Fruit Fly (film)
Encyclopedia
Fruit Fly is a 2009 musical film
with gay
and Asian-American themes, directed by H.P. Mendoza
, who wrote the screenplay for Colma The Musical
(2007). The film, made entirely in San Francisco, premiered on March 15, 2009 at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival
at the Castro Theatre
in San Francisco. It had a limited one-week run in New York on September 24, 2010.
is a musical comedy about Bethesda, a Filipina performance artist finding home in the unlikeliest places. She moves into an artist commune in an attempt to workshop her latest piece which deals with finding her biological parents. In the process, she finds an artistic family, clues of her mother’s whereabouts, and the startling possibility that she just might be a fag-hag
.
Subplots include her relationship with her roommates in the artist commune, and their relationships with each other.
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
with gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
and Asian-American themes, directed by H.P. Mendoza
H.P. Mendoza
H. P. Mendoza is a Filipino American writer-director, and singer-songwriter based in San Francisco best known as the screenwriter and composer for the film Colma: The Musical, directed by Richard Wong. In 2006, he was listed as one of the Top 15 Creative Talents of 2006 by UCLA Asia Pacific Arts...
, who wrote the screenplay for Colma The Musical
Colma The Musical
Colma: The Musical is a 2007 American musical independent film directed by Richard Wong and written by H.P. Mendoza. Wong's feature directorial debut, shot on location in the city of Colma, California and parts of San Francisco, is a coming of age story based on the lives of and the relationships...
(2007). The film, made entirely in San Francisco, premiered on March 15, 2009 at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival
San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival
The San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival presented every March is the nation’s largest showcase for new Asian American and Asian films, annually presenting approximately 130 works in San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose, USA...
at the Castro Theatre
Castro Theatre
The Castro Theatre is a popular San Francisco movie palace which became San Francisco Historic Landmark #100 in September 1976. Located at 429 Castro Street, in the Castro district, it was built in 1922 with a Spanish Colonial Baroque façade that pays homage—in its great arched central window...
in San Francisco. It had a limited one-week run in New York on September 24, 2010.
Plot
Fruit FlyDrosophilidae
Drosophilidae is a diverse, cosmopolitan family of flies, which includes fruit flies. Another family of flies called Tephritidae also includes fruit flies. The best known species of Drosophilidae is Drosophila melanogaster, within the genus Drosophila, and this species Is used extensively for...
is a musical comedy about Bethesda, a Filipina performance artist finding home in the unlikeliest places. She moves into an artist commune in an attempt to workshop her latest piece which deals with finding her biological parents. In the process, she finds an artistic family, clues of her mother’s whereabouts, and the startling possibility that she just might be a fag-hag
Fag hag
Fag hag is a gay slang phrase referring to a woman who either associates mostly or exclusively with gay and bisexual men, or has gay and bisexual men as close friends. The phrase originated in gay male culture in the United States and was historically an insult. Some women who associate with gay...
.
Subplots include her relationship with her roommates in the artist commune, and their relationships with each other.
Cast
- L.A. Renigen
- Mike Curtis
- Theresa Navarro
- Aaron Zaragoza
- E.S. Park
- Christian Cagigal
- Don Wood
- Michelle Talgarow
- H.P. MendozaH.P. MendozaH. P. Mendoza is a Filipino American writer-director, and singer-songwriter based in San Francisco best known as the screenwriter and composer for the film Colma: The Musical, directed by Richard Wong. In 2006, he was listed as one of the Top 15 Creative Talents of 2006 by UCLA Asia Pacific Arts...
- Christina Augello
Awards
- Best Narrative Feature - Audience Award - San Francisco International Asian American Film FestivalSan Francisco International Asian American Film FestivalThe San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival presented every March is the nation’s largest showcase for new Asian American and Asian films, annually presenting approximately 130 works in San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose, USA...
- Best Overall Film - Fort Worth LGBT Film Festival
- Rising Star Award - Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film FestivalPhiladelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film FestivalThe Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by TLA Entertainment Group in 1995. The event is the third largest of its kind in the US, and the largest on the East Coast....
Screenings
- San Francisco International Asian American Film FestivalSan Francisco International Asian American Film FestivalThe San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival presented every March is the nation’s largest showcase for new Asian American and Asian films, annually presenting approximately 130 works in San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose, USA...
- Centerpiece - OutfestOutfestOutfest is an LGBT-oriented film showcase and festival in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1982 as the "Gay and Lesbian Media Festival and Conference", the name was changed to Outfest in 1994.-Programs:...
- Four in Focus - Frameline
- Boston LGBT Film Festival - Closing Night
- Silk Screen Asian American Film FestivalSilk Screen Asian American Film FestivalThe Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival is a week long film festival founded in 2006 by filmmaker and artist Harish Saluja and held every May during Asian American Heritage Month in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to show mostly recent films and music by artists with Asian ethnic origins, such as...
- Seattle International Film FestivalSeattle International Film FestivalThe Seattle International Film Festival , held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees...
- Fort Worth LGBT Film Festival - Opening Night
- Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film FestivalPhiladelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film FestivalThe Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by TLA Entertainment Group in 1995. The event is the third largest of its kind in the US, and the largest on the East Coast....
- Centerpiece - New York Asian Film FestivalNew York Asian Film FestivalThe New York Asian Film Festival was first held in 2002, growing out of the previous year's New York Korean Film Festival...
- Closing Night - Rhode Island International Film FestivalRhode Island International Film FestivalFlickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival takes place every year in Providence and Newport, Rhode Island as well as satellite locations throughout the state. Started in 1997, the Festival is produced by Flickers, the Newport Film/Video Society & Arts Collaborative, a 501 non-profit...
- Vancouver Queer Film FestivalVancouver Queer Film FestivalThe Vancouver Queer Film Festival is Vancouver's second largest film festival and Western Canada's largest queer arts event that takes place annually in Vancouver, British Columbia.2011 marks the 23nd Annual Vancouver Queer Film Festival, August 11 to 21...
- Fresno LGBT Film Festival
- Savannah LGBT Film Festival
- Southwest Gay and Lesbian Film FestivalSouthwest Gay and Lesbian Film FestivalThe Southwest Gay and Lesbian Film Festival is a gay and lesbian film festival founded in 2003. It started in Albuquerque, New Mexico and has since expanded into Santa Fe.. Films and shorts from around the world are showcased in a number of theaters in both Albuquerque and Santa Fe concurrently...
- Toronto Reel Asian International Film FestivalToronto Reel Asian International Film FestivalThe Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival is an annual film festival in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, devoted to Asian cinema, specifically the cinematic works of East and Southeast Asia, as well as those by Asian-Canadian and Asian-American filmmakers....
- San Diego Asian Film FestivalSan Diego Asian Film FestivalThe San Diego Asian Film Festival is an annual event organized by the San Diego Asian Film Foundation. The festival was first held in 2000 at the University of San Diego by the Asian American Journalists Association of San Diego.-Organization Overview:...
- Milwaukee LGBT Film & Video FestivalMilwaukee LGBT Film & Video FestivalThe Milwaukee LGBT Film & Video Festival takes place every fall in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The festival was established in 1987 and is presented by the Film Department in the Peck School of the Arts of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee...
- Hawaii International Film FestivalHawaii International Film FestivalThe Hawaii International Film Festival is a film festival held in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It was started in 1981 by Jeannette Paulson Hereniko and has been held annually in the fall for two weeks...
- Montreal LGBT Film Festival
- Chicago LGBT International Film Festival
- Austin Asian American Film Festival
- Rehoboth Independent Film Festival
- Hong Kong LGBT Film Festival