In 1956, one of the most controversial works of American art galvanized a generation. Now, the story behind Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl” comes to life in a genre-defying feature film that is at once a legal drama, a character study and an animated trip into the magic and madness of the modern world. James Franco stars as the young Allen Ginsberg – poet, counter-culture adventurer and chronicler of the Beat Generation – who recounts in his famously confessional, leave-nothing-out style the road trips, love affairs and search for personal liberation that led to the most timeless and electrifying work of his career, the poem “Howl.”

Join us after Howl for our Opening Gala Celebration at Art Department, 1315 SE 9th Ave. There will be free food, free drinks, music and special guests!

The event is catered by Wild Abandon and Feastworks. Drinks provided by New Deal Vodka. Music by DJ Wann.

Must be 21 or older.
$10 at the door.

My Name is Love
Love and Sebastian meet each other by coincidence on a street on a summer night. They happen to share the same secret but their encounter is going to cause severe consequences for the both of them – when an innocent flirt soon turns into a dangerous liaison...

Gayby
Jenn (Jenn Harris) and Matt (Matthew Wilkas) are best friends from college who are now in their 30s. Lately, their relationship has dwindled to the occasional social-networking exchange. In an effort to “reconnect,” they decide to have a baby together, taking the easiest, cheapest route of just having sex—even though Matt is gay and Jenn is straight.

Go-Go Reject
Wholesome and eternally optimistic Daniel Ferguson yearns to leave his job at Yogurt World and fulfill his childhood dream of becoming the Jennifer Beals of male go-go dancing.

Queer Pet Adventures
A queer adventure... with pets... and so much more!

Many of us assume that there are only two genders and that being female or male follows from the sex of our biological bodies. Focusing on the art, photography and per- formances of five “alternative” gender artists of Maori, Samoan-Japanese, and European descent, Assume Nothing poses the ques- tions: “What if “male” and “female” are not the only options? How do other genders express themselves through art?”

Intimate present-day interviews and actual- ity are interspersed with lush Super-8, 2-D and 3-D animations and beautifully staged performances.

Meticulously crafted, playful and provoca- tive, Assume Nothing travels from Wel- lington’s Red Rocks to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to explore the potent creative world that flourishes between and beyond genders.

The turbulent relationship between a mother and a son is explored  in this stunning, semi-autobiographical tour de force from 20-year-old writer, director Xavier Dolan. Hubert Minel, a brash 17 year old, dislikes his mother intensely. He gauges her with contempt, only seeing her out-of-date sweater, her kitschy décor and the vile bread crumbs that lodge in the corners of her noisy mouth.

Below the surface of these irritating traits, lie the ingrained mechanisms that his mother has always cultivated so dearly – manipulation and guilt. Hubert, confused and torn by a love-hate relationship that obsesses him more and more each day, wanders in and out of an adolescence that is both marginal and typical, combining artistic discovery, openness to friendship, ostracism, and sex. All the while, he is consumed by his all encompassing contempt for this woman he somehow once loved.

Screenings at Living Room have limited seating capacity. Please call to reserve space at 971.222.2005. Your seat will be held until 20 minutes before showtime.

Bear Nation is Malcolm Ingram’s look at the fetish of a certain subset of gay men towards the hirsute and hefty.  While the gay community has long had to struggle with stereotyping by outsiders, gay men also have to deal with widely held perceptions from their peers that they’re supposed to fit a certain image – men who are stylish, carefully groomed, trim and to a certain degree effeminate. But not all gay men fit this profile, and this has led in part to the rise of “Bears” – gay men who are stocky, hirsute, outwardly masculine and proud of it.

The film features interviews with famous bears such as Hüsker Dü frontman Bob Mould and honorary bear Kevin Smith (the film’s executive producer), and everyday bears telling their stories about having to first come out as homosexuals and then coming out once more as lovers of big men.

Gen Silent startlingly showcases how gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender seniors are so afraid of discrimination, or worse, in long-term health care that many go back into the closet. And, their surprising deci- sions are captured through intimate access to their day-to-day lives over the course of a year in Boston, Massachusetts.

Oppression in the years before Stonewall now leaves many LGBT elders not just afraid but dangerously isolated. Many of our greatest generation are dying prema- turely because they don’t ask for help and have too few people in their lives to keep an eye on them.

Gen Silent brings these issues into the open for the first time. The film shows the wide range in quality of paid caregivers from those who are specifically trained to make LGBT seniors feel safe, to the other end of the spectrum, where LGBT elders face discrimination, neglect or abuse.

Training Rules examines how a wealthy athletic department, enabled by the silence of a complacent university, allowed talented athletes who were thought to be gay, to be dismissed from their college team. The film follows the lawsuit filed in 2006 against Portland and Penn State by student athlete Jennifer Harris. This high profile case ignited the world of women’s collegiate sports. It inspired the discussions so sorely needed to end discrimination based on sexual orientation that pervades all organized sport.

Powerfully narrated by international swimming great Diana Nyad, Training Rules is a riveting must-see film.

When Lars (Thure Lindhardt) is denied a promotion to sergeant, following rumors about his unbecoming behavior towards some of his men, he decides to leave the army. Back home, his overly proper suburban parents do everything in their power to sweep the embarrassing incident under the carpet.

By chance, Lars runs into a small radical group of neo-Nazis. Initially, Lars distances himself from their ideology but fuelled by defiance against the system – and his parents  – Lars decides to join the group. Lars rapidly advances through the ranks and moves out of his parents’ house and into board chairman Ebbe’s remotely situated summer cottage. The attraction between the two men soon becomes too strong to ignore, and even though they feel torn between ideology and emotions, they begin a secret relationship.

The price of betraying the group is high, but when Lars and Jimmy make their final decision, destiny deals them one last fateful hand.

Screenings at Living Room have limited seating capacity. Please call to reserve space at 971.222.2005. Your seat will be held until 20 minutes before showtime.

Hideaway is the new film from France’s François Ozon. When Louis (Melvil Poupaud) dies of a drug overdose in Paris, his wealthy mother asks his pregnant, strung-out, girlfriend, Mousse (Isabelle Carré) to not to have the baby. She agrees.

But determined to keep her child, Mousse flees Paris for a country home. Louis’ gay brother, Paul, (Louis-Ronan Choisy) visits, and she develops a fascination with him that is both erotic and angry.

Paul decides to stay with her and the two strangers gradually develop an unusual and deeply moving relationship with Paul acting as a surrogate father figure. Ozon crafts an intimate portrait of an enigmatic woman and continues his unique exploration of the nature of family and blood ties.

We Have to Stop Now is a romantic dramedy that follows two lesbian therapists as they struggle to keep up the pretense of staying together when a documentary film crew invades their home after the success of their book “How To Succeed In Marriage Without Even Trying.”

Lesbian therapists Kit and Dyna have it all: they’re a power couple, they each have a thriving practice, and they’ve published a best-selling book.

But Kit and Dyna also have a problem: right before the book came out, their relationship started falling apart. Naturally, they don’t want anyone to know. They are secretly in couples counseling, and so far, it’s not going well. And life is about to get a lot more complicated: Kit’s flaky sister has parked herself on their couch for the indefi- nite future, and a film crew has arrived to document their “perfect” marriage.

Since their inception in 1979 to combat HIV and AIDS, the infamous Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence have established missions all over the world, ministering to the masses with glitter, wit and charity. As German filmmakers explore the Sisterhood in Berlin, Montevideo in Uruguay and San Francisco, we find out that Sisters everywhere hand out happiness, along with a healthy dose of tongue-lashing.

For anyone who has ever wondered why the Sisters wear white faces (or faces at all), this documentary lifts the veil for an inside look at the organization committed to safer sex, LGBT rights and performance art. As one original Sister says, “We’re not really anti-Catholic at all. We’re just anti-guilt, anti-hate, anti-negativity.” This exuberant documentary lives up to that commitment, sparkles and all.

A Marine Story highlights the absurdity of the military ban on gays through the personal story of one courageous woman. Alexandra (Dreya Weber), is a tough, quiet, decorated Marine officer, who unexpectedly returns to her southwestern desert home from a tour of Iraq surprising friends and fellow dwellers. Upon arriving home, she dramatically stops a shoplifter at a convenience store irking the town’s sheriff and sowing ill will between her and the would be thief.

Alexandra is asked to help one of the criminals, a young brooding teenager named Saffron (Paris Pickard), prepare for boot camp as her only options are the military or jail. Saffron is confrontational and resistant and has had a difficult past. However, Saffron soon comes around and begins vigorous training.

Meanwhile, the reasons for Alexandra’s return from the military start to surface setting off a chain of events that threaten the future for both of them.

Before Prop 8, Milk or “Will & Grace,” before the AIDS epidemic, gay pride parades or the Stonewall uprising, “The Boys in the Band” changed everything. Making the Boys explores the drama, strug- gle and enduring legacy of the first-ever gay play and subsequent Hollywood movie to successfully reach a mainstream audience.

Beloved by some for breaking new ground, and condemned by others for reinforcing gay stereotypes, “The Boys in the Band” sparked heated controversy that still exists four decades later. Featuring anecdotes from the surviving cast and filmmakers, as well as perspectives by legendary figures from stage and screen, Making the Boys traces the behind-the-scenes drama and lasting legacy of this cultural milestone.

Peyton and Elena are, on the surface, diametrically opposed – one, a well-known lesbian writer, the other a mother and wife of a pastor – but when their paths cross, several times over, they feel compelled to connect.

What begins as friendship quickly blossoms into something deeper. Peyton tries to extricate herself before her heart wants what it can’t have. Elena can’t imagine not having Peyton in her life.

And despite the fact that she has never even considered kissing a woman, Elena is overwhelmed with a desire to do just that. Despite Peyton’s reservations, Elena pushes the relationship into a full-blown affair. The two women fall deeply in love, both keenly aware a future together might be little more than a dream.

Shot in a scenic Peruvian fishing village, Undertow is the emotionally powerful story of a secret love between a married man with a pregnant wife and an openly gay artist.

In a tiny Peruvian seaside village, where traditions run deep, Miguel (Cristian Mercado), a young fisherman, and his beautiful bride, Mariela (Tatiana Astengo), are about to welcome their first child. But Miguel harbors a scandalous secret. He’s in love with Santiago (Manolo Cardona), a painter, who is ostracized by the town because he’s gay.

After a tragic accident occurs, Miguel must choose between conformity and love. Written and directed by Javier Fuentes-León, and featuring a sizzling international cast, Undertow is rich in the details of legend, tradition, and locale; and it is in these details that the truth lies. Strikingly photographed to accentuate the majestic Peruvian coastline, this sexy, haunting love story transcends place and time.

Bridget is a hip, womanizing lesbian who loves Emily Bronte, who lives with her guy pal Trip. One night, they meet straight-laced New York newbies Greg and Molly at their favorite hangout, The Four-Faced Liar. Greg and Trip become quick best friends bonding over video games and sports.

Molly, however, is a bit appalled by freespirited Bridget but eventually the two embark on a friendship and Molly begins to confide in Bridget about her relationship with Greg.

Bridget is instantly attracted to Molly and in time, the friends’ lives become complicated when the two women fall in love.

She’s Manhattan’s most fabulous fruit fly! At nearly 40, Violet (Mindy Cohn from “The Facts of Life”) is the racy, fun-loving belle of the ball. She spends her nights as royalty, but when the party ends she always heads home alone.

While her co-worker Riley (Sam Whitten) struggles with his baby-crazy boyfriend Markus (Casper Andreas), and her roommate Luke (Jesse Archer) tackles monoga-mania, Violet’s romantic life is one big bellyflop. Realizing shes at a certain age and still single, Violet is at a crossroads.

In the fast-paced world of high fashion PR where she works, Riley tells her she need only seek out a straight male version of herself -- the mythical “Fag Stag”. But the glamorous guru Salome (Kim Allen) gives her conflicting advice. To nab a man, she insists, Violet must abandon her gay boys once and for all.

When Violet arrives home from yet another disastrous date to find Luke has organized a gay sex party in her bedroom, she decides Salome may be right. In order to get a prized man of her own, Violet strikes out on a hilarious quest to change the woman she is.

Role/Play is the fifth feature film from writer/director Rob Williams (Make The Yuletide Gay, 3-Day Weekend, Back Soon and Long-Term Relationship). Role/Play follows a recently outed Soap opera star, Graham Winsdor (Steve Callahan), and a recently divorced gay marriage activist Trey Reed (Matthew Montgomery).

Hiding out from negative media coverage, the two men meet at a secluded Palm Springs resort, where they soon find common ground as they explore the fickle nature of fame in the gay community and the issues facing gay celebrities in the media.

As an undeniable passion begins to sizzle between Graham and Trey, they force each other to confront their professional downfalls – and the firestorm each has created in the gay press.