aGLIFF’s Local Filmmaker Series Continues...

aGLIFF’s Filmmaker Series & Not a Tough Guy Productions Present

“All That Gender Will Allow: The Films of Mocha Jean Herrup”

parody... performance... failure...

When: Thursday, May 25 at 7:30 p.m.

Where: Arbor Cinema - 9828 Great Hills Trail, Austin, TX.

Admission: $10 General / $8 Student, Senior & aGLIFF Members

For more info: http://www.agliff.org/browse.php/Mocha_Jean_Herrup

AUSTIN, Texas—On May 25, 2006, the Austin Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival (aGLIFF) presents another edition of its Filmmaker Series with award-winning talent Mocha Jean Herrup. Mocha Jean is an Austin-based filmmaker whose works have been screened in international festivals, on the Sundance channel, at the Walker Arts Center and other esteemed venues. The Filmmaker Series supports aspiring gay and lesbian talent through special screenings of the artists’ works, regardless of content. Funds generated through the program are designated to assist future film projects.

The evening includes short works by Mocha Jean, followed by an intimate reception at Manuel’s Great Hills. The film series begins at 7:30 p.m., running time is approximately 90 minutes, at the Regal Arbor Cinema. Admission is $10 general; $8 for students, seniors and aGLIFF members; and includes a gift card for chips and queso at Magnolia Café. DVDs of Mocha Jean’s films are available for sale at the screening. May’s Filmmaker Series showcase features a collection of Mocha Jean’s work, including:

NARRATIVE SHORTS

“What if… Austin” (2006). Inspired by Austin’s burgeoning film industry, Mocha Jean shows audiences how three famous films would look if shot on-location in Austin. This three-part
series was originally produced for the Austin Movie Show.

Part I. Would “The Graduate” still be a cult classic if it were filmed at a local BBQ joint?

Part II. Would anyone care for a “Full Metal Jacket” in Wheatsville Coop?

Part III. “Norma Rae” in a South Austin Café? When did our cafés become unionized?

“The Lancebian” (2003). With screenings throughout North America, “The Lancebian” features Mocha Jean as an Austin drag king who channels the energy of ‘N Sync group member Lance Bass.

“LesbianFilm” (2002). Members of the lesbianfilm collective set out to make a feature-length project that is sure to sell. The result debunks identity politics and secures mass donations from unsuspecting patrons of the arts.

“Pom” (1997). A whisky-guzzling, chain-smoking dyke tries out for the University of Texas pom-pom squad. Go Longhorns!

“Under the Bed” (1995). One woman’s strange obsession with living under her bed becomes a media sensation. Starring Maile Flanagan, the voice of Jakers! on PBS, and including a cameo by Mary Jo Pehl of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

FEATURE-LENGTH PREVIEW

“Few Good Dykes” (2004). This 8-minute on-air segment for A&E’s SexTV profiles Herrup and her feature-length work, an unconventional documentary about the Dyke Uniform Corps.

TV COMMERCIAL

Beer Commercial (1999). Produced for Austin-based Celis Brewery, this innovative TV commercial earned Herrup the Austin Ad Federation Award (ADDY®).

CRITICAL ACCLAIM

"Mocha's work is sexy, smart, and scandalous! If you're not crying with laughter, you're squirming uncomfortably in your seat, and those are the best kinds of films!"

-Leila Hernandez & Jegar Erickson, Austin Movie Show

"Mocha Jean redefines genre-bending gender cinema by approaching her subject with an un-jaded eye and a refreshing honesty."

               --Jake Vaughan, Producer, DEAR PILLOW, Director, THE CASSIDY KIDS

 “...playful, hilarious, and intellectually stimulating...”

               --Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle

BIOGRAPHY – MOCHA JEAN HERRUP

Mocha Jean Herrup has nurtured a life-long interest in the relationships between gender, performance and representation. Her early publications in the anthology “To Be Real” and the journal “Women & Performance” examine the performative nature of gender and sexuality in the context of emerging communication technologies.

Mocha Jean Herrup’s award-winning films have screened in festivals around the world, on the Sundance channel, Northwest Airlines and at the Walker Art Center. Using performative strategies identified in her doctoral dissertation on “parodic premise and the subjectification of the insider-outsider,” Mocha Jean’s films employ humor and theoretical inquiry to explore outsider gender roles from an insider’s perspective. Maintaining this approach in the commercial world, Mocha Jean’s unconventional television spot for Celis Brewery won a gold ADDY® award from the Austin Ad Federation. Often described as provocative and highly entertaining, Mocha Jean’s work is, in the words of one critic, “never boring.”

Mocha Jean co-founded the gender-based performance troupe, Kings N Things, in 2002. She is an Associate Professor in the Radio-TV-Film Department at Austin Community College. For more on Herrup, visit www.notatoughguy.com. To schedule an interview, contact herrup@realtime.net.

ABOUT aGLIFF

aGLIFF is the oldest and largest gay and lesbian film festival in the Southwest. Established in 1987, aGLIFF continues its mission to cultivate high-quality gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender filmmaking that enlightens, educates and entertains. For more about aGLIFF, visit www.agliff.org or call (512) 302-9889.