A celebration of gay and lesbian films and filmmakers Film critic Gary M. Kramer has always looked to films as a mirror to see how gay and lesbian life is represented. Independent Queer Cinema collects 100 of Kramer's reviews and interviews (from 1999 to 2004) that celebrate the latest "queer wave" of actors, writers, and directors. These are films and filmmakers to be discovered and discussed—from the independent American hit Kissing Jessica Stein and the provocative foreign gem Come Undone, to tantalizing insights from Stephen Fry and Tilda Swinton. Independent Queer Cinema is a valuable reference guide as well as an entertaining compilation of Kramer's astute reviews and interviews. There's no shortage of great gay and lesbian films-if you know where to look. Independent Queer Cinema is your guide to the films and personalities that deserve more attention, more respect, and more success, with a special focus on the foreign and low-budget gems that can slip past without a second look. Kramer, whose work regularly appears in the Philadelphia Gay News, the San Francisco Bay Times, and on Indiewire.com, uncovers films that bring honest representations of the queer lifestyle to the screen, exploring sexuality and identity through issues such as coming out and finding one's place in the world. He talks with filmmakers and actors who aren't afraid to explore gay male sexuality on screen, including queer directors whose films feature mainly straight characters, straight filmmakers who tackle queer subject matter, new queer filmmakers whose work has—so far—had very little theatrical exposure, and both gay and straight actors who've played both gay and straight characters. Independent Queer Cinema includes interviews with: John Greyson, who discusses the difficulties making the stylish and provocative Proteus Javier Bardem, who talks about his Oscar-nominated portrayal of Cuban poet Renaldo Arenas in Before Night Falls Steve Guttenberg, who discusses why he choose the cult classic novel P.S.: Your Cat Is Dead for his directorial debut Andrew Jarecki, who talks about his thought-provoking documentary, Capturing the Friedmans Margaret Cho, who takes a rather serious look at comedy and the appeal of Notorious C.H.O. . . . And reviews of 60 films, that range from hot and sexy to thoughtful and sensitive to just plain offensive, including: Burnt Money, a stylish crime melodrama from director Marcelo Piñeyro Swimming Pool, a deliciously sinister character study starring Charlotte Rampling The Rules of Attraction, Roger Avary's adaptation of the novel by Bret Easton Ellis A Dirty Shame, John Waters' return to the decadence of his earlier flms Elephant, Gus Van Sant's chilling and disturbing take on the Columbine High School massacre Far From Heaven, a brilliant homage to the domestic melodramas of the 1950s Mambo Italiano, an over-the-top, laugh-out-loud comedy and many more! Independent Queer Cinema provides you with the best seat in the house for a wise, witty, and insightful collection of reviews and interviews that reflect the current state of gay and lesbian filmmaking.