The Topp Twins are New Zealand's well-loved musical and comic duo. Twin sisters with their own primetime TV Series and Movie they are truly original entertainers and one of the few NZ acts which can undoubtedly be called a cultural institution.
The Topp Twins at the Castro | Credit: Steven Underhill
The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls has won the Audience Award for Documentary at the Frameline Film Festival Awards in San Francisco.
The audience in the beautiful Castro Theatre cheered and stomped at the film’s screening which we were told was a good sign…and a good sign it turned out to be! If you weren’t there you can pretend you were in the audience by reliving it through this video of Jools & Lynda singing Untouchable Girls!
Lynda & Jools at Frameline34 | Credit: Frameline Film Festival
Leanne Pooley, Lynda, Jennifer Morris, Jools & Arani Cuthbert | Credit: Ana Grillo
Lynda & Jools on stage at Frameline | Credit: Ana Grillo
The Topp Twins attended the screening at NewFest in New York where they won Best Documentary. TVNZ’s Close Up team were there to catch up with them. Watch the video and see the photos below:
Lynda & Jools Topp at NewFest Film Festival | Credit: NewFest
Lynda & Jools perform at NewFest Film Festival | Credit: NewFest
Lynda & Jools perform at NewFest Film Festival | Credit: NewFest
Lynda & Jools perform at the NewFest Film Festival | Credit: NewFest
Jools performing at NewFest Film Festival | Credit: NewFest
The NewFest crowd up on their feet! | Credit: NewFest
Why does it take really cool things forever to be on U.S. radars? We’ve certainly been missing the boat by not recognizing the amazing comedic and musical genius of lesbian New Zealanders the Topp Twins. Hopefully the release of their new documentary, Topp Twins: Untouchable Girlswill remedy that as it tours the states at upcoming festivals including The Newfest in NYC on June 10, the Provincetown Film Festival in Massachusetts on the 17 and 18, and the Frameline San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival on the 20.
Read the full article written by Alley Hector at AfterEllen.com.
On the 5 June 2010 the Topp Twins and Arani Cuthbert attended the GLAAD Awards as The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls was a finalist for Outstanding Documentary. The film did not go onto win (the Award was won by the documentary Ask Not) but the Topp Twins got to meet and pose with Jai Rodriguez of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy fame!
Lynda & Jools Topp at the GLAAD Awards | Credit: Diva Films
Lynda & Jools talk with Jai Rodriguez | Credit: Diva Films
Lynda, Jools and Jai Rodriguez at the GLAAD Awards | Credit: Diva Films
Fledgling filmmaker, co-founder of Seattle’s original Festival of Films by Women Directors, and former KCTS staffer Lena Sharpe was working on a film in Washington State when her plane crashed, tragically killing everyone aboard. In tribute to her efforts in bringing the work of women filmmakers to prominence locally, this special award is given to the film by a woman director that receives very high votes from the public in the balloting for the Golden Space Needle Audience Awards.
The film was also the First Runner Up for the Best Documentary Golden Space Needle Award.
The film will screen one more time at the SIFF Best of Fest Weekend:
19 June 2010 | 11.00am | SIFF Cinema
The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls has won the jury prize for Best Documentary at the Newfest Film Festival in New York. Woohoo!
Fellow New York based Kiwi Gemma Gracewood has written a wonderful account of the Newfest screening on her blog.
“I just bloody love the Topp Twins. I love their honesty, their swift quips and their, well, what’s the opposite of subersive humour? Because their dirtiest secret is that they’re not subversive. They are, and always have been, front and centre in their beliefs, causes and intention.” (Gemma Gracewood, Too Much Personality)
The Topp Twins and Arani travelled to Portland to attend the screening of The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls at the Q Doc Film Festival . . .
Clinton Theater | Credit: Q Doc
Lynda & Jools with Russ Gage, Q Doc Co-Director, at the Savoy | Credit: Q Doc
Arani talks with David Weissman, QDoc Co-Director, at the Savoy | Credit: Q Doc
. . . then two nights later the Topp Twins played to a full house at the Mission Theater.
The Ginghams perform at the Mission Theater, Portland | Credit: Q Doc
The Ginghams perform at the Mission Theater, Portland | Credit: Z Doc
The Topp Twins perform at the Mission Theater, Portland | Credit: Q Doc
Read the lovely review written by Alley Hector at qPDX.com.
“Somehow the Topp Twins truly encompass a universal message of love, peace, and environmental activism that is refreshing and energizing. I’d elect them president and put them in charge of the BP oil spill if I could. But I’m a little smitten…”
(Topp Twins Live Review, Alley Hector, qPDX.com)
For those of you in New York or with friends in New York the film is screening at the Newfest Film Festival with The Topp Twins and Arani Cuthbert in attendance!
10 June 2010 | 7.30pm | SVA Theater 1 | The Topp Twins and Arani Cuthbert in attendance
The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls review in Time Out
The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls has been awarded the Best Documentary Award at the Mendocino Film Festival.
Arani and the twins attended the festival and according to the Mendocino Film Festival on Twitter, “The Topp Twins were treated like the ROCKSTARS they are at the Mendocino Cafe last night! This town is so great…”
Lynda & Jools performing in Mendocino | Credit: John Birchard
Lynda & Jools perform in Mendocino | Credit: John Birchard
Lynda & Jools at the Mendocino Film Festival | Credit: John Birchard
Lynda & Jools with Ronnie Gilbert and fans of the Mendocino FIlm Festival | Credit: John Birchard
Lynda & Jools with Ronnie Gilbert | Credit: John Birchard