DAY 9: FRIDAY APRIL 7 2006

The Rialto was full to capacity for last night's screenings of Ethan Mao and Butterfly. Prior to Ethan Mao we saw Haircut, a saucy barber's tale ... Ethan Mao Director Quentin Lee was present for the screening and participated in the subsequent Q&A hosted by Paul Richter. Lee's tale of the consequences of familial dysfunction and homophobia was a huge hit with the crowd – “Echt een fantastische film”, were the words of one enthusiastic visitor.

Meanwhile, the downstairs theater was reserved for the girls' last night. Butterfly screened to a packed auditorium. After a day spent sight-seeing in Amsterdam, lead actress Josie Ho joined us to take questions from festival director Doris Ng and the audience. Josie talked about her reasons for taking on the role of Flavia in the film – in essence she was sold on the script alone. It was a departure from all of her previous roles in action movies, so to play such a low-key and conflicted character was a huge challenge for her, she said. As a result her popularity within the Hong Kong gay community has soared! It's a role that enabled her to demonstrate her ability to expand her range as an actress, and we love her for that! Despite state censorship in China given the sexual and political content of Butterfly, it nevertheless has become a cult underground movie there – so where there's a will, there's a way.

After the screening festival-goers – including Josie Ho - were whisked off to the Powerzone for the festival party. The fact that no-one knew where the hell the Powerzone was was ultimately not a problem – people found their way there and were treated to CinemAsia-inspired visuals, a troupe of Chinese dancers, some kind of fizzy orange brew that tasted oh-so-sweet, but had quite a kick to it. Sounds from US DJ Manny Lehman and the obligatory 2 meter tall drag queen topped it all off, and we partied ‘till dawn ... Which explains why this report is a bit on the late side.

Tonight is this edition's Amsterdam closing night! Lesbian shorts, sensual massages and tough street life at the Rialto, all shades of sadness at the Filmmuseum Vondelpark.

Read the earlier daily reports!