Pride Week cinema

Just in time for Pride Week, the fine folks at the Walker Art Center have taken it upon themselves to celebrate and examine GLBT culture. “Queer Takes: Standing Out” is a two-day film retrospective focusing on a variety of issues faced by the gay community. Now in its fourth edition, the topics of this year’s four-film installment of “Queer Takes” range from AIDS activism to homophobia in women’s basketball to lighthearted comedy. Here’s a brief sampling of the Walker’s cinematographic offerings to add to your Pride Week schedule.

Wednesday, June 24

“Training Rules”
DIRECTED BY: Dee Mosbacher, Fawn Yacker
TIME: 7 p.m.
TICKETS: $8
During her years at the helm of Penn State’s women’s basketball team, Rene Portland established some appallingly stringent guidelines for her players to follow: no drinking or drugs, and no lesbians. One player, Jen Harris, filed suit, and Portland ultimately resigned. The hour-long documentary “Training Rules,” with a discussion to follow, contemplates the promising careers stalled by Portland’s homophobia and the anti-gay sentiments harbored by the sports world.
“Football Under Cover”
DIRECTED BY: Ayat Najafi, David Assmann
TIME: 8:45 p.m.
TICKETS: $8
“Football Under Cover” is another sports-centric film, but instead of American basketball, it focuses on a soccer match between Berlin and Iran. In order to play against Iran, the Berlin women must practice under Iranian codes of conduct while wearing traditional headscarves. Since the German team is made up of a good number of lesbian players, they are also required to hide their sexuality.
“Football Under Cover” is an examination of gender roles and prejudice.
“Our main goal … was to convey an image of Iran that goes beyond the usual clichés and stereotypes,” said the directors in a press release. “We want to show another side to the country, a different one… By creating a cultural dialogue via football, we are trying to put across a more realistic image, one that is not ideologically warped from the outset.”

Thursday, June 25

“Fig Trees”
DIRECTOR: John Greyson
TIME: 7:30 p.m.
TICKETS: free
“Fig Trees” is the story of AIDS activists Tim McCaskell and Zackie Achmat , whose champion cause is accessibility of disease-fighting drugs for all infected South Africans.
Ten years ago, Achmat refused to treat himself until all South Africans could be treated equally. Achmat founded the Treatment Action Campaign , and his strike raised the awareness of Nelson Mandela, who pleaded with Achmat to begin treatment; however, he still refused to take medication until 2003.
The thought-provoking and oft-entertaining “Fig Trees” won the Teddy Award at the Berlin Film Festival and is set to lush musical scoring. It’s “a documentary opera about pills, Gertrude Stein and AIDS activism,” according to the film’s tagline.
Though its subject matter is serious and dark, “Fig Trees” is kooky and avant-garde too, jumping about stylistically and starring not only Canadian McCaskell and the South African Achmat, but a singing squirrel as well.
“Fig Trees” speaks of the ethics of modern medicine and the AIDS epidemic, how the government and pharmaceutical companies choose to handle the disease, the ethical practices of medicine and how those infected celebrate life and hope for the future.
“575 Castro Street,” precedes “Fig Trees”
DIRECTED BY: Jenni Olson
“Milk,” the movie bio of slain activist Harvey Milk , won national critical acclaim last year for its portrayal of a revolution, and during the filming Jenni Olson shot photos she then set to an edited 13-minute audio recording taped by Milk in the event of his assassination.