News

As 2009 comes to a close, we take a look back at some of the people and events that made this the Best. Lesbian. Decade. Ever. in pop culture.

Luckily for all of us, there was far more information to have mentioned from the last ten years than we could have included in this brief survey. That's why our lists for each year are not intended to be exhaustive, but are instead snapshots of different memorable moments that included the representation of lesbians and bisexual women in film, television, music, literature, comics, sports and the Internet since the year 2000.

2000

Chavela Vargas[/link] comes out

Mexican ranchera music legend Chavela Vargas publicly came out as a lesbian at the tender age of 81.

Angelina Jolie wins Best Supporting Actress Oscar

Angelina Jolie won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Girl, Interrupted and told Talk Magazine, "I only play women I would date.

2008 will always be known as an historic year — for the passing of gay marriage laws in two states (and the tragic reduction of those rights in four), for the election of the nation’s first president of color, and for the downturn of the economy.

Years from now, when we talk about 2008, it’s likely that we’ll be discussing these events, rather than any specific lesbian film that came out.

But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a banner year for lesbian cinema.

While there were still extremely few mainstream movies with notable lesbian/bi characters, the overall quality of representation was decidedly — and dramatically — on the rise.

2008 saw an encouraging dearth of murderous, victimized or man-hating lesbian characters in any level of production (from smaller indie flicks to big-budget movies).

Women of color were better represented than in many years past, gross stereotypes were avoided, and new talents emerged.

Directed by Fatih Akin

Written by Fatih Akin

Starring: Nurgül Yeilçay, Baki Davrak, Tuncel Kurtiz, Hanna Schygulla, Patrycia Ziolkowska, Nursel Köse

Running time 122 min.

Language German and Turkish

The Edge of Heaven revolves around Turkey and Germany. The characters travel between these countries and so travel through their own lives. A recurring theme through the entire movie is death and how each protagonist in the movie reacts to it in their own way. The story travels at a slow pace without any quickening of heartbeats at any moment as it follows a smooth and calm flow through each character’s life.

Retired...

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• Make it three in a row for Strand Releasing and Fatih Akin. The NYC-based indie/doc/foreign film distributor have picked up the Cannes selected/Germany's entry at the Oscars this year. The deal follows the comp's distribution deals of 2005 award-winner Head-On and the 2006 documentary film Crossing the Bridge: the Sound of Istanbul. While I managed to miss The Edge of Heaven at Cannes this year, word is that Akin is very much deserving of the screenplay award that was given to him by the Cannes jury.With a very good reception in Germany, the drama should be a tentpole release for the 08 calender year for the little in size distributor. Much like Head-On, the drama unfolds in Germany and Turkey and looks at the fragile lives of six people connect on emotional voyages toward forgiveness and reconciliation in Germany and Turkey ... Nejat (Baki Davrak) seems disapproving about his

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• Germany have picked The Edge of Heaven (Auf Der Anderen Seite) as theirBest Foreign Language entry for 07. Not being a big fan of the Fatih Akin's Head-On, I've managed to pass on the film's screenings at Cannes and Toronto - but fellow journalists have been big on the film. The tale links encounters, relationships and even death, the fragile lives of six people connect on emotional voyages toward forgiveness and reconciliation in Germany and Turkey ... Nejat (Baki Davrak) seems disapproving about his widower father Ali's (Tuncel Kurtiz) choice of prostitute Yeter (Nursel Kse) for a live-in girlfriend. But he grows fond of her when he discovers she sends money home to Turkey for her daughter's university studies. Yeter's sudden death distances father and son. Nejat travels to Istanbul to search for Yeter's daughter Ayten (Nurgl Yesilcay). Political activist Ayten has fled the Turkish police and is already in Germany.

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