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Fri, Feb 18TEDDY TODAYColumn by Karin Schuppdeutsch
My Teddy prediction is "Transamerica" about male-to-female transsexual Bree who meets her son, 17-year-old hustler Toby, for the first time und travels through the USA with him without telling him who she is. Leading actress Felicity Huffman, who recently received an Emmy-nomination for the successful US-show "Desperate Housewives", definitely would have deserved an award for this role. Sadly, she didn't make it to Berlin, but director Duncan Tucker brought along pretty boy Kevin Zegers, who played the ill-bred son but who, in reality, is a really decent und polite person, as Tucker assured the audience. For "Transamerica" Tucker was inspired by a female friend who, after knowing him for several months, told him to his big surprise that she had a dick. Prior to the movie, he did interviews with hustlers and transgender people, and some of the transsexuals play supporting roles in "Transamerica" but you wouldn't necessarily recognize them. "It's mostly transgender people in a very early stage that you recognize", he said.
Actually, only one character in the movie is based on a real life person: Brees pesky mother was modeled on Tucker's own mother - and she's proud of being an inspiration and even watched the movie with her Bridge friends!Duncan raved about Berlin und would rather skip some of his business meetings in order to have time to see more of the city. He even regards the Berliners - and this is a rare praise - as remarkably friendly: "When I go in a bar, I feel like everyone wants to give me a hug." Jochen Hick presented his sixth film at a Berlinale (the last was "Talk Straight: The World of Rural Queers", 2002). In "Cycles of Porn - Sex/ Life in L.A. - Part 2", he shows porno actors in Los Angeles, some of them having been portrayed in the first part of the film seven years ago.
To the premiere, he brought two of them: the initially very nervous Kevin Kramer and Damian Ford who arrived just in time at the
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end of the screening. His airplane had to return to London because someone had died aboard. Both men are very friendly and forthcoming ("I have never heard you saying so much with your clothes on", Damian commented on Kevin's stream of words.), both at the premiere and at the premiere-party in a private apartment in Charlottenburg which was also attended by actors Christoph Eichhorn, Georg Uecker, and Gloria Viagra without drag. Damian told me in German - he spent most of his childhood and youth in Switzerland - that it's his first time in Berlin. Today, he wants to explore the city by bus number 100 or 200.
Tonight, the Teddy Awards ceremony will be held at Cinema International, but this year, it will be only a short event for invited guests. At least, there's one top-class show act performed by Harisu, transsexual superstar from Asia who's called "Asian's Madonna" and who outed herself as transgender only after her rise as a singer and actress ("Tao Se"). She was - along with George "I-need-new- shades-at-once-and-stay-another- unscheduled-night-in Berlin" Michael - the biggest diva being taken under the wings of the Panorama guest service. But like every year, the big Teddy party will be one of the Berlinale-highlights - even director Roland Emmerich, president of the official Berlinale Jury, has secured himself a ticket, and politican and Teddy regular Claudia Roth will be there too. Next year, there will be a big awards ceremony again and it will be even better and fancier than ever, Teddy-chiefs Christian Peters and Mabel Ascheneller promise. Mabel
whose roommate is Wieland Speck, told us that the head of the Panorama section is in the habit of joyfully singing in the morning. Yesterday, for example, he greeted his day with a swinging "Willkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome"! I, however, say goodbye to you - it's my last "Teddy Today" for this year. I just hope that my fellow writer Andrea will find enough time to write the festive last column tomorrow - for she's possibly busy answering all the fan mail that had reached her during the last days! |
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