Can’t wait until May to get your gay flick fix? On Friday, March 21st, Fairytales Film Festival will be giving you a shot of gay cinema with the critically acclaimed film Shelter.
Shelter, the gritty, romantic debut from talented writer/director Jonah Markowitz, marks the first project to be produced under here! Networks’ Independent Film Initiative. With this initiative, the network commits itself to providing quality, original independent projects by and for the LGBT community.
Forced to give up his dreams of art school in order to take care of his family, Zach (Trevor Wright) has become accustomed to a life where he neglects his own needs in favor of taking care of others. He spends his time working a dead-end job at a diner, and skates the urban streets of San Pedro stenciling his signature “crane” wherever he can find vacant wall space. At home he takes care of his nephew, Cody (Jackson Wurth), as his older sister, Jeanne (Tina Holmes), has clearly shown that her priorities lie elsewhere. Perhaps conveniently, with all his responsibilities, he barely has time to see his long term on-again, off-again girlfriend, Tori (Katie Walder).
When his best friend’s older brother, Shaun (Brad Rowe, recognizable as Gabriel in Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss), returns home to cure a case of writer’s block, Shaun and Zach begin hanging out. Zach sees in Shaun someone who has truly claimed his life and embraced his talent. Zach is both intimidated and surprisingly attracted to him. The two quickly transition from casual surf buddies into a true, intimate relationship. Shaun presses Zach to take control of his life, and to take ownership of his artwork. He also develops a strong bond with Cody, and Zach happily notices the positive effect Shaun’s attention has on him. As time progresses, however, a host of new issues come up. Zach struggles with his identity, his family, and friends, while trying to understand the new emotions Shaun has brought him. When the cat is let out of the bag, Jeanne threatens to take Cody away. Wanting nothing but the best for him, Zach is forced to decide between his pattern of putting others’ desires first, or fighting for what is really most important and appropriate for both his and Cody’s future.
With beautiful guys, and fantastic scenery, Shelter is a treat for the eyes and mind. It has already won a slew of awards including HBO Outstanding First Dramatic Feature at Outfest, and best film and actor awards at gay film festivals in Dallas, Tampa, Long Island, Seattle, and Vancouver.
“Seeing the world through someone else’s eyes is what has always drawn me to cinema,” says director Jonah Markowitz. “It makes me realize that no matter how different we may seem, we are all essentially the same. Although situations may differ, most of our desires are quite universal. We do things for many of the same reasons, often with similar results. I wanted Shelter to be a story that anyone could relate to – a story about tuning into one’s sincere desires, finding love, and creating family.”
“To keep this story accessible, I wanted to make sure that the characters were struggling with more than just their sexuality. I wanted Shelter to be about identity and family. We live in a time when many of us leave our families, move far away, and create new ones. These created families are just as important in forming our identities as the ones we are born with. I wanted to show that if you can create love, you can create family, and become comfortable with who you are.”
“Shelter is a story about people – not gay people - just people. It’s not a gay story, but a story about an ideal relationship born from a less than ideal situation. During casting, it was important to me that the cast valued this as much as I did. Both of the leads are straight. Instead of trying to sum up the experience of being gay, we simply focused on intimacy. We talked about what it felt like to stay in bed with someone all day – how rare and desirable it is, how fleeting it can be, and how much it can hurt when it’s gone. I really respect that both Trevor and Brad were able to see that it didn’t need to be any more complicated than this. This allowed them to approach the decisions their characters made from a genuine and personal place.”
Shelter
Friday March 21st, 7pm and 9pm
Suggested donation $10
Emmedia
203 - 351 11th Avenue SW
www.heretv.com/sheltermovie
