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ALONE WITH MR. CARTER Screens in NewFilmmakers NY Series, 6/20

Related: NewFilmmakers NY, Jean-Pierre Bergeron

A 10-year-old boy wants to tell a 65-year-old man that he's secretly in love with him. This is the premise of the short film Alone with Mr. Carter, written and directed by one of Quebec's top actors Jean-Pierre Bergeron.

Alone with Mr. Carter will screen at NewFilmmakers New York, this coming Wednesday June 20th at 7:15pm. – Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Ave & 2nd St.

All through 2012, it will continue its festival career worldwide.

In 1997, the year Ellen De Generes comes out, John is 10 and dreams of becoming a cop. He wants to confide in his neighbor Mr. Carter that he is secretly in love with him. Time is of the essence as the 65-year-old hetero detective is moving away forever.

Alone with Mr. Carter (17 min) is the debut of Quebec icon Jean-Pierre Bergeron as a writer/director. After 40 years of playing cops, robbers and authority figures, Quebec name actor Jean-Pierre Bergeron finally came out to the media in Quebec and also at the film's World Premiere at the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles. For years, he didn't write/direct as the characters he had in mind were often homosexuals and the prospect of coming out seemed too much of an emotional challenge. He is considered the first Quebec actor usually cast in typical masculine roles to ever come out to the media.

Jean-Pierre Bergeron also has various U.S. credits, having appeared on Alias, American Dreams, The Young and the Restless, The New Poseidon Adventure and various others. A turning point in his life was playing the blue collar Dad of a gay teenager in Prom Queen that aired on CTV and LOGO a few years ago. He got great reviews and was nominated for a Gemini Award in Toronto. However, not coming out to the crew felt really uncomfortable at the time: "I felt awful about being closeted."

He made this film because he'd never seen on screen the story of a little boy having sexual and romantic feelings for an adult man, although there had been films portraying little boys who feel the same way for adult women. "In Fellini's 8 ½, the boys pay the Saraguina to dance for them. As for songs, well… I was raised with Dalida singing Bambino, about a little boy who desperately falls in love for an adult woman. Growing up, I had secret feelings for adult men. Of course I knew it wouldn't lead anywhere. If only because I was a kid, I knew it wasn't supposed to lead anywhere. But the feelings were there. As an echo to the equality conversation of today, wouldn't you agree they were just as valid as the feelings of a little boy for an adult woman? Yet, over the years, I had never been able to find a film that dealt with this. Maybe there were, but I was not aware of them. That's why it mattered to me to tell this story." He is looking for financing for Flowers, a feature that is also semi-autobiographical.

Alone with Mr. Carter is produced by Danny Rossner and Sandy Productions Ltd.

Jean-Pierre Bergeron's film credits include:

American Cinematheque – L.A. – World Premiere - USA

Clermont-Ferrand Market – Quebec Showcase

Rendez-Vous du Cinéma Québécois

Regard sur le Court Métrage au Saguenay

Un p'tit court avec ça – Magog – Canada

Frameline – San Francisco - USA

Fantasia Festival – Montréal - Canada

New Filmmakers New York

More selections soon to be announced.