GAY INTEREST TRAILERS

While it feels like strides are being taken in society’s acceptance of transexual people, the fact remains that they suffer a massively disproportionate amount of violence, with far too many murders of trans people reported each year.

The documentary Treasure focuses on one particularly hideous hate crime, when in October 2011 Shelly ‘Treasure’ Hilliard was murdered, dismembered and set on fire. It was later discovered that the 19-year-old may have been forced to be a police informant, and that the cops may have known more about the danger she was in than they admitted.

However the film doesn’t just concentrate on the negative, as it is also, as Out puts it, ‘about the community that Hilliard was a part of, one of activists and friends with roots at The Ruth Ellis Center outside of Detroit, where they received support, counseling, and training to lead social justice workshops.’

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

Synopsis: ‘Having been good friends for years, Martin and Tomaz now find themselves on the cusp of adulthood. Martin’s father sends his son to southern Brazil, where the family is from, to sort out an inheritance matter. Tomaz accompanies him there.

‘For both of them, the brief excursion to the coastal town becomes a journey into themselves. It’s not just the sea that nearly reaches the doors of the country house which exerts a slow, yet relentless pull on them – the two friends have the same effect on one other.

‘Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon’s richly atmospheric, autobiographically inspired feature debut follows its two main characters on a weekend that will change their relationship forever. Seashore wanders through the borderlands between love and friendship, exploring sexual orientation and personal identity.’

Wolfe Video plan to release Seashore in the US this autumn. Take a look at the trailer below. [Read more…]

It’s perhaps odd that gay-themed films rarely deal directly with homophobic violence, perhaps finding it too painful a topic to turn into ‘entertainment’. However it’s certainly a worthwhile topic for cinema and that’s what Stand does, mixing that with a look at dealing with it in modern Russia, where homophobia is growing and the lives of ga men are getting ever worse.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘After taking a wrong turn in their car, a young gay Russian couple witnesses what they believe is a vicious gay bashing; their quandary over what to do about it propels them—and this suspenseful drama—into ever more dangerous territory. The slow-burning film is highly topical, given the intense worldwide outrage over Russia’s mistreatment of gays and the country’s 2013 federal law prohibiting homosexual “propaganda.”

‘Anton and Vlad make a handsome pair, sharing a loving and natural chemistry in the comfortable privacy of their Moscow apartment. For Anton, the burden of what they may have witnessed outweighs Vlad’s fear of probing too deeply into the incident. Convinced of the police’s indifference—recent events make this a terrifyingly plausible scenario—Anton talks his skeptical lover into launching their own amateur investigation into the hate crime. Their risky search for the truth has unexpected and grim consequences.’

The film is out in the UK and US on DVD in early August. Take a look at the trailer below. [Read more…]

Over the years gay people have certainly been maginalised, but for various reasons the extent of that marginalisation has often been overlooked or pushed to one side. For example, that’s certainly true of things such as the ‘Red Scare’ of the 1950s and 1960s in the US.

Many people know about the Hollywood blacklist, which was certainly egregious but only affected a relatively few people, but fewer are aware of the US government’s systematic witchhunt against gay people that happened in tandem with that, where people weren’t just told to be on the lookout for communists, but also for gay people, who it was claimed weren’t just more likely to be Reds, but also needed to be routed out from all ogvernment jobs because the were a ‘blackmail risk’.

Part of Yahoo!’s Viewfinder series, Uniquely Nasty, which features narration by Matt Bomer and George Takei, focuses on the decades of persecution LGBT faced at the hands the American government, including such things as McCarthy’s crusade against LGBT people in the 1950s.

Yahoo’s chief investigative correspondent Michael Isikoff told OUT that, ‘The film centers on Charles Francis, once a close friend of George W. Bush, who served as his emissary to the gay community in the 2000 campaign and then grew disillusioned in 2004 when the Bush re-election campaign used gay marriage as a wedge issue. It set Francis off on a mission to uncover “the deleted history” of the persecution of gays and lesbians by the U.S. government, and he has turned up some amazing documents about the FBI’s “sex deviates” program and other matters that we’ll be showing for the first time in the film.’

The film is due to air on Yahoo! on June 22nd. [Read more…]

It’s a big time for gay film festivals, with both Frameline and LA’s Outfests – two of the biggest fests in the world – happening over the next few weeks. One of the movies lining up for Outfest is Beautiful Something, which screens at 9:30 pm, July 16, 2015 at the DGA Theater Complex.

It’s a film that might be well worth seeking out, as the trailer embedded below shows.

The film comes from director Joseph Graham (Strapped), Beautiful Something stars Brian Sheppard, Colman Domingo (Selma, AMC’s “Fear the Walking Dead”), Zack Ryan and John Lescault.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘In one desperate night, four disparate gay men cruise Philadelphia in pursuit of ever-elusive human connection. Brian (Sheppard), a poet with an already-spent advance and a looming deadline, seeks distraction at dusk-whether that means a hook-up (or two) or confessing his love to his straight best friend. Drew (Domingo), a renowned sculptor in love with his boyish muse, is eager to finish his latest creation.

‘His model Jim (Ryan) is an unpredictable aspiring actor prone to dramatic outbursts. Simultaneously aroused and intimidated by Drew’s talent and devotion, Jim yearns for a modicum of freedom from the sculptor’s attentions. Rounding out the quartet is Bob (Lescault), a wealthy, alcoholic talent agent, cruising the Philadelphia backstreets for a “beautiful something.” Despite his aimlessness, he usually finds his target.’

[Read more…]

Dániel, the most recent work from London based director Dean Loxton, is gearing up for its worldwide premiere at the Palm Springs International Film Festival on the 20th June. As a result it’s a great time for us all to take a look at the short’s trailer.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Dániel is from Budapest and is studying child psychology in London. He is kind, patient, doesn’t take drugs, studies hard and is working part time as a male escort to pay for his tuition fees. Dániel is invited by his close friend Nori to have lunch with mutual Hungarian friends. The expats toast each others health and share traditional food, liquor and stories. During the lunch Nori surprises everyone by introducing her new English lover Tom. Tom has plans for Nori and they don’t include Dániel.’

Originally from Nottingham, London-based director Dean Loxton has had a series of commercially successful shorts included METRO 7 BIS, which screened at international Film Festivals including Palm Springs Shortsfest & Austin. Dean is currently juggling several projects at once but is most notably in post-production for another short named BROOKLYN BLUES which has just finished shooting in New York.

Take a look at the trailer for Dániel below: [Read more…]