Gay films included in first batch of Sundance announcements

Films in three sections of the 2004 Sundance Film Festival--Dramatic Competition, Documentary Competition, and American Spectrum--have been announced, and a handful of titles come from gay filmmakers or have gay themes. Out director Christopher Munch (whose previous films include festival favorites The Hours and Times, Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day, and The Sleepytime Gal) returns to Sundance with Harry and Max, in which "two brothers--a 24-year-old boy-band singer whose career is in decline, and a 16-year-old up-and-coming teen idol--come to terms with their dysfunctional past and deep affection for each other." Rodney Evans's Brother to Brother is about "an elderly luminary of the Harlem Renaissance [who] inspires a gay African-American art student as he struggles to find his place in the world." Out rocker and film producer Michael Stipe produced Everyday People, director Jim McKay's look at neighborhood gentrification and the impending closure of a beloved local restaurant. The Sundance Film Festival takes place January 15-25 in Park City, Utah.