James Franco In 'Howl' To Open Portland Gay Film Fest

The 14^th annual festival takes place October 1-9.

Howl takes a look at Ginsberg's most famous poem, Howl,

published in 1955 by City Lights, a San Francisco-based bookstore.

The poem became the subject of a landmark obscenity trial that

tested the boundaries of the First Amendment.

You also get to see a bit of Ginsberg's personal life in the movie,

including his love life. Ginsberg's lover, the poet Peter Orlovsky,

is played by Aaron Tveit in the movie.

Franco, who played Harvey Milk's lover, Scott Smith, in last year's

Milk, recently told UK paper The Independent that he “would be

happy to play 100 gay roles as long as they were always good parts.”

Closing the festival nine days later will be the period drama that

examines the life of Anne Lister, considered Britain's first modern

lesbian.

The Diaries of Miss Anne Lister made its U.S. premiere at Frameline,

San Francisco's LGBT film festival.

The film is set in 19^th century Yorkshire, England and adapted

from Lister's astonishing diaries, which were coded to conceal

her lesbian affections. The complete journal spans a staggering

4 million words and took nearly a century to decipher.

Lister (played by Maxine Peake), an industrialist and landowner,

courts several women as she rejects the marriage proposals of

wealthy men and is nearly exposed as a lesbian.

The lush film, directed by James Kent, is based on Helen

Whitbread's groundbreaking 1992 book.

Adamfoxie blog Int.