The Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF) returns for its 34th year, November 1-17, with an exciting line-up of American Indie, Foreign Language and Florida premieres, over-the-top theme parties, a dinner cruise and a brunch cruise, and both renowned and aspiring film talent attending.
The below films will all screen at: Savor Cinema, 503 SE 6 Street, Fort Lauderdale, and Cinema Paradiso Hollywood – 2008 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood.
Scream Queen! My Nightmare On Elm Street
Florida Premiere /USA / 2019 / 100 min / English / Documentary
Friday, Nov 1, 8pm at Savor Cinema
Special Guests: actor Mark Patton, directors Roman Chimienti and Tyler Jensen
In 1985, Mark Patton landed the lead in the highly anticipated sequel to the blockbuster film A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge. It was a dream come true, putting him on track to become a young Hollywood star. But instead Patton found himself facing a stark reality: he was a young, closeted gay man starring in a subversively queer film that was maligned by fans, and failed at the box office. He retreated from show business and left the country, unaware of the growing reappraisal of Freddy’s Revenge and the cult status it achieved in the years following its dismissal.
Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street brings Patton out of hiding after 30 years, finally ready to embrace the film and confront his own demons by telling his story. Detailing the homophobia and Aids-phobia of 1985 as a closeted actor in Hollywood, Mark retraces his missteps on the pathway to stardom. He hits the road to set the record straight about the controversial sequel and the experience that halted his career before it even began. Confronting the cast and crew for the first time, Mark attempts to make peace with his past as well as embrace his legacy as cinema’s first male scream queen.
The documentary also examines how attitudes towards the controversial sequel have changed along with the social mores of both Hollywood and society. Interviews with celebrities, film historians, local Fort Lauderdale industry personalities, and the original cast and crew — including co-stars Robert Rusler, Kim Myers and Clu Gulager, as well as Freddy Krueger himself, Robert Englund — round out this exploration into how the gayest horror film of all time ever got made. Full of wonderful film clips and celebrities, this is a defiant and triumphant story that nonetheless cautions today’s LGBTQ community that the nightmare isn’t over.
It was a pleasure to sit down with Mark Patton for this exclusive Hotspots Interview:
How old were you when you decided you wanted to be an Actor?
I began acting professionally when I was 14. But I had always performed in plays and what not as a child. I moved to New York City at 17 and my career took off pretty quickly.
How was it to make “Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean,” as you were so young? And of course I have to ask, how was it to work with Cher?
I grew up watching Cher on TV, so I loved her a lot. The whole experience was magical….Cher, Kathy Bates, Karen Black, Sandy Dennis….It was a great way to start!
How did you get cast in A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, and how was the filming for you?
Traditional casting…. I just auditioned, like another job interview. It was very exciting at the time to get the lead in a movie, and I got the part in 2 days. It was wonderful to make the movie as the lead. I was doing what I had loved to do and was treated very well. The movie got good reviews and it was a successful movie when it first came out.
After the movie, you were told you would have to stay in the closet to become a big star, and you refused, why?
I left Hollywood because I thought it was hypocritical. The AIDS Crisis was going on and it impacted Hollywood tremendously, but Hollywood didn’t want to deal with it. They offered me the opportunity to go in the closet, but I was not willing to do it. I lost too many friends and I needed to be me!
In your 40’s, you moved to Mexico, and met and married your husband Hector. Tell me about how you met and your relationship?
We met through mutual friends and we hit it off after the first date. We have been married for 15 years. I have an entire Mexican family that I love. I am so happy with my life now.
In 2015, right here is South Florida, there was the first reunion for A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, how was that for you?
I had signed a contract with Comic-con the year prior so I had been traveling the world for about a year. It was interesting to be in that environment, and to see some of my co-workers from so many years earlier.
How satisfying was it to finally get David Chaskin to finally admit and apologize for writing the script with a gay undertones? (David had always said he didn’t write it with undertones and it was Marks interpretation)
He didn’t really apologize as he said, “If you feel I did anything to hurt you, I apologize.” I accepted it as I didn’t want to make him look any worse than the truth. I just wanted the truth out.
How was it to make the documentary Scream Queen! My Nightmare On Elm Street, and did it come out as you hoped/wanted?
It took 3 years to edit as.there were 70 edits. This movie was produced and financed by 3 people and a Kickstarter fund. We knew it would be a powerful teaching tool, and we knew we would have a beautiful film to give to people. We are on the road now showing it in film festivals in hopes to sell this to a major film company to get it out to the world. We were offered a lot of money for the film, but we had to sign away the rights and we refuse to do that. However, since then, we have been fortunate enough to get multiple offers, so we are excited.
Are you excited to be coming back to Fort Lauderdale for FLIFF?
Oh yes, before I moved to Mexico I lived and worked in Palm Beach, and I love south Florida. It will be nice to see all my friends and get a nice warm breeze in my bones. I am excited.
What’s ahead for Mark?
I have no idea. I have been offered a lot of opportunities that I turned down, but I did say yes to a movie that I just completed called “1Dead Dog.” I am going to let my life take me wherever it is supposed to.
View this post on Instagram
For more information on Mark Patton, follow him on Instagram.com/MarkPattonnoes2
Other LQBTQ INTEREST FILMS at the Festival are:
NIGHTMARE ON ELMSTREET 2: FREDDY’S REVENGE
USA / 1985 / 87 min / English / Horror
Friday, Nov 1, 10:00pm at Savor Cinema
Jesse Walsh (Mark Patton) and his family have moved into Nancy Thompson’s old house on Elm Street. No sooner are they moved in than Jesse begins to have horrific nightmares – ones that feature a burned man in a dirty red & green sweater, with knives on the fingers of his right hand. His neighbor & new sweetheart, Lisa discover the truth behind Fred Krueger and his horrible murder spree. Freddy vows to take over Jesse’s body to continue his vile crimes against the Elm Street residents. Soon, people close to Jesse start dying violently. Will Lisa’s love for Jesse be enough to help him overpower the demonic presence inside him?
SAINT FRANCES
Southeast Premiere/American Indie/USA / 2019 / 101 min / English / Bittersweet Comedy
Sat, Nov 2, 12:30pm, Savor Cinema; Fri, Nov 15, 7pm, Cinema Paradiso Hollywood
In this bittersweet comedy from director Alex Thompson, Bridget (Kelly O’Sullivan) has an abortion just as she lands a much-needed job in an affluent Chicago suburb – a nanny to six-year old Frances (played by the scene-stealing Ramona Edith-Williams). With no time to recover, she clashes with the obstinate Frances and struggles to navigate a growing tension between Frances’ moms. As her personal relationships suffer, a reluctant friendship with Frances emerges, and Bridget contends with the inevitable joys and barnacles of becoming a part of someone else’s family.
HAPPY ENDING
East Coast Premiere /World Cinema /Denmark / 2018 / 100 min / Danish w/English subtitles / Comedy
Sat, Nov 2, 5pm, Cinema Paradiso Hollywood; Sun, Nov 3, 2pm, Savor Cinema
Helle has been waiting forever for her workaholic husband Peter to retire, so they can enjoy the autumn of their life together. She really wants to travel and explore the world with him – but when Peter comes home from his last day at work, life takes a surprisingly new turn, as he has a big surprise for her; he is pursuing a new career as a wine importer and has invested all their savings in an exclusive vineyard in Austria! Helle and Peter split up and they each set out on a blazing journey of discovery, filled with new opportunities, problems and dreams… But can you start over after 50 years of marriage?
OUR HAPPY HOLIDAY
World Cinema/U.S. Premiere/Bulgaria-France / 2018 / 100 min /English +French & Bulgarian w/English subtitles / Comedy
Special Guests: director Patrick Cassir, writer and actress Camille Chamoux
Sat, Nov 2, 4:30pm, Savor Cinema; Sun, Nov 3, 3pm, Cinema Paradiso Hollywood
Marion and Ben are both in their thirties and living in Paris. That and the Tinder app on their phones is pretty much all they have in common. But opposites attract, and two weeks after the first date, they are leaving together for their summer holidays to Bulgaria…with no clear plan. And, as they will soon discover, with very different ideas of what a dream holiday should look like.
STRAIGHT JACKET
Retro Tribute Film /USA / 1964 / 93 min / English / Thriller
Special Guest: Diane Baker, who stars opposite Joan Crawford in Straight-Jacket, will attend for an interview and audience Q&A moderated by film historian and author Foster Hirsch. Following the Q&A Ms. Baker will receive a FLIFF Lifetime Achievement Award.
Monday, Nov 11, 8pm, Savor Cinema
Lucy Harbin (Joan Crawford ) has been in an asylum for twenty years after axing her husband and his mistress during a crime of passion, witnessed by her young daughter, Carol (Diane Baker). While trying to renew ties with Carol, who is now a young woman about to be married, heads begin to roll again. Is Lucy repeating her past?
VICTOR & CELIA
Florida Premiere/World Cinema/Belgium / 2019 / 90 min / French w/English subtitles / Romantic Comedy
Sun, Nov 10, 6pm, Savor Cinema; Mon, Nov 11, 7pm, Cinema Paradiso Hollywood
Victor and Ben are thirty-somethings planning to open their own hair salon. But very quickly their dream is dramatically thwarted. Determined, nevertheless, to follow through with his quest for liberty and independence, Victor manages to convince Célia, an old friend from Hairstyling School, to join him in this adventure. Between their current jobs, administrative paperwork, rules and regulations, debts, family obligations and buried romantic problems that resurface, the two young business partners must team up to face the many obstacles they are confronted with as they try to successfully turn their dreams into reality.
SEEING BEAUTY: Gianni Versace’s Miami Beach Palazzo
American Indie / World Premiere /USA / 2019 / 57 min / Computer File / English / Documentary
Special Guests: Scott Cardinal and Vincent de Paul
Sat, Nov 16, Noon, Savor Cinema
Featuring Gerard Gilroy, the extraordinary history of the Casa Casuarina, best known as the Miami Beach Palazzo of fashion designer Gianni Versace. This documentary includes a grand tour of the interior and exterior of the fabulous estate, including its legendary “1 million tiles” swimming pool.
For more info, films and celebrity guests, and advance tickets, Visit FLIFF.com or call 954-525 FILM (3456)
