Screening dates and times are confirmed for FIRE!! Barcelona, the 16th annual International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. LA DANY will show at the Instituto Francés on Thursday, June 30th at 8:30 PM. A second screening is scheduled for Saturday, July 9th at 4:30 PM.

Jim and I will be in attendance at the screening on the 30th. We are still waiting on the Spanish consulate in Colombia to confirm visas for our star and co-producers. Here’s hoping. However, it is typically very difficult to acquire visas for Colombian nationals.

Jim and I will be covering the festival and the city’s Gay Pride Parade on Twitter. Follow-us @ladany.

The Thunder Pride Film Festival is part of a schedule of events, organized by the local Thunder Pride Committee.

Thunder Pride celebrates the LGBTQ community, highlighting the diversity of Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario. The week-long event offers members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, two-spirited, and queer communities within the region — along with their families, friends, allies, and supporters — an opportunity to a celebrate and encourage sexual diversity.

Yonkis: Un Mundo Gay Adolescente is a new web series directed and produced by 19 year-old Colombian video blogger, Jhoncito Arango.

Set in Medellín, the series revolves around a group of gay teens — Juan Pablo, José Julián, Miguel, Jerónimo and Esteban — members the “Yonkis” gang . In the first episode, Juan Pablo, leaves home after falling out with his homophobic father and settles in Medellín where he meets a new group of friends — the “Yonkis”. The gang shows him around the city and introduces him to the rival “Pink Boys” gang.

In episode two, one of the “Pink Boys” steals a bracelet Juan Pablo received from his ex-girlfriend. When the “Yonkis” go to get the bracelet back, they are challenged to a dance-off by the “Pink Boys”. The two gangs meet in a park, and as they prepare for the choreographed dance competition, they realize that reaching common ground is harder than they thought.

The Yonkis web series has been featured on “Version Beta“, a show produced by regional TV network Canal Une, and streamed online by Puntolink.

Producer/director Arango is a multitasker extraordinaire creating, writing, acting, directing, producing and editing the series. He is currently attending university in Medellín.

You can follow Yonkis on Facebook, Twitter, tumblr and YouTube.

LA DANY screens at TranScreen: Amsterdam Transgender Film Festival this Sunday, June 5 at 4 PM part of a Latin themed programme, which includes “The Making-Up of Femininity”, “El Ultimo Verano de la Boyita”, “Elvis e Madona”, “Meu Amigo Claudia” and “Dzi Croquettes”.

The festival programme booklet with a synopsis for each film can be downloaded here (PDF, 1.5 Mb).

The festival shows quality films from around the world that specifically deal with gender diversity.

Bird’s-eye view of houses, Medellín, Colombia. Photo by svenwerk.

Photo of Medellín’s city centre by David Peña.

FIRE!! The International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival will screen LA DANY at the 16th edition of the festival, which takes place June 28 to July 9, 2011 in Barcelona, SP.

FIRE!! has released two video trailers promoting the festival. Our diva couldn’t resist turning up the heat with her own video tribute.

The second trailer for FIRE!! The International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival featuring actress Saida Benzal. Directed by Juanma Carrillo.

FIRE!! takes place June 28 to July 9, 2011 at the Instituto Francés in Barcelona, SP. We’ll be there!

For details visit FIRE!! on Facebook.

Tilt-shift miniature style photo of Medellín, Colombia by Diego Rojas