Philly's QFest Announces Opening & Closing Films; Festival Runs 7/9 Thru 7/20

QFest is tickled pink to announce the smash hit films scheduled for Opening and Closing Nights, July 9 and 20, at the Prince Music Theater. QFest alum (director of last year's Serene Hunter) Jason Bushman's feature debut, Hollywood je t'aime, will kick off this year's cinematic extravaganza, and the world premiere of Casper Andreas and Fred M. Caruso's The Big Gay Musical is set to be the grand finale. Sandwiched in between, the 12 day festival will show 140 of the best LGBTQ films of the year.

In this charming and intimate self-discovery tale, Hollywood je t'aime follows a naïve Parisian named Jérôme (Eric Debets) from his stagnant life in black-and-white Paris to colorful, seedy Hollywood. In the wilds of gay L.A. he meets a hot stoner (Chad Allen), and a transexual hooker (Diarra Kilpatrick). In pursuit of his acting ambitions, Jérôme realizes he is completely unprepared for the insane showbiz world. The gentle humanity and humor of Hollywood je t'aime are a perfect way to kick off an amazing QFest 2009.

The meta-fictional The Big Gay Musical morphs the biblical "Genesis" into a love story about two actors, Paul (Daniel Robinson) and Eddie (Joey Dudding), who star in the Off-Broadway play, "Adam & Steve, Just the Way God Made Them." On the set of the fictional stage production, the blissfully gay Garden of Eden is threatened by religious zealots. Off the set, Paul replaces his search for "Mr. Right" with "Mr. Right Now," while Eddie struggles with coming out to his conservative parents. Littered with scantily clad dancing angels, a roly-poly blinged-out God, and bizarre televangelists, The Big Gay Musical is a relentlessly upbeat way to close out QFest 2009.

Immediately following the events are two much anticipated parties, in Hamilton Hall at the University of the Arts on Opening Night, and on the 33rd floor of the Loews Philadelphia Hotel on Closing Night, both kicking off at 9:30pm. These fantastic films and events are just a taste of the crowd pleasers QFest 09 is thrilled to host this summer during its 15th anniversary celebration.

For additional information about the festival, check out our website www.phillycinema.org or call 267-765-9800.

Since its inception, the Philadelphia Cinema Alliance is dedicated to the presentation of film and video in the Greater Philadelphia area as a powerful form of artistic expression and a unique force for cultural diversity and international understanding. Founded in 1995, the Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, now known as QFest, presents GLBT films from around the world.