After a few delays and technical glitches, the podcasts of some of the sessions from the conference are now available! Go to the Frameline site where you can find them.

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Sorry for the delay with the podcasts.... But we got them in our hands today.

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The problem is one of liability: if you decide to use an orphan work, even after a search to find the owner there is a possibility that the copyright owner could turn up later and sue you for infringement.... We've made it easy for you, go to the following web page and fill out the letter form: www.publicknowledge.org/node/487/act All you need to do is enter the information, edit the letter as you see fit (especially the middle section that asks for personal experiences / examples of orphan works problems), and click "Review Letter" at the bottom of the page.

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But it's taking a little bit to get everything put into the proper format.... Please come back then to check out the conference and all the exciting panels that happened then.

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HOMO NEST RAIDED - QUEEN BEES ARE STINGING MAD -by Jerry Lisker, New York Daily News, July 6th 1969 She sat there with her legs crossed, the lashes of her mascara-coated eyes beating like the wings of a hummingbird.... According to reports, the Stonewall Inn, a two-story structure with a sand painted brick and opaque glass facade, was a mecca for the homosexual element in the village who wanted nothing but a private little place where they could congregate, drink, dance and do whatever little girls do when they get together.

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The last day of the conference was quite the way to send people on out to make new queer media. The conference felt like it was packed to the gills with people crowding in to panels including the ones called P.R.

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I missed it, but apparently the Producers Roundtable session was a knockout with the effervescent Effie Brown, Stephen Israel and Marcus Hu discussing what goes into producing an LGBT film. Rumor has it a healthy debate erupted about digital vs. film. Meanwhile, downstairs, young filmmakers talked craft and concept. Festival programmers took the stage for much of the rest of the day, talking about the festival circuit's activist roots and continued activist role in LGBT communities. A nuts and bolts "programming for your audience" drew a big crowd, while a panel on niche festivals brought together curators of black, trans, and experimental festivals to talk about running non-mainstream LGBT fests. A MAJOR highlight of the day was the keynote talk...

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We got off to a great first full day of panels and discussions, including the very well received Archiving & Preservation for the Queer Filmmaker led by Lynne Kirste of the Academy Film Archive. Other dynamic panels included Queerly Educational led by Jim van Buskirk and Queer Channel Explosion, featuring Maureen Guthman from LOGO and Meredith Kadlec from here! TV. We also heard reports that Carol Queen wowed them in the Business Side of Porn panel. And Jon Gerrans from Strand Releasing talked to a packed room of filmmakers about Releasing and LGBT Feature. We'll have podcasts of many of the sessions uploaded on our website next week, so check back with us. In the meantime, we hope you'll comment...

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Our esteemed opening keynote drew over one hundred people to the Victoria yesterday. B. Ruby Rich discussed some of the themes and topics from her upcoming book, The Rise and Fall of the New Queer Cinema. She addressed the continued importance of LGBT film festivals, saying that our festivals provide "a focus and locus" for our community. She also discussed the impact of Brokeback Mountain on the queer filmmaking landscape. And she identified three emerging trends in queer cinema: Transgender films, Third Queer/World Cinema, and Digital Filmmaking. We'll be discussing all this and more as the conference gets underway in earnest today. Share your thoughts with us here on Rich's remarks as well as other conference goings-on.

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Go check it out and get excited to come the Victoria on Thursday at 4 to hear John speak on the closing day of the Persistent Vision Conference. If you're not coming to the whole conference and just want to hear him speak, you can go to the Frameline Box Office and pick up a ticket for just $7/6.

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2006 Ten Amazing Gay Women in Showbiz… In alphabetical order Diane Anderson-Minshall Executive Editor, Curve Magazine A founder and former editor of Girlfriends and Alice magazines, her writing has appeared in dozens of publications including Film Threat, Bust, Bitch, Venus, Teenage, and Utne.... Past recipients of the award include: director Jamie Babbit, Law & Order’s Wendy Battles, L word’s Ilene Chaiken, actress Jane Lynch, Showtime’s Gwen Marcus, Logo’s Eileen Opatut, writer/director Angela Robinson, Planet Out’s Jenny Stewart, Advocate’s Anne Stockwell, director Rose Troche, and actress Guinevere Turner.

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Registration opens up at Noon at the San Francisco LGBT Center (1800 Market Street -- see http://tinyurl.com/g7ygp for directions or to map a route using public transportation see http://www.511.org). On that first day, you'll register then go to the Victoria Theater (2961 16th Street or see http://tinyurl.com/r2css for a map -- it's within walking distance of the Center) at 4:00 for our first keynote address.

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I just heard the buzz about this new Italian film "New Love Meetings" shot entirely on a cell phone. And it's got me wondering: What opportunities are there for LGBT media makers with this kind of filmmaking? When we started our planning for the Persistent Vision conference, Frameline sent out a survey to some key players in the LGBT film production, distribution, and exhibition worlds, and they told us resoundingly that one of the biggest issues filmmakers face is MONEY. No surprise there. Does shooting a film on a cell phone change all that? And how does cell phone filmmaking relate to delivery of media content to cell phones?

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I had a great talk yesterday with John Karr, the moderator of the Business Side of Porn panel which takes place on Tues, June 20 at 1:30. John is the Bay Area Reporter's "Karrnal Knowledge" porn critic. He is going to be talking with panelists Tom Settle (Colt), Chris Ward (Raging Stallion) and Carol Queen (Good Vibes) about how queer porn producers have revloutionized their distribution models in recent years - creating more equity within the business and empowering independent makers. Community building via porn - who knew? Apparently many smart producers and filmmakers, that's who.

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