PowerUP's 2006 Gala Premiere
Photos from this year's PowerUP
Premiere
By Pamela Cole
Beverly Hills--movie stars, swimming pools, and the home of the
famous Beverly Hills Hotel, where the sixth annual Power Up fundraising
gala took place on Nov. 12. Even if you don’t know about Power
Up, you’ve probably seen some film this powerhouse of lesbian
filmmakers has nurtured….the now mainstream D.E.B.S (written
and directed by Power Up grantee Angela Robinson) or Little Black
Boot, screened regularly on LOGO as part of its “Click List:
Best in Short Films” series. Both films were Sundance Film
Festival selections, and Power Up hopes to break ice on the Sundance
screen again in 2007, with its first feature film, The Itty Bitty
Titty Committee. More about that later.
Daniela Sea of The L Word
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Power Up (officially, an acronym for Professional
Organization of Women in Entertainment Reaching Up) is a non-profit,
volunteer group that funds writing & directing grants,
offers film & TV production internships, and presents
hands-on workshops on how to succeed in the entertainment
business. It has produced 12 short films that have collectively
won over 75 awards. In just six years.
In addition to presenting its Premiere Award to the Logo
Network and Pie Town Productions, Power Up honored its chosen
“10 Amazing Gay Women in Showbiz.” |
Recipients were:
1. Diane Anderson-Minshall
2. Stephanie Gibbons
3. Cherry Jones
4. Meredith Kadlec
5. Dina LaPolt
6. Rosie Lopez
7. Kirsten Schaffer
8. Jenny Shimizu
9. Lisa Thomas
10. Sarah Warn
So, my girlfriend and I jetted in from Atlanta for the event like
the jetsetters we are (NOT) and hustled over to the Beverly Hills
Hotel. I saw the hotel sign from blocks away and instantly recognized
it--the thing is some sort of collective unconscious icon (just
like Sunset Blvd. and the Hollywood sign on the hill, which we also
saw on our trip). Since 1912, the “Pink Palace,” as
the locals say, has been the playground of the rich and famous in
this town of rich and famous. But on this Sunday, the Beverly Hills
Hotel was all about glitz, lesbian glamour, and fundraising. The
gala was held in the Crystal Ballroom, the grandest room in the
Beverly Hills Hotel.
By 6:30 pm, the celebrities were arriving and
my girlfriend was forced to wander through the throngs of
Hollywood lesbians while I stood around with about 20 other
photographers and videographers, and took photos. Luckily,
I had a great spot up front. All the celebrities were very
polite and patient, turning this way and that, smiling and
talking with us.
In the foyer leading to the Crystal Ballroom (a pretty amazing
site packed with lesbians of all diversities--butch and femme,
lipstick and leather, jeans and evening gowns), Power Up held
a “silent auction” as part of its fund-raising
efforts. Stacy Codikow, founder & executive director of
Power Up, told me that this is the only fundraiser Power Up
holds for the year, and all the money goes into the filmmaking
grants and educational programs. |
Mandy Musgrave,
Maeve Quinlan, Gabrielle Christian of South of Nowhere |
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