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‘Story’ kicks off Ross film festival
By Sarah Baker
Senior staff writer
Intolerance, hatred and confusion
surround us every day.
The feelings are especially strong
for members of the gay and lesbian
community, whose demands for equal
ity still go largely unheard.
Only when die hatred swirls out of
hand and leads to murder does the pub
lic seem to pay attention.
Before the homophobia-inspired
murder of 21-year-old Matthew
Shepard in Wyoming almost two
weeks ago, Nebraska suffered its own
tragic murder of a member of the gay
community.
“The Brandon Teena Story” a doc
umentary that focuses on a hate crime
committed right here in Nebraska, is
the first of the films being shown in
The Return of the Gay/Lesbian Film
Festival, which begins today on the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
campus.
The film’s directors, Susan Muska
and Greta Olafsdottir, will be in
Lincoln at the Bailey Library, 2nd floor
Andrews Hall, tomorrow from 1 p.m.
to 3 p.m. to discuss the making of “The
Brandon Teena Story.”
Tonight’s showing of the film at the
Mary Riepma Ross Film Theater in
UNL’s Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery
marks the Nebraska premiere of the
film.
The film festival is part of the cele
bration of Gay and Lesbian History
Month and runs today through Nov. 1.
The documentary tells the true
I
story of what happened when 20-year
old Brandon Teena arrived in Falls City
in 1993.
Teena became popular in the small
rural town, earning himself a group of
friends and even a girlfriend. But three
weeks later Teena was brutally beaten
and raped when two of his acquain
tances found out he was actually a she.
A week later, these same two
offenders murdered Teena, along with
a woman and another man with whom
he sought refuge in the days after the
beating.
The film centers around the homo
phobia and intolerance that seems to be
becoming more prevalent in the rural
communities of the United States.
Muska, one of the two directors of
the documentary, said the film focuses
on the last, tragic weeks of Teena’s life.
“What we wanted to look at was the
attitudes that enabled this to happen in
the first place,” Muska said. “We want
ed to see what the effect of something
like this is.”
Dan Ladely, director of the Ross
Film Theater, said this film was chosen
as the festival’s opener for many rea
sons.
“The main reason was because it is
shot entirely in Nebraska,” Ladely said.
“But also because these (hate crimes)
are happening all over the country, and
people have to start paying attention to
this
“I think this is a good way to edu
cate as to how tragic and serious this
sort of thing is,” Ladely said. “When it
happens, it affects us all and tears apart
the fabric of our society.”
With the Oct. 13 murder of
Schedule of screenings for the Return
of Ihe Gey/lesblan Him Festival
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Courtesy Photo
“WAVELENGTHS” IS DIRECTED by Patribha Parmar, whose work includes
“Piece of Rage,” a collaborative effort with Alice Walker.
Shepard, a
University of
Wyoming student
and the victim of a
crime much like the
one in the film, the
opening of the film
seems an appropri
ate, if not sad, tribute.
Most believe
Shepard’s openly gay
lifestyle was the rea
son for his murder.
Shepard was lured
out of a bar, brutally
beaten and tied to a
fence post to die.
1 he timeliness ol -
the opening has not
been lost on the festival’s organizers,
Ladely said, and the response on the
UNL campus has been positive so far.
“There may be some who are upset,
but they haven’t surfaced,” Ladely said.
“But I think the people who are upset
are the ones who will stay away.”
Ladely said he hopes a film like this
has the potential to reach intolerant
people, but he didn’t know if it was
enough to change their minds.
“If people who are intolerant could
see films and open their minds a bit, I
think we could make a lot of progress,”
he said. “It takes a tragic thing to hap
pen to make people more aware, but at
least, in the end, something good -- that
awareness- can come out of it”
The film, which has been critically
acclaimed around the world, was the
winner of the 1998 Teddy Award for
Best Documentary Film at the Berlin
Film Festival.
-• The quality of the film itself is
another strong point, Ladely said.
Although the movie was made on a low >
budget, he said die filmmakers made
the best of the resources they had, turn
ing out an “extraordinary” product
Muska said she also believes the
film will be well-rtceived in Nebraska
but realizes some may have a hard time
wiihit
^ “When we were in Nebraska work
ing on the film, people wanted us to
Courtesy Photo
ONLY 10 MINUTES IN LENGTH, “SPF 2000” runs with
a collection of short films in “Boys in Love 2.”
show some of the more positive aspects
of the state,” she said. “We liked
Nebraska and look forward to going
back, but that is not what this is about
We couldn’t focus on the winning foot
ball team because it’s not the point.”
The scrutiny of the rural communi
ty was something Muska wanted as an
integral part of the film, she said, and
the examination of local culture should
be a more commonplace occurrence
across the United States.
“All communities have a dark
side,” she said. “People tend to be sen
sitive about their home base, but this
film should be taken in context It’s not
an attack; it’s an examination.”
Films like this one can help people
recognize the elevated number of hate
crimes that occur across the United
States, she said. ;
Muska said she has been astounded
by the universal appeal of the film, and
she said a wide range of people have
contacted her after seemg it
“The story transcends regional,
economic, race and class boundaries,”
she said. “It’s a tragedy that anyone can
relate to. It shakes basic emotions.” .
“The Brandon Teena Stray” opens
tonight at the Ross Film Theater, 12th
and R streets, at 7:30 p.m. The film
makers will be present for the pre
miere. \i,\.
For more information, call the Ross
at (402) 472-5353.
Aliens study
humans in
Tormicans’
ByLeaHoltmeier
Staffwriter
Extraterrestrials may have a few
questions when they encounter the
human race for the first time.
They’d certainly be puzzled about
the purpose of die Spice Girls and the
insane obsession with college football.
But how would they view die man
ner in which humans treat each other or
people’s behavior in moments of trial?
“Last of the Formicans,” a
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Theatrix play opening tonight in the
Temple Building, 12“ and R streets,
attempts to answer this question and
others.
In the play, a group of space aliens
studies American culture by observing
a dysfunctional Colorado family.
Cathy, a recent divorcee, has moved
back in with her parents in Colorado
after living in FJew York. Upon her
arrival, she finds a world rivaling a nail
biting episode of 1 he X-riles.
Only in this version, the aliens try to
figure out the humans.
As the play progresses, the aliens
comment, in topical documentary fash
ion, on the human specimens’ behavior.
Their conclusions call to question
certain societal norms that the general
population takes for granted: They dis
cuss society’s addiction to television,
relationships within families and peo
ple’s tendency to find the simplest
answer to a problem.
“If you just step away and look at
how we act, you see the things we do
don’t make any sense,” director Ken
Paulman said. “We just do them
because we don’t know any better.” ^
Paulman said the show forces audi- |
ences to analyze why they behave the
way they do. It also examines the value
of American culture.
“It’s not about Uncle Sam. It’s not
about normalness,” said John Elsener,
who plays an alien called #7. “It’s about
enjoying what you have.”
The aliens present their commen
tary on the dysfunctional family over a
television screen, further emphasizing
the script’s documentary style.
However, me use oi viaeo maxes
this play one of the more technically
demanding shows attempted by a
Theatrix director. Shows produced for
Theatrix generally demand only basic
technical requirements: simple lighting
designs combined with a minimal set
Theatrix productions are entirely stu
dent-run and operate on a shoestring
budget of $100.
Because of the show’s technical ele
ments, combined with limited crew i
members, Paulman has been putting in
12- to 14-hbur days in preparation for *
the show, his directorial debut for
Theatrix.
Elsener said the actors have been
forced to change their acting approach
because of the video and sound system.
“I had to leam to focus on the face
and the voice and not on the body,” - ;
Elsener said. [
Despite the difficulties, Paulman,
said, the overall design emphasizes the
idea of an omniscient, slightly removed,
objective observer.
“Last of fee Formicans” begins
today at the Studio Theatre in fee
Temple Building, i2& and R streets, at
8 pan. and continues through Saturday
at 8 p.m., with a matinee Sunday afc2
pan. Tickets are $3 at the door. For more
information, call the Temple Box
Office at (402) 472-2073.