Cape & Islands News

"Queer Spawn" reunite in Provincetown

Grad film festival presents world view
"Queer Spawn" reaches emotional climax in Provincetown
Jamie Feldmar, Staff writer, Washington Square News

While various parka-clad celebrities trounced around blustery Park City last week during Sundance, another film festival attracted less snow, pretentious Hollywood hanger-ons, outlandish antics and paparazzi chases. It was also significantly more accessible to the average NYU film buff.

Participating in NYU’s Graduate Film Festival, which showcases short documentaries, is the crowning achievement for those enrolled in NYU’s broadcast journalism graduate school. Fourteen films produced by the university’s own opened to audiences gathered at the third-annual festival in the Cantor Film Institute last Saturday.

Does having gay parents affect children’s lives?

Anna Boluda, 30, of Barcelona, screened “Queer Spawn,” a film that raises the question: “Does having gay parents affect children’s lives?” Boluda followed families from both New York and potentially less-forgiving Texas. Over the course of several months, she learned the nitty-gritty of filmmaking.

“We do everything by ourselves,” Boluda said. “I started at the end of last spring, and worked through production, shooting and editing. You just have to find your topic, grab a camera and go.” The result of her work was a film both humorous and poignant, exploring the lives of gay couples and their children across the country.

The film reaches its emotional climax during footage of a week-long retreat in Provincetown, Mass., designed specifically for “queer spawn” to meet other kids with gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender parents. Boluda’s subjects were surprisingly candid — talking about everything from struggling with their sexuality to dealing with discrimination. In the decidedly liberal atmosphere of Greenwich Village, it should be noted, the film received a raucous round of applause...

Read the rest of this Washington Square News story here, and please comment below.