SCHEDULE & FILMS

This stunning romantic comedy with musical numbers has something for everyone - especially if you've ever fallen for your best friend.

For the first film in the first ever Asheville Qfest, we could not think of a better fit than Jamie and Jessie are Not Together. Love is in the air with director Wendy Jo Carlton's fresh take on a romantic comedy with a big fat heart.

Jamie is moving from Chicago to New York with the hope of becoming a Broadway actress. Her best friend Jessie is bummed because she is not-so-secretly in love with Jamie. As moving day approaches, Jessie tries to make Jamie jealous by dating other women... but the plan backfires in ways Jessie never could have imagined.

Producers of J and J believe "queer audiences and indie film lovers are hungry for movies that reflect our lives in all their complexity. Jamie and Jessie Are Not Together is a sexy, entertaining romp of a movie with broad appeal, exploring universal themes of jealousy, insecurity, and falling in and out of love, taking inspiration from indie films like Show Me Love, 500 Days of Summer and Lost in Translation."

• Director: Wendy Jo Carlton
• Cast: Jacqui Jackson, Jessica London-Shields, Fawzia Mirza, Marika Engelhardt, Tinuade Oyelowo, Jen LaForte, Chris Meister
• Screenwriter: Wendy Jo Carlton
• Producers: Wendy Jo Carlton, Anne T. Hanson, Rebecca Sekulich
• Cinematographer: Gretchen Warthen
• Editor: Justine Gendron
• Wendy Jo Carlton's Filmography: Brushfires (2004), Hannah Free (2009)
• Official Website

Gay twin daredevils go to extraordinary measures to get a copy of their screenplay into the hands of Dolly Parton.

Twin brothers (Gary and Larry Lane, from the TV show Fear Factor) write a script with Dolly Parton in mind for a starring roll. After receiving the advice and encouragement from the likes of Chad Allen, Beth Grant, Dustin Lance Black and Leslie Jordan - the twins decide to rent an RV, drive across the country and hopefully hand deliver the unsolicited script to Ms. Parton at her amusement park. On their road trip the twins survive desert heat, windstorms and floods - all while encountering everyday people who relate their gay experiences in the South, and how Dolly Parton has impacted their lives. The brothers also come to terms with the fact that their coming out (via the screenplay) might jeopardize their relations with their family. Hollywood to Dollywood is both a road-trip documentary and an odyssey of self-discovery. -- Dudley Best

• Director: John Lavin
• Cast: Gary Lane, Larry Lane, Michael Bowen, Chad Allen, Dustin Lance Black, Beth Grant, Leslie Jordan
• Screenwriters: Michael Bowen, Gary Lane, Larry Lane
• Producers: Gary Lane, Larry Lane
• Cinematographer: Jennifer D'Urso
• Editor: John Lavin
• John Lavin's Filmography: The House of Adam (2008)
• Official Website

An absurdist murder-mystery/comedy/gay romance about a young man, his new friend and lot of corpses.

Not your typical indie film: an unpredictable ride with witty asides, a bungling policeman, a hysterical elderly neighbor, and a budding romance. Like a classic who-done-it; there is a corpse. Trouble is Jason can't remember all the details leading to the dead trick in his bed. When Jason's not-so-subtly infatuated I.T. office mate Richard arrives for a 'date' to fix electronics, sparks ignite amid mayhem. As Jason and Richard stumble over more dead bodies, the two partner-up to sleuth, flirt, and to make one horrendously bad mistake after another. A delightfully pitch black comedy with pitch perfect tone and superb performances. Bring your dry sense of humor and a thirst for the offbeat. We bet Joe Orton would be pleased.

• Director: Webster Forrest
• Cast: Danny Bedford, Sean Hart, Phillip Davey, Fenella Fielding
• Screenwriter: Webster Forrest
• Over the Edge is Webster Forrest's debut.

PROGRAM INCLUDES THE ASHEVILLE MADE SHORT:

CLEANING HOUSE (14 min, USA)

Dallas and Denver, two women working for a mysterious 'Agency' are called on to remove an unwanted ghost from the home of Charlie, a reclusive toy maker. But the two women have a very dark side and a deep secret about their work. Cleaning House is co-written, co-produced and co-starring LGBTQ film festival favorite Matthew Montgomery (Long Term Relationship, Back Soon, Gone But Not Forgotten, Pornography: A Thriller) as he tries something straight on for size - it fits!

• Director: Jaime Byrd
• Cast: Matthew Montgomery, Sierra Byrd, Claire Bowerman, Z. Joseph Guice
• Screenwriters: Matthew Montgomery, Jaime Byrd
• Producers: Matthew Montgomery, Adam J. Cohen, Jaime Byrd
• Jaime Byrd's Filmography: Slow Down and Fast (2007), Luck and the Virgin (2010)

The 2011 Siegessäule Reader's Award at Berlin International Film Festival (Teddy Awards) this tale of two young farmhands who meet and tentatively begin a relationship is mesmerizing drama.

The vast majority of gay-themed films center on urban gays wittily seeking love and sex. But Harvest is refreshingly set in an entirely different world — a German farming community — where the relationship between two teens unfolds in a quietly absorbing fashion. Life on a farm is all that sullen teen Marco knows: he leads a quiet life of working, going to school and avoiding the advances of girls. His self-imposed solitude ends when curly-haired Jakob, rejecting the banking world for farming, arrives to train on the farm. The two are initially cautious and tentative with each other but spurred by unspoken sexual tension, they become friends and more. Can two young men trapped in the countryside accept their homosexuality, let alone become lovers? An original take on coming out as Marco and Jakob’s relationship builds, the story becomes sensual, romantic and amazingly real. (German with English subtitles) -- Raymond Murray

• Director: Benjamin Cantu
• Cast: Lukas Steltner, Kai-Michael Mueller, Karin Butsch, Markus Franke, Holger Merten, Uwe Schaezel, Walter Schulze, Petra Thymian
• Screenwriter: Benjamin Cantu
• Producer: Bjorn Koll
• Cinematographer: Alexander Gheorghiu
• Editor: Szilvia Ruszev
• Harvest is Benjamin Cantu's debut

Raucous sex comedy that tells the story of a "straight" Texas fratboy who realizes that maybe all his man-on-man fantasies, going down on his buddies, and falling for the only openly gay student on campus means he just might be queer...

The setting is a Texas college circa 1982 where big hair, loud shirts and cowboy boots are considered high fashion. Here, men are men, women are just future wives (or current sluts), and there is nothing gay about helping a guy out! Good ol' fratboy Kevin is straight as an arrow (if you don't count his gay fantasies when banging his girlfriend, or jerking off his fellow frat brothers) but he begins to see things a little queerly when he meets the sexy and together and openly gay César. Can a straight guy fall for another dude? And can Kevin continue going down on his old pal (Dylan Vox) under the belief that it is just fratboy hijinks? And will kissing César change him forever? Never has a film featured so many straight men doing so many gay things as beer is guzzled, pants are dropped and playful bed-hopping ensues in this fast, fun and sexy comedy.

• Director: David Lewis
• Cast: Jacob Newton, Derek Efrain Villanueva, Dylan Vox, Kevin Held, Stephen Matzke, Bonnie Marion, Katrina Sherwood, Sophia Revelli
• Screenwriter: David Lewis
• Producers: H.P. Mendoza, Lewis Tice
• Cinematographer: Frazer Bradshaw
• Editor: H.P. Mendoza
• David Lewis' Filmography: Rock Haven (2007), Redwoods (2009)
• Official Website

ABBA meets drag, as two pop culture obsessions come together in this outrageous musical documentary.

The party film of the festival! For ABBA Fans, what's the next best thing to an actual reunion? Ok, seeing the musical "Mamma Mia!". But after that... ok, the stage show "ABBAlicious." But after that? It has to be this wondrous mix of Abba documentary coupled with performances by some of New York's most outlandish and talented drag performers. Various people talk about ABBA's music (Frank DeCaro, Christine Baranski, Bruce Vilanch, ABBA member Benny Andersson, Ari Gold, Graham Norton, Joan Rivers) as well as offer us a mini-history of drag. And in between the interviews is a series of hilarious, inventively staged video cover versions of ABBA classics. There is the country western version of "Dancing Queen" sung by Hedda Lettuce, "S.O.S" by Joie Starr, "Knowing Me, Knowing You" by Sade Pendarvis, "The Winner Takes It All" by Cashetta and a rousing ensemble finale of "Mamma Mia." Great fun! And remember, there will be surprise guests before and after the screening as well as CD giveaways and an after party! -- Raymond Murray

• Director: Allan Neuwirth
• Cast: Brooks Braselman (June Bug), Joseph Causey (Joie Starr), Nicolas Ferrer (Sade Pendarvis), Christopher Kenney (Edie), Kevin Lambert (Betzy with a Z), Roger Anthony Mapes (Yolanda), Steven Polito (Hedda Lettuce), Steven Sherman (Connie Cat), Scott Weston (Cashetta), Christine Baranski, Bruce Vilanch, Joan Rivers, Graham Norton, Carson Kressley, Frank DeCaro
• Producer: Jack Chen
• Cinematographer: William Hohauser
• What's the Name of the Dame? is Allan Neuwirth's debut.
• Official Website

Youth undergo fundamental Christian program for homosexual behavior modification.

"Today, my mother, father, and I had a very long 'talk' in my room where they let me know I am to apply for a fundamentalist Christian program for gays. They tell me that there is something psychologically wrong with me" blogs Zack, 16-year-old from Memphis. This heartfelt story of empowerment and the brave who challenged and survived fundamentalist Christian programs like Love In Action (LIA) and refer to homosexuality as an addictive behavior. What a perfect way to kick of Blue Ridge Pride day!

• Director: Morgan Jon Fox
• Producers: Rebecca Adelman, Bruce Garrett, Adam Hohenberg, Peter Toscano
• Cinematographer: Morgan Jon Fox
• Editor: Morgan Jon Fox
• Morgan Jon Fox's Filmography: Blue Citrus Hearts (2003), Away (A)wake (2005), Octopus (2005), Omg/HaHaHa (2007)

Energetic coming-of-age drama that follows a closeted boy and his group of trouble-prone friends, providing a positive look into the ways youth face life-complexities.

Nominated for all the major categories at this year's EDDA Awards (Iceland's Oscars), Jitters captures the excitement and traumas of a group of Icelandic teenagers as they tentatively enter young adulthood. It is also, through the lead character, a knowing and uplifting gay coming-of-age drama. An attractive, energetic ensemble cast and a driving, pulsating soundtrack are highlights of this teen comedy/drama that is filled with young people's traumas, while remaining buoyant and insightful. (English and Icelandic with English subtitles) -- Raymond Murray

• Director: Baldvin Z
• Cast: Atli Oskar Fjalarsson, Hreindís Ylva Garðarsdóttir, Gísli Örn Garðarsson, Birna Rún Eiríksdóttir, Lilja Guðrún Jónsdóttir, Elías Helgi Kofoed-Hansen, Haraldur Ari Stefánsson
• Screenwriters: Ingibjörg Reynisdóttir, Baldvin Zophoníasson
• Producers: Júlíus Kemp, Ingvar Þórðarson
• Cinematographer: Jóhann Máni Jóhannsson
• Editor: Sigurbjorg Jonsdottir
• Jitters is Baldvin Z's debut
• Official Website

A stylish, intelligent and unpredictable look at a modern love triangle from Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run) this year's Best Director recipient at 61st Deutscher Filmpreis (German Film Awards).

Hannah and Simon have been a couple for 20 years. They live in Berlin, side by side in combative harmony. They are attractive, modern, mature, childless, cultivated, down-to-earth. Affairs, wanting children, moving in together, miscarriage, fleeing and returning; this anchorwoman and art technician have put a lot behind them, but they don’t have so much ahead of them anymore. That is until both, without knowing about the other’s actions, fall in love with the same man, Adam.

From Tom Tykwer, director of Run Lola Run and The International, comes this captivating and realistic drama. Tom says of his new film "Love, work, daily life, and death are intertwined and formed a new in this story, fused in a different way; it is a film about closeness and distance, loneliness and peer pressure, about the dangers of intimacy and the temptation of the unfamiliar. Three revolves around the longings, hopes, enigmas, and contradictions of three people approaching middle age, who have had to pose some fundamental questions about the so-called 'successful' lives they live. What does it mean today to live 'properly' - in a social, emotional, political, or private way?"

• Director: Tom Tykwer
• Cast: Sophie Rois, Sebastian Schipper, Devid Striesow, Annedore Kleist, Angela Winkler, Alexander Hörbe, Winnie Böwe, Hans-Uwe Bauer
• Screenwriter: Tom Tykwer
• Producer: Stefan Arndt
• Cinematographer: Frank Griebe
• Editor: Mathilde Bonnefoy
• Tom Tykwer's [Selected] Filmography: Run Lola Run (1998), The Princess and the Warrior 2000), Heaven (2002), Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006), The International (2009)
• Official Website

Whether you are a country music fan or not, Wish Me Away is an endearing, profound and incredibly inspiring documentary about the trials and tribulations of the multi-award winning singer, Chely Wright, the first country music star to ever come out as gay.

At a very young age, a small town girl from Wellsville, Kansas dreamed big: one day she would perform at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. Her course was set and singer/songwriter Chely Wright diligently worked and prayed hard to become the darling of country music. But in a genre where God, country and freedom reign t, this talented artist deeply suppressed being gay. As her hits and accolades wracked up, so did her fear and torment that her fans and her peers would banish her from the industry. What makes this film so special is how open, honest and deeply personal Chely is. Many have questioned their orientation, prayed to God relentlessly or contemplated suicide; but seeing the raw emotion and courage from Wright as she walks us through her risky decision makes Wish Me Away a tremendous movie experience. -- Kelly Burkhardt

Wish Me Away is a recent winner of the Jury Award at this year's Frameline Film Festival, Philadelphia Qfest and The Los Angeles Film Festival, as well as winner of the Audience Award at the Nashville Film Festival.

• Directors: Bobbie Birleffi, Beverly Kopf
• Cast: Chely Wright
• Producers: Bobbie Birleffi, Beverly Kopf
• Editor: Lisa Palattella
• Wish Me Away is Bobbie Birleffi & Beverly Kopf's debut.
• Official Website

Things are not always what you expect them to be in this gorgeously-crafted romance from J.C. Calciano (Is It Just Me?) with hot leads, a quirky unpredictable script and streak of sweet whimsy.

Following up on the 4-star success of Is It Just Me?, J.C. Calciano brings this pop romance full of flights of fantasy that's sure to please even the most jaded cineaste. Marshall (Houston Rhines) and Gabe (Noah Schuffman) are in a comfy relationship for seven years now - so relaxed that sex has become infrequent, and things have become boring to Marshall. One night Marshall downloads an app called "eCupid" that not only takes over his cell phone and computer, it re-engineers his love life. Marshall tells Gabe that he's bored via a text he didn't send; a surprise hustler arrives at the door; and a party planner plans spontaneously. Suddenly Marshall finds himself single; and to top that off, things at work aren't going all that well either. Sex appeal oozes from the whole cast of this beautifully crafted and artfully written romantic comedy with an age-old (and modern) message: it's easy to get distracted from the love that's right in front of us, especially in an age of texts, apps, and toys! -- Scott Cranin

• Director: JC Calciano
• Cast: Houston Rhines, Noah Schuffman, Andy Anderson, Morgan Fairchild, Brad Pennington, Joe Komara, Gary Riotto, Galen Drever
• Screenwriter: JC Calciano
• Producers: JC Calciano, Joe Dain
• Cinematographer: Joshua W. Smith
• Editor: Philip Blackford
• JC Calciano's Filmography: Is It Just Me? (2010)
• Official Website

PROGRAM INCLUDES THE SHORT:

REGRETS (14 min, USA)

Creepy, Twilight Zone-like short about a morning after an unremembered one night stand, where dread builds and builds into inevitable horror. Respected LGBTQ comedy film director Rob Williams (Role/Play, Make The Yuletide Gay, 3-Day Weekend) cracks the thriller genre with his gripping script.

• Director: Michelle Pollino
• Cast: Matt Lundy, Peter Patrikios
• Screenwriter: Rob Williams
• Producers: Kelly Burkhardt, Paul Fitzgerald, Brian Gannon, Michelle Pollino
• Michelle Pollino's filmography: Inner Wang (2007); Looking For (2009)

Panel with visiting Asheville Qfest talent.

Filmmakers discuss successfully completing and competing in a changing market place. A perfect opportunity for independent filmmakers and film enthusiasts to learn first-hand valuable incites, tips and talk with our Qfest guests on the process of movie making from script to distribution.

This year's Sundance Audience Award: Dramatic winner with good reason, this suspenseful, political love story starkly juxtaposes public lives and lives lived away from the omnipresent surveillance by the state.

Set in contemporary Tehran, Circumstance tells the tale of two beautiful 16-year-olds; Atafeh, the privileged daughter of an educated, well-to-do family, and her new friend Shireen. Together they dare to dream and discover freedoms that their parents never had. Rebellious, beautiful and smart, they have learned to navigate a youthful vibrant maze of underground parties, clubs and drinking dens - places where women can remove their head coverings, expose their skin and be free from the suffocating pressure of arranged marriages and tea with relatives. Defying the morality police who treat women like second-class citizens is exhilarating. Even more politically dangerous is the boundary that Atafeh and Shireen have crossed in their friendship. When Atafeh's brother, Mehran, returns home with newly fundamentalist views, the once-liberal haven of the family home is transformed into a scary place where secrets can no longer be contained. (Farsi with English subtitles) --Carol Coombes

• Director: Maryam Keshavarz
• Cast: Nikohl Boosheri, Sarah Kazemy, Reza Sixo Safai, Soheil Parsa, Nasrin Pakkho, Sina Amedson, Keon Mohajeri
• Screenwriter: Maryam Keshavarz
• Producers: Karin Chien, Maryam Keshavarz, Melissa M. Lee
• Cinematographer: Brian Rigney Hubbard
• Editor: Andrea Chignoli
• Circumstance is Maryam Keshavarz's debut.
• Official Website

In this tremendously poignant film, a hit at Sundance, newcomer Harmony Santana stars as a teenage boy transitioning to a woman at a time when her father returns home from prison.

Imbued with the authenticity and grit of its Bronx location shoot, filmmaker Rashaad Ernesto Green's audacious debut is the story of a father just released from prison, his wife, and their teenage son Michael (Harmony Santana), who is in the process of coming out as Vanessa, a transwoman.

Enrique (Esai Morales) and Angela (Judy Reyes) have a lot of issues to deal with as Enrique tries to stay clean and out of jail. Angela struggles to keep her home and family together; protecting her child from her husband, who is unable to deal with Vanessa's transition without anger. But the macho Enrique's troubles don't end with Vanessa, he's struggling with his criminal instincts and his relationship with his wife.

The whole cast and crew deserve kudos for their roles in this stunningly transcendent film, but Santana earns a call-out for her bravura performance as Michael/Vanessa in this must-see dramatic highlight of the indie film season. --Scott Cranin

• Director: Rashaad Ernesto Green
• Cast: Esai Morales, Judy Reyes, Harmony Santana, Vincent Laresca, Robin de Jesus, Miriam Colon
• Screenwriter: Rashaad Ernesto Green
• Producers: Ron Simons, Michelle-Anne M. Small
• Cinematographer: Daniel Patterson
• Editor: Sara Corrigan
• Gun Hill Road is Rashaad Ernesto Green's debut.
• Official Website

This richly dark comedy chronicles a teenage boy's pursuit (in a wheelchair) of his dream: to be a star.

Filmmaker Ash Christian's (Fat Girls) sophomore feature film is this frantic, wildly funny (and weird) new comedy that revolves around a high school senior with one goal in life: he wants to be Jesus. Actually, he wants the lead role in the high school production of "Jesus Christ Spectacular" (a knock off version of "Jesus Christ Superstar"). Mangus' father and grandfather both played Jesus in their youth, and they still wear the robes to prove it. So he has a legacy to continue. Mangus gets the role, but due to a freak accident he loses the part to his archrival. Because of the incident, technically Mangus is now disabled. He is shuttled off to live with his estranged mother and quasi siblings in a trailer park. Determined not to be derailed by a 'minor' setback, Mangus begins a campaign to convince the theater teacher, school board, his family members and even the "New Jesus" that he can still play the part. All he needs is a ramp! All of his auditions are done with a veracity that would even make the mother of all stagemothers, "Mama Rose (Hovick)", gag. With John Waters, Jennifer Coolidge, Heather Matarazzo and Leslie Jordan, the town of River City, Texas will surely get a night to remember. --Dudley Best

• Director: Ash Christian
• Cast: Ryan Boggus, John D. Montoya, Kasey James, Jennifer Coolidge, Heather Matarazzo, John Waters, Leslie Jordan, Laura Spencer, Deborah Theaker, Annette Denise Bass, Kimberly Lynn Campbell
• Screenwriter: Ash Christian
• Producers: Ash Christian, Heather Matarazzo, Simon Millar
• Cinematographer: Lyn Moncrief
• Editor: Scott Martin
• Ash Christian's Filmography: Fat Girls (2006)
• Official Website

Sexy and captivating social drama about a handsome young FTM and his romance with a masculine gay man.

Lukas (Rick Okon), 20, is a prisoner in his own body. As a pre-op transgendered person, he is constantly finding himself trapped in uncomfortable, compromising positions. His best friend, Ine (Liv Lisa Fries) introduces him to the gay scene in Cologne where he meets the confident and gorgeous, Fabio (Maximilan Befort). The two develop a romantic relationship that tests the boundaries of love. Romeos forgoes stereotypes and conventions to offer an honest and humorous examination of the most basic of human conditions: friendship, sex, and love.

Director Sabine Bernardi, recent winner of Best First Feature at Philadelphia Qfest, says of her film "Transgender radically altered my view of identity. As a result, in Romeos I wanted to tell of the courage of a young person attempting to live what he feels he needs. Uppermost for me it concerns, emotionally, the longings and needs to be happy as a person. In this way Romeos is a love story, humorous throughout and at times a little cheeky but also forwarding the view that the identity of a person resides within their own self." (English and German with English subtitles)

• Director: Sabine Bernardi
• Cast: Rick Okon, Maximilian Befort, Liv Lisa Fries, Felix Brocke, Silke Geertz, Gilles Tschudi, Sigrid Burkholder, Johannes Schwab
• Screenwriter: Sabine Bernardi
• Producers: Janna Velber, Kristina Loebbert
• Cinematographer: Moritz Schultheiss
• Editor: Renata Salazar Ivancan
• Romeos is Sabine Bernardi's debut.
• Official Website