release) Visit the SITE
The FilmDayton Festival is next weekend – May 20-22.  Their website is up and running with details about each film, each party, numerous special events and links for tickets.  Check out the OFFICIAL SITE.
On May 26 at 7:30, the YMCA will hold a special event at THE NEON.  “THE OTHER SIDE, a documentary by Baxter Stapleton, captures the story of two worlds colliding through mentoring.  Two successful business men living in the comfort of suburbia – surrounded with personal possessions and notoriety –  realized they were unfulfilled and wanted a greater purpose.  This desire to make a difference led them to reach out to the other side.  In doing so, they realized that both sides had lessons to teach. The film implores the audience to remember that in giving you receive.” (taken from press notes)   Tickets for this event are $8 and will be available at our box office starting this weekend.
Almost all details are in place for our screening of a powerful and moving documentary called WE WERE HERE.  That said,  new element was introduced to the event yesterday evening – when a local woman called me with a very interesting proposal…I’ll give you the full update next week.  “WE WERE HERE is the first documentary to take a deep and reflective look back at the arrival and impact of AIDS in San Francisco.  It explores how the City’s inhabitants were affected by, and how they responded to, that calamitous epidemic.  Though a San Francisco-based story, We Were Here extends beyond San Francisco and beyond AIDS itself.  It speaks to our capacity as individuals to rise to the occasion, and to the incredible power of a community coming together with love, compassion, and determination.”  WE WERE HERE will screen on June 16 at 7PM.  Tickets are $8 each and are currently available at THE NEON box office.  This screening is sponsored by The Greater Dayton LGBT Center.
Be sure to take a look at the trailer, and get your tickets early.
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If you’ve been to THE NEON lately, you’ve more than likely seen our note at the front counter about pricing.  Here’s what it states: “Effective June 3, 2011.  At THE NEON, we strive to have the best films, the best customer service and the best prices.  While we don’t intend on changing these goals, we must unfortunately raise our admission prices.  On June 3, all General Admission, Matinee and Senior Citizen tickets will increase by 50 cents.  Our ticket prices have not increased since August of 2008…and our new ticket prices will still be at least $2 less expensive than all the first-run multiplexes in the region.  Thanks for your understanding.”  We hope this won’t deter you from coming to THE NEON…as we have dozens of great films coming our way in the weeks and months ahead.
Thanks so much for your interest in THE NEON.
We hope to see you soon!
Take care,
Jonathan
SHOWTIMES for May 13 – May 19:

JANE EYRE (PG-13) 2 Hrs
Friday, Saturday, Sunday:  12:30, 5:15
Monday – Wednesday:  5:15
Thursday:   5:00
I AM (NR) 1 Hr 17 Min
Friday, Saturday, Sunday:  1:00, 3:15, 5:15, 7:30, 9:30
Monday – Thursday:  3:15, 5:15, 7:30
OF GODS AND MEN (R) 2 Hrs 2 Min
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 2:50, 8:00
Monday – Wednesday: 2:50, 8:00
Thursday:   2:50
VEER (Miami Valley Cycling Summit event)
Thursday: 7:30
COMING SOON:
As always, all dates are tentative.  Some of these dates will change.
In some cases, titles may disappear.
May 20 IN A BETTER WORLD
May 27   THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD
May 27  THE BEAVER
June 3  BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK
June 3   WINTER IN WARTIME
June 10 INCENDIES
June 17  DOUBLE HOUR
June 24   MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
July 1  TREE OF LIFE
July 8  BUCK
July 15   PAGE ONE
TBD   POTICHE
TBD  BEGINNERS
TBD MEEK’S CUTOFF

Queer As Funny

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Poppy Champlin Brings The Queer Queens Of Qomedy To Wiley’s

The Queer Queens Of Qomedy are Qumming! Not only is that poor grammar, but it sounds more than a bit dirty as well. Poppy Champlin, creator of the Queer Queens of Qomedy, has been a staple of the comedy scene, appearing on Comic’s Unleashed with Byron Allen, Rosie O’Donnell’s Stand-up Spotlight and has recently unveiled a new show on Showtime called Pride: The Gay and Lesbian Comedy Slam. Having spoken with Poppy several times over the years, one thing that she has stated over and over was that the show was not strictly geared towards the LGBT crowd as well as her love of Wiley’s Comedy Niteclub itself.

Appearing with Poppy this time around are comedians Dana Austin, who hails from Cleveland, and Shann Carr, who has published a hilarious book called, You’re Going To Be Gay! The Queer Queens will reign over Wiley’s on Thursday September 9th at 8:00 pm, Friday at 9:00 pm, Saturday at 8:00 pm and 10:30 pm and then on Sunday at 8:00 pm. Tickets range from $10 to $20, so either call (937) 224-JOKE (5653) for more information or to make reservations or go to Wiley’s website at www.wileyscomedyclub.com.

J.T.: Since the name of the tour is The Queer Queens of Qomedy, I’m going let you give me an overview of what people can expect.
Poppy: Well, this is something new that we’re doing in Dayton that we’ve never done before, which I’m looking forward to seeing how it goes. Usually we just do one night wherever we go. Like in Chicago, we did one night and we had a good show. Now, this will be different because we’ll be at Wiley’s from Thursday through Sunday. The two other comics that I’m bringing are really, really, really good and they’re really well known in the queer comedy world, so it’s giving people more of an opportunity to see them over a longer amount of time. These two comics…Shann Carr is a story teller comedian and weaves a story and then slams you with a great punchline. Dana Austin is a African American comic who tells it like it is, so pay attention. They’re more mainstream, so hopefully the people in the area that are used to great comedy, because I know Wiley’s gets great comics, they can also come and enjoy this without feeling like they’re going to be inundated with gay this and gay that. It’s really more great comedy than it is queer comedy…but, it is queer. We are all gay.

J.T.: You have made Wiley’s a regular stop on your yearly tours. What is it about the club that you like?
Poppy: I like Wileys because it is an old comedy club and there is plenty of comedy chi in the room and I am a part of the old guard of comics and belong in that room.

J.T.: Are you going to have to change up the act a little bit to accommodate playing at Wiley’s?
Poppy: Yeah, I’ll change it a little. I mean, I used to play there all the time. I used to do Wiley’s back in 92’-93’…and I think even 91’…and I used to have a blast!

J.T.: …and you will find that it hasn’t changed since then.
Poppy: (Laughs) Yeah, it was a blast and I always used to just have so much fun there. I remember that I was the one who had broken the record there for being the longest on stage. I mean, since then, it’s been broken many times, but I remember being up there for like two hours one time. You know, I was just sitting up there just drinking and buying people shots and they’re buying me shots and we were just having a good time. I just know that Wiley’s is a fun place and when people go there, they always have a good time. This time around, I would probably bring out more of my drinking material versus some feminist material or something like that, so, more towards blue collar material and whatever works in the area.
J.T.: Do you feel that your shows kind of bridge the gap between the LGBT communities and “mainstream” communities?
Poppy: They sure could bridge the gap if the straight community would be daring enough to check us out…

J.T.: Do you think that the Queer Queens of Qomedy Tour challenges people’s perceptions?
Poppy: Yes it is tough to get past the name sometimes and those that are scared by the name do not show up and those that are not scared by the name come out and don’t even consider the name for the next one or one like it.

J.T.: Do you have a large following of fans in the Dayton and Miami Valley area?
Poppy: This is the 3rd year so when the word goes out that we are coming the LGBT community rallies and puts it out on the net and since it is a relatively small community, so the peeps should come out to support and enjoy!

Downtown Dayton LGBT Film Festival

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lgbt_filmfestThe Downtown Dayton LGBT Film Festival (presented by the Downtown Priority Board) provides a space for voices to be heard that aren’t often represented in mainstream media.  The subjects range from the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.  Generally, the festival highlights films that are made with smaller budgets.  These movies go relatively unnoticed beyond the LGBT community, but they’re strong pieces of work that merit being seen.

The Edge of Heaven, a selection from last year’s festival, went on to be named one of the “Top 10” films of the year by many critics.  Were The World Mine, last year’s opening night film, garnered a large following and won multiple awards around the world.  In 2007’s festival, the short film Freeheld went on to win an Academy Award.  This film was not screened anywhere else in the Dayton Region.

This year’s films include:

Friday September 25

Saturday September 26

Sunday September 27

This has become an annual tradition for both the Downtown Priority Board AND The Neon, and it brings people in from other cities like Cincinnati and Columbus.  As a priority board member I’m proud of our continued support for this film festival.

Check out this event on the DaytonMostMetro.com Event Calendar!