Wade on Birmingham

EXCLUSIVE: Shout 2010 — the lineup

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The fifth annual Birmingham Shout film festival returns in September with a new venue and a new season. Wade on Birmingham has an exclusive on the lineup.

Birmingham ShoutAs previously reported, the gay/lesbian film festival will take place the same weekend as the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival; in the past four years, Shout took place in the spring. The Alabama Moving Image Association manages both festivals.

The opening night film, “Howl,” will be Sept. 23 at WorkPlay, the night before Sidewalk’s Sept. 24 kickoff. The remainder of the Shout festival will be Sept. 25 and 26 at  a new location, the Hill Arts Center, adjacent to the Alabama Theatre.

Here are a few highlights from the 24-film lineup …

• • •

‘An Ordinary Couple’

Orin Kennedy hailed from a Jewish family in New York, while Bernardo Puccio grew up in an Sicilian community in Birmingham. Both came of age in the 1970s. And since 1981, the two have been in a committed monogamous relationship, making their lives in Los Angeles. The documentary “An Ordinary Couple” tells their story as they work on a monument to their relationship at the Hollywood Memorial Cemetery.

  • Starring Orin Kennedy and Bernardo Puccio.
  • Directed by Jay Gianukos.
  • Official site | IMDB | Facebook
  • 5 p.m. Sept. 26 at Hill Arts Center
  • Scheduled to attend: Kennedy and Puccio.

• • •

‘Howl’

Shout opening night film: The story of poet and poem, “Howl” looks at young Allen Ginsberg (James Franco) on his journey to create his masterpiece work. It also follows the 1957 obscenity trial in San Francisco to determine if the book should be banned. The biographical story shows how the leader of the Beat Generation brought forth the counterculture movement.

  • Starring James Franco, Jon Hamm, Jeff Daniels, Mary Louise Parker, David Strathaim and Bob Balaban.
  • Directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffery Friedman.
  • Official site | IMDB | Facebook
  • 7 p.m. Sept. 23 at WorkPlay
  • Scheduled to attend: Kennedy and Puccio.

• • •

‘The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls’

Shout closing night film: Meet the world’s only comedic, country song and dance, yodeling lesbian twin sisters. The documentary “The Topp Twins” shows Jools and Lynda from childhood in New Zealand to mainstream entertainers in a 50-year span that includes one sister’s fight against breast cancer, their worldwide touring and their prime-time TV show.

  • Starring Jools Topp and Lynda Topp.
  • Directed by Leanne Pooley.
  • Official site | IMDB | Facebook
  • 7 p.m. Sept. 26 at Hill Arts Center

• • •

Tickets: three-day pass, $50, $40 for members and students ($40 and $30 in advance); one-day pass, $20, $15 for members and students.

Also:

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Do you like having Shout in the fall? What movies are you going to see? Tell us in the comments.

Action! Complete Shout festival coverage.

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