Gay Short Films & Web Series

After playing at various film festivals, the gay-themed short film Caught has now shown up online, and it’s well worth a look. You could easily believe the film was shot decades ago, as almost the entire thing was filmed on Super 8, giving it a real vintage look. (Interestingly an entire digital back-up version was filmed, but in the end only a single shot from that had to be used).

The film is, ‘Set in 1948, Caught is a tuneful memory film of a shy teenager who is tempted by an alluring new student. Shot in Super 8, Caught has played in festivals around the world. Cinematography by Kris White and Music by Kevin McLardy.’

Take a look at the short film above. [Read more…]

With news every few days of African nations considering or imposing draconcian new laws on LGBTQI citizens, it’s certainly not a good time for many gay people on that continent. This short film takes a look at those who’ve sought refuge in South Africa, the only country in that region which has protection for LGBT people written into its constitution.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and inter-sex Africans seek asylum and refuge in South Africa, where the Constitution promises equal rights. Tolerance and acceptance, however, does not come easily. Find out how gay rights activism has helped challenge and overcome xenophobia and homophobia.’

Take a look at the short film above. [Read more…]

Barneys New York is trying something a bit differen, with their Spring 2014 campaign, by highlighting transgender lives and models. Although including a few trans people might have been a stunt that would have raised a few headlines, Barneys has gone the whole hog, scouting a range of transgender people and not just getting them to model, but commissioning famed photographer Bruce Weber to make a 36-minute short film for the Brothers, Sisters, Sons & Daughters campaign.

It involves Vanity Fair journalist Patricia Bosworth talking to the 17 models about their lives and their personal experience of transitioning. Some of them are professional models, others not and all have had very different experiences of lives, although shared themes shine through. It’s great to see a bit of marketing that may work as advertising but also tries to educate, inspire and do something good.

The short documentary was unveiled at the Guggenheim Theater, in Manhattan and now it’s been released in its entirety online.

Barneys’ C.E.O. Mark Lee spoke at the unveiling about the thinking behind the campaign, saying, “We’re all conscious in the last couple of years of all the strides that gays and lesbians are making in marriage equality, and it seemed that the ‘T’ in LGBT was getting a little bit left behind.”

Take a look at the documentary above. [Read more…]

With the Winter Olympics due to kick off in Sochi in a few days time, Human Rights Watch has released a short documentary to coincide with this, which uses shocking footage to show just how bad it is for LGBT people in Russia.

Along with eye-opening interviews with Russian LGBT activists, who give their thoughts on what it’s like on the ground, there are videos gathered from the Internet of neo-Nazi groups who set out to violently attack and/or kidnap gay people. They then film it and then upload the video online. As at least one of these videos proves, many victims believe they are about to be murdered.

While many us have heard about these videos – most of which are shot by groups who’ve become increasingly bold since Russia’s ‘gay propaganda’ ban came into force – it truly is shocking to see it. Take a look above. [Read more…]

Drag didn’t start with RuPaul. Indeed it has a long and illustrious history going back centuries in various parts of the world. However it started coming into its own in the 1960s, as the documentary, The Queen, shows. The full hour-long doc, which was released in US cinemas in 1968, has now been posted online on Youtube, and which you can watch here.

Here’s a bit of info posted alongside the film ‘The Queen was filmed in NYC in 1967 and released in theaters in 1968. In 1967 it was illegal for men to dress as women. The documentary follows a 1967 Drag pageant judged by Andy Warhol among others. It stars Jack Doroshow aka Flawless Mother Sabrina, Richard Finochio aka Rachel Harlow and Crystal LaBeija.

‘Crystal went on to start The House of LaBeija pageants which was the premise of the 90’s documentary “Paris is Burning.” In 1972 Richard Finochio underwent sex reassignment surgery to become Rachel Harlow, she began dating John B. Kelly, Grace Kelly’s brother. The relationship ended when John’s mother said she would disinherit him if he married Rachel. Rachel opened the Philadelphia night club “Harlow’s” in the 1970’s.

‘The only person to surface since this classic film was made is Jack Doroshow when he was interviewed by James St. James on youtube. International Chrysis (1951-1990) can be seen as a teenage boy rehearsing dance numbers. These are the Queens who opened the doors for RuPaul and RuPaul’s Drag Race of today.’ [Read more…]

The makers of Burger have been celebrating this week, as the movie picked up the Special Jury Award for Direction and Ensemble Acting at the Sundance Film Festival in the short filmmaking categories. It was also a major win for the Iris Prize, as the film came through their programme.

We’re a bit of a fan on Iris at BGPS. It’s the world’s largest LGBT short film festival and takes place in Cardiff, Wales every Autumn. What particularly makes the festival stand out is that the winning short doesn’t just get a pat on the back, but the director gets funding and support to make a new short.

Magnus Mork won the prize in 2010 for his film The Samaritan, with Burger the movie he made with his prize winnings.

Burger follows the late night goings on in a Cardiff burger bar, and it’s currently available to watch on Youtube (or above), but you’ll have to be quick as it’s only available until January 26th.

Iris Prize chair Andrew Pierce comments, “This recognition by the Sundance Film Festival is yet more confirmation that Magnus Mork is a huge talent. This is also wonderful news for the Iris Prize and further highlights our work in supporting LGBT film talent.” [Read more…]

In the last couple of the weeks the fact the courts in Utah have allowed gay couples to marry has thrown the spotlight on gay Mormons. Utah is, after all, the church’s home territory. Indeed over the years there’s been a fair amount of talk about gays and Mormons, due to the fact the church has, until very recently, actively worked against gay rights.

However a subject that is hardly ever talked about, are those people brought up Mormon but who are transgender. The short documentary, Transmormon, takes on this topic, and it’s well worth a look.

Created by OHO Media (aka Torben Bernhard, Marissa Lila and Travis Low), the film follows Eri Hayward, who ‘was born and raised in Utah County, comes from a conservative Mormon background, was raised in the LDS Church and even went to Mormon private school – but something wasn’t adding up. Eri was born a boy and it was a slow, painful journey for her to recognize she is transgender.’ The short covers a few months as Eri and her family navigate the transition, and she prepares to go to Thailand for sexual reassignment surgery.

Take a look at the short above. (Via Videowest) [Read more…]

In China, it’s not all that uncommon for a lesbian woman to marry a gay man, with both hoping this will lift the pressure on them from society to hook up with someone of the opposite gender. Now Hong-Kong-Canadian filmmaker Quentin Lee has made a short about this, hoping that it will go viral in China.

Lee says, “One of my Beijing lesbian friends told me that she was about to get married with a gay man because she wanted to get her parents off her back, and I was immediately inspired to do something about how young Chinese people, LGBT and beyond, are pressured to get married which is a really hot issue right now.

“I chose the short fictional PSA [public service announcement] format because it’s the best way to get the message out to Chinese audience on the web. The Chinese government is still relaxed on short film production. As all LGBT content is potentially subject to being banned in China, it’s a challenge to do something that talks about LGBT issues while being acceptable.”

The short, which stars actress Meng Tingyi and Chinese gay rights activist Xiaogang Wei, was released on the QueerComrades website, but you can watch it above. [Read more…]