I was invited by several filmmakers to come to a party hosted by the Clortrudis Society for Independent Film last night. What is Clortrudis?  I had to find out!

So, it turns out that Clortrudis was a cat of a gay man named Mike that loves Independent films - as it goes. He turned his love of film into a society that now holds an awards
ceremony every year at the Brattle Theater in Cambridge and sponsors films at Boston's Independent Film Festival.

Check the Soceity out: http://www.chlotrudis.org/

They also know how to throw a good house party in Ptown....and some of the stars in town came out!

I got to meet Beth Grant (The Artist/A Time to Kill) and Dan Butler (Frazier/Crazy Stupid Love) - both great characters actors that we've all seen in a ton of films - who are in town to promote their films.

Beth is in town promoting her short film "The Perfect Fit", a short about five women and their convergence at a second hand story.  The film features Oscar winner Vivian Davis (The Help) and Francis Farmer
in a cameo.  Check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHSTdPyA3N0


Dan is in town promoting his film "Pearl"  which he wrote, directed, and stars in.  Its the story of a man's journey to tell his mother's
last living cousin that she has passed.

Check it out here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/23195307/pearl

Meeting filmakers Susan Graham and Lauren Flash

Filmmakers Susan and Lauren are part of the Women's Shorts showing on Opening Night and Saturday at 930pm at the Water edge Cinema.

This powerful movie tells the story of real life couple Janice Langdon and Lisa Pond.  When Lisa suffered a tragic accident and was in a coma Janice had to struggle to be by her bedside and make medical decisions on her behalf while facing anti-gay bias.

Check out the movie at:  www.quietthemovie.com

How to Survive a Plague - The Untold Story of Act Up

One of the most moving films of the Thursday series was How to Survivea Plague:  The Untold Story of How AIDS Stopped Being a Death Sentence.

The movie is comprised of raw film footage from ACT UP's  beginning in the early years of the AIDS epidemic from 1987-1996.

The footage shows meetings, demonstrations, and the direct actions that ACT UP took to move the President and the FDA to do something
about AIDS research.

The documentary follows the founders Peter Farley, Mark Carrington and others as they take on the government and the drug companies. Due to thier heroic efforts, the delivery of health care system in the
United States changed and a more patient-centered approach to drug trail and health care delivery became the norm.

Click on the footage to see the Director David France and Peter Staley talk about the making of the film and their experiences. I asked France why he told this story of ACT UP:

"Someone has to tell this story.  People forget about the heroic efforts these people like Peter went through to get where we are
today.  I wanted to capture it for future generations so these people will be remembered."

I asked Peter Staley what he thinks of the prevailing mentality by many young people and young gay men in particular that AIDS is not a big deal because its not longer a death sentence.  "I would tell them
you dont know how f**king hard we had to fight to get here."

Check out the movie at:  www.howtosurviveaplauge.com