The Real Ellen Story by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato (1998, 52 min.) tells the behind-the-scenes story of the outing of Ellen DeGeneres. It traces the famous coming-out episode that 42 million Americans tuned in to. Candid interviews with Ellen, her partner, Anne Heche; her mother Betty; her brother; the show's writers; a former Disney executive; and gay and lesbian activists emphasize the impact this show had on people around the world. Find out, among other things, why the episode was code-named by the network The Puppy Episode. Off the Straight and Narrow by Katherine Sender (1998, 63 min.) is a comprehensive history of gay, lesbian, and bisexual representation on American television. It travels from the near invisibili- ty of gays and lesbians before the '70's to the reportage of AIDS in the '90's. Clips from famous gay and lesbian moments in television history are used in this intriguing documentary to investigate media representations and to challenge stereotypes.

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What does intellectual property law have to do with circumcision? Leave it to the director of Lilies and Zero Patience to unite these and other seemingly disparate topics into another of his fascinating and inventive combinations of musical camp, melodrama, experimental narrative, and documentary. The story brings three "Peters" together: They make love. They make art. They get busted. "Uncut is a densely layered, delirious romp in which ideas are hurled at blistering speeds [and whose] candy-colored pop art explosion will knock you out." (Joel Shepard, San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival Catalog).

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Are circuit parties merely hedonistic extravaganzas glamorizing body worship, rampant drug use, and unsafe sex? Or are they gatherings of the tribe, providing an empowering sense of community and essential fund-raising support for AIDS service organizations? These questions are at the heart of the controversy surrounding this annual series of nearly a hundred dances in more than a dozen cities worldwide. By filming the parties and interviewing organizers, attendees, and event beneficiaries, director Jose Torrealba conveys a sense of why these events are so popular. Juxtaposed with these elements are insightful interviews with such figures as Village Voice editor Richard Goldstein and columnist Michelangelo Signorile, whose book Life Outside did much to bring the controversy to a national level.

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