He’s charming, campy and the pithy master of memes. George Takei emerged on our radar as Sulu on the original Star Trek, garnered more attention as a champion of LGBTQ rights, has won over legions of new fans as an online social networking whiz and most recently is the subject of a new bio-documentary, To Be Takei, that many no doubt have heard the age-defying 77-year-old actor promoting on any number of talk shows lately.
Screening in a one-night engagement, presented by The Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival at freeFall Theatre, the film offers intimate accounts of Takei’s childhood in Japanese American internment camps during World War II, his coming out of the closet in 2005 and wedding to Brad, and inspiring advocacy.
Peppered with amusing, well-curated clips — like a young Sulu bare-chested fighting off seductive aliens (pictured above) — plus interviews with his castmates, William Shatner et al., To Be Takei is a sure bet for a pleasant midweek outing and an opportunity to support one of Tampa Bay’s best arts organizations, TIGLFF.
Tonight at 7:30 p.m., 6099 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, $12, tiglff.com.
This article appears in Sep 11-17, 2014.