Lesbian ‘ Gay Film Festival kicks off

“Pittsburgh International Lesbian ‘ Gay Film Festival”

Through Oct. 29

Diversification…. “Pittsburgh International Lesbian ‘ Gay Film Festival”

Through Oct. 29

Diversification. Add a new word to your vocabulary. Regardless of your sexual orientation or political views, the “Pittsburgh International Lesbian ‘ Gay Film Festival” has arrived with a slate of films that looks more than promising.

Among the standout screenings this week are:

“The Life of Reilly”: Monday, 7 p.m. at the Harris Theater.

Charles Nelson Reilly was an out-and-about advocate of GLBT issues over the past 30 years. This documentary chronicles his influences and trends that played a large role in the development of modern GLBT culture.

“LGBT Avant Garde Retrospective”: Tuesday, 9:15 p.m. at the Harris Theater.

A plethora of short experimental films will be featured, including Kenneth Anger’s “Fireworks,” which exposes sadomasochism and uses elliptical narration. The show will also include Barbara Hammer’s “Superdyke,” which follows a group of armed amazons assaulting San Francisco, and Sadie Benning’s “Jollies,” which chronicles the adolescence of a young girl searching for her sexual identity.

“Mom”: Wednesday, 7 p.m. at the Harris Theater.

Director Erin Greenwell’s screwball comedy, mixed with equal parts road and buddy movie, follows the exploits of an up-and-coming-out reporter and her butch camerawoman. Featuring plenty of high jinks and slapstick, this promises to be one of the most humorous movies playing at the festival.

“El Calentito”: Thursday, 9:15 p.m. at the Harris Theater.

Chus Gutierriez’s film follows the events leading up to the 1981 uprising in Spain that caused the collapse of the ultra-conservative Franco regime. Specifically, it traces the path of Sara, a young and naive girl who discovers an underground club that’s for “try-anything” sexuals. “El Calentito” has been heralded as a “raucous” and “high-energy” comedy, with a strongly important historical context.

“Camp Out”: Friday, 7 p.m. at the South Side Works Cinema.

Tackling the controversial issue of GLBT issues in the church, this documentary follows a group of teenagers at a church camp as they dissect the issues that govern their lives.

“Love Life”: Saturday, 5 p.m. at the South Side Works Cinema.

A married couple comes to the realization that their heterosexual relationship is a sham. Both had their reasons for marrying, but now Joe is looking for a man of his own and Mary reconnects with her college roommate, forcing the couple to examine what their own relationship really is.

“20 centimeters”: Sunday, 4:45 p.m. at the South Side Works Cinema.

Advertised as an “Almodovarian musical,” Ramon Salazar’s “20 centimeters” incorporates song and dance into a tight package of dreams in the mind of a narcoleptic pre-op transsexual. Comedic situations and romantic entanglements abound.

For more information about the festival, visit www.pilgff.org.