3G: Cal Garingan explores the online dating world

Vancouver filmmaker Cal Garingan not only has his MFA in film and television production, he also claims to have a PhD in online dating. Looking to put both of his degrees to good use, Garingan has combined his dating stories with his film prowess in his short Waiting 4 Goliath, which plays as part of The Coast is Queer and Cross Cultural Romance at the 2010 Vancouver Queer Film Festival.

Starring Rick Tae as Florian and Patrick Sabongui as his ex-lover Hassan (pictured right with director Garingan in the middle), Waiting 4 Goliath tells the story of how the two bump into each other and a lively discussion ensues about online dating which quickly turns into a heated debate about identity and the quest for the elusive "Goliath".

“The inspiration behind the film is the persona we create for ourselves in our online ads, like gay men ironically referring to themselves as "straight-acting", and our idealization of Mr. Right,” said Garingan.

A nod to both the Samuel Beckett play Waiting for Godot and the film Waiting for Guffman, Garingan’s film draws from that titular character that never shows up (or may not actually exist). Of course the number 4 in the title is designed to represent someone's username in the online dating world.

What Garingan calls more a romantic “dramedy” than romantic "comedy", Waiting 4 Goliath has at its very core an unlikely love story about people looking to connect through the use of the internet drawn from real life.

Having worked on his film for three years, we’ll just have to wait and see if Garingan’s PhD was worth the money, although from the reaction it garnered at the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival his MFA most certainly was.

"The screening in San Francisco was a success," said Garingan. "It's so rewarding to hear people laugh and respond to the film as they're watching it! It was a memorable road trip".

Now back in Vancouver, he is looking forward to screening his film for a hometown audience.

Waiting 4 Goliath
Monday, August 16 @ 9:30pm (part of The Coast is Queer)
Friday, August 20 @ 7:00pm (part of Cross Cultural Romance)

Visit http://www.queerfilmfestival.ca for more information and tickets.