Festival favourite Ferzan Ozpetek (Ignorant Fairies; Saturn in Opposition) returns to with a light-hearted tale of family obligation and repressed desire that is as playful and sunny as a weekend on the Italian Riviera. Tommaso is the youngest son of the well-to-do and ultra-conservative Cantone family, who own a pasta factory in Puglia. He returns home for an important family dinner at which his father plans to hand over the business to Tommaso and his brother Antonio. But Tommaso has a comfortable life in Rome as an aspiring writer and a steady relationship with his boyfriend Marcoa life he has kept secret from his family. He has no desire to move back to his hometown or to give up his writing career, so he plans to announce to his family at the dinner that he is gay. That evening, however, just as Tomasso begins his speech, he is upstaged by his brother, who, to everyones surprise, reveals his own secret! Antonio is promptly disowned and their father Vincenzo collapses from a heart attack. With the family in a state of turmoil, Tommaso reluctantly steps in to run the factory with Alba, the daughter of their new business partner. The comedy follows Tommaso as he balances running the firm, consoling his outraged family and keeping his homosexuality a secret in case the news altogether kills his stricken father. A surprise visit from some of Tomassos friends, including boyfriend Marco, uncovers some well-hidden family secrets and helps to change some long-held beliefs among the family. Loose Cannons is a witty, penetrating drama, beautifully acted by its ensemble cast. The film takes a lighthearted approach, revealing each family member’s quirks in a story that meanders through an emotional terrain of unspoken feelings that are played out against a backdrop of sumptuous beauty. (Description courtesy of Inside Out: The Toronto LGBT Film Festival.)

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Country music star Chely Wright had a huge secret that seemed impossible to reveal to her family, friends, and fans. Raised in a deeply religious home and working in a homophobic country music industry, Chely prayed for years that her homosexuality would just go away. In 2010, Chely began an arduous but carefully mapped journey of coming out to the world. Over a three-year period, award-winning filmmakers Bobbie Birleffi and Beverly Kopf captured every moment of Chely’s struggle. (Description courtesy of the Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.) Winner of the Outstanding Documentary Feature Award at Frameline 35: The 2011 San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival and the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the 2011 Los Angeles Film Festival.

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United in Anger: A History of ACT UP explores the story of ACT UP (the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) from the grassroots perspective—how a small group of men and women of all races and classes, came together to change the world and save each other’s lives. The film takes the viewer through the planning and execution of a dozen exhilarating major actions including Seize Control of the FDA, Stop the Church, and Day of Desperation, with a timeline of many of the other zaps and actions that forced the U.S. government and mainstream media to deal with the AIDS crisis. United in Anger reveals the group’s complex culture—meetings, affinity groups, and approaches to civil disobedience mingle with profound grief, sexiness, and the incredible energy of ACT UP. Before there was Occupy Wall Street or the Arab Spring, there was ACT UP.

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