SOUTHERN
COMFORT
(Kate Davis, 35mm film to video, 2000, 90 minutes)
Robert Eads was many things to many people: a cowboy, a grandfather, a good ol'
boy from the deep rural South who wanted to die on the land he owned. He was also
a transsexual, a man born female, and a mother of two. Diagnosed with ovarian
cancer - it's a cruel irony that the one part of him which remained female would
eventually kill him - he couldn't find a doctor willing to treat him, until it
was too late. Sustained by the support of his family and friends and a growing
relationship between him and Lola Cola, a male to female transsexual, Robert refuses
to give up on himself. Raw, emotional and quietly powerful to the end, it's without
doubt one of the most remarkable films you'll see. 'Compelling and soulful, Southern
Comfort is an illuminating examination of gender and love. The film deftly celebrates
the human soul with the hope of opening as many hearts and minds.' Jamison Green,
ntac.org. Southern Comfort received the Sundance 2001 Festival Grand Prize in
documentary film.
Q&A with Mariette Pathy-Allen following
the screening
Mariette
Pathy-Allen is well known for her photography featuring the lives and stories
of transgender and gender queer people. Most notably, Mariette was the featured
still photographer and consultant for “Southern Comfort,” a film
depicting the lives of several transgender and gender variant people. In her
most recent book “Gender Frontier,” Mariette features photographs
of gender queer and questioning young people. http://www.mariettepathyallen.com/
Mariette’s photography of the filming “Southern Comfort” will
be on display at Caffe Vita (4th Ave. and Washington St.) during the festival.