Loving Annabelle
One Student, One Teacher, One Secret
Director Katherine Brooks rocketed to the top of favorite lesbian movie lists around the world with this wildly popular 2006 lesbian romantic drama. This award-winning film continues to earn new fans every day. Enjoy!
Rising heart-throb Erin Kelly stars as Annabelle, a precocious Senator’s daughter who falls in love with her teacher Simone (gorgeous Diane Gaidry) at a stodgy Catholic girls boarding school. Inspired by the classic lesbian drama Maedchen in Uniform, out writer-director Katherine Brooks unveils this passionate tale of forbidden love with intelligence, wit and sensitivity.
Simone Bradley is Saint Theresa’s prized young poetry teacher who finds peace and security within the boarding school walls. Surrounded by a lush atmosphere with little conflict, Simone has settled into a life of comfort and purpose educating her young female students. Annabelle is a charismatic and enchanting new student who quickly draws attention for her rebellious behavior. Fearing Annabelle will influence the other students, rigid Headmistress (Ilene Graff), instructs Simone to keep an eye on Annabelle and get her under control. Simone, however, quickly learns that the real challenge is not Annabelle’s behavior but the attraction budding between the two. As Annabelle pursues her teacher, she unleashes the passion that has been locked deep inside Simone, who must decide whether or not to enter an affair that could cost her everything.
Inspired by the 1931 German classic, Maedchen in Uniform, director Katharine Brooks’ Loving Annabelle gives a modern telling of this “forbidden love” story that continues to be controversial to this day. With stunning cinematography by Cynthia Pusheck, Loving Annabelle offers excellent performances from its female leads, Diane Gaidry and Erin Kelly, as well as a featured performance by Academy Award nominee/Golden Globe recipient Kevin McCarthy.
Loving Annabelle explores the complexity and controversy of love and struggle between two women who have every reason to deny their feelings. Blind to the world around them, the two journey into a love affair destined to change their lives forever.
This handsome collector’s edition DVD is jam-packed with extras including alternate endings and deleted scenes.
Awards & Press Quotes
Awards:
Audience Award: Best Lesbian Feature, Outfest
Grand Jury Award: Best Actress, Outfest (Diane Gaidry/Simone)
Best Narrative Feature, Austin G&L Film Festival
Best Feature, Fort Worth Queer Film Festival
Best Feature, Long Island G&L Festival
Best Feature, Barcelona Festival
Audience Award, Melbourne Festival
Audience Award, Montreal Image Out Film Festival
Best Feature, Atlanta Out on Film
Press Quotes:
“Absolute visual treat . . . engrossing from beginning to end . . . viewers will be riveted.” – DVD Talk
“Guilty pleasure.” – Dennis Harvey, Variety
“Lively, thought-provoking, compelling, slickly produced.” – Curve
“An honest and fascinating look at a subject few would dare to explore with this depth.”-Metroactive (San Jose)
“Sultry, sophisticated.”-Miami Sun Post
“Must-see.”-Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer
“A great-looking picture.”-Dallas Voice
“A must-see film full of rich imagery, a painful love story and attention-grabbing performances.”-Greg Marzullo, Washington Blade
“Sultry, sexy and supremely smart”-Frameline30
“The torment of forbidden love has never looked as good as it does in Loving Annabelle . . . its lush cinematography, strong acting and erotic charge will satisfy. ” – afterellen.com
“Lesbian boarding-school charmer.” -PlanetOut.com
“You won’t be able to take your eyes off the screen.” -Lisa Steinberg, StarryMag.com
