With the unfortunate history of portrayals of many marginalized communities, the first films to kick open the door to mainstream representation were often made outside of a community, resulting in work that is deemed problematic in today’s environment. Chasing Amy being one such example: though the third film from Kevin Smith met some controversy, it did not have picket lines that his fourth, Dogma, would invite.
For Sav Rodgers, a kid growing up in Kanas who adored Ben Affleck, Chasing Amy became a gateway into understanding themselves and, ultimately, who they wanted to become. In his highly personal feature film debut, the trans filmmaker expands upon his viral Ted talk, unpacking multiple problems with Chasing Amy and the ’90s independent film scene. It was a time of gatekeepers that often, intentionally or not, suppressed mainstream LGBTQ films made from within the community, bankrolling and elevating voices like Kevin Smith––in his sheer provocation,...
For Sav Rodgers, a kid growing up in Kanas who adored Ben Affleck, Chasing Amy became a gateway into understanding themselves and, ultimately, who they wanted to become. In his highly personal feature film debut, the trans filmmaker expands upon his viral Ted talk, unpacking multiple problems with Chasing Amy and the ’90s independent film scene. It was a time of gatekeepers that often, intentionally or not, suppressed mainstream LGBTQ films made from within the community, bankrolling and elevating voices like Kevin Smith––in his sheer provocation,...
- 6/12/2023
- by John Fink
- The Film Stage
“Do you understand why I love this movie so much?” asks Sav Rodgers, the director whose adoration of Kevin Smith’s 1997 rom-com Chasing Amy has led them on a pilgrimage to parts of New Jersey so ungentrified that, 25 years later, they’re — seriously — almost all still there. “No,” says Shana Lory. Which is a bit of a shock, given that she was the casting director.
Although it set out to be a love letter, Rodgers’ never-less-than-engaging film always was facing an uphill struggle, and it’s to their credit — to prevent spoilers, they/them pronouns will be used here just for the purposes of this review — that they’re even prepared to debate such “problematic” material at a time when pop culture is cheering on the cancellation of major artists such as Pablo Picasso by people with less gravitas than the UK’s Princess of Wales, who at least can...
Although it set out to be a love letter, Rodgers’ never-less-than-engaging film always was facing an uphill struggle, and it’s to their credit — to prevent spoilers, they/them pronouns will be used here just for the purposes of this review — that they’re even prepared to debate such “problematic” material at a time when pop culture is cheering on the cancellation of major artists such as Pablo Picasso by people with less gravitas than the UK’s Princess of Wales, who at least can...
- 6/9/2023
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
Aristotle And Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe to open, Chasing Chasing Amy to close Los Angeles fest.
For the first time features by trans filmmakers will bookend Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival (July 13-23), with opener Aristotle And Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe and closing selection Chasing Chasing Amy.
Both Aitch Alberto and Sav Rodgers are alumni of Outfest’s artist development programmes. Alberto took part in the Outfest Screenwriting Lab in 2007 and has returned to mentor young filmmakers in Outfest’s programmes.
Rodgers is an alum of both OutSet – Outfest’s filmmaking lab and...
For the first time features by trans filmmakers will bookend Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival (July 13-23), with opener Aristotle And Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe and closing selection Chasing Chasing Amy.
Both Aitch Alberto and Sav Rodgers are alumni of Outfest’s artist development programmes. Alberto took part in the Outfest Screenwriting Lab in 2007 and has returned to mentor young filmmakers in Outfest’s programmes.
Rodgers is an alum of both OutSet – Outfest’s filmmaking lab and...
- 6/6/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Outfest has lined up its opening and closing night films.
The Los Angeles LGBTQ film festival — scheduled for July 13-23 and presented by Warner Bros. Discovery and Genesis Motor America — will open with Aitch Alberto’s Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe at the Orpheum Theatre and close with Sav Rodgers’ Chasing Chasing Amy at the Montalbán Theatre.
The selections mark the first time in the fest’s history that both the opening and closing night films come from trans filmmakers. Furthermore, both Alberto and Rodgers hail from Outfest’s artist development programs. Alberto participated in the Outfest screenwriting lab in 2007 and has since served as a mentor to young filmmakers in Outfest programs, while Rodgers participated in Outfest’s OutSet filmmaking lab and mentorship program as well as the screenwriting lab in 2021.
Based on Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s young adult novel, Aristotle and Dante Discover the...
The Los Angeles LGBTQ film festival — scheduled for July 13-23 and presented by Warner Bros. Discovery and Genesis Motor America — will open with Aitch Alberto’s Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe at the Orpheum Theatre and close with Sav Rodgers’ Chasing Chasing Amy at the Montalbán Theatre.
The selections mark the first time in the fest’s history that both the opening and closing night films come from trans filmmakers. Furthermore, both Alberto and Rodgers hail from Outfest’s artist development programs. Alberto participated in the Outfest screenwriting lab in 2007 and has since served as a mentor to young filmmakers in Outfest programs, while Rodgers participated in Outfest’s OutSet filmmaking lab and mentorship program as well as the screenwriting lab in 2021.
Based on Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s young adult novel, Aristotle and Dante Discover the...
- 6/6/2023
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 41st annual Outfest, Los Angeles’ premier LGBTQ+ film festival, is making history with its 2023 lineup.
The festival (July 13-23) will for the first time open and close with films created by trans artists: “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe” (directed by Aitch Alberto) will kick off the festivities on July 13, with the 11-day event closing with “Chasing Chasing Amy” (directed by Sav Rodgers). The Opening Night Gala will screen at the Orpheum Theatre, with the Closing Night Gala screening at The Montalbán Theatre. More films in the lineup will be announced soon.
These events also represent a homecoming for both Alberto and Rodgers, both of whom are alumni of Outfest’s Artist Development programs.
“Aristotle and Dante,” based on Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s beloved young adult novel, centers on the friendship between two teenage Mexican-American boys in 1987 El Paso. Max Pelayo and Reese Gonzales star along with Eugenio Derbez,...
The festival (July 13-23) will for the first time open and close with films created by trans artists: “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe” (directed by Aitch Alberto) will kick off the festivities on July 13, with the 11-day event closing with “Chasing Chasing Amy” (directed by Sav Rodgers). The Opening Night Gala will screen at the Orpheum Theatre, with the Closing Night Gala screening at The Montalbán Theatre. More films in the lineup will be announced soon.
These events also represent a homecoming for both Alberto and Rodgers, both of whom are alumni of Outfest’s Artist Development programs.
“Aristotle and Dante,” based on Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s beloved young adult novel, centers on the friendship between two teenage Mexican-American boys in 1987 El Paso. Max Pelayo and Reese Gonzales star along with Eugenio Derbez,...
- 6/6/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Today, Outfest announced the Opening and Closing Night gala film selections for the 41st edition of the Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival, taking place from July 13 – 23 in Los Angeles, presented by Warner Bros. Discovery and Genesis Motor America. The festival will open with Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, directed by Aitch Alberto, and the 11-day event will close with Chasing Chasing Amy, directed by Sav Rodgers. The Opening Night Gala will screen at the Orpheum Theatre, with the Closing Night Gala screening at The Montalbán Theatre.
This marks the first time in Outfest’s history that both Opening and Closing night will feature films made by trans artists, underlining the deep roster of trans, non-binary, and intersex talent working in the entertainment industry as well as the diversity of trans storytelling at this moment in history. These events also represent a homecoming for both Alberto and Rodgers,...
This marks the first time in Outfest’s history that both Opening and Closing night will feature films made by trans artists, underlining the deep roster of trans, non-binary, and intersex talent working in the entertainment industry as well as the diversity of trans storytelling at this moment in history. These events also represent a homecoming for both Alberto and Rodgers,...
- 6/6/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Movies mean different things to different people. Predicting which films will strike a chord for any individual is impossible, and some movies become more personal than others. For Sav Rodgers, Kevin Smith‘s Chasing Amy helped him discover truths he could not define. In today’s Chasing Chasing Amy trailer, we find Rodgers going on a journey of self-discovery for a documentary focusing on Smith’s confrontational LGBTQ+ romance film.
The feature documentary explores the transformational impact of the ’90s rom-com on a 12-year-old queer kid from Kansas, coming of age and coming to terms with his identity. The Kevin Smith cult classic became a life raft for young Sav Rodgers. As Rodgers examines the film and its making as a cornerstone of LGBTQ+ cinema, he finds himself at a difficult crossroads. While Sav finds Chasing Amy a gateway to becoming more comfortable with his identity, sections of the LGBTQ...
The feature documentary explores the transformational impact of the ’90s rom-com on a 12-year-old queer kid from Kansas, coming of age and coming to terms with his identity. The Kevin Smith cult classic became a life raft for young Sav Rodgers. As Rodgers examines the film and its making as a cornerstone of LGBTQ+ cinema, he finds himself at a difficult crossroads. While Sav finds Chasing Amy a gateway to becoming more comfortable with his identity, sections of the LGBTQ...
- 5/5/2023
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Wapp Wapp Wapp
With October firmly in the rearview mirror, it’s bizarre to reflect on what a wild month it turned out to be. Not only did Trace and I celebrate our 200th Main Feed episode with Karyn Kusama’s perfect film, The Invitation (2015), we revisited David Gordon Green’s divisive Halloween Kills, and even managed to get Don Mancini and RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon on as guests.
We’re kicking off November with a decidedly quieter and more obscure film: Jennifer Reeder‘s Knives and Skin (2019). I reviewed the film upon its initial release, so I was happy to revisit it with fresh eyes, helped in no small part by our great guest, Princess Weekes.
In the film noir and musical-adjacent film, small-town band girl Carolyn Harper (Raven Whitley) goes missing, leaving confusion and concern in her wake. As her mother (Marika Engelhardt) unravels, Carolyn...
With October firmly in the rearview mirror, it’s bizarre to reflect on what a wild month it turned out to be. Not only did Trace and I celebrate our 200th Main Feed episode with Karyn Kusama’s perfect film, The Invitation (2015), we revisited David Gordon Green’s divisive Halloween Kills, and even managed to get Don Mancini and RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon on as guests.
We’re kicking off November with a decidedly quieter and more obscure film: Jennifer Reeder‘s Knives and Skin (2019). I reviewed the film upon its initial release, so I was happy to revisit it with fresh eyes, helped in no small part by our great guest, Princess Weekes.
In the film noir and musical-adjacent film, small-town band girl Carolyn Harper (Raven Whitley) goes missing, leaving confusion and concern in her wake. As her mother (Marika Engelhardt) unravels, Carolyn...
- 11/7/2022
- by Joe Lipsett
- bloody-disgusting.com
A funny thing happened to Black Adam on its way to the cinema: critics finally got a look at the movie. While the film has undeniably been a passion project for Dwayne Johnson, with the actor circling the role for more than a decade before finally playing the part, that love has not necessarily translated into a movie that’s winning over a majority of film journalists.
Nonetheless, it should be noted that this is only the early reception for the DC Extended Universe’s most hotly anticipated film of the year, and that Black Adam’s current Rotten Tomatoes score of 52 percent (as of press time) is based on just 54 submitted reviews. Even so, there tends to be quite a bit of praise for Johnson… and plenty of criticism about most other elements in the film.
IndieWire’s David Ehrlich, for one, takes Black Adam to task for leaning...
Nonetheless, it should be noted that this is only the early reception for the DC Extended Universe’s most hotly anticipated film of the year, and that Black Adam’s current Rotten Tomatoes score of 52 percent (as of press time) is based on just 54 submitted reviews. Even so, there tends to be quite a bit of praise for Johnson… and plenty of criticism about most other elements in the film.
IndieWire’s David Ehrlich, for one, takes Black Adam to task for leaning...
- 10/19/2022
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Welcome back to the Scene 2 Seen Podcast!
This week we’re having a heated discussion about the state of Wlw television. After several cancellations of shows back to back, fans are questioning which elements are causing the targeted entertainment to get the ax. Is it poor marketing? Is it the budget cuts and layoffs at streaming companies? Is it homophobia? None of us on the ground have the answers but my guest and I do ponder where it comes from, and talk about solutions.
Today’s show features four queer speakers who include:
Audrey Nieh, and Laurel Hechanova, of the Sapphic Culture Club podcast, Princess Weekes, assistant editor at Geek site The Mary Sue, and Carolyn Bergier, co-host of the Dyking Out podcast
To expand on this idea, queer film and television has been on a steady increase in the past 10 years. There is content that caters...
This week we’re having a heated discussion about the state of Wlw television. After several cancellations of shows back to back, fans are questioning which elements are causing the targeted entertainment to get the ax. Is it poor marketing? Is it the budget cuts and layoffs at streaming companies? Is it homophobia? None of us on the ground have the answers but my guest and I do ponder where it comes from, and talk about solutions.
Today’s show features four queer speakers who include:
Audrey Nieh, and Laurel Hechanova, of the Sapphic Culture Club podcast, Princess Weekes, assistant editor at Geek site The Mary Sue, and Carolyn Bergier, co-host of the Dyking Out podcast
To expand on this idea, queer film and television has been on a steady increase in the past 10 years. There is content that caters...
- 8/23/2022
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
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