Inside Out: Backalley Jukebox

First off, I have to iterate how much I love a festival whose media swag includes a dental dam.

Secondly, I have to say how great it is to see such an enthusiastic audience. They waited outside in the rain and cold.

At a lot of festivals you get film snob types - people who know the scene in an academic sense and take it all very seriously. Inside Out thrives because while the audience takes the fest seriously, there's also a great sense of community and fun.

BJ (I didn't notice the pun 'til just now) was the first screening I made it out to - a series of music videos from queer artists, curated by the immensely enthusiastic Matt Thomas. His verve is understandable - this is apparently the first queer music video showcase ever. Thomas is taking the series to other LGBT film festivals, but we lucky TO-ers got to pop the cherry.

Sweet.

The collection is rather a mixed bag - Thomas has brought together a nice variety of musical styles (and it's nice to see the T-dot represent in a couple of them), and the execution of the videos is mixed, too. Most were shot on video, some by people who know how, some not, and some were vastly more creative and interesting than others.

Standouts -

God-Des - Love You Better is a soulful, well-produced song, and the video is one of the nicest to look at - not hugely interesting in terms of plot, but it had narrative, the mood reflected the tone of the song, and what can I say, I dig the chorus.

Scissor Sisters - Filthy, Gorgeous is another very well produced vid, and probably the most fun (though Pants into the Sun comes close) - drag queens with hula hoops and all sorts of clubby eccentrics. Xtina wishes she could be this dirrrty.

Hey, Willpower - Double Fantasy II begins with a fake news cast (complete with poor British accent) of a dance in. In pajamas! Who doesn't love dancing in pajamas? The song's pretty catchy too.

Lesbians on Ecstasy - Pants into the Sun I love because of the alley full of dancing zombies and the dancing zombie fighters (the Queer Dance Rebellion) and how psyched everyone in the audience was to see a lesbian send-up of Thriller.

Keep an eye out for an interview here with curator Matt Thomas.