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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

Finalists Announced For The ‘Oscars Of LGBT Short Film’, The 2018 Iris Prize

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Every year in October in Cardiff, Wales, the Iris Prize LGBT+ Film Festival presents an array of fascinating films. The centrepiece of the event is the Iris Prize, which has been justifiably been called the ‘Oscars of LGBT short film’. Filtering in the best shorts from LGBT films festivals around the world as well as those submitted directly to Iris, it offers the winning filmmaker £30,000 to make their next short film here in the UK, supported by the Michael Bishop Foundation.

The organisers of the Iris Prize have now announced the 35 short films that will compete for the 2018 Iris Prize at the Festival, which takes place from October 9th to 14th. Iris Prize Chair, Andrew Pierce, comments: “This shortlist represents the very best in LGBT+ storytelling, offering a window into queer lives of the past, present and future. From love stories to tales of persecution, and from moving documentaries to joyous celebrations of freedom and pride.”

“I can’t wait to see them on a big screen and enjoy the conversations that flow after each screening. I’m always pleasantly surprised how much is packed into a short film.”

David Llewellyn, Iris Prize Media Co-ordinator, adds: “In previous years we’ve taken a kind of “Revels” approach to programming – you never quite know what to expect. There’s a lot to be said for that, but we’re also aware that audiences often want something a little more focused or tailored to their interests.”

“Certain themes always seem to emerge as the shortlists come together. In previous years, we’ve had an abundance of stories about parenting or disability or ageing. This year, we’ve noticed a number of films that tackled masculinity in interesting and provocative ways, and so we have a programme that brings together contemporary dance, brutal violence and challenging stories about gender.”

“Another programme deals with the idea of new beginnings. Stories tackling LGBT+ issues can be dark and upsetting, but the films in It’s a New Day are all life-affirming and positive, from the animated tale of a woman’s deepest desires, to a meditation on bottoming that features an animated talking poo (an Iris first).”

The films that will be competing are:

TITLE DIRECTOR COUNTRY
Wild Beasts (Villdyr) Sverre Kvamme Norway
Pink Pill (粉色药丸) Xiaoshan Xie China
Three Centimetres Lara Zeidan Lebanon /UK
Don’t Call Me Bro (Nenn Mich Nicht Bruder) Gina Wenzel Germany
There You Are Lisa Donato USA
Profane Cow (Vaca Profana) Rene Guerra Brazil
Calamity Severine de Streyker, Maxime Feyers Belgium
Crashing Waves Emma Gilbertson UK
War. Room Ben Hantkant Israel
Michael Joseph Jason John Scott T. Hinson USA
Wren Boys Harry Lighton UK
Something About Alex Reinout Hellenthal Netherlands
Tasty Meaghan Palmer Australia
Dario Mario Kinzer, Jorge A. Trujillo Gil Germany/Columbia
Superheroes Volker Petters Germany
Mrs McCutcheon John Sheedy Australia
When the World Changed Anderson Clark USA
Bachelor 38 Angela Clarke UK
The Red Tree Paul Rowley Ireland/Italy/USA
Pre-Drink Marc-Antoine Lemire Canada
Sleepover (Sova över) Jimi Vall Peterson Sweden
Our Skin João Queiroga Portugal/USA
Girl Talk Erica Rose USA
Masks Mahaliyah Ayla O USA
For the Good Times Andres Daniel Sainz Spain
How I Got to the Moon by Subway Tyler Rabinowitz USA
Rick JP Horstmann Germany
The Shit! An Opera Kevin Rios USA
Zero One Nick Neon USA
Bacchus Rikke Alma Krogshave Planeta Denmark
The Things You Think I’m Thinking Sherren Lee Canada
The Other Side (Al otro lado) Rodrigo Alvarez Flores Mexico
Ajay Vikrant Dhote India
The World is Round so that Nobody Can Hide in the Corners, Refuge: Part 1 Leandro Goddinho Brazil/Germany
Losing Sight of a Longed Place Ka Chun Shek, Chun Long Wong Hong Kong

They join the 15 films announced last week that will be competing for Best British Short at the festival. You can find out more about those by clicking here. The full festival lineup, including the 13 feature films that will be screening, will be announced on August 21st. The winners will be announced at the the Iris Carnival, which incorporates the Awards Show, on Sunday October 14th.

Take a look at the montages below for both the films competing for the main Iris Prize and for Best British Short. [Read more…]

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Ruby Rose Takes A Twitter Break Following Lesbian Batwoman Casting Backlash

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After it was announced last week that gender fluid actor Ruby Rose had been cast as a lesbian Batwoman in a planned TV series, both she and many other were thrilled by the news. However, others have taken issue with her casting, which has caused Rose to take a break from Twitter.

Ruby was overjoyed to have been cast, telling Jimmy Fallon last week, “I’m so thrilled. It’s a game changer. Growing up [and] watching TV, I never saw somebody that I could identify with… let alone a superhero!”

She added on Instagram, ‘The Bat is out of the bag and I am beyond thrilled and honored. I’m also an emotional wreck.. because this is a childhood dream. This is something I would have died to have seen on TV when I was a young member of the LGBT community who never felt represented on tv and felt alone and different. Thank you everyone. Thank you god.’

However, it didn’t take long for the social media critics to come out and perhaps surprisingly the objection wasn’t that Batwoman was going to be gay on the small screen – her alter ego Kate Kane has been gay in the comics for several years – but the Rose wasn’t gay enough to play her.

The John Wick: Chapter 2 and The Meg star decided to step back from Twitter and turned off comments on her Instagram following the backlash, saying ‘Where on earth did ‘Ruby is not a lesbian therefore she can’t be Batwoman’ come from — has to be the funniest most ridiculous thing I’ve ever read. I came out at 12? And have for the past 5 years had to deal with ‘she’s too gay’ how do y’all flip it like that? I didn’t change. I wish we would all support each other and our journeys.’

She added that she was going to take a ‘break from Twitter to focus all my energy on my next 2 projects… If you need me, I’ll be on my Bat Phone.’

While some did criticise her casting, many others have leapt to her defence, pointing out that having a queer woman cast in a major role who is open about her life and the fact she is outside the gender norms is still incredibly unusual. Indeed, it should be seen as a sign of genuine progress, but in an era where some people’s first instincts are to assume they should be outraged about everything, it was inevitable there would be critics.

Rose will first be seen in crossover episodes with other ‘Arrowverse’ characters such as The Flash Supergirl and Green Arrow this December, with plans for her own series to start airing in 2019.

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Lizzie Trailer – Chloë Sevigny & Kristen Stewart bring a lesbian edge to an infamous murder

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The murder of Lizzie Borden’s father and stepmother became one of the most famous crimes of the 19th Century. It wasn’t just because of the ferocity of violence involved – both of them were killed by multiple ax/hatchet blows – but because it appeared a woman had committed the crimes.

Now a new film is coming that gives its own spin on the tale, with Lizzie (Chloë Sevigny) under the thumb of a brutish, controlling father, and a sapphic frisson between Borden and the household’s maid, Bridget Sullivan (Kristen Stewart). The trailer has arrived to give us a taste of what looks like it could be a tense and intriguing LGBT-themed movie.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Academy Award® nominee Chloë Sevigny (Boys Don’t Cry, “Big Love”) stars as Lizzie Borden, the notorious woman at the heart of one of the most enduring mysteries in American history. After a lifetime of loneliness, Lizzie finds a kindred spirit in housemaid Bridget Sullivan (Kristen Stewart) and their secret intimacy sparks an unthinkable act. Director Craig William Macneill (The Boy (2015), “Channel Zero: Candle Cove”) explores the days leading up to the savage crimes in a dark tale of repression, exploitation and thwarted dreams.’

The movie will be in US cinemas on September 14th, 2018, with a November 26th release set for the UK. Take a look at the trailer below. [Read more…]

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Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt & Ryan Phillippe Turned Down Brokeback Mountain, Says Gus Van Sant

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It’s difficult to imagine anyone except for Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger playing the lead roles in Brokeback Mountain, but it might have been very different. Before Ang Lee took over, Gus Van Sant was developing the film. However, he’s recently told Indiewire that one of the reasons he didn’t make the movie was how difficult it was to find someone to star.

He says “Nobody wanted to do it. I was working on it, and I felt like we needed a really strong cast, like a famous cast. That wasn’t working out. I asked the usual suspects: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Ryan Phillippe. They all said no.”

It could have been a very different film with them, but before we cry ‘homophobia’ for their decision not to make the movie, Van Sant adds that he was angling to make a movie very different to what others involved were hoping for. He comments, “The original story, which was in The New Yorker, was so beautiful and simple, and Larry [McMurtry, screenwriter] had turned it into something that resembled ‘The Last Picture Show’. Which was really good if you were thinking along certain lines … I was thinking more like ‘Gerry,’ ‘Elephant,’ ‘Last Days.’ I kind of wanted to go back to the simplest view of the short story, which I couldn’t do … I didn’t really want to go and talk Larry and Diana [Ossana, producer] out of what they had created, because it was great.”

Ossana confirmed to Indiewire that those actors were approached, but was very diplomatic about why they might have turned it down, just saying, “Yes, all those young gentlemen (at the time) turned down the project, for various reasons.”

It’s also known that Mark Wahlberg was approached and turned the movie down. At the time Gyllenhaal and Ledger were up and comers, although it was still almost unheard of for a mainstream American film to cast two well-known heterosexual actors to play gay romantic leads in a movie. Indeed, it hasn’t happened that many times since.

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Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Trailer – Meet Jude Law’s young (& possibly more gay than billed) Dumbledore

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There was a lot of frustration expressed a few months ago when Fantastic Beasts director David Yates said that while they were introducing a young Dumbledore (played by Jude Law) in The Crimes Of Grindelwald, he wouldn’t be ‘explicitly’ gay in the film. JK Rowling rather grumpily defended the announcement, saying that they were only two movies into a five film franchise and people should just hand on. However, that didn’t satisfy those already annoyed with the fact she’d made Dumbledore gay outside the Harry Potter books, but with little in the actual stories to back that up – they felt she was once more trying to have her cake and eat it, while not actually delivering any real LGBT representation.

In the last few days Law has had his first say on the controversy, telling EW, “…as with humans, your sexuality doesn’t necessarily define you; he’s multifaceted. I suppose the question is: How is Dumbledore’s sexuality depicted in this film? What you got to remember this is only the second Fantastic Beasts film in a series and what’s brilliant about Jo’s writing is how she reveals her characters, peels them to the heart over time. You’re just getting to know Albus in this film, and there’s obviously a lot more to come. We learn a little about his past in the beginning of this film, and characters and their relationships will unfold naturally which I’m excited to reveal. But we’re not going to reveal everything all at once.”

It’s essentially as Rowling has previously said of Dumbledore being gay in the Fantastic Beasts movies, that audiences just have to ‘watch this space’. This will presumably involve a deeper unpacking of the connection between Dumbledore and Grindelwald, as we know they were teenage friends and that Albus may have fallen for Gellert (reading between the lines), but we may discover that there was more to it than that.

Now though we get a fresh look at Law in action as Dumbledore in a new trailer, which includes a very deliberate shot of Dumbledore looking into the Mirror of Erised – a mirror that shows you the thing you desire the most – and seeing Grindelwald. We are presumably meant to wonder whether he’s seeing Grindelwald because he truly want to stop him, or whether it’s because he just wants him. Following the anger earlier in the year, it’s unlikely it’s a coincidence this shot was chosen for the trailer, allowing the makers to suggest that even if Dumbledore’s sexuality won’t be ‘explicit’ in this Fantastic Beasts film, it won’t be completely ignored either. At the moment though it’s two early to tel how it will be dealt with.

Take a look at the new trailer below. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald will be in cinemas in November. [Read more…]

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Gay Hollywood Dad Trailer – The first weeks as a single gay father in the new documentary

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Synopsis: ‘Living under the Hollywood sign, single gay dad Quentin Lee juggles between raising his newborn baby by himself and making his means as an acclaimed independent film director with hilarity and drama. “What have I gotten myself into!?” Gay Hollywood Dad chronicles the first six weeks of Quentin’s journey as a single dad from cutting his son’s umbilical cord in a hospital of Ohio to sleepless nights feeding the baby to bringing the baby to his independent film premiere.’

Lee, who’s probably best known for helming the 2012 movie, White Frog, also directs this look at some big changes in his life. It was originally developed as a web series, before becoming a feature-length documentary,

Gay Hollywood Dad will premieres at the New York Asian American International Film Festival on August 2nd, before heading to Amazon Instant Video across the US August 3rd. Take a look at the trailer for the movie below. [Read more…]

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Miles Trailer – A gay teen tries to escape his home town through volleyball

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We reviewed Miles back when it screened at the Iris Prize Festival – you can read what we said here. Now it’s heading to DVD in the UK, arriving in stores (and online) on July 23rd. It’s a good time then to take a look at the trailer.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Miles Walton (Tim Boardman), age 17, is biding his time until he can go away to college in Chicago and study filmmaking. His father passes away unexpectedly, revealing a secret affair with a local girl, which gutted their family savings. Miles can no longer afford to go to college. Desperate to get out of his small town, Miles finds the only remaining college scholarship in Chicago is to the Men’s Volleyball team at Loyola University. Because his high school doesn’t have a men’s team, Miles tries out for the girl’s team and head coach Leslie Wayne (Missi Pyle) accepts him on the team regardless of state regulations.

‘Meanwhile Miles’s soft-spoken mother Pam (Molly Shannon) joins a local widow support group where she meets Lloyd O’Brien (Paul Reiser), the new school district Superintendent who fiercely opposes a boy on the girls’ volleyball team. Miles’ plans of attending College are threatened with suspension and he must fight against to chase his dreams of a better life.’

Take a look at the trailer below. [Read more…]

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Brotherly Love Trailer – Sexuality meets religion in the gay love story dramedy

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Synopsis: ‘Which call do you answer? The one you feel from God or the one you feel about your authentic self? This is the dillema at hand for Brother Vito as he must decide between becoming a Brother or declaring his love for Gabe. Shot entirely in Austin, TX and with a local cast and crew, Brotherly Love is a fresh take on the traditional gay love story.’

The LGBT religious comedy-drama is from first time director Anthony J. Caruso, who also takes on the central role of Vito. Derek Babb, Chance McKee, and David Blackwell also star.

Brotherly Love will get a limited theatrical release in the US August 3rd, before arriving on DVD/VoD on August 7th. Take a look at the trailer below. [Read more…]

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Boy Erased Trailer – Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman & Russell Crowe star in the gay conversion drama

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Last week we had the trailer for the first of two major movies about so-called ‘gay conversion therapy’, the largely discredited idea that you can coerce people into changing their sexuality. The first movie was The Miseducation Of Cameron Poster, starring Chloe Grace Moretz, and now we get our first look at the second, Boy Erased.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘“Boy Erased” tells the story of Jared (Lucas Hedges), the son of a Baptist pastor in a small American town, who is outed to his parents (Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe) at age 19. Jared is faced with an ultimatum: attend a conversion therapy program – or be permanently exiled and shunned by his family, friends, and faith. Boy Erased is the true story of one young man’s struggle to find himself while being forced to question every aspect of his identity.’

Joel Edgerton wrote and directs the film, as well as playing one of the leader to the ‘therapy’ programme. It’s based on Garrard Conley’s acclaimed memoit, Boy Erased: A Memoir of Identity, Faith and Family. It also stars Cherry Jones, Michael “Flea” Balzary, Xavier Dolan, Troye Sivan, and Joe Alwyn.

The film arrives in US cinemas in November, with some already thinking it could be a major Oscar contender. No UK release date is already set. [Read more…]

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Bohemian Rhapsody Trailer – Rami Malek takes on the legendary Freddie Mercury

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The Queen biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody was in the works for years, working its ways through numerous directors and potential stars before it finally settled on Bryan Singer behind the camera and Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury. However, drama hit when Singer was sensationally fired after problems on set and then taking an unscheduled break. He was replaced by Dexter Fletcher.

More controversy arose with when the first trailer completely ignored Freddie’s sexuality. It seems that’s something the marketing people have taken onboard, ensuring that in the new trailer we see talk of Mercury’s private life and even a joke about ‘hysterical Queens’ (plus a brief shot of him getting up close and personal with another guy).

Here’s the synopsis: ‘BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY is a foot-stomping celebration of Queen, their music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury, who defied stereotypes and shattered convention to become one of the most beloved entertainers on the planet.

‘The film traces the meteoric rise of the band through their iconic songs and revolutionary sound, their near-implosion as Mercury’s lifestyle spirals out of control, and their triumphant reunion on the eve of Live Aid, where Mercury, facing a life-threatening illness, leads the band in one of the greatest performances in the history of rock music. In the process, cementing the legacy of a band that were always more like family, and who continue to inspire outsiders, dreamers and music lovers to this day.’

Alongside Rami Malek, the film stars Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joseph Mazzello, Aidan Gillen, Allen Leech, Tom Hollander and Mike Myers. Take a look at the trailer below. The film will be in cinemas on October 24th. [Read more…]

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