One of the most ribald, anticipated queer parties at Sundance, the 15-year-old Homos Away From Home rewarded those who remained in Park City as of Thursday night. Recent People's Choice Award winner Liam Sullivan, aka Kelly of “Shoes” fame, was amongst the guests of honor. Alas, I took a redeye home and missed it.

As of Wednesday, things slowed down along Main Street: the swag lounges closed shop, many celebs headed back home, and those simply in town to party – and that’s a significant hunk – evacuated as well.

Openly gay writer Craig Lucas (The Dying Gaul, Longtime Companion) livened things up Thursday at the premiere of Birds of America, which he directed. The Q&A was one of the festival’s funniest (“He should be a comedian!” laughed a young woman behind me). Written by Elyse Friedman, the film is about a dysfunctional trio of adult siblings (de rigeur for Sundance films) played by Matthew Perry, Ben Foster and Ginnifer Goodwin. And barring a supporting character who can be read as bisexual – a neighbor obsessed with Perry - it’s pretty darned straight.

Why did Lucas take up the offer direct a film he didn’t write? “I wanted to do a popular entertainment because I was tired of being poor!” he responded.

One inquisitive male audience member got more than just an answer to his question. “You’re so handsome!” Lucas added, with a high school girl’s giggle and shrug, which drew raucous laughs.

Later, while alone with Lucas, I asked him whether he wanted to inject more gayness into Birds. “No. I didn’t need to put my gay-assed stamp on it!” But he did at least include a very homoerotic moment between Perry and Foster during a joint-sharing scene.

As for his thoughts on Heath Ledger? “As an addict, I see that as an unbelievable tragedy, and a place I and others could go. Like James Dean.”

I caught a few other gay titles in the final stretch. The partly animated feature Half-Life featured a young, gay Asian character whom has an affair with an African-American teacher, much to his religious family’s chagrin.

In Iran, sex changes are legal, but homosexuality is punishable by death. As a result, some gay men and women decide to undergo sexual reassignment procedures. A handful of these individuals are followed in Tanaz Eshaghian’s documentary, Be Like Others. At the Q&A, Tanaz noted that females who become male have an easier time of it, because with a beard they become indistinguishable from genetic men in public, whereas males who become female don’t always pass. She also revealed that she is trying to help one of her protagonists – who ultimately decides to not get the surgery and live as a gay male – escape Iran.

On a lighter note, Slamdance’s I Think We’re Alone Now is about a pair of deluded stalkers of 80s teen pop star Tiffany, one of whom is intersexed. And Slamdance made Thursday magical with a performance from Song Sung Blue’s Thunder, the Patsy Cline impersonator from the documentary about Thunder and her Neil Diamond impersonating partner, Lightning.

My suitcase jam-packed with swag – I can’t wait to wear my Onitsuka Tiger sneakers from the Hollywood Life House - I’m outta here. See you in 2009, Park City!

Sundance announced another slew of films on its 2008 slate yesterday (these are the out-of-competition offerings), and it's as depressingly gay-anemic as the list of films in competition, it does at least feature a few legitimitely intriguing gay-related movies.

First and most exciting to me is Tom Kalin's Savage Grace, starring Julianne Moore and Eddie Redmayne. The exciting bit is the fact that this is Kalin's first feature film since Swoon, the groundbreaking meditation on the Leopold/Loeb murder case that helped kickstart the queer indie film movement here in the States back in 1992.

Kalin is back in true crime mode, this time tackling the horrific Barbara Daly Baekeland murder in London, 1972. Baekland (Moore), a wealthy socialite, was murdered by her gay only son, Anthony (Redmayne), after seducing him into an incestuous relationship in an attempt to "cure" him of his homosexuality. Sensational subject matter and a fascinating true story, and one that I'm very interested to see tackled by this impressive bunch.

Birds of America, a dysfunctional family comedy directed by prolific gay playwright Craig Lucas (Longtime Companion, The Dying Gaul), has potential for some gay elements, but who knows.

Also rather delicious-sounding is Otto: or, Up With Dead People, the new film by gay cineterrorist Bruce LaBruce (Hustler White, Super 8 1/2). This one follows a "lonely gay zombie searching for love and meaning in contempo Berlin." Okay, I'm so there. Check out the website for some more intriguing (and gruesome) pics.