Red Carpet Opening Night Reception for the 4th Annual Stella Artois QFest April 14 with Director Tim Wolff

ST. LOUIS: Come get your Q on! The Vital VOICE and Cinema St. Louis will host a lively opening night reception on Thursday, April 14 to kick off the Fourth Annual Stella Artois QFest. QFest, the St. Louis-based LGBTQ film festival, runs April 14-17 at the Hi-Pointe Theatre, 1005 McCausland Avenue, 63117. The party will be held before the screening of documentary film THE SONS OF TENNESSEE WILLIAMS with guest director Tim Wolff in attendance. Tickets are $20 and include free Stella Artois, wine from West End Wines, PI pizza, soda and popcorn courtesy of the Hi-Pointe, and a ticket to the 7:30 p.m. screening of THE SONS OF TENNESSEE WILLIAMS.  The film has had sold out screenings across the country at a number of prominent film festivals and has just been picked up for theatrical distribution by First Run Features.  Advance tickets are available through the Cinema St. Louis offices or online via Brown Paper Tickets.

SYNOPSIS:

THE SONS OF TENNESSEE WILLIAMS charts the evolution of the gay Mardi Gras krewe scene, illuminating the ways in which its emergence was a seminal factor in the cause of gay liberation in the South. Having come of age in New Orleans in the 1940s and ’50s, gay krewe members reminisce fondly about being inspired by the opulence of the Mardi Gras festivities. Krewe members, many of them now in their 70s and 80s, recount how the krewe scene created a safe space to gather at a time of vice crackdowns on gay clubs and how they became a powerful force in city politics through their activities. Throughout the decades, however, the lavish balls remain a constant place where, with oversized wigs and outrageous costumes, these unlikely political activists can strut their stuff in grand style.

Producer/director Tim Wolff received his education from the California Institute of the Arts Directing for Theatre and film program. He has produced a number of shows for HBO including two segments of the popular Real Sex series. DVD copies of THE SONS OF TENNESEE WILLIAMS, plus all of the other films and short subjects are available for press review by request. Director Tim Wolff will be available for advance interviews by phone and will be in St. Louis on Thursday, 4/14 and available all day for TV and radio interviews.

The 2011 Stella Artois QFest begins on Thursday, April 14, and runs through Sunday, April 17. Tickets are $12 each or $10 for students and Cinema St. Louis members with valid and current IDs. All screenings will be held at the Hi-Pointe Theatre near the intersection of Clayton and Skinker Boulevards.  QFest will present an eclectic slate of 21 films – 11 features (seven narrative and four documentaries) and 10 short subjects – from three countries, including two comedy features from Italy and a short subject from Singapore. The participating filmmakers represent a wide variety of voices in contemporary queer world cinema. For more information about the full schedule of screenings and events, plus full descriptions of the films and visiting filmmakers, visit our interactive festival website, complete with trailers, for all feature films. Be sure to visit the official QFest page on Facebook.