"One of the Year's Best Short Films" Film Comment
Sundance Film Festival
New Directors/ New Films Film Festival
Academy Award— Student Category
Best Documentary –Nasville Film Festival
Jury Documentary Award –Ann Arbor Film Festival
Student Film Award –Hamptons Film Festival
Best Student Film –New England Film and Video Festival
Festivals:
Edinburgh Film Festival, Seattle Film Festival, Sydney International Film Festival, Montreal World Film Festival, Wellington/Auckland Film Festival, Cork International Film Festival, Women in the Director's Chair, Boston Women's Film Festival, Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, Minneapolis Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, Visions Du Real (Switz.), Aspen Short Fest, Charlotte Film Festival, Cleveland Film Festival, USA Film Festival.
Sundance Channel, Video release on Girlfriends, North American Theatrical Distribution by First Run Features
Theatrical release at Cinema Village in NYC; Roxie Theatre in San Francisco; Music Box in Chicago; New Art in Los Angeles, Brattle Theatre inBoston
With a father who reconstructs breasts and a mother who coordinates fine china with window treatments, McCabe creates an angst-ridden yet humorous essay about the many obstacles to being honest with her parents as she tries to come out to them as a lesbian. The filmmaker explores the quirks of traditional family life in Grosse Pointe, Michigan from the perspective of her openly gay life in Boston. From hidden cameras and society balls to her obsession with quasi-cross-dressing, the filmmaker tries to spill the beans about her sexuality—but repeatedly runs back to the security of Boston and the safety of subterfuge. Playing the Part is about loving your family while being repelled by your roots, about wanting the familiar path while desiring a life that is true and your own; it is about fearing where either direction will take you.