Wow, who thought a gay rights mini-series could get the American alt-right steamed up so quickly. Actually forget that, they’re sitting around waiting to get steamed up and ridiculously outraged by things, while coming up with bizarre conspiracy theories around it, all the time. You just need to take a look through the comments for the trailer for When We Rise to see that those who love to be angry about stuff in racist, anti-Semitic, misogynistic, homophobic and generally aggressive ways (while whining about how white men are the most oppressed people in the history of humanity), are not happy about it. But you know what? Screw ’em.
When We Rise is an eight-part mini-series due to air next February on ABC in the US, which chronicles the rise of the gay-rights movement from the Stonewall riots to the triumphs of recent year – although with the election of Trump, it’s likely to also be a timely reminder of the need to keep fighting. Written by Oscar-winner Dustin Lance Black and produced and part-directed by Gus Van Sant, it is perhaps particularly angering the alt-right as it is probably the highest-profile and biggest gay-themed drama US TV has ever produced.
It’s also got a great cast, including Guy Pearce, Mary-Louise Parker, Rachel Griffiths, Whoopi Goldberg, Rosie O’Donnell, Denis O’Hare, David Hyde Pierce, Michael K. Williams, Charlie Caver and Ivory Aquino.
Black has commented, “It’s been the honor of my life to research and craft these stories of family, diversity and equality over the past three years. To have collaborators of this caliber sign on to help bring these stories to life is a tremendous vote of confidence, and I hope a testament to the relevancy and necessity of our continued march toward justice for all.”
Take a look at the trailer below. [Read more…]
Synopsis: ‘Matías and Jerónimo—played by Ignacio Rogers and Estaban Masturini, who have a potent on-screen chemistry—have known each other since childhood. During the holidays in the Argentine wetlands of Esteros and before they begin high school, their friendship takes a new turn when they both experience their sexual awakening. However, Matías’ father forces them apart when he takes a job far away. Ultimately, distance and family contempt for homosexuality leads Matías to deny his friend, and ultimately, himself.
Back in 2013 a short film called 
The idea of being sexually fluid is relatively new to most people’s vernacular, and as a result it hasn’t been explored to much in cinema. However, Morning After, which has just finished shooting, is hoping to help change that. The short is described as a ‘proof of concept’ for a future feature film.
There’s a tendency to think that for the first 70 or 80 years of cinema, any mention of homosexuality was derogatory, negative or completely absent. However, there were isolated cases that took a different approach, and not all of them were secretive, underground efforts. One of the very earliest was Different From The Others, made in 1919 during the early days of Germany’s Weimar period (the rather decadent era shown in Cabaret, where being gay wasn’t exactly celebrated but where people could find ways to build an LGBT community, but always under threat of prosecution and condemnation).
It was revealed earlier this year the the upcoming Doctor Who spin-off would feature a gay lead character. The reaction caught head writer, Patrick Ness, by surprise, as he didn’t realise that people would be that interested in, and has said on a few occassions that really, in 2016 it’s not big deal (although he was added ‘Except of course it is a big deal, I know; 15-year-old me never got to see himself; that won’t happen again, not on my watch.’)
Synopsis: ‘Andrew Martin gives a stellar performance as Shane, a gay Anishnaabe teenager in Northern Ontario, struggling to support his family in the aftermath of his sister’s suicide. Shane was supposed to move to the city for University in the fall, and he has been trying to convince his secret boyfriend to come with him, but now everything is uncertain.
Synopsis: ‘Marina and Federica have been together for five years. They live in a gorgeous apartment in Rome, they share the same bed, they use the same face cream, they make love, they fight, but they still don’t know if they’re a couple.
Very few gay-themed films get a sequel, but The Falls is now preparing for the release of its third instalment. That’s thanks to the fact the first two movies are good, and that it’s gained enough fans to help with crowdfunding to get part three made.
Many people have someone from their past where they wonder if they could have made it work, but where for some reason things went wrong. That’s the setup for Lazy, where a man is contacted out of the blue by an ex-lover, who hopes they can rekinkdle they relationship.