Video Interview, Michael Gamilla, October 20, 2012

  • KEVIN INDOVINO: So let's just start there.
  • Let's just talk about your first experience at ImageOut
  • as a patron and your first thoughts
  • and what you thought-- what you walk away with when you first
  • attended an ImageOut movie.
  • MICHAEL GAMILLA: Well, I think when ImageOut first started,
  • I just moved to upstate New York.
  • And even though I grew up in the Philippines
  • and lived in big cities, I've never
  • really been to any gay film festival
  • or haven't watched a lot of gay films.
  • So when I found out that there is
  • such a festival in Rochester, it was very exciting.
  • And getting there, I was-- it was just all about the movie.
  • But as soon as I got there, just seeing
  • a lot of gay people and lesbians outside of the bars--
  • environment was pretty exciting.
  • And then watching something and you could just
  • feel a much different energy than watching a gay film
  • with straight audiences.
  • It's just-- you're laughing, everyone's
  • laughing at the same things.
  • So that was pretty exciting for me.
  • And I thought, wow, I'd like to--
  • I'm looking forward to the next one.
  • But I think this was probably the second
  • or the third year of ImageOut.
  • It was pretty new at the time.
  • And then, around those times, there's
  • not a whole lot of films that have gay content.
  • KEVIN INDOVINO: Let's not move there just yet.
  • I'm gonna get there.
  • MICHAEL GAMILLA: Yeah.
  • KEVIN INDOVINO: I want to pull back a little bit and just
  • talk about--
  • a little more about the community aspect
  • of this film festival, that it's not just about the films.
  • It's not just about going to see a funny movie.
  • MICHAEL GAMILLA: Yeah.
  • KEVIN INDOVINO: Talk to me about that, about ImageOut
  • is more than just a film festival.
  • MICHAEL GAMILLA: You mean it's not
  • necessarily related to my first experience then, right?
  • KEVIN INDOVINO: Right, right.
  • Yeah.
  • Talk to me about what ImageOut is for this community.
  • MICHAEL GAMILLA: The good thing about going to ImageOut films,
  • it's not just about the movies.
  • It's about who would be there to watch the movies with you.
  • The most exciting part of going to an ImageOut movie
  • is arriving there and looking around
  • and seeing friendly faces, seeing
  • people you haven't seen in a long time,
  • and actually seeing people that--
  • where are these people coming from?
  • It's like everyone is coming out of the woodwork.
  • And I know for a fact that there are people here in Rochester
  • that don't go out at all, don't do a lot of gay social events,
  • [BACKGROUND CHATTER]
  • KEVIN INDOVINO: Big sign out there says, "Quiet, please."
  • Apparently, we only got a fourth-grade education.
  • CREW: So neatly lettered too.
  • KEVIN INDOVINO: I know.
  • I took some time.
  • CREW: It took some time.
  • [BACKGROUND CHATTER]
  • [DOOR SLAMS]
  • KEVIN INDOVINO: Yeah, it's not a group I was gonna yell at.
  • MICHAEL GAMILLA: Did you end up chatting--
  • KEVIN INDOVINO: That's one big tough mama out there.
  • MICHAEL GAMILLA: Did you end up chatting with them?
  • [LAUGHTER]
  • KEVIN INDOVINO: No.
  • I was going to ask them to be quiet,
  • but it was the older woman that was just blah blah blah blah.
  • Sometimes I do know when to keep my mouth shut.
  • All right.
  • So, where the hell did we end?
  • Let's pick it up about--
  • again about-- you said something about it's
  • not just going to the movie, but it's
  • who you're seeing the movie with.
  • MICHAEL GAMILLA: Yeah.
  • The great thing about going to an ImageOut movie
  • is it's not just about the movie that you're about to see.
  • But when you're right at the theater,
  • it's pretty exciting who you see there to watch the movies with.
  • When I get to the theater, I look around,
  • and I see faces that I haven't seen in a long time
  • or even more exciting, seeing faces that I've never
  • seen or even met.
  • It's not that it's people's coming out.
  • ImageOut is not necessarily people's coming out.
  • But sometimes, you meet people that you didn't even think
  • were gay, and they were there.
  • Not that everyone who's in the theater would be gay,
  • but you know what I mean.
  • KEVIN INDOVINO: Yeah.
  • [LAUGHS] Most of them are.
  • OK, so let's talk about the importance
  • of coming to a gay film festival and seeing
  • our stories on screen, particularly
  • for someone who might be just thinking about coming out
  • or has just recently come out.
  • How important is that to be able to see us on that big screen
  • and to be able to share that with the community around us?
  • MICHAEL GAMILLA: The films you see
  • at ImageOut talk about our experiences
  • as people from the gay and lesbian community.
  • And for some people, either it's the first time
  • getting exposed to that community,
  • or they haven't seen much of what the gay and lesbian
  • community is all about.
  • So seeing our experiences on the screen--
  • positive experiences, not just what
  • they've heard about what the bullies have told them
  • that they are, that they're aberrations
  • or they're not good enough--
  • but to see positive images of gay and lesbians kind of lift
  • up people's spirits, I think.
  • One of my best experiences with an audience
  • is when a couple of years ago we had this film called
  • Standing in Truth, which talks about being
  • gay in the African-American community.
  • And the director came to introduce his film
  • and to host a Q&A after the screening.
  • And so a gentleman in the audience just stood up--
  • certainly moved to tears by the film--
  • not just came out as a gay man, but came out
  • as an HIV-positive man.
  • So that whole experience of watching the film kind of
  • strengthened him too--
  • that it's OK what he is and what he's going through
  • and that he needed to share that with his friends and family
  • instead of keeping it to himself.
  • So I think the images that they see on film is very positive,
  • a very positive experience, and helps
  • them think that they could live a better life
  • as a gay or lesbian person.
  • KEVIN INDOVINO: Let's talk about the quality of the films
  • and how that has improved over the years.
  • Also, the number of films that are available that--
  • in those early days, it was kind of a struggle
  • to find some good films to show.
  • There's still a lot of crap out there, but.
  • MICHAEL GAMILLA: It's funny.
  • Because ImageOut has just celebrated
  • its twentieth anniversary.
  • And I was looking back at this history.
  • And in 1993, it opened with a festival with eighteen programs
  • and over 100 films.
  • Now, we have forty to forty-five programs
  • with probably seventy, eighty films.
  • And I was thinking, how come they had more films then?
  • And I just realized that before, they
  • showed a lot of short films, because that's what's
  • mostly available to festivals.
  • But now, there are a lot of feature films, narrative
  • and documentary, that talks about the gay and lesbian
  • experience.
  • And the quality is so much better.
  • The submissions that we get are very competitive not just
  • with each other, but it could easily play--
  • they could easily play in mainstream theaters.
  • So it's certainly not unusual to not
  • include themes that are very good, because there's
  • too many of them.
  • And sometimes, when I'm watching films,
  • oh, I won't be able to include this in this festival.
  • But next year, maybe I could include it.
  • But next year rolls around, and there's even a lot more
  • better films to choose from.
  • So in the past, we're just so excited to see even a little
  • bit gay or lesbian content in films,
  • and we're very excited to include them in the festival.
  • But now, the audience and the film festival curators
  • demand a lot more from films, which
  • it's a good challenge to filmmakers,
  • to make sure that if they're making a gay or lesbian movie,
  • that it's high quality and talk about things
  • that are interesting and relevant to the community.
  • KEVIN INDOVINO: You became chair of programming.
  • MICHAEL GAMILLA: Yes.
  • KEVIN INDOVINO: And you kind of took that baton,
  • and you ran with it.
  • And I want to kind of get a sense of your head of when
  • you first stepped into that position, what your vision was,
  • what you were hoping--
  • how you were hoping to make a difference
  • in making this festival a better festival.
  • MICHAEL GAMILLA: I remember back in 2003
  • when I first volunteered for ImageOut,
  • I was concerned about the quality of films
  • that I was watching.
  • And I thought, I certainly want to be
  • part of that whole process to make sure
  • that we get not just the best, but the latest
  • in gay and lesbian cinema.
  • And little did I know that the chair of programming
  • at the time, Rachael Brister, had plans to move to Seattle.
  • And when the time came around for her to leave,
  • whoever was supposed to succeed her did not work out.
  • So the programming committee was left with no one at the time.
  • And it was just because there was a need to replace her
  • that I stepped up.
  • I didn't know what I was doing.
  • And to be honest, when I first volunteered at ImageOut,
  • I knew I loved watching movies, but at the same time,
  • I've always wanted to do something
  • for the gay community, I just didn't know how.
  • I know a lot of people volunteer and are
  • active in the community.
  • I wasn't.
  • I was just like--
  • I work, and I go out on weekends,
  • hang out with gay friends.
  • And it just came to a point where
  • I wanted to do something more.
  • And I thought ImageOut would be a good avenue,
  • because I like movies.
  • I enjoy doing what I do.
  • And at the same time, I think working for ImageOut
  • would make a difference.
  • But once I started programming, you become involved.
  • And I felt like I would be involved
  • in shaping what the community would be like through the--
  • through the movies that we present at the film festival.
  • So certainly, I felt like it's my duty to shape and educate,
  • to shape the minds and influence the beliefs
  • and you know educate the people in the community.
  • And I don't know if that sounds too arrogant or something,
  • but I felt like I should be part of that.
  • And the way to do it is to make sure
  • that I bring quality films to the festival.
  • KEVIN INDOVINO: And you've done that.
  • I don't think anybody could argue with that.
  • What I want to move towards, then, is that--
  • and largely, because of you--
  • you put Rochester on the map through ImageOut,
  • not only of the national map but on the global map
  • as far as film festivals go.
  • We are now one of the most respected film festivals
  • if not in the country, maybe even internationally.
  • Talk to me about that.
  • Talk to me about how significant it
  • is that a film festival here in Rochester, New York,
  • can have such a great international reputation.
  • MICHAEL GAMILLA: I think when are the people before us that
  • put together the first film festival,
  • they were pretty right on with what's
  • going on in the gay world or the LGBT world at the time.
  • Because when the first festival, when the first ImageOut
  • festival rolled around, other cities,
  • other major cities are starting to do it.
  • Toronto just started it two years before.
  • Atlanta was doing it.
  • Washington, DC was doing this.
  • So before that, the big cities, like LA, San Francisco,
  • Chicago have staged their festival.
  • So it's almost like we were in the second wave of festivals.
  • But big cities, like Seattle and Boston,
  • have not even thought about having a festival of their own.
  • So I think Rochester was lucky that the people at GAGV
  • thought about putting a festival,
  • because we were certainly right there when
  • film festivals, LGBT film festivals,
  • were starting to spring all over the--
  • not just the US, but all over the world.
  • So Rochester's always been there.
  • It's just that we have managed to keep that reputation
  • by making sure that we, year in and year out,
  • we bring quality films.
  • And certainly, we have--
  • [BACKGROUND CHATTER]
  • KEVIN INDOVINO: Hold that thought.
  • So let's pick it up from Rochester's always been there,
  • that we have a reputation of keeping of quality.
  • [KID SCREAMING]
  • Really?
  • I think it's a bunch of drag queens out there.
  • [LAUGHTER]
  • Rolling?
  • MICHAEL GAMILLA: I think Rochester was very fortunate
  • when the volunteers at GAGV staged the first ImageOut film
  • festival here in Rochester, because it
  • was about the same time that other big cities--
  • not just in the US, but internationally--
  • were starting to put together their film festivals.
  • We were able to keep up with all these big cities
  • by making sure that we bring quality films to the festival.
  • And I think what helped with ImageOut
  • getting a great reputation in the film festival circuit
  • is there is always a visibility.
  • I remember the organizers before would also
  • travel to other film festivals to meet
  • the leaders of the other communities,
  • to understand what they're doing in the other cities.
  • And I know that when I took over the programming committee ten
  • years ago, I did step it up a little bit by not only going
  • to other film festivals in the US
  • but going internationally-- going to Berlin,
  • I think, and going to Toronto every year helped a lot.
  • So ImageOut have a visibility through--
  • I should scratch that.
  • KEVIN INDOVINO: Yeah, that's OK.
  • Because I've got a follow-up question in
  • regards to visibility.
  • Talk to me about the significance of ImageOut
  • giving visibility to the gay and lesbian community
  • here in Rochester, to the greater Rochester community,
  • making us visible, being, really, probably,
  • the largest event that gives us visibility.
  • MICHAEL GAMILLA: You mean not--
  • KEVIN INDOVINO: Throughout Rochester--
  • giving the LGBT community visibility
  • throughout the greater Rochester community.
  • MICHAEL GAMILLA: OK.
  • KEVIN INDOVINO: Sadly, there's still people in Rochester
  • that never heard of ImageOut, but most people in Rochester
  • know about ImageOut, whether they're gay or straight.
  • MICHAEL GAMILLA: Exactly.
  • I think we get our fair share--
  • ImageOut get its fair share of media attention and publicity
  • when October rolls around.
  • Because I get calls from people that I don't even
  • socialize with.
  • And they talk about, oh, your festival is on,
  • because I've seen it on paper and all that.
  • And I like that the attitude has changed that the film
  • festival is not something I should
  • be ashamed of that I'm working for a gay film festival.
  • For me, it has been more of a source of pride
  • that I'm doing something good, I'm
  • doing something good for the community.
  • Because ImageOut gives visibility
  • to the gay and lesbian community of Rochester,
  • not just within here, but we reach out
  • to the outlying areas.
  • Imagine that there's this big area here in upstate
  • and western New York, and we're the only major gay film
  • festival in this area.
  • Buffalo doesn't have one.
  • Syracuse doesn't have one.
  • Ithaca doesn't have one.
  • Niagara Falls doesn't have one.
  • If you're living in this area, the closest thing
  • you'll get to another gay film festival is probably Toronto.
  • And I don't know how far we are from Pittsburgh,
  • but they also have one there.
  • So I love that the films that we show at ImageOut
  • not just reach out to the gay and lesbian audiences
  • but to straight people as well.
  • I feel so proud when I stand and introduce a film
  • and I look at the faces, and I see people
  • that I know are straight allies that are watching these movies.
  • Because these films are not just for the gay and lesbian
  • community.
  • This is also for people who want to understand
  • our experiences, who want to understand our issues.
  • And I think in that sense, ImageOut
  • has done well in giving us visibility.
  • KEVIN INDOVINO: Can you give me a little sound bite
  • in regards to--
  • the film festival that we're seeing here in Rochester
  • is really the same quality film festival
  • that you're gonna see in New York
  • or you're gonna see in Toronto or you're
  • gonna see in San Francisco, that we
  • are right up there with them.
  • MICHAEL GAMILLA: I think the most important part of my job
  • is to make sure that we-- that I bring quality
  • films to our LGBT audiences.
  • And I do that, certainly, by working
  • hard to research the films and to make sure
  • that I consider most everything that's available out there.
  • And the films that we show at ImageOut
  • are basically the same things that you'll
  • see in film festivals in big and major cities
  • all over the world, if not better.
  • And I say that because I know we show
  • a lot of films that have not even
  • shown in other major gay film festivals.
  • And yet, we're premiering them here in Rochester.
  • And a lot of times, I get calls from other programming
  • directors, and they wanted to--
  • they wanted a list of my sources.
  • Because certainly, they were impressed
  • with what we put out as a festival,
  • and they wanted to check them out.
  • So I think it's such a plus for Rochester gay and lesbian
  • audiences that they don't have to travel
  • far to get the best quality films, the best quality LGBT
  • films that talks about-- that talk about them and our issues.
  • They don't have to go very far, because we bring--
  • ImageOut brings those great movies right here in Rochester.
  • KEVIN INDOVINO: A little side note to that also--
  • I wonder kind of your impression of this
  • is that I think one of the other benefits of Rochester
  • is that we're bringing filmmakers to town as well.
  • We're bringing the producers.
  • We're bringing the directors.
  • And I think we still have some room to develop this idea,
  • but we're also showing them, from an economic standpoint,
  • Rochester's benefiting.
  • Because we're showing them that Rochester
  • is a very film-oriented town, where they
  • can produce the films here.
  • Just give me your thoughts on that,
  • that again, it's more than just showing Rochester people
  • good films, but there's also economic benefits here
  • for Rochester as well.
  • MICHAEL GAMILLA: When I'm out there traveling for ImageOut,
  • I still meet people who don't even know where Rochester is.
  • And certainly when you invite people to come to Rochester,
  • it's not in the top of their list to come visit.
  • And part of the great job that we do here at Rochester
  • is inviting filmmakers, inviting producers,
  • actors, anyone who's involved in movie-making
  • to enhance the experience of the movie-going audiences.
  • But what I love about having guests here
  • is that they come to Rochester expecting little or maybe
  • having no expectations at all.
  • And suddenly they're surprised at not only
  • the warmth of the audiences here but what a great city we have.
  • They look at the houses when we drive around,
  • and they're impressed by what they see.
  • And I know sometimes when I'm driving around maybe
  • East Avenue, Park Avenue, and then a filmmaker would comment,
  • I could make a movie here.
  • And I know that we do have a film office here in Rochester
  • that could help.
  • And we've certainly tried to make that connection
  • to make sure that filmmakers are aware that Rochester is also
  • a great resource for location.
  • Rochester is a place that they can make films at and hopefully
  • help the economy of Rochester.
  • And speaking of economy, ImageOut
  • is also attracting a lot of people outside of Rochester.
  • I know people who come all the way from Toronto, Boston,
  • and New York City and spend a week here,
  • or at least a weekend, staying at some boutique hotels.
  • And they're just here for the film festival,
  • because they like what we show at the festival.
  • So I certainly think that ImageOut
  • helps Rochester as well from an economic point of view.
  • KEVIN INDOVINO: OK.
  • So last question.
  • When are you stepping down off of programming?
  • [LAUGHS] You don't have to answer that.
  • [LAUGHS]
  • MICHAEL GAMILLA: [LAUGHS] I don't know, but maybe soon.
  • Hmm.
  • Who knows?
  • KEVIN INDOVINO: I thought you were
  • going to go through the 20th.
  • I know you wanted to get us through the-- you can
  • stop rolling.
  • I'm sorry.
  • Thank you.