Queer n There	Queer n There Archive

Microsoftington-- Hombre, are you Latino, aged 18 or up, and want to be in pictures? Then fly high with RAF. The Royal Air Force? No-- Richard Anthony Films, an "independent lesbian-and-gay film producer" that boasts that it's a "registered Washingon-state corporation."

"We have," says a cryptic missive received here recently, "one movie in production which needs five Latino male actors in February and March of 2001." RAF does not divulge the nature of the film, but-- dashing hopes, probably, of some would-be actors and viewers-- they declare, "WE DON'T DO PORN! PERIOD!"

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What RAF does do, apparently, are dramatic videos set in a Blue Velvety Pacific Northwest and driven by lurid plots that could have been derived from pulp paperbacks and Venezuelan soaps.

Consider the soon-to-be-released Murder in Portland, a "heartwarming story of young love, set in Washington state." Murder's protagonist is: "a young gay boy, the son of a Baptist preacher. The boy has not spoken since he witnessed a traumatic murder at a very young age. He is driven from his home by his abusive father, and travels to Olympia where he meets a young store owner who takes him in. Follow this young pair as they fall in love, and through caring and understanding, the young boy regains his ability to speak, with his first words being, 'I love you.'"

Moving right along, there's the upcoming RAF feature, Traveling to Olympia, "a new story with fresh, young actors": "A young man in Washington state, Johnny, is doubly victimized by state law- the "Becca Bill"- and the "correctional" institution that he is sent to at age 16. There he is brutally raped by a gang of boys.

"Upon leaving reform school after three years, he gets a job washing dishes at a downtown Olympia cafe. A well-to-do young lawyer/activist, Joel, who is investigating gay bashing and hate-crimes in the state capitol, meets the young Johnny and they fall in love. Johnny's past makes it difficult for him to enter into an intimate relationship, but Joel's understanding and caring soon win him over."

You'll never forget the deus ex machina wrought by the glamorous heir to a popcorn fortune-- not to give anything away!

In addition to the five Latino actors, RAF seeks talent for another project waiting in the wings-- a film "based on the life of Louis Escobar: Toledo, Ohio, City Councilman."

Room and board is on the house. "We pay 100 dollars a day deferred (when the film makes money we pay the actors & crew)," RAF stipulates. A more cynical editor might deem "when" in the last sentence insufficiently conditional. But those eager to dampen their dramatic feet-- or who feel lured to limelight like moths to flame-- can send head shots and demo reel. Visit www.gaynewsusa.com, or ring up Jerry Lamburtus at 253-862-8639.