Gay Short Films & Web Series

Everyone has faced moments in a relationship where you wonder whether this is really what you want, and whether you and the other person are genuinely compatible.

Thylacine takes a look at one of those moment through the eyes of two young gay men.

Here’s the synopsis for Alex Lampsos’ shirt movie: ‘A young couple nearing their nine months anniversary hit a road block when one decides to have lunch with an admirer. The relationship is tested as they face their insecurities along the way.’

While it has a few minor issues, largely Thylacine is an interesting and slightly melancholic look at two men subtly testing their relationship in a way where they are almost forcing the issue of whether they should be together or not, and it’s done in a way where you’re almost invited to question whether one is really being thoughtless or if it’s just the other person being over-sensitive.

Take a look below.

If you know a short film we ought to be posting, tell us by getting in touch via our contact page. And check out more gay short films and web series here. [Read more…]

When we think of web shwos, the usual thought is of unknown people filming something in their basement, and perhaps adding a some better production values and a bit of a budget if the first season does well. Not many web shows can boast the likes of stars such as Carey Mulligan, Zoe Kazan, and Betty Gilpin, but The Walker can, largely thanks to the fact it’s a fictionalised take on the life of their real-life BFF – Woody Harrelson shows up in the first episode too.

The show isn’t done with the famous faces either, as it’s promised that later episodes will feature the life of Lily Rabe, Gabourey Sidibe, Mamie Gummer, Aya Cash, Caitlin Fitzgerald, Megan Ferguson, and Nev Schulman.

Rightor Doyle plays the title character, Walker, which refers to the name used of gay man (usually a closeted one) who accompanies rich ladies to events. However in the show Doyle turns out not to just be a random plus-one. He has a few problems though, not least that going with his friends to swanky parties doesn’t mean he got a lot of cash himself.

Doyle tells ETOnline “[It’s] fun to play with the idea of making the supporting character in everyone else’s story the protagonist of mine.The Walker is an exploration of how friendships can be the most loving, confounding, and rewarding relationships in your life… It is my love letter to women, and to New York, and to friendship in all its many wild and wonderful forms.”

Interestingly it’s directed by Paul Schrader, writer of Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, and director of American Gigolo and The Canyons. Take a look at The Walker Episode 1 below.

The rest of the episodes will appear on Refinery 29. [Read more…]

The 2003 Norwegian short film, Precious Moments, is described as ‘A controversial film about the age of consent’, and even 12 years later it still has the power to make you uneasy, as it deals with the age of consent and unlike most films, doesn’t completely condemn the idea of sleeping someone who’s not quite legal.

However that’s not to say its horribly pervy, just that it questions whether a consenting 15-year-old having sex is worth getting angry about if a few months later it would have been perfectly legal. Maybe it is, and maybe it isn’t.

The film, which is based on a true story, won the Teddy Award for Best Gay-Themed Short Film at the Berlin Film Festival.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘”Precious Moments” is based on a 1997 trial, when a man in his thirties was convicted of having sex with a 15 year old boy. In Norway, the age of consent is 16. “The boy had replied to a personal ad the man had submitted in a newspaper, and they met for sex. Voluntarily, of course, for both parties. Another interesting point is that the boy was 15 years and ten months old, or in other words 56 days too young,” says the director, Krutzkoff Jacobsen. ”I’m not saying everything that happened was all that ’precious,’ but I can’t help wondering what the hue and cry is all about.”’

Watch the film below and see whether you agree with it.

If you know a short film we ought to be posting, tell us by getting in touch via our contact page. And check out more gay short films and web series here. [Read more…]

Mike Enders has had great success as founder of the website Accidental Bear, but now he’s stepping behind the camera to make a gay-themed web series. In what he’s calling a pilot season, he’s taking us into ‘This Town: San Francisco’.

The first two episodes are now online.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘”This Town: San Francisco” is a new web series written by Mike Enders (Owner of Accidental Bear Website). The series will be based in San Francisco and tackling and having fun with real-time San Francisco issues such as gentrification, drought, rental pricing, and within the LGBT community, body image, race, aging and much more, but most importantly, poking fun at ourselves as a community in order to start conversations and making change.

‘There will be 6 pilot episodes in what Enders is calling the “pilot season.” As a sound track for the episodes we will reach out to the LGBTQ musicians from the community, sharing and promoting from within as much as possible.

‘Enders describes This Town: San Francisco as Looking meets Strangers with Candy. The 6 pilot episodes will be released over the summer! Keep your eyes out!’ [Read more…]

Musical comedy isn’t necessarily the first genre many people would think of for something about a man living with HIV, but the reality is there’s no good reason why not. Indeed it’s just what the people behind Merce have done.

Now the first episode of this new web series is online and you can watch it below.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Being single, middle-aged and HIV+ in New York City isn’t always easy, but Merce couldn’t be happier! Hailed as “Seinfield with HIV” by Poz Magazine, Merce follows the adventures of an HIV+ Polyanna who sings and dances his way through life in search of self-acceptance and true love. With his gal-pal roommate, three gay guy fairies that appear to him in musical fantasy sequences, and his Mama (on a webcam) always at his side, he’s gonna make it after all. The series is a surprising, bawdy look at HIV today, proving that life can be positive, even when you’re HIV+.’

Merce was created by openly gay, HIV+ writer/performer Charles Sanchez, who was inspired by the rich lives and bright spirits of people living with HIV today.  He says, “One of my biggest gripes about any HIV movie or TV show is that it’s always tragic, always about 30 years ago when we were in the midst of the crisis. No one is really writing about what it’s like to have HIV today. Merce is a modern HIV story. There is an amazing negative stigma attached to HIV, and it’s outdated. It’s unbelievable how the mention of HIV can still invoke fear in people, and the reality is that it’s no longer the death sentence it was 20 or 30 years ago. It’s considered a manageable, chronic condition, and although it’s still serious, it’s totally possible to live a full, complete, healthy, sexy, fun life while managing HIV. I made the show a comedy because comedy is the best way to show truth, and is a great way to change people’s perceptions. Funny, like music or love, is an international language.”

Watch Episode 1 below. [Read more…]

When he’s not making people jealous by dating Tom Daley or campaigning for LGBT right, Milk screenwriter Dustin Lance Black is still very active in the world of film, and that include teaming up with Coca-Cola to direct the short film, El SMS.

Made as part of that drinks company’s Latin American ‘Crossroads’ campaign, the short is all about a gay teenager and the decision his friend has to make when he discovers that fact.

Although some might rile at the corporate connections it’s actually a rather sweet and charming film that’s worth a look whether it’s linked to fizzy drinks or not. You can watch the film below (although you may need to switch on subtitles).

If you know a short film we ought to be posting, tell us by getting in touch via our contact page. And check out more gay short films and web series here. [Read more…]

While LGBT people in America are still on a high from the marriage equality victory at the Supreme Court, Yahoo! Screen has released the 30-minute Uniquely Nasty, which is a stark reminder that for a very long time the US Government had a singularly unpleasant history when it came to the treatment of gay people.

The doc starts out with the fairly recent but also largely forgotten fact that George W. Bush started his presidential campaign with a seemingly progressive stance towards gay rights, before taking a sharp right turn and leading a vehemently anti-gay administration. After that Uniquely Nasty looks back to the past, most particularly the gay witchhunts of the 1950s, where the McCarthyites went after ‘fags’ with as much – if not more – vigour as they did ‘commies’, indeed many seemed to think all gay were communists.

This utterly vociferous animus led to a concerted programme to remove LGBT from all government jobs, with everyone from teachers to congressmen knowing they could be outed and fired if there was even a hint about their sexuality. And at the time, people knowing they were gay could destroy your life more completely than getting fired.

Uniquely Nasty if a timely reminder of the past and what has brought us to the victories of today.

You can watch the full documentary below, which is well worth spending half an hour with, as it manages to be anger-inducing, shocking and at times surprisingly inspiring.

If you know a short film we ought to be posting, tell us by getting in touch via our contact page. And check out more gay short films and web series here. [Read more…]