Gaze Film Festival turns 18 in an era when the mainstream is opening up to gay and lesbian themes - they're now spoilt for choice

YVONNE O'REILLY has seen many changes in the 18 years since she helped found the Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. Currently operating under the snappier title of Gaze, the event is now part of a considerably less puritanical cultural landscape.

Milk

and

Brokeback Mountain

have won Oscars.

Queer as Folk

occupied space on a mainstream television channel. The festival now serves a very different purpose to its nascent ancestor.

"Look, we were never exactly underground," O'Reilly says. "It was originally in the Irish Film Centre. So in that sense it was actually very mainstream. It is great that we have had crossover films. They come along once every two years. But our festival sells out every year. So I would say that our audience still thinks there is scope."

Indeed so. The festival organisers continue to dig around in the undergrowth and uncover an impressive array of pictures that would not otherwise make it on to the big screen.

The 2010 Gaze, which unfolds from Thursday at the Light House Cinema in Smithfield, takes in sober documentaries on gay social history, zany exercises in hedonism and a mass of prize-winning shorts.

Mind you, pondering the impressive programme, one does wonder how a film qualifies for inclusion. Does it have to actually feature gay people? Is it enough if it is made largely by gay personnel? A film such as Jordan Scott's Cracks- though involving the odd gay crush - seems to just about squeeze through the template.

Discussing that film, directed by Ridley's Scott's daughter, O'Reilly makes mention of the 1961 version of Lillian Hellman's play The Children's Hour.

"There is something of that in it. That film, for example, hits a number of buttons. Eva Green doesn't wear the same costume twice. So it's a bit camp, I guess. They must have had great fun making it. The rule is not hard-and-fast. I would have a very broad and wide range of interests. And the film festival sprang out of that. The festival grew out of a film club, and I just had a few ideas back then about what we might programme. There is no one-size lesbian and gay movie."

As she continues to expand on the ways in which the festival has changed, O'Reilly observes that her constituency has reached out beyond its core and taken in film fans of all orientations and inclinations. Gaze remains a significant social event for the lesbian and gay community - many punters have remained regular attendees for the entire span - but, in these less fragmented times, the festival seems ever more inclusive.

"In the last few years we have noticed that the festival has got a real following among savvy film and media students. That is great. They see it as a place to see cutting-edge art-house films."

There is, also, no question that the opening up of the mainstream to gay and lesbian themes has allowed an increase in the diversity and quality of movies that meet Gaze's flexible criteria.

"That is true. It used to be the case that you would get the odd rare good film. Now the quality is great, and you find that you are spoilt for choice. There is greater sophistication. In the past it was often just the old coming-out story. There is so much more available now. Now it's: okay, you're gay - now what?"

Changing circumstances do, inevitably, alter how such festivals are perceived. Maybe Gaze is a bit of an institution now. Perhaps it seems a little bit less like an outlaw jamboree. No matter. Its surging health helps the event - now old enough to vote - come of age in a spirit of optimism and bonhomie.

Gaze runs from July 29th to August 2th at the Light House, Smithfield, Dublin 7

Gaze anatomy - six flicks to see at the festival

I KILLED MY MOTHERXavier Dolan was just 20 when he unveiled his impressive debut at the Directors' Fortnight strand of the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. The French-Canadian picture conjures up memories of Jean-Marc Vallée's CRAZYas it investigates the relationship between a gay teenager and (as he sees it) his increasingly irritating mother. As with many first features, the director packs his film with half a career's worth of moods, styles and ideas. Light House 1, July 29, 8.30pm

THE TOPP TWINS: UNTOUCHABLE GIRLS

The Topp Twins are something of a phenomenon in their native New Zealand. Folk-singing comics, the twins, lesbians both, have long enjoyed mainstream popularity for their noisy TV shows and busy live acts. Leanne Pooley's documentary, winner of the audience award at the Melbourne Film Festival, captures the exuberance of two performers whose zany exteriors conceal a thoughtful seriousness about their value as role models. A surprise hit on its domestic run. Light House 2, July 30, 8.30pm

STRELLA: A WOMAN'S WAYYou have to give director Panos H Koutras some credit. After all, his debut film was entitled (yes, he's Greek) The Attack of the Giant Moussaka. Strella finds Koutras combining gritty verité with a degree of fabulousness to deliver a drama that begs comparison with early Almodóvar. Yiannis Kokiasmenos plays an ex-con who, while searching for his son in the meaner streets of Athens, hooks up with a pre-op transsexual sex worker. The picture turned heads at last year's Berlin film festival. Light House 2, July 31, 8.30pm

LEO'S ROOMThis beautifully made debut from Uruguayan Enrique Buchichio focuses on the traumas suffered by a postgraduate student as he struggles to disentangle his own sexuality. After being ditched by his girlfriend, Leo (Martin Rodriguez) retires to the titular room and begins investigating gay alternatives via the internet. Gradually the room becomes his haven. The metaphorical nuances are obvious, but Buchichio brings a grace to the film that elevates it beyond cliche. A very promising first effort. Light House 1, August 1, 6.30pm

STONEWALL UPRISINGThe incident at Greenwich Village's Stonewall Inn - when, in 1969, gay punters resisted arrest by New York cops - has become ingrained in counterculture mythology. Yet the details of the event and its repercussions remain unknown to most people. This excellent documentary from Kate Davis and David Heilbroner fills in the gaps with eloquence and lucidity. It's a conventional documentary - heavy on talking heads - but its determination to contextualise and elucidate is very impressive. Light House 1, August 2, 6.30pm

ANDERDirector Roberto Castón will attend this screening of his film concerning a farmer in a rural part of the Basque region whose life changes after enduring an accident. A man comes into his life and the community's conservative values are challenged. Described by Yvonne O'Reilly, festival programmer, as a "Basque version of Garage", Ander maintains the balance between sadness and hope with impressive subtlety and grace. The film, made for about €500,000, closes Gaze with a gentle flourish. Light House 1, August 2, 8.30pm