OUT TAKES Dallas Presents Lesbian and Gay Film Festival

On Friday, October 27, through Saturday, November 4, OUT TAKES Dallas is presenting its seventh annual lesbian & gay film festival.  The mission of OUT TAKES Dallas is to enlighten, educate, enrich and entertain diverse communities about gays and lesbians through the medium of film and video and to contribute funds to organizations seeking to foster similar goals.

The Festival, established in 1999 as a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization, has grown to become one of the leading Lesbian and Gay Film Festivals in the United States.  Past corporate sponsors have included the Sundance Channel and Showtime Network.  It is recognized by their audience and filmmakers alike for quality films and professional execution.  OUT TAKES Dallas is unique in that the Festival is the largest of its kind that is completely organized and conducted by a not-for-profit, completely volunteer-run organization.  The OUT TAKES Dallas Board is almost equally represented by both men and women, and has included Hispanic, African-American, Native American, and Asian-Pacific members.

The Festival includes lesbian and gay themed features, documentaries and shorts.  Since its inception in 1999, twenty-one films have had their Dallas or Texas Premiere at the Festival.  Among the premieres was the British Queer as Folk.  The films screened throughout the Festivals celebrate cultural diversity as well.

Every year, the Festival bestows awards in the following categories:

• Best Feature Film
• Best Short Film
• Best Documentary
• Best Male Lead
• Best Female Lead
• Audience Choice Award (based on audience vote)

McMullin-Sullivan Founders Award (films with a Texas based subject matter that fulfill the mission statement of OUT TAKES Dallas)

The winners in each category are permitted to use the OUT TAKES Dallas Award Winner designation and official seal.  On occasion, and based on recommendation from the judges, films may also receive special awards.  In the past, these have included Best Documentary Short, Special Coverage Award, and other special awards.  Previous OUT TAKES Dallas Award Winners include When Ocean Meets Sky, a documentary about Fire Island Pines, and Daddy and Papa, a film about gay fatherhood.

This year's Festival includes the feature Love Life.  When a passionate extra-marital encounter leaves Joe with an emotional connection he can't break—and when a beautiful friend from Mary's college years resurfaces with her own agenda—their marriage of convenience begins to crack, revealing the truth, hope and strength buried within all of them. 

Sun Kissed is about Teddy, a budding novelist, who retreats to his professor's desert home in California to pursue the completion of his first novel.  He meets Leo, a handsome young caretaker who shows Teddy the ropes of desert living.  Teddy becomes instantly smitten by Leo's casual and sexy demeanor.  When Teddy seduces Leo one night, hidden layers of who Leo really could be are gradually revealed.

The Sex Movie concerns four friends—a lesbian, a straight woman, a gay man, and a straight man—who spend an evening together after time apart.  The long night gives way to a sexuality-exploring conversation of epic proportions.  In the process, differences in sex and sexuality reveal deep-rooted conflicts and long-hidden longings between all four.

For a complete listing of all the Films being shown in the 2006 OUT TAKES Dallas Film Festival and to purchase tickets, please visit their website. 

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