NewFest Picks at The Insider

If you're in New York City this weekend then you won't want to miss out on the excitment now under way at the 20th anniversary LGBT film festival, NewFest.

Since there are only so many hours in a day -- and I have a birthday to celebrate on Sunday -- I've narrowed my picks from the hundreds of interesting films down to these three. (For a complete list of the choices and ticket information, please click here.)

Film One:
"THE SENSEI"
Focus: The early years of AIDS

SYNOPSIS: "The Sensei" is about a lonely gay teen named McClain Evans (Michael O’Laskey) growing up in a small town in Colorado during the dawn of the AIDS epidemic. Constantly the target of hate and bullying, after a near fatal beating by three school mates, he finds himself the secret student of a woman "sensei" named Karen Nakano -- O’Neil (D. Lee Inosanto) who teaches him the martial ways to protect himself and the path to inner peace. But there are some lessons in life that don’t come easy. Starring Keith David, Louis Mandylor, D. Lee Inosanto and Mark McGraw (pictured)

Previously: Move Over, Mr. Miyagi

Film 2
"WRANGLER: ANATOMY OF AN ICON"
Focus: Porn star's evolution

SYNOPSIS: Legendary porn superstar Jack Wrangler’s life has taken so many twists and turns, one would swear it was fictional. Jeffrey Schwarz’s expertly constructed documentary explores the life of the most celebrated and successful gay porn star of the 1970s, who carefully cultivated his image, turning himself into a brand name, and influenced a generation of gay men with his masculine and rugged good looks. Remarkably, he went on to successfully crossover and become one of the biggest straight porn stars in the 1980s. But the biggest twist came when he met singer Margaret Whiting, 22 years his senior, and inexplicably fell in love. Wrangler is a remarkable film about an extraordinary figure.
Previously: Wear Your Heart Out

Film Three:
"CIAO"
Focus: Friendship, loss and renewal

SYNOPSIS: Writer-director Yen Tan presents this look at life and love in the wake of tragedy. Jeff (Adam Neal Smith) is caught off guard when his close friend Mark dies unexpectedly. As he sifts through the remnants of Mark's life, Jeff discovers Andrea (Alessandro Calza), an Italian man with whom Mark had secretly corresponded for a year and was about to meet just days before he passed away. As the two men get to know each other over the course of a weekend, they also learn more about Mark. What begins as a tragedy that connected these two strangers becomes an intimate bond that could change their lives forever. Shot largely in the Dallas area, "Ciao" is a disarming character study of love and life in the wake of an untimely death. Starring Adam Neal Smith and Alessandro Calza
Previously: CIAO: Every Ending Has a New Beginning