(By SFist MiHi Ahn)

Eleven Minutes follows Project Runway--season one winner Jay McCarroll for an entire year as he attempts to become a real fashion designer and not just a reality TV star. A difficult feat to say the least. (McCarroll reportedly declined the Project Runway cash prize of $100,000 and a mentorship opportunity at Banana Republic because the contract required him to sign away 10% of his professional earning in perpetuity. You go girl!)

The film follows the drama and histrionics of the creative process as McCarroll prepares to show his first collection during fashion week in 2006. We thought "eleven minutes" was a reference to the Andy Warhol quote about everyone getting 15 minutes of fame, but it actually refers to the approximate length of a fashion show. The outrageous amount of work and anxiety involved in creating those 11 minutes is an ordeal that will feel familiar to any one in a creative profession, anyone with a creative drive.

Other than shaky audio (a few parts of the movie were completely unintelligible while other moments were mysteriously subtitled), Eleven Minutes is ultimately an entertaining documentary. (Although we were a little bit conflicted about devoting so much time to a character who may, in fact, be the embodiment of Warhol's 15 minutes of fame.) Having said that, we must give McCarroll credit for his ability for creating designs and his balanced view of the fashion industry. Although we found him just a touch too much on Project Runway, we really started to like the guy in this confection of a documentary.

Also, McCarroll attended the Frameline Festival's screening of Eleven Minutes on Wednesday night at the Castro Theatre. Delightful! Clearly, McCarroll has become a veteran of the film festival circuit. Add to that his natural born exhibitionist qualities and a tendency to want to please the crowd during his first ever visit to San Francisco, and you have choice pearls dropping from his mouth like:

--"I met a nice Mexican guy last night that wouldn't let me suck his dick."

--"I'm going to be like Kathy Griffith although I don't have a face that looks like a scrotum."

-- He talked about the fact that Heidi Klum's budget for hair and makeup is $11K and quipped, "she must look like me underneath."

--He said Elle editor and Project Runway judge Nina Garcia was, "the only one I like," noting she was genuinely supportive.

--He called Wendy Pepper--villain contestant from Project Runway, season one; tragic, mentally ill, bipolar and the best flirt he's ever met (although none of the men she flirted with would sleep with her.)

McCarroll is, however, conflicted about his status as media persona. He wants to be a legitimate designer, but it's a vicious profession, and he's more than aware that it's only his notoriety from Project Runway that's gotten him this far. He failed to sell any of his collection (although Urban Outfitters was close to picking up a few pieces) after his first show.

His 15 minutes of fame however, continues. He'll be launching his next line on QVC on July 21. Oh, and despite his conflicted feelings about being a real designer versus a media persona, he will be returning to Project Runway for the fifth season...as a judge.

Check out the SF International LGBT Film Festival's schedule of films here.