When fate brings Peyton, an out lesbian writer into the life of Elena, a straight ,woman and wife of a pastor, friendship transforms swiftly from a crush into a torrid extramarital affair. Elena can barely begin to rationalize the nature and magnitude of her desires, which are complicated by her dedication to her son, Nash, and her sense of responsibility to her marriage. As their relationship evolves into love,  Elena confronts the choice of leaving Barry and fracturing the family or ending it with Peyton and continuing to live a lie. But the decision may be moot. As Peyton risks more of her heart, her fear of breaking it causes her to step away and Elena faces the looming challenge of convincing Peyton that they were meant to be.

From acclaimed writer/director Nicole Conn (More Beautiful For Having Been Broken) and starring Necar Zadegan (TV’s NCIS: New Orleans), Thunderbird Dinwiddie (The Aerialist, TV’s The Walking Dead) and Gary Weeks (Instant Family), celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the seminal romance, ELENA UNDONE, available now on DVD.

“Unabashedly focused on hot romance.” – Variety

“Zadegan and Dinwiddie are electric together!” – The Philadelphia Inquirer

“– Dinwiddie and Zedagan have an on-screen chemistry many actors in lesbian films lack and it’s a pleasure to watch.” – About.com

“Fantastic, nuanced performances. . . [Zadegan’s and Dinwiddie’s] scenes together sparkle and shine with chemistry and life . . . fantastic and enormously compelling!” – AfterEllen.com

“As well as a compelling storyline, ELENA UNDONE has some hot sex scenes and the notoriety of containing the longest on-screen kiss in cinematic history.” – The Seattle Lesbian

“Sexy and smart!” – Gay Lesbian Directory

“Enchanting homage to the power of love.” – Philadelphia Q Fest “A well-made film, from acting to editing.” – CherryGrrl.com

“The chemistry between Necar Zedegan and Traci Dinwiddie cements ELENA UNDONE as the lesbian film of the festival.” – Colorado Springs Independent

“Combines the enchantment of falling in love for the first time with the reality and responsibilities of long-term commitments.” – Greg in Hollywood

“The next big lesbian movie!” – Bound

“An amazing, heartfelt, romantic film that… should be ranked with some of the best romance films of all time.” —FILM ADVENTURES

AWARD WINNER!
Best Feature Film: Fresno REEL Pride Film Festival
Audience Favorite Award, Best Women’s Feature Film: Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival

The post Elena Undone first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Writer/director Marina Rice Bader makes her directorial debut at the 32nd Annual Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival with the world premiere of her feature film entitled “Anatomy of a Love Seen.” Previously, she was the executive producer of “Elena Undone” and “Perfect Ending.”

Outfest — the Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization that promotes equality by creating, sharing and protecting LGBT stories on the screen — officially announced on June 4 the complete programming lineup for its 32nd Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival. The nation’s leading LGBT festival will be held July 10 through July 20, 2014.

Bader’s lesbian-themed feature film screens Friday, July 18, 2014, at 7pm at THE DGA 1, located in The Directors Guild of America in West Hollywood, California. The premiere will be followed by an exclusive cocktail reception after-party with the entire cast and crew.

As the driving force behind Soul Kiss Films, Bader’s independent film company, her mind and artistic direction is only focused on one goal: Creating evocative, entertaining and compelling movies by women, for women and about women. And she’s already successfully planting the seeds to do just that with “Anatomy of a Love Seen” and the upcoming “Raven’s Touch.”

“Anatomy of a Love Seen” stars Hollywood newcomers Sharon Hinnendael, Jill Evyn and Constance Brenneman. This film within a film explores love in all its painful and messy glory. The story takes us back six months, when actresses Zoe (Sharon Hinnendael) and Mal (Jill Evyn) fell for each other at exactly the same moment in time while filming a love scene. After five blissful months together Zoe was decimated when Mal walked away. Three miserable weeks later a very lucrativenetwork broadcast deal was in the works. They only had one request: Re-shoot the love scene. Welcome to the set.

Shot in five days, this improvised film based on Bader’s story, characters and outline fulfilled her desire to create a very organic and visceral experience.

“Anatomy of a Love Seen” was made on a small budget, but that hasn’t stopped a huge online buzz.

Released just a few weeks ago, the trailer for the film is making a lot of noise having already garnered well over 125,000 views.

Bringing a unique passion to her craft and desire to make her mark, Marina Rice Bader is one talented filmmaker to keep an eye on.

The post ‘Anatomy of a Love Seen’ debuts at Outfest first appeared on Lesbian.com.

A scene from Jane Clark’s latest feature film, “Crazy Bitches”

BY CANDY PARKER
Lesbian.com

I know what you’re thinking. You already have enough crazy bitches in your life, right? But if I told you that filmmaker Jane Clark wants to introduce you to some “Crazy Bitches” that include Cathy DeBuono, Guinevere Turner and Candis Cayne, wouldn’t you try to make room for just a few more? Yeah, that’s what I thought, and you’re in luck as Clark wants to do just that as she prepares to unveil her second feature film, “Crazy Bitches,” the follow up to her multiple award-winning “Meth Head.”

“Crazy Bitches,” a suspense/horror/comedy in the tradition of “Scream,” introduces us to seven women and their best gay guy friend who head to a remote ranch to enjoy a little down time. One by one the old college friends are mysteriously picked off, done in by their vanity, poor cellular service and horrendous decision-making.

Clark, who wrote and directed “Crazy Bitches” and previously produced the lesbian film favorite “Elena Undone,” spoke with us about her inspiration for the film, the perils of fly pest strips on set and what lies ahead for her with “Crazy Bitches” and beyond.

“Crazy Bitches” makes its film festival debuts this summer with screenings at Frameline SF, Thursday, June 26, 2014, 9:30pm at the Victoria Theatre and at Outfest Los Angeles, Thursday, July 17, 2014, at 8:30pm at the Ford Theatre.

“Crazy Bitches” is a departure from other films you’ve written and directed. Why did you decide to go the comedy/horror/suspense route with this latest project?

Most of my script ideas generate from an experience in my life and “Crazy Bitches” is no different in that way. I was having lunch with a friend, and she said something and I remember thinking, “I can’t believe you just said that to me.” Only it wasn’t to me. It was about her and she was trying to make herself feel better about some aspect of herself. But in the process what she said hit a nerve of insecurity in me and felt a little bit like a knock. I never said anything. I knew she hadn’t meant to hurt me. But it stayed with me, and from that experience “Crazy Bitches” was born. It’s morphed a lot since the germ of the idea, but that is the core. The damage we do with thoughtless words to the friends and family we love.

I am seriously not at all sure when I decided that idea was best represented in a horror movie. I shy away from horror movies because I get too scared. But here I am, and I have to admit I really enjoyed the process.

“Crazy Bitches” will screen at Frameline, the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival, on June 26. When can we expect to see it available outside the festival circuit?

We are aiming to take it out pretty quickly, actually. We’ll play the LGBT, horror and straight fest circuit through the fall (we will be at Outfest next on July 17th at the Ford Amphitheater) and then if all goes as planned we’ll release in January or Feburary of 2015.

Your previous film, “Meth Head,” which you directed received a number of awards and was met by audience and critical acclaim. Did you feel any pressure coming off that success as you started production on “Crazy Bitches?”

Oh yeah. It’s scary, honestly. You can’t help but think, ‘what if “Meth Head” was the best I could do?’ But you can’t afford to have any doubt going into a production. As soon as the trigger is pulled and money is starting to be spent, all you can do is take a deep breath, dive in and give it all that you have.

Now that the film is finished, what I am learning, however, is that even though I sometimes joke that “Meth Head” is it’s own type of horror film, “Crazy Bitches” and “Meth Head” are two different animals. They have different trajectories and can’t be judged side by side. One is a serious and stark look at addiction; the other is sheer entertainment. We did some focus groups on “Crazy Bitches” as I was editing and I had to get used to people yelling in the middle of the film. Things like “The red-head is next! or” “Don’t go in there!”

Which filmmaker in the horror/suspense genre do you admire the most?

As I mentioned, I really didn’t watch a lot of horror movies before I started working on “Crazy Bitches”, except for the classics like “The Shining’ and “The Omen” and “The Exorcist.” Even those I didn’t see until I was an adult, and at home with the lights on. But once I decided to go for the genre, I re-watched all of those older classics, a ton of new films, and a few slightly older ones like “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and the “Scream” series, which I felt might be closest to the tone of “Crazy Bitches.” I can’t say I have a favorite, although I thought “The Shining” was a brilliant example of suspense versus horror. A recent thriller/scary movie that I thought was really well done and very simple was “House at the End of the Street.”

Ultimately, though, I was a little on my own because while there are some horror and suspense elements, there is also a lot of humor. The film almost borders on absurd at times, because I push the boundaries of believability, not necessarily with the murders but with the situations and behavior of the characters.

We sometimes hear tales of odd happenings on the set of horror films. Were there any strange doings on the set of “Crazy Bitches?”

The place we shot at, Great Spirits Ranch, has been deemed to be a very spiritual place actually. Tibetan monks donated a yurt to the owner because they felt its spirituality so deeply. My DP and I spent the first week of night shoots in the trailer on the grounds so we could maximize our work time together and I can tell you it is quite peaceful when no one is around. And I had thought that beautiful energy would gift us with a lovely peaceful production. But somehow the shoot went the complete awry.

We had a llama get loose and pigs oinking and interrupting shots. We spent a good 3 hours mucking around in horse manure to shoot one scene, and another we were in the sun without a trailer nearby for the entire day on the hottest day of the summer. We had a serious fly problem at lunch because of the horses nearby. (I caught my hair in a fly strip more than once). On top of all of that we had all kinds of equipment failure — the electricity in the trailers didn’t work, the prop knife didn’t squirt blood, the camera overheated — the list is too long to even go into.

I keep thinking the spiritual gift of the ranch was to challenge my strength and perseverance.

Who was the biggest prankster on set?

Honestly, there wasn’t much pranking, though there was a lot of laughter. When you are shooting a film in 15 days, with on average six cast members on set at any given time and eight pages of dialogue to get through, there really isn’t much time for fooling around. Though I have a feeling that if you asked one of the actors they’d have a better answer. They all genuinely enjoyed each other, became friends through the shoot, and still hang out together a year later.

You’ve worn many hats both in front of and behind the camera – from actress to writer to producer to director. Which of these was your favorite? Which role do you enjoy the least?

I like them all, though Producer is probably my least favorite. I love acting and would gladly jump into a role if anyone asked! But I hated auditioning and the insecurity of that process. Once I get past the treatment, writing is really fulfilling. Once past the first draft, it’s a lot of fun. Directing is probably the most joyous for me because I love every inch of the process, from planning out the shots and imagining the film coming together in my brain, to rehearsing with the actors and watching the characters come to life. I love the collaboration overall, actually — not just with the actors, but with my DP and my key team. Each person bringing talent and creativity to the script in a more complete way than I can ever imagine on my own.

After the energy and excitement on set, I go into what I affectionately call my cave, and get peaceful and singular again, to edit the film and put the final piece of the puzzle together.

Though you are straight, many of the films with which you have been involved have feature LGBT characters. Why do you think you’re drawn to these types of projects?

I am a big believer in following the path that unfolds in front of me, rather than setting a path and refusing to veer. So my filmmaking journey has been dictated by the stories that presented themselves to me. There is a long, connected evolution from film to film to film, that it is too long to explain here. But if I did you would see the logic and sense to it.

But ultimately and most importantly, I don’t really see my films as straight or gay. I see them as stories about interesting and empathetic characters who excite, inspire or move me.

Do you have any other projects in the works right now? What’s next for Jane Clark?

I am setting up a film in Paris called “Slate & Kelly” based on characters that my dear friends John W. McLaughlin and Cathy DeBuono created. It’s about two misfit detectives who are forced to work together to solve a string of murders in a drag club. It’s a sort of classic crime caper with the twist that the detectives are a gay guy and a lesbian. We’ve got a really good French supporting cast and are just beginning to look for the U.S. leads. We’re hoping to shoot that in Spring 2015, dependent on financing.

I am also working a script for on a horror/comedy to star Candis Cayne, which if I can pull it off, should be a hoot.

And I’ve got a spooky, sexy romance — sort of a reverse ghost story — that I’ve written and am beginning to develop.

Is there anything you’d like to tell our audience that we haven’t asked you about?

Just come see the movie! It’s a fun ride that hopefully will have you laughing at the characters and looking over your shoulder when you get back to your dark home.

Learn more about “Crazy Bitches” at www.thecrazybitchesmovie.com and get a sneak peak behind the scenes of the film in the promo trailer below.

The post Jane Clark wants to introduce you to some ‘Crazy Bitches’ first appeared on Lesbian.com.

BY LESBIAN.COM

The 29th Annual California Women’s Conference (CWC) will stage the Creative Expressions Concert series at Long Beach Convention Center across both nights of this month’s highly anticipated two-day event, May 19-20.

The Creative Expressions Concert series, showcasing performing artists including Mary Lambert, will be streamed live online. The Marriage Equality USA-sanctioned “Love Is Love” PSA set to Jen Foster’s “SHE” will be officially included in the program for Tuesday, May 20.

The program will also include a live Q&A with the multiple award-winning writer/director Nicole Conn, Jane Wishon (Board President of Marriage Equality USA) and some of the cast members from SHE4ME including Mike C. Manning (“Disney”), Gabrielle Christian (“South Of Nowhere“) and Traci Dinwiddie (“Elena Undone“). More names are expected to be announced closer to the event.

The CWC was first launched in 1985 to address the high failure rate among women-owned businesses. Over the years the CWC has played host to a phenomenal list of speakers including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, first lady Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Duchess of York Sara Ferguson, Barbara Walters, Jane Fonda, Madeline Albright, Condoleeza Rice and Martha Stewart.

This year’s conference will focus on helping attendees discover how to lead a thriving life. Experts will be on hand to discuss how to balance the five essential elements of well being: career life, social life, financial life, physical life and community life.

To purchase tickets to the concert series visit: http://goo.gl/ynTR5k

Speakers for the California Women’s Conference: http://goo.gl/ddYs1U

For tickets to the California Women’s Conference 2014: http://goo.gl/HVp83v

The post SHE4ME ‘Love is Love’ PSA featured at California Women’s Conference first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Hypnosis is all about letting go. Do you remember the last time you were lost in an amazing experience? You zoned out. Your logical (conscious) mind was on hold. Time flew. You couldn’t believe an hour or two had passed? That’s hypnosis!

My clients have described it as being detached, deeply relaxed, drifting away, almost sleeping, so focused on my voice that other sounds were not a distraction. I hypnotized a college student whose cat crawled along my shoulders, curled up on her lap and remained there for the 45 minutes. Yes, I think the cat was hypnotized. No, I did not charge the client double. Many of my clients don’t want to “emerge” from hypnosis. They like the escape.

There are physical changes as well, like slow breathing, heavy eyes, tingling fingers, relaxed hands and feet, feeling molded to the chair or floating or detachment from physical body. Each person’s experience is unique because each person is unique.

The induction, the process that guides you to open your subconscious mind, will be tailored to you based on what helps you relax, what kind of induction will get you there and what words and rhythm are needed based on your issues.

Logical analytical people may need a stronger induction. Relaxing physically may be easy. Relaxing mentally may be more challenging, so I may need to use a different approach.

Here’s an example of an induction for a person who is not so analytical:

“You are more relaxed physically than you may have been in a long time. Now, I will help you relax mentally. Begin at the number 100 and slowly count backwards (outloud) until those numbers just fade away. You don’t see them clearly anymore, You don’t sense them. Start with the idea that you will allow them to fade away and with each number you say, you relax more. Deeper relaxed. By the time you reach 95 or 94, those numbers will just fade away so that the numbers following just won’t be there. Nod your head when that happens.”

It is no failure if my client counts all the way back to one. So far, no one has gotten into negative numbers. It means there is interruption by the conscious mind. The client may be analytical and need an induction that is more complex to cause the conscious mind to drift away. You know, counting sheep before bed is a kind of hypnotic exercise where the logical mind does this repetitive thing, gives up, drifts away and sleep happens.

A logical person may ask, “Why am I counting these sheep? Am I the shepherd? What if I lose count? I’m not a shepherd!”

Here’s an example of an induction for an analytical person:

“You are more relaxed physically than you may have been in a long time. Now, I will help you relax mentally. Your strong logical mind will drift away leaving your deeper subconscious mind open to all these positive suggestions. It’s OK to let that busy mind that thinks and analyzes all the time rest. Now, imagine you see the number 100 on your computer screen. Make the number 100 whatever color you want. Say the number 100 outloud. Allow it to fade. First, the color fades, then the lines fade until the number disappears from the screen. You see the number 99, say the number 99 outloud and slowly the color fades, the lines fade and it disappears from the screen. You see the number 98 and say the number 98 out loud and allow it to fade.” I talk to the client slowly and firmly, directing her to continue to count these numbers down and say the numbers while going deeper down as each number fades.

When the client is physically and mentally relaxed and the numbers have faded away, I begin to have them see, hear, smell, touch and sense a place that helps them go deeper into trance (meaning hypnotic state, not a zombie state where you emerge and realize you have eaten five of your best friends).

Positive suggestions are given to an open accepting subconscious mind. The induction, the suggestions, the emergence of my client varies in time, but the amazing thing is that most clients will experience a time warp. They may feel it was 10 minutes and be surprised it was much longer. This is a classic sign of having been hypnotized. Sense of time is lost.

Do you remember the last time you engaged in blissful hypnotic lovemaking and time was lost? OK, if you don’t remember, remedy that.

Suggestion: Engage (no, not like that you crazy Trekkies) in blissful, hypnotic lovemaking and you will naturally let go of that busy mind and just be.

If that is not going to happen, at least try for a very long, hot kiss, like in Nicole Conn’s “Elena Undone.” Hypnotic? Hell, yeah. Even if you just watch a kiss like that.

Next time, I’ll talk more on about happens after the session. How do you know if it worked? Do you need more sessions? What spells success? If problems continue, what could be done differently? Is the hypnotist for real? Should I call the one near Pittsburgh? That’s me. Until next time, relax and focus and kiss, long and with much passion.

Jan Lee is a certified hypnotist through the National Guild of Hypnotists. She is also a psychiatric nurse with over 25 years of experience. Jan Lee Hypnosis offers individual and group hypnosis sessions and presentations. It was founded on the principle that health improves when we use our own innate ability to heal.

The post Lose yourself in a long, passionate kiss first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Traci Dinwiddie is a perpetual motion, super-amazing doer of everything. She’s an actress (“Elena Undone” and “Supernatural”), Yogini, West African drummer with eyes that stop passersby in their tracks and a smile that turns knees turn to jelly. She’s got a heart the size of Mount Kilimanjaro and fans that would gladly climb it for her any day of the week. And as if all that weren’t enough, Traci is adding trapeze mastery to her arsenal of awesomeness.

I met Traci while vacationing in Isla Mujeres, Mexico with Sweet in September 2011 and immediately connected with her incredible spirit. We spent an afternoon in the sun surrounded by frolicking lesbian vacationers, a backdrop which reflected perfectly the essence of her beautiful soul.

I’m a fan for life and you can be, too. Traci is easily accessible via Facebook, Twitter and at her official site —and you won’t have to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to see her.

Cheryl Mazak is a Toronto photographer obsessed with getting the heart of her subjects. See more from Cheryl at inmyphotos.com.

The post Inside Out: Traci Dinwiddie is “Elena Undone” in the Sun first appeared on Lesbian.com.