This week I talked with Gabby Hanna, Executive Director of the Provincetown International Film Festival, which takes place in Provincetown, Mass., from June 19 through June 23. This is the film festival's 15th anniversary, and there are many special events and films planned to celebrate the occasion. The Filmmaker on the Edge Award, sponsored by the Coolidge Corner Theatre Foundation, goes to Harmony Korine ( Spring Breakers, Gummo, Mister Lonely, Kids). Matt Dillon (Drugstore Cowboy, To Die For, There's Something About Mary) will receive the Excellence in Acting Award sponsored by American Express. Cinematographer Ed Lachman (True Stories, Far From Heaven, Erin Brockovich) will receive the Faith Hubley Career Achievement Award sponsored by the Mallrd Foundation. The opening-night film will be Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman's Lovelace; the Friday Night Spotlight selection is Jeffrey Schwarz's I Am Divine; the Saturday Night Spotlight Selection is Pedro Almodóvar's I'm So Excited; and the closing-night film is Francesca Gregorini's Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes. Past Filmmaker on the Edge awardees John Waters, Todd Haynes, Mary Harron, Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman, and Christine Vachon will be attending the festival's 15th anniversary celebration as well.
This is Gabby's last year as Executive Director of the Provincetown International Film Festival. I talked to her about this year's festival, her plans for the future, and her spin on LGBT issues. When asked what her personal commitment is to LGBT civil rights, she stated:
My partner and I are very committed. We work for candidates who are running for office that we believe in. We are very active with the Lesbian Political Action Committee, LPAC, and if people don't know about it, they should. It was a PAC that was started last year by women to raise money to give to women running for political office, which is LPAC's mission. I highly suggest that everyone out there, whether male or female, check out LPAC and read about it. It started last year, and they gave over a million dollars that they raised to people like Elizabeth Warren, President Obama and Tammy Baldwin, and it was a wonderful thing, and we support that and feel strongly about that. And I'm really rooting for the U.S. Supreme Court to come back and overturn DOMA. I think that's going to be good for everybody, not just the LGBT community. I think it's just a really positive step for this country.
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The Provincetown Film Society, Inc. (PFS) is a year-round organization and the home of the Provincetown International Film Festival and the Whaler's Wharf Cinema. PFS is dedicated to showcasing new achievements in independent film and honoring the work of acclaimed and emerging directors, producers, and actors. An integral part of PFS's mission is to contribute to the economic and creative vitality of America's oldest art colony. This is the seventh year I'll be covering the film festival for OUTTAKE VOICES™.
For more information, visit ptownfilmfest.org.
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