Big Gay Picture Show

Taking a look at the world of film through gay eyes - news, reviews, trailers, gay film, queer cinema and more

Taking a look at the world of film through gay eyes - news, reviews, trailers, gay film, queer cinema & more

Boys On Film Presents: Campfire (DVD Review) – The complete Bavo Defurne gay-themed short film collection

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Over the last few years Peccadillo Pictures has done a great job promoting gay short films with its Boys On Film DVD collection. Now though we’ve got something slightly different, a ‘Boys On Film Presents’ release, which rather than bringing together the works of multiple different directors, focuses on the work of one filmmaker, Belgium’s Bavo Defurne.

Defurne got lots of praise for his 2011 movie, North Sea Texas, a coming of age tale about a young gay man. However, before he made his feature debut with that movie, he’d gained an impressive reputation with his short films, which were lauded at film festivals and championed by the likes of the BFI. That is perhaps because of the way he manages to link the past of gay cinema with the present, such as the short Sailor (aka Matroos) being reminiscent of Fassbinder’s Querelle or the way Particularly Now, In Spring and Saint evoke the look and feel of Un Chant d’Amour (both of which are not coincidentally linked to Jean Genet). [Read more…]

A Queer Country (UK Jewish Film Festival Review)

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Israel is a complicated country – and that’s a bit of an understatement. Looking at it from the outside, it’s difficult not to see the divisions and intractable conflicts, the secular butting up against very conservative religion, and also that against that backdrop, Tel Aviv holds one of the biggest gay pride parades on the planet.

British filmmaker Lisa Morgenthau’s documentary, A Queer Country, looks at Israel from an LGBT perspective. Initially it feels like it’s going to be an advert for the Tel Aviv Tourist Board, much like Michael Lucas’ Undressing Israel a couple of years ago. However, thankfully it then starts engaging with some of the more interesting and thought-provoking issues queer people in Israel face. For example, the film contrasts the largely secular and open Tel Aviv with the more buttoned down Jerusalem, where gay issues are far more political and difference less tolerated. [Read more…]

Iris Prize Festival LGBT International Short Films 2016 – Part 3 (Short Film Reviews)

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The final part of our Iris Prize short films review looks at the final 10 that competed for the International Short Film Prize – the biggest LGBT Short Film Prize in the world, worth £30,000. They cover a broad range of subjects, from adolescent crushes to sado-masochism.

Take a look at what we thought below. If you’re interested in our other Iris Prize 2016 short film reviews, you can find Part 1 here, and Part 2 here. [Read more…]

Iris Prize Festival LGBT International Short Films 2016 – Part 2 (Short Film Reviews)

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The motto of the Iris Prize Festival is ‘Watch Films. Party Nightly. Repeat.’ and unfortunately the ‘Party Nightly’ bit means these review have taken a bit longer to get ready than initially planned. However, you can check out our thoughts on another 10 of film that competed for the International Short Film Prize – the biggest LGBT Short Film Prize in the world, worth £30,000.

You can check out Part 1 featuring 15 LGBT short film reviews here, and the final part here: [Read more…]

Iris Prize Festival LGBT International Short Films 2016 – Part 1 (Short Film Reviews)

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It’s the second day of Cardiff’s Iris Prize festival, where the 35 entrants in the International Short Film Prize are going up for the biggest LGBT Short Film Prize in the world, worth £30,000. We’ve been there watching all the International Shorts that have been screened so far, and it’s been a fascinating and diverse selection.

Take a look below to see what we thought of the first 15 offerings. If you’re interested in our other Iris Prize 2016 short film reviews, you can find Part 2 here, and Part 3 here: [Read more…]

I’m A Porn Star: Gay4Pay (VoD Review)

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A couple of years ago, the documentary I’m A Porn Star provided an interesting insight into the world of gay porn, talking to various models – some gay, some straight, some bisexual – about their lives, work and how they got into the industry. Now it’s back with Gay4Pay, which as the name suggests, concentrates on the world of straight identifying men who have sex with other men on screen for money.

Are they really straight? Are they deeply closeted? Is it just about the money? Do they start out straight and end up further towards the other end of the Kinsey Scale after they’ve been in the industry for a while? Well, after watching Gay4Pay, the answer seems to be ‘Yes’ to all of those, but as you’d expect it depends on the guy. [Read more…]

New Queer Visions: Lust In Translation (VoD Review)

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The Boys On Film DVD releases have been a great showcase for gay male-themed short films (indeed, it’s the most successful short film series in the world). While there has been one Girls On Film release, it’s generally not been as easy for the general viewer to find the best in lesbian-themed shorts. Thankfully though New Queer Visions: Lust In Translation – a collaboration between UK short film festival New Queer Visions and VoD platform, Filmdoo.com – has stepped forward with a variety of well-made and stimulating lesbian shorts.

Take a look at what we thought of each of the short films: [Read more…]

Mexican Men (DVD Review)

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I’ve written on more than one occasion that some of the most interesting queer cinema around is coming out of Central and South America. This new release focuses on the work of Julián Hernández (Broken Sky, Raging Sun Raging Sky) and Roberto Fiesco, who have often collaborated together (such as Fiesco producing Hernández’s film). Mexican Men brings together five gay-themed short films, the first directed by Fiesco, with the others helmed by Hernández.

So are they any good? Take a look below. [Read more…]

Chemsex (UK Cinema Review)

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If you go onto Grindr it’s not unusual to see someone’s headline including something like ‘PNP’, ‘Chem’, ‘T’, ‘Tina’ or similar. Indeed, for quite a while I didn’t have a clue what these meant, and was quite surprised when I discovered it involves an entire subculture of gay men. However, as the documentary Chemsex shows, for some mixing drugs and sex is far more than just an occasional aberration. It can go far enough that it almost becomes a way of life, no matter the repercussions or whether they are in control of it.

Directors William Fairman and Max Gogarty explore what they term a gay healthy emergency in London (and it’s undoubtedly true you see a lot more ads from ‘chem-friendly’ guys in the UK capital than most other places), spending a year talking to men who are part of the Chemsex world, from those just starting and see it as an adjunct of the BDSM they’re interested in, to those who are so far down the rabbit hole they’re in the grip of drug-induced psychosis. [Read more…]

In Their Room: San Francisco/Berlin/London (DVD Review)

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Travis Mathews certainly hasn’t had a traditional film career. He started out with the semi-documentary art project In Their Room, which led to him teaming up with a gay porn company for the short film I Want Your Love. That short was then made into a feature-length movie, which led to Travis’ highest-profile project yet, his collaboration with James Franco, Interior Leather Bar.

However it was the first In Their Room project that brought him to the film world’s attention. It started as a series of separate five-to-ten minute films, each going into the bedroom of a different gay man, where they discuss their lives and desires, and most particularly their sexual thoughts. The shorts became known for their sexual frankness, with some including masturbation and many featuring at least a little nudity. However what impressed most was the surprising intimacy and seeming honesty that Mathews managed to capture about gay men’s lives. [Read more…]