''Fruit Fly'' is a 2009 musical film with

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

and Asian-American themes, directed by H.P. Mendoza, who wrote the screenplay for '' Colma The Musical'' (2007). The film, made entirely in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, premiered on March 15, 2009 at the

San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival CAAMFest, known prior to 2013 as the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF), is presented every March in the San Francisco Bay Area in the United States as the nation’s largest showcase for new Asian American and Asia ...

at the

Castro Theatre The Castro Theatre is a historic movie palace in San Francisco that became San Francisco Historic Landmark #100 in September 1976. Located at 429 Castro Street in the Castro District, it was built in 1922 with a California Churrigueresque fa� ...

in San Francisco. It had a limited one-week run in New York on September 24, 2010.

Plot

''Fruit Fly'' is a musical comedy about Bethesda, a Filipina performance artist finding home in the unlikeliest places. She moves into an artist commune in an attempt to workshop her latest piece which deals with finding her biological mother. In the process, she finds an artistic family, clues of her mother's whereabouts, and the startling possibility that she just might be a fag-hag. Subplots include her relationship with her roommates in the artist commune, and their relationships with each other.

Cast

* L. A. Renigen as Bethesda *Ivan de Guzman as himself *Mike Curtis *Aaron Zaragoza *E.S. Park *Theresa Navarro *Christian Cagigal *Don Wood *Michelle Talgarow * H.P. Mendoza *Christina Augello

Awards

* Best Narrative Feature - Audience Award -

* Best Overall Film - Fort Worth LGBT Film Festival * Rising Star Award -

Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival Philadelphia QFest was founded in Philadelphia as the Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian Film Festival by TLA Entertainment Group in 1995. It was given its current name, QFest, in 2009. One of the festival's founders and current Artistic Director, Raymon ...

History

During the festival life of ''Colma: The Musical'', Mendoza and actress L.A. Renigen would jump back and forth from gay film festival to Asian film festival for about a year. After experiencing the strange treatment Renigen would receive from gay men (automatically labeling her as a "

fag hag A fag hag is, in gay slang, a woman who associates either mostly or exclusively with gay and bisexual men. The phrase originated in gay male culture in the United States and was historically an insult. Some women who associate with gay men obje ...

"), he decided to create Bethesda, a character based on Renigen. Bethesda, like Renigen, is a performance artist who moves to San Francisco to workshop her latest performance piece dealing with finding her biological mother. Also like Renigen, Bethesda finds herself going to gay bars every night and getting labeled a "fag hag". The musical film, called "irresistible" by the ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The ...

'' was funded by the

Center for Asian American Media The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) was founded in 1980. The San Francisco-based organization, formerly known as the National Asian American Telecommunications Association (NAATA), has grown into the largest organization dedicated to the adv ...

and was awarded the Best Narrative Feature Audience Award at the 2009

Screenings

- ''Centerpiece'' *

Outfest Outfest is an LGBTQ-oriented nonprofit that produces two film festivals, operates a movie streaming platform, and runs educational services for filmmakers in Los Angeles. Outfest is one of the key partners, alongside the Frameline Film Festival ...

- ''Four in Focus'' * Frameline * Boston LGBT Film Festival - ''Closing Night'' * Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival *

Seattle International Film Festival The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees. The SIFF runs for more th ...

* Fort Worth LGBT Film Festival - ''Opening Night'' *

- ''Centerpiece'' *

New York Asian Film Festival The New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) is a critically acclaimed film festival held in New York City, dedicated to the display of Asian Film Culture. The New York Asian Film Festival generally features contemporary premieres and classic titles ...

- ''Closing Night'' *

Rhode Island International Film Festival Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) takes place every year in Providence and Newport, Rhode Island as well as satellite locations throughout the state. History Started in 1997, the Festival is produced by Flickers, the ...

Vancouver Queer Film Festival Out On Screen (formally the Vancouver Out On Screen Film & Video Society) is an LGBT-oriented arts organization based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It began as a small, community-based film festival in 1988 and was registered as a BC soc ...

* Fresno LGBT Film Festival * Savannah LGBT Film Festival *

Southwest Gay and Lesbian Film Festival The Way OUT West Film Fest (WOWFF), formerly the Southwest Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (SWGLFF), is a LGBT, gay and lesbian film festival founded in 2003. It started in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and has since expanded into Santa Fe, New Mexico, ...

Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival is a charitable cultural film festival organization located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that advocates Asian representations through media arts. Works include films and videos by East Asia, Southea ...

San Diego Asian Film Festival The San Diego Asian Film Festival ( SDAFF) is an annual event organized by Pacific Arts Movement (formerly the San Diego Asian Film Foundation) that takes place every November in San Diego, California. Background SDAFF is the flagship event for ...

* Milwaukee LGBT Film & Video Festival *

Hawaii International Film Festival The Hawai'i International Film Festival (HIFF) is an annual film festival held in the United States state of Hawaii. HIFF has a focus on Asian-Pacific cinema, education, and the work of new and emerging filmmakers. HIFF’s primary festival is ...

* Montreal LGBT Film Festival * Chicago LGBT International Film Festival * Austin Asian American Film Festival * Rehoboth Independent Film Festival * Hong Kong LGBT Film Festival

References

External links

* * *
"Fruit Fly": H.P. Mendoza's last musical - San Francisco Chronicle

"The buzz on H.P. Mendoza's Fruit Fly" - SF360
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fruit Fly 2009 films 2000s English-language films 2000s musical comedy films American LGBT-related films American musical comedy films Asian-American comedy films Films shot in San Francisco Filipino-American films American independent films LGBT culture in San Francisco LGBT-related musical films 2009 directorial debut films 2009 comedy films Asian-American LGBT-related films Asian-American musical films 2009 LGBT-related films 2000s American films