I Am Michael
The Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (MGLFF), which kicks off April 24 and continues through May 3, will honor a community leader and a filmmaking pioneer with awards at this year’s festival. Justin Kelly, director of the James Franco, Zachary Quinto feature film, “I Am Michael,” will receive the Vanguard Award and Mark Haines, founder of Mark’s List and a long-time community activist, will posthumously receive the Angel Award.
Justin Kelly
The Vanguard Award recognizes Kelly as an innovative filmmaker who pushes the boundaries of conventional storytelling and who is highly regarded among his peers. MGLFF applauds Kelly for his work and his commitment to his vision. He will receive the award on Saturday, April 25, at 9:15 p.m. at the Colony Theater in Miami Beach in conjunction with the Florida premiere of “I Am Michael,” which tells the true-life story of Michael Glatze, a gay activist who becomes an anti-gay Christian pastor.
Kelly is a writer/director whose short films have screened at festivals worldwide, while his music videos have premiered on MTV. After assisting producers, director and editors on films such as “Almost Famous” and “Milk,” he began editing narrative feature films such as “Cryptic,” “Highland Park,” and “The Wait,” while developing his own projects. “I Am Michael” is his first feature film, starring Franco and Quinto. His next project is a film based on the memoir “Girl Boy Girl: How I Became JT LeRoy.”
Mark Haines
The Angel Award recognizes an individual who has made unwavering contributions to the film festival. This year, the MGLFF will present Mark Haines, CEO and Founder of JumponMarkslist.com, with the 2015 Angel Award in recognition of his 12 years of service to the organization. In 2014, Haines voluntarily walked into the offices of the festival and individually sat down with each one of the staff to share his wealth of knowledge on statistics, analytics and the immense power of social media. Haines enjoyed sponsoring events that benefited the community in an educational and invigorating essence. He successfully sponsored the film festival since 2003, a tradition that is followed today by the successors to his publication. Vix Araujo and Stephen Lang will accept the award Wednesday, April 29 at 8 p.m. at the Regal South Beach Cinema in conjunction with the Centerpiece film “Nasty Baby.”
The 17th Annual Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival will feature more than 75 films from 26 different countries including feature-length movies, documentaries and short films that chronicle the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender experience. Included in the line-up will be five world premieres, one international premiere, 11 North American premieres, one U.S. premiere, seven East Coast premieres, and 12 Southeast premieres.
The Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival is presented by SHOWTIME, Merrill Lynch and Miami-Dade County.
For more information, to view film trailers, or to purchase tickets or memberships, visit www.mglff.com.
Tickets may be purchased 24 hours a day online or by phone at 877-766-8156. For general information on MGLFF, call 305-751-6305.
