GLAAD To Host Panels At Sundance Film Festival

LOS ANGELES - The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), has announced its panels and events for the 2nd Annual cineGLAAD program presented by Abreva, RÖKK Vodka and Bud Light, taking place at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.

This marks the second year that GLAAD will be an Institute Associate for the festival, a category of support populated by organizations with mutually aligned missions that nurture independent vision and thought. At select times during the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, GLAAD will host cineGLAAD at the Sundance Film Festival’s Filmmaker Lodge located on the second floor of the Elks Building (550 Main Street) in Park City. Through educational panels and networking events, cineGLAAD will raise awareness about films with LGBT content and amplify the voices of filmmakers who highlight the LGBT experience. A complete list of those films will be available at www.glaad.org/cineGLAAD.

"When moviegoers see lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and characters on film, they come to understand the common ground we all share," said GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios. "Sundance Institute is a leading force in the film industry and GLAAD is proud to take part as an official Institute Associate of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, where we will help amplify stories of LGBT people that spark dialogue, raise awareness and increase support of our community."

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Topics include:
• The E-Cinema Migration: Is the Internet Reshaping Film? - Friday, January 21, 2011 – 4pm-5pm
Panel will focus on how making movies with an online audience in mind is changing the way some filmmakers create and many production companies do business. Guests will include Christine Vachon (Producer, Killer Films), Joe Swanberg ( IFC.com, Writer/Director Uncle Kent), David Courier (Sundance Film Festival Senior Programmer), Madeleine Olnek (Writer/Director, Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same), Bryan Safi (Current TV), Mark Friedlander (SAG, National Director of New Media).
• Generation in Crisis: LGBT Youth in Film and the Media - Monday, January 24, 2011 – 3:30pm-4:30pm
Panel will examine depictions of LGBT youth in several of this year's Sundance Film Festival films and expand on how those stories relate to the recent media attention of suicide and LGBT youth in crisis. Guests will include Greg Araki (Director/Writer, Kaboom), Dee Rees (Director/Writer, Pariah), Erica Dunton (Director/Writer, to.get.her). Moderated by Rashad Robinson (GLAAD, Senior Director of Media Programs)
• TRANS-Lucent: The Ongoing Evolution of Transgender Images - Tuesday, January 25, 2011 – 4pm-5pm Panel will discuss current depictions of transgender people in pop culture and the media, including the new documentary Becoming Chaz. Guests will include Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato (Directors/Executive Producers, Becoming Chaz). Moderated by Marc Malkin (Senior Editor/Columnist, E! Entertainment)

Panels will be held at the Sundance Film Festival's Filmmaker Lodge located on the second floor of the Elks Building (550 Main Street) in Park City.
• Cocktails with cineGLAAD
GLAAD will also host a cocktail reception as a networking opportunity for LGBT filmmakers and allies. 'Cocktails with cineGLAAD' will be held at Downstairs (625 Main Street). Attendees will receive a one-year membership to GLAAD and hosted cocktails, courtesy of Bud Light and RÖKK Vodka.

About GLAAD
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) amplifies the voice of the LGBT community by empowering real people to share their stories, holding the media accountable for the words and images they present, and helping grassroots organizations communicate effectively. By ensuring that the stories of LGBT people are heard through the media, GLAAD promotes understanding, increases acceptance, and advances equality.