We bring the 3rd Annual Kaleidoscope to a close at Crush Wine Bar! 

Expected to attend: Director Stephen Cone

Teenage athlete Cyd thinks she has the world figured out, until a summer with her novelist aunt teaches her a valuable lesson in compassion.  As she navigates her attraction to both women and men, Cyd rejects her aunt’s seemingly simple lifestyle, her faith, and her poetic way of seeing.  But in this uncommonly graceful, deeply humane coming-of-age film, Kaleidoscope winner Stephen Cone encourages Cyd — and us — to find common ground while celebrating our differences. ~ Mark Thiedeman

Expected to attend: Director Jennifer Gerber, Writer Samuel Brett Williams, and Actor David Rysdahl

In local filmmaker Jennifer Gerber’s Southern Gothic debut, a rugged stranger comes to town, inflaming the repressed desires of a handsome, sensitive church pastor.  Evoking Flannery O’Connor and the Coen Brothers, Gerber’s film is both darkly funny and dead-serious: it’s an intense, romantic passion play set in a world of of casseroles, gossipy church ladies, home-cooked drugs, and kissin’ cousins.  Handsomely photographed and boldly acted by its two leads, The Revival is a brave, compelling addition to Central Arkansas’ growing list of home-grown films. ~ Mark Thiedeman

Made in Arkansas

Aimless Santiago teen Jesus — coiffed like a member of a boy band — spends his days huffing paint, watching snuff videos, and having casual sex.  But his life is turned upside down when, after a concert, he and his friends drunkenly attack a young gay man for no apparent reason.  Plagued with guilt, Jesus retreats to isolation, contending with his own closeted sexuality and a strained relationship with his single father.  A necessary companion piece to last year’s controversial Kaleidoscope entry You’ll Never Be Alone, Fernando Guzzoni’s dark thriller is an urgent reminder of the ongoing epidemic of hate crimes in Latin America and beyond. ~ Mark Thiedeman

Adults Only: Contains scenes of explicit sexuality.

SCREENING IS PART OF DRAG QUEEN BRUNCH

Special Guests: Tempest DuJour and Director Assaad Yacoub

Starring RuPaul Drag Race's Bob the Drag Queen, Tempest DuJour, Detox, and Latrice Royale, Cherry Pop! is a crazy night in the life of a small local bar's drag show. It's about a newcomer struggling with being the outcast on his first night. And a legend coming to terms with life after her last night in drag. And it's about a bunch of other back-stabbing queens with their own problems who just plain can't stand each other. Even the stories of some of the patrons play a part in the chaos. Cherry Pop is a real-time roller coaster ride where you better be strapped up, tucked in, and ready to go!

Kaleidoscope 2017 is bringing back our popular Drag Queen Brunch!  This year we will be moving the brunch to South on Main restaurant, giving us a bigger venue.

Performing this year is the very popular RHIANNON CORTEZ and members of her own House of Cortez.  Rhiannon’s vibrant, energetic performances are sure to thrill everyone!

On top of the amazing performance by our queens, Kaleidoscope is excited to host the Arkansas Premiere of the new film, CHERRY POP!  Fresh off the premiere in New York City hosted by NewFest, Los Angeles at Outfest, and San Francisco at the famous Castro Theater, CHERRY POP stars Rupaul Drag Race contest’s BOB THE DRAG QUEEN, TEMPEST DUJOUR, LATRICE ROYALE, AND DETOX!   

The Cherry Pop screening starts at roughly 12:30 pm, with star Tempest DuJour and Director Assaad Yacoub joining us at brunch to discuss the film!  Click here for more on Cherry Pop!

Special Menu, Only at Drag Queen Brunch!

Last, but not definitely not least, you will have the opportunity to order off a specially designed, drag queen brunch food and drink menu created by South on Main’s Chef Matt Bell and Guest Chef Cash Ashley (Lost 40).  Expect the same high quality meal you get every time you visit South on Main!

After the Friday night screenings, don't miss the Saturday Church after-party sponsored by HRC Arkansas.  Details coming soon!

Expected to attend: Actor Luka Kain (BEST ACTOR winner at Outfest)

After his staunchly religious aunt kicks him out of his Bronx apartment, 14-year-old Ulysses begins an odyssey through the West Village, finding a new family at SaturdayChurch, a community program for homeless LGBT youth.  Based on his actual experiences volunteering at Saturday Church and performed by a remarkable cast of trans actors, Damon Cardasis’ dreamy musical is a triumphant tale of self discovery, pride, and first love. ~ Mark Thiedeman

Oscar-nominated director David France follows an ongoing inquiry into the mysterious death of pioneering trans activist Marsha P. Johnson.  In his stunningly filmed documentary, her story becomes a catalyst to examine a legal system that regularly brushes away acts of violence targeting the trans community. It is a bold, engaging call to action, celebrating not only the lives and work of those on the front-lines at Stonewall, but the men and women who continue their efforts today. ~ Mark Thiedeman

Amat Escalante, one of the world’s most celebrated young filmmakers, directs his outrage about institutionalized homophobia and misogyny in Mexico into a bold, creepy melodrama drawn from actual headlines.  Tipping his hat to the sociopolitical horror of Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, he brings a trio of oppressed lovers face to face with a tentacled extraterrestrial sure to make your skin crawl. ~ Mark Thiedeman

FREE EVENT

"Songs of Ourselves: a Queer Literary Salon," a Literary Event Presented by Sibling Rivalry Press

Arkansas LGBTQ writers share from their work and from the work that inspired and shaped them, the work that made room for queer writers at the literary table.

The following 9 short films screening in the "The Geranium" block.

• In The Woods, Directed by Grace Martin
• Desperately Seeking a Signal, Directed by Tess Marie Garneau
• Bayard & Me, Directed by Matt Wolf
• Miss Fortune, Directed by Alex McFry
• Buddy, Directed by Niels Bourgonje
• Dive (Salta), Directed by Marianne Amelinckx
• No Time to Change My Mind, Directed by Miguel Miller
• Shala, Directed by João Inácio
• Domestic Cat, Directed by Tim Pattinson

Guest of Honor: Director Cheryl Dunye, Recipient of the inaugural Kaleidoscope Trailblazer Award

Cited as the first film by and about a black lesbian, Cheryl Dunye’s landmark indie celebrates the twentieth anniversary of its release this year.  Ahead of its time in both subject and style, The Watermelon Woman is both faux-documentary and true-life fiction, all drawn from Dunye’s personal experiences exploring both the history of black women in cinema and the always comic gay dating scene.  Two decades later, the film remains as vital as ever, a treasure of the New Queer Cinema of the 90s. ~ Mark Thiedeman

Kaleidoscope Trailblazer Award is sponsored by Arkansas Times

Black -- once Blue -- is now a transman who works as a security guard in an apartment complex in Oakland. One night, Black notices an ex- girlfriend partying with some other women in one of the buildings. As none of the other security guards want to watch "the lezzie party", Black volunteers to, thinking he may resolve some inner conflicts from the past. However, things take a turn for the worse.

The following 8 short films screening in the "A Stroke of Good Fortune" block

• Upstanding, Directed by Harrison Trigg
• Dusk, Directed by Jack Graf
• Love the Sinner, Directed by Jessica Devaney
• Burst, Directed by Peter Pflügler
• Merce "Tonight at Eight", Directed by Charles Sanchez
• Intersection, Directed by Angela Tucker
• Little Potato, Directed by Wes Hurley
• 3 Cafés, Directed by R. W. Gray

A KALEIDOSCOPE AT SOUTH ON MAIN EVENT

The Film Society of Little Rock and the Oxford American Magazine are proud to welcome bestselling, award winning author Armistead Maupin to the 2017 Kaleidoscope festival for a dinner in his honor at South on Main restaurant on Monday, August 14th. 

The dinner will feature a conversation with Armistead, led by Sara A. Lewis of the Oxford American. Following the conversation, he will be presented with the inaugural Kaleidoscope Career Achievement in Literature Award. The evening will also feature an opportunity to purchase a book to be autographed by Armistead.

EVENT HOSTS

Mary Steenburgen
Ted Danson
Matt Bell
Amy Bell
Scott McGehee
Angel McVay
Tippi McCullough
Barbara Mariani
Chris Cranford
Jennifer Cox
Linda Brown
Susan Altrui

Kaleidoscope and South on Main are honored to welcome Chef Pink (aka Crystal DeLongpre) and Courtney Rae, owners of California based restaurant Bacon and Brine, to the 3rd annual Kaleidoscope festival!  In coordination with South on Main’s Chef Matthew Bell, Chef Pink will help create a special “Farm to Table” menu for a dinner event to be held at South on Main on Sunday, August 13th from 6 pm to 9 pm.

The night at South on Main will kick off with a screening of Logo TV’s “Hungry”, an inspiring documentary following the lives of women in the restaurant industry. The screening will be followed by a conversation with Chef Pink and Courtney Rae who are both featured in the documentary.

THE UNTOLD TALES OF ARMISTEAD MAUPIN examines the life and work of one of the world’s most beloved storytellers, following his evolution from a conservative son of the Old South into a gay rights pioneer whose novels have inspired millions to claim their own truth. Jennifer Kroot’s documentary about the creator of Tales Of The City moves nimbly between playful and poignant and laugh-out-loud funny. With help from his friends (including Neil Gaiman, Laura Linney, Olympia Dukakis, Sir Ian McKellen and Amy Tan), Maupin offers a disarmingly frank look at the journey that took him from the jungles of Vietnam to the bathhouses of 70’s San Francisco to the front line of the American culture war.

In John Trengove’s thrilling debut, the openly gay South African singer Nakhane Touré gives a remarkable performance as Xolani, a youth leader in an annual circumcision rite.  Between afternoon trysts with his closeted lover, Xolani promotes his culture’s conservative idea of manhood.  But his complacency is shaken when a wealthy teenager dares to question the age-old ritual, pushing him to reject tradition and follow his heart.  ~ Mark Thiedeman

Largely discriminated against in their native Bulgaria, a group of young, charismatic Roma find a new home in Austria, where they sell their bodies for cash, indulge in simple pleasures, and take refuge in the bond they share.  As sonorous as it is beautiful, BROTHERS OF THE NIGHT is a cinephile’s dream, nodding to decades of queer cinema history — Anger, Fassbinder, Genet, Warhol, Pasolini.  It’s also the most artful of documentaries, a neon-lit portrait of digital-age drifters wandering through the Viennese night. ~ Mark Thiedeman

Director Mark Thiedeman and Artist Michael Shaeffer discuss Queer Cinema and Shaeffer's current art exhibit "Film Flash Focus Record/ A Glimpse Into Queer Cinema". Coffee & pastries will be provided.

In Francis Lee’s breathtaking debut, a brutish, hard-drinking young farmer is softened by his blossoming love for a Romanian migrant worker.  Set against the sweeping landscapes of Yorkshire, this visually astonishing film has already caused a sensation at film festivals around the globe.  While offering a detailed portrait of rural life and all its cold realities, God’s Own Country remains a hopeful tale, the story of a young man’s journey toward self-acceptance and joy. ~ Mark Thiedeman

A lone birdwatcher capsizes his kayak and begins a journey into the heart of darkness, encountering a pair of mystic Chinese Christians, a skinny-dipping goatherd named Jesus, a fraternity of pagan hooligans, and a trio of bare-breasted Amazons. Devout but blasphemous, serene but psychedelic, impossible to categorize but compulsively watchable, this queer retelling of the story of Saint Anthony of Padua is the most thrilling work yet by one of the world’s most essential gay filmmakers. ~ Mark Thiedeman

The following 4 short films screening in "The Peeler" block.

• Dawn of the Deaf, Directed by Rob Savage
• The Mousetrap, Directed by Ricky Mastro
• Climax, Directed by Fulvio Balmer
• Rusalka, Directed by Wes Hurley

Adults Only: Contains scenes of explicit sexuality. Must be 18+ to purchase ticket.

In Jennifer Reeder’s refreshing rom-com about love and female wrestling, a Pakistani lawyer navigates her crush on an outspoken Mexican bookstore owner, all the while dodging the watchful eye of her soap-opera-loving mother.  A crowd-pleasing, uniquely American indie, Signature Move celebrates our nation’s cultural diversity and insists on empathy for the individual experience of others. ~ Mark Thiedeman

After escaping her abusive father, filmmaker Huang Hui-Chen was raised by her single mother Anu, spending her days at funerals where Anu earned her living as a spirit guide for the dead.  Always aware that her mother was a lesbian, Huang never dared to ask questions about her past, her relationships, or her family.  Now an adult with a daughter of her own, she bravely sets up a camera and films Anu’s story, an illuminating narrative about homophobia, domestic violence, and the daily struggles of women in Taiwan.  Produced by master filmmaker Hou Hsiao-Hsien. ~ Mark Thiedeman

After the Hello Again screening, head next door to Core Public House for the after-party featuring local live music! More details coming soon!

Expected to Attend:  Director Tom Gustafson and Actress Jenna Ushkowitz (Glee)

From the director of the hit film Were the World Mine comes a wild, funny, shape-shifting musical that bounces from decade to decade — and bedroom to bedroom — in its depiction of ten steamy love affairs.  Featuring the great Audra McDonald alongside Cheyenne Jackson (American Horror Story), Jenna Ushowitz (Glee), and Tyler Blackburn (Pretty Little Liars), Hello Again is the rare movie that celebrates not only the L's, the G's, the B's and the T's, but also our straight friends and allies.  (And for you film and theater buffs, it's also a clever, queer update of Arthur Schnitzler’s 1897 daisy-chain La Ronde, the source material for Max Ophuls' classic 1950 film.) ~ Mark Thiedeman

Before watching the Opening Night Film, join us for a glass champagne (on the house!) at the Argenta Gallery for a pre-screening, reception that also serves as the opening for the new art exhibit "Film Flash Focus Record: A Glimpse Into Queer Cinema" Works on Paper by Michael Shaeffer.

Local artist Michael Shaeffer celebrates decades of LGBT filmmakers and characters in his all-new show, which reimagines classic movie posters in his boldly original style