The Modern Hotel and Bar has been my home for the past three days as I visit Boise, Idaho. They're currently offering a 39 Rooms Fim Festival to their guests staying in one of their 39 hotel rooms and it all can be found on channel 39.
The two that are right up our alley are A Father;s Wish and Sisak.
A FATHER’S WISH
13 min. 30 sec. | Comedy | 2017 | New Zealand
An expectant father, stuck in the doldrums of middle New Zealand, wants a better life for his unborn son and hatches a plan to get him out of the inevitable trap of macho Kiwi maledom.
The film is only 13.5 minutes long so I've watched it a couple of times as all 6 shorts are on a continuous loop.
All I have for you is a small clip, but I think it gets the message across. What if parents thought about raising their children gay? We as a community have been accused of doing such a thin when we adopt children, religious groups and others thinking that we are just out to make more of us.
But what if the straights decided to choose to raise their children as LGBTQ+? This goes against everything we stand for, we do not choose to be who we are and we are and by nurturing us one way or the other, this will not make us who we are. But for humor's sake, here's the quick clip I mentioned.
His face is a dick dart board? Well, um. Thanks dad?
The video goes on to have the dad-to-be present a dildo as a future teething ring, but he and his pregnant wife are now happy that they can buy colorful Ikea furniture, which before was just for homos.
The video is full of stereotypes and misguidedness, but we can see the humor in the dad trying to give his son a better life.
S I S A K
15 min. | Drama | 2017 | India
A return to the unspoken, yet universal expression of love. Over many nights, a romance buds between two men on the Mumbai local trains.
Last year in February, we shared ‘Sisak’ India’s First Silent LGBTQ Love Story. Powerful And Moving Trailer Released. We were fortunate to interview the writer and director, Faraz Arif Ansari. ‘Sisak’ is officially India’s first silent LGBTQ film, although it is not completely silent as you hear the train going over the tracks constantly throughout the film.
The short film addressed India's criminalization of homosexuality which was law when the film was made and shared all over the world through film festivals. Since the creation of this film, India’s Landmark Supreme Court Decision that Criminalizing Consensual Same-Sex Conduct is Deemed Unconstitutional.
But the film is still moving and powerful and needed as there are still many nations where homosexuality is outlawed and others that it is still very unacceptable in the eyes of a conservative public.
So thanks Modern Hotel and Bar for not only providing me with a great film experience, but as well to your other 38 rooms.