Show Your PRIDE

On Jan. 26, the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave., will play host to Bloomington's third-annual PRIDE Film Festival. Started in 2004 by IU arts administration students, the festival has quickly gained popularity in Bloomington. \nTickets can be purchased at the Sunrise box office at the Buskirk-Chumley. Tickets are $8 per screening or $25 for a festival pass. Student-priced tickets are sold for $2 per screening or all films can be seen with the discounted $10 festival pass. The pass gets the holder into all screenings and also into the exclusive PRIDE dance party, to be held on Jan. 27.\nThe first year, 2004, 700 people attended. Last year brought 1,200 viewers, and this year is expected to bring over 1,500 avid film watchers. Running until Jan. 29, this is the first year the festival will last more than two days. There will also be a larger number of movies, animated shorts, documentaries and live-action shorts, allowing more people to be able to relate to more angles.\nSaid to be "a cinematic celebration of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community," the PRIDE Film Festival promises to be a highlight of 2006. A very devoted volunteer committee authorized each selection playing. \nSuzanne Strick, marketing director for Buskirk-Chumley, says viewers can expect more engaging and provocative films from this festival. \n"What people can expect at this festival is a wider range of perspectives and films."\nThere are many aspects to this year's PRIDE. The main feature is the film lineup, but also included in the festival is a panel discussion on queer cinema, hosted at Buskirk-Chumley by the IU Department of Communication and Culture. One of the newer portions to the festival is the PRIDE Dance Party. It is estimated that about 400 guests will be in attendance at the dance, along with four previous Miss Gay Bloomingtons.\n"The party is going to be fabulous," Strick says, who is ecstatic about the coming festival. \nFor some students, the PRIDE Film Festival not only brings together a collection of films, but also a sense of community and campus. \n"I think it's a great opportunity for everyone to get to come out and share a few nights together seeing creative art that we all can enjoy," says Lucas Elliott, president of OUT (the student-run GLBT group on campus). "I feel that the film festival is an important event for the IU campus because it shows more of a GLBT presence in the community, and I think it fosters understanding through entertainment." \nGraham Skinner, a freshman studying communication and culture, enjoys film festivals in general.\n"They introduce me to new ideas and help strengthen my own views on different subjects in this community," Skinner says. "Not only that, but I enjoy meeting so many people who are interested in the same things as myself"