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.