Cloudburst Archives - Big Gay Picture Show

Cloudburst Trailer – Olympia Dukakis & Brenda Fricker play aging lesbians

April 6, 2013 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

Cloudburst opened the 2012 London Lesbian & Gay Festival, but it’s only now that it’s heading towards release outside the LGBT film festival circuit, with Wolfe Video releasing a trailer for its upcoming US release (we don’t have a specific date yet, unfortunately).

The film stars a pair of Oscar winners – Olympia Dukakis (Moonstruck) and Brenda Fricker (My Left Foot) – as septuagenarian lesbian lovers Stella and Dottie. After they break out of their nursing home, the duo flee their hometown in Maine and head to Canada to get married, picking up an ally along the way in this most unlikely of road movies.

It’s an interesting subject, as the older generation of gay people has largely been ignored, with rare exceptions such as Beginners. However as those who came of age after Stonewall start to reach pensionable age, it may well be a subject we see addressed more and more. [Read more…]

Olympia Dukakis Describes Latest Character As A ‘Foul-mouthed, Lesbian Walter Matthau’

March 24, 2012 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

Olympia Dukakis & Brenda Fricker in Cloudburst

The BFI London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival opened last night with a gala screening of Cloudburst, starring Oscar-winners Olympia Dukakis and Brenda Fricker. Just ahead of the screening, Dukakis spoke to The Guardian about the movie, saying that she “loves” the idea that her character in the film is a ‘foul-mouthed, lesbian Walter Matthau’.

She says about Cloudburst, “It’s about two old lesbians who run off to Canada to get married, so that’s completely what it’s about. And the character of Stella is great: very belligerent and in your face. [Director] Thom Fitzgerald kept pushing me out of my comfort zone and making me say things that were more and more outrageous. I looked at the film in post-production and could barely recognise myself. I thought, My God, that’s a man!”

Dukakis, who won an Oscar for Moonstruck and played Anna Madrigal in the mini-series of Armistead Maupin’s Tales Of The City novels, was also asked about her status as a gay icon. She says, “I appreciate that my work is seen and understood and feels relevant to people. And I’m lucky enough to have friends of all different sexual persuasions, some of which are utterly inexplicable to me. So it’s all good. Last year I was grand marshal at the San Francisco gay parade, and that was good too. You get to ride around in a car and wave at people: that’s about it. My arm got so tired from the waving that my brother had to hold it up for me.”

The 26th London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival runs until April1st.

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
ACTORS: Olympia Dukakis, Brenda Fricker DIRECTORS: Thom Fitzgerald FILMS: Cloudburst

26th BFI London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival Opens Today

March 23, 2012 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

Today’s the day the 26th BFI London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival opens, with gala screenings of Cloudburst, starring Oscar-winners Olympia Dukakis and Brenda Fricker.

The festival runs from now until April 1st, and while some of the screenings are already full, tickets are still available for many of the movies and events, so if you’re in London, head over to the festival’s website to find out more.

Over the next couple of weeks we’ll be bringing you a bit of coverage of some of the movies screening at the LLGFF, so keep an eyes out for that!

Highlights of the festival include two centrepiece screenings of powerful, award-winning dramas. Circumstance is an affecting account of a lesbian coming-of-age in contemporary Tehran, which won the Audience Award at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, while Absent is the unpredictable tale of a 16-year-old’s attempt to get close to his teacher, which won the Teddy Award at the 2011 Berlin Film Festival.

Other top films on the programme include The Perfect Family, starring Kathleen Turner as a Catholic woman coming to terms with her daughter’s sexuality, while Gun Hill Road tells the story of an ex-con struggling to accept that his teenage son is transitioning to female, and features a strong performance by young trans actor Harmony Santana (Eating Out: Drama Camp). The festival closes on April 1st with Bavo Defurne’s North Sea Texas, a compelling tale of teenage longing set in a Belgian coastal town.

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
FILMS: Cloudburst, North Sea Texas, Absent

2012 London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival Programme Announced

February 26, 2012 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

North Sea Texas

After revealing a couple of weeks ago that the BFI London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival would open with Cloudburst, starring Oscar-winners Olympia Dukakis and Brenda Fricker, the British Film Institute has now revealed the full festival line-up.

The festival runs from from 23rd March-1st April and will offer a varied programme of feature films, special events, shorts, archive classics, experimental and erotic works. While it will open with Cloudburst, it’s now been revealed that the Festival will close with Bavo Defurne’s North Sea Texas, a compelling tale of teenage longing set in a Belgian coastal town.

There are also two centrepiece screenings of powerful, award-winning dramas. Circumstance is an affecting account of a lesbian coming-of-age in contemporary Tehran, which won the Audience Award at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, while Absent is the unpredictable tale of a 16-year-old’s attempt to get close to his teacher, which won the Teddy Award at the 2011 Berlin Film Festival.

Other highlights on the programme include The Perfect Family, starring Kathleen Turner as a Catholic woman coming to terms with her daughter’s sexuality, while Gun Hill Road tells the story of an ex-con struggling to accept that his teenage son is transitioning to female, and features a strong performance by young trans actor Harmony Santana.

There’ll also be an eclectic programme of special events, such as Brian Lobel and Aaron Wright’s Cruising for Art, which is a film-themed participatory theatre project. Transgender Representation – Are We Nearly There Yet? will look at the last five years of trans film and television, while Families Like Ours features films that discuss LGBT parenting from the point of view of parents, pupils and teachers.

After budget cuts last year, a wave of popular and industry support has ensured a renewed commitment to the festival’s future, with the 2012 programme 30% larger than the 2011 event, consisting of 53 features and 67 shorts.

You can find the full programme here (click for PDF), which also includes screening of the much praised lesbian drama Pariah, as well as classics with gay themes such as Spartacus and Suddenly Last Summer.

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FILMS: North Sea Texas, Cloudburst, Circumstance, Absent

Cloudburst To Open 26th London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival

February 11, 2012 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

It’s not too long now until the 26th BFI London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival opens on March 23rd (running until April 1st), and now the first element of what promises to be a very interesting programme has been announced, with the news the Opening Night movie will be Cloudburst.

The film stars a pair of Oscar winners – Olympia Dukakis (Moonstruck) and Brenda Fricker (My Left Foot) – as septuagenarian lesbian lovers Stella and Dottie. It’s an interesting subject, as the older generation of gay people has largely been ignored, with rare exceptions such as the recent Beginners. However as those who came of age after Stonewall start to reach pensionable age, it may well be a subject we see addressed more and more.

According to the BFI, ‘This very funny film shows older women in love and deals with some of the harsh realities of ageing with wit, humour and a great deal of affection. Following their nursing home break out, Stella (Dukakis) and Dottie (Fricker) flee their hometown in Maine and head to Canada to get married, picking up an ally along the way in this most unlikely of road movies.’

It marks the third time director Thom Fitzgerald has helmed a film that’s opened the festival, as The Hanging Garden did so in 1998 and The Event was the opener in 2004. It’s a triple whammy no other filmmaker has matched. He commented, “I’m thrilled and tickled that the BFI has chosen Cloudburst to open its 26th London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. To me, the BFI is more than a national treasure; it’s a cultural icon of worldwide significance. It represents the best in film exhibition and preservation. I deeply appreciate its programmes.”

We’ll find out the full programme for the LLGFF on February 23rd, but they’ve certainly picked an interesting opener.

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
ACTORS: Brenda Fricker, Olympia Dukakis DIRECTORS: Thom Fitzgerald FILMS: Cloudburst