Big Gay Picture Show

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

Daniel Radcliffe To Host Gay Trailblazers Special, Honoring DOMA Champions Edie Winsor & Roberta Kaplan

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Daniel-RadcliffeThe US network Logo TV has announced that they will be hosting a special event called Trailblazers, set up to honour those who have helped the progress of LGBT people over the years.

The event on June 26th will be hosted by long-time gay-ally Daniel Radcliffe and comes almost exactly a year after the Supreme Court ruling that started to dismantle the Defense of Marriage Act (the law that banned federal acknowledgement of gay marriage), and 45 years after the Stonewall riots. Fittingly, the first Trailblazers event will honour Edie Winsor, the plaintiff in the Supreme Court case, and her lawyer, Roberta Kaplan.

“Through their courage, Edie and Roberta redefined an institution to make it open to everybody,”  said Stephen Friedman, President of MTV and Logo. “Like the greatest civil rights pioneers, they secured a basic human freedom for all of us.”

Trailblazers will also include a performance by A Great Big World, along with special appearances by Jared Leto, Kylie Minogue, Ariana Grande, Rita Ora, Iggy Azalea, Tyler Glenn and Mary Lambert. Logo hopes this will be the first of what will become an annual event, allowing them to honour other important names in LGBT rights.

Alongside the starrier side of this initiative, Logo has also launched the ‘Hometown Trailblazers’, designed to pay tribute to local heroes who have made a difference in their community. Nominations for Hometown Trailblazers are being invited from the public, with a call for a picture or video, alongside an explanation of why the person is meaningful. You can find out more about that here.

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Someone Paid 700,000 Euros To Go Into Space With Leonardo DiCaprio To Raise Funds For AIDS Research

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leonardo-dicaprioIf you’ve ever wanted to go into space with Leonardo DiCaprio, it appear you’ve missed your chance. On Thursday night amFAR (American Foundation For AIDS Research) took over Cannes with an incredibly starry Cinema Against Aids gala. It also included an auction, where the monied classes were asked to reach as deep as they can for some rather unique things.

One of those things was a trip into space with Leo! He was on hand to auction it off, with the top bidder shelling out 700,000 euroes for the opportunity to get on one of the first Virgin Galactic commercial space strips with the Hollywood A-lister, which are due to take off next year.

The trip topped other prestigious lots, including a 1967 Andy Warhol painting of Marilyn Monroe which went for 350,000 euros and a 1968 Picasso 380,000 euros. However everything paled in comparison to a gilded mammoth skeleton by Damien Hirst which sold for 11m euros.

Guests at the event included amfAR chairs Sharon Stone, Harvey Weinstein, Milla Jovovich, Heidi Klum and John Travolta, as well as A-list guests Jane Fonda, Jessica Chastain, Marion Cotillard, Rosario Dawson, Justin Bieber, Michelle Rodriguez, Gael Garcia Bernal, Adrian Grenier, Kellan Lutz and Paris Hilton.

At the gala, Stone said on stage, “Today is the day we can say we have a cure for pediatric AIDS. There were many times we came here over the years where we’re failing. Now we are in the beginning of the end of AIDS.”

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Facebook Apologises After Banning Gay Filmmaker Del Shores’ Marriage Equality Post

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del-shoresFacebook is getting itself a bit of a reputation for banning posts and pages with innocuous gay content, and then having to backpedal furiously when it sparks an outcry. It’s happened again, this time to Del Shores, a producer on Queer As Folk who’s also helmed films like Sordid Lives and the recent Southern Baptist Sissies.

On his Facebook page, Shores posted in response to court victories overturning the gay marriage ban in Pennsylvania, ‘AN EMOTIONAL MOMENT FOR ME TODAY! I’m not sure that all of you know that I wrote for and was one of the producers of Queer as Folk for the last three seasons. Today, a fan pointed out that Debbie can now marry Carl! Why? Because in one episode of QAF – when Carl asked Debbie to marry him, she said she would not until gay marriage was legal in Pennsylvania. How amazing! I wrote the writers: ‘Debbie and Carl can get married!’ — and my good friend Michael MacLennan wrote me this: ‘And what a heady time. In those Dark Days of Bush (and not the positive and life-affirming variety) we’d have never imagined that less than ten years later, such progress as this would be happening.’ I teared up. It’s an amazing time in history! Love you all!’

A while afterwards he discovered a message from Facebook saying, ‘We removed something your page posted’ as it supposedly violated ‘Facebook Community Standards’. He was also informed he wouldn’t be able to post anything for 30 days.

Shores then appealed the ban, writing, ‘Dear Facebook:

‘Please tell me what in my post that you removed, then suspended me from posting for thirty days, does not “follow Facebook Community Standards”.

‘First and foremost, I LOVE FACEBOOK. It is an amazing way to connect to my fans. I buy ads for my shows daily and have a very active page. Thank you Facebook for my page. I mean that sincerely. I love connecting with friends and fans. Even while suspended, my ads are still running, and I am gladly paying for them.

‘In that, there is a flaw in your system. The particular offending post was attacked by a few religious bigots, one who railed on the gay community by quoting scripture after scripture. Many fans commented back, and I ultimately banned and blocked him, deleting his hateful comments in the name of the Lord. But apparently not before he and his trolls reported my page.

‘It seems to me, since this is the third time this has happened to me (and all “offending” posts or pictures were not offensive in any way AND you never would respond to my complaints or reverse the suspensions) that whomever is in charge of suspending does not look at the “offending” posts or pictures. They simply trust those reporting.

‘I cannot believe that Facebook is homophobic. Otherwise, many of us would be gone long ago. Although with the recent press of you suspending an Italian woman for posting a pro-gay rights picture of two women kissing citing “she had violated FB rules on ‘nudity and pornography’”, along with you removing my post — you are getting that reputation. [Includes line to Metro.]

‘Yes, I can still post via my administrators. BUT, it is a hassle. And this suspension is simply wrong!

‘Please do the right thing!’

After refusing to comment, 48 hours later Facebook overturned the ban and spokesperson Meg Sinclair told Global News the move was “a mistake”, and that Facebook would reach out to Shores to apologise.

The filmmaker responded, “I will be talking to Meg Sinclair of Facebook soon as she has reached out to me to apologize on behalf of Facebook.

“The suspension was wrong! It was antigay. It was siding with religious nuts who troll my page daily, trying to silence me. And I had to take the risk of losing this page in order to expose what had happened.”

Facebook’s issue seems to be that it has tried to automate its removal procedure. What appears to take place is that is someone complains about a post and an automated algorithm decides whether to remove it, without human intervention. Inevitably this means mistakes happen, especially if, like many other similar systems, it’s particularly sensitive to gay content (despite protestations that their systems aren’t specifically anti-gay, many companies nevertheless still seem to work on a presumption that anything gay is NSFW, until proven otherwise).

The automation that appears to take place with Facebook was a response to earlier criticism that it wasn’t dealing with offensive posts quickly enough, particularly in regards to pornography and bullying. However it definitely appears that it’s too sensitive to all things LGBT, and until they sort things out it’s going to continue to make stupid mistakes like this. At the very least, if removal is going to take place without human intervention, they need to be able consider appeals much faster.

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Hidden Hills Trailer – Things get a little bit gay with a 1960s-style sex-capade

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It’s back to the 1960s in a slightly kitsch way with the gay-themed Hidden Hills, which describes itself as ‘A dazzling 60s sex-capade with a dazzling modern twist’. It’s currently screening at film festivals, but you can watch the trailer right here.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘1960’s in Hidden Hills, California. A handsome real estate agent, Drew Drake finds himself in a secret relationship that has become an overbearing lie. For seven years he has secretly been dating and living with his business partner Whitey Ford. None of his friends know. The issue isn’t that they’re gay. Nearly everyone in Hidden Hills is gay. (Straight people are the ones hiding in the closet.) The problem is that both Drew and Whitey are Caucasian.

‘No one dates the same race! It’s a social taboo. Will Drew Drake have the nerve to buck societal norms and come clean about his love for Whitey Ford? Can two white men admit their love for each other and take their relationship to the next level – marriage?

‘Starring Ted Trent and Tim O’Leary, Hidden Hills is a comedy that looks at race, sexuality, aging, and weight issues, flipping the world upside down in a 72 minute feature film that mimics the classic styling of Rock Hudson and Doris Day movies. Also featuring up and coming Hollywood talent including Joy Sudduth (Criminal Minds), Wendy Shapero (Robot Chicken), and Chris Fennessy (Zoey 101) and a performance of an original song by Jane Wiedlin of The Go-Go’s. The movie was written and directed by Dan Steadman (Red Lodge) whose first project Jesus People: The Movie is to be released in early 2014. It features Wendi McLendon-Covey (Bridesmaids) and Academy Award® winner Octavia Spencer (The Help).’

You can find more info on the official website. [Read more…]

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Legendary Actress Olympia Dukakis Steps Up To Support Gay Rights In Cyprus

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Oscar-winning actress Olympia Dukakis has long showed she’s a supporter of all things gay, whether it’s playing Mrs. Madrigal in the adaptations of Armistead Maupin’s Tales Of The City or her more recent turn playing an ageing lesbian in Cloudburst.

Now the Greek-American actress has a few things to say about LGBT rights in Cyprus. Her message comes in response to opposition to the fact the island is due to hold it first Pride event starting on May 31st. That includes the Greek Orthodox Church issuing a statement that includes, ‘The Church and science consider homosexuality to be the human being’s fall from grace and an illness and not a natural way of life or choice’.

We’re not entirely sure what science they’re talking about, as I don’t think they’ve devised a scientific test for ‘fall from grace’ and virtually all mainstream science stopped classing being gay as an illness decades ago.

Dukakis isn’t having any of it though, saying “To be deprived of anything out of what people consider religious principals is repugnant.” We have to agree, especially as when religious people say things like this, they’re not even reflecting what a lot of those who are religious actually believe (even if they present it as a universally accepted truth of their religion) – but if you’re religious and like gay people, nobody reports that on TV. However if you want to have a dumb anti-gay rant, the media floodgates open.

Olympia is also spot on when she says it’s “offensive” to have to ask whether another human being deserves to have equal rights.

And in case you’re interested, there’s also a Kickstarter seeking funding for a documentary about the wonderful Olympia that you can donate to if you’re feeling so inclined. [Read more…]

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Iris Prize LGBT Short Film Festival Seeks Applications For Its Youth Jury

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iris-prize-slideThe Iris Prize FIlm Festival, held in Cardiff each autumn, has managed to become one of the best LGBT film festivals around by recognising that a lot of the best work in gay filmmaking is taking place in the short film arena. At Iris these films are at the forefront, rather than being sidelined into niche little collections like they are at many fests.

It also does a great job of trying to open itself up to all people, whether gay, straight, young or old. That includes the Iris Prize Youth Jury 2014 sponsored by Cardiff University, which is returning for a second year and will give up to 10 young people the opportunity to play an integral part in the Iris Prize Festival.

“We are delighted to once again support the Iris Prize Youth Jury. The Iris Prize has in a short space of time become a beacon for the international LGBT film-making community, and each year the number of media professionals we welcome to Cardiff during the festival grows,” said Professor Elizabeth Treasure, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff University.

She added: “The local community has an important role to play in the festival, which has become a highlight of Cardiff’s events calendar.  Our sponsorship will enable local young people to have direct access to film industry professionals, which we hope will inspire them to pursue their own creative aspirations.”

“I’m thrilled to see the relationship between the Iris Prize and Cardiff University develop and grow. This is an amazing opportunity for somebody who loves film and is considering a future career in media. The chance to meet so many talented people from all over the world is just part of the experience as they select the second Iris Prize Youth Award 2014,” said Andrew Pierce, Festival Chair.

The Iris Prize Festival is looking for young people aged between 14 and 17 years of age who love film to be judges at this year’s Cardiff-based lesbian and gay film festival. Those selected will get a private screening of some of the best short films produced over the past 12 months; a chance to meet the 10-strong Iris Prize International Jury, and a VIP ticket to attend the exclusive 2014 Iris Awards presented by Amy Lamé.

Application forms are available by e-mailing [email protected] and must be returned by Friday 19 September 2014. You can find more details by clicking here.

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X-Men Director Bryan Singer Seeks To Get Sex-Abuse Lawsuit Dismissed

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Bryan-SingerAs his lawyer had promised to do, Bryan Singer has now filed a motion to have the sex-abuse lawsuit against him summarily dismissed, according to THR. He is hoping the whole thing will go away, citing alack of jurisdiction.

His accuser, Michael Egan, filed the lawsuit in Hawaii, alleging much of the abuse took place there. While Egans said other abuse took place in California, the statute of limitations in California prevented a case being filed there, while Hawaii had a statute amnesty that allowed him to sue there until the the end of April.

Soon after the allegations surface though, evidence emerged from Egan’s sex abuse lawsuit against two other men back in 2003, where in a sworn deposition he said that he’d “never had any trips outside the continental U.S.” He is then said to have specifically been asked about Hawaii and he confirmed he’d never been there. And if no abuse took play place in Hawaii, he can’t sue there.

Indeed Egan’s earlier statements are causing problems for cases he’s brought against three other men as well. For example he’s also sued David Neuman, but in 2003 he specifically said that he’d “never had any kind of physical contact” with Neuman and that the former Disney TV president had “never acted improperly.”

Singer’s motion reserves the right to seek sanctions against Egan’s lawyer, Jerry Hernan. In fact Singer’s lawyer, Marty Singer [no relation] has certainly not held back from attacking Hernan, painting him as a gold-digger out to destroy people despite a lack of evidence (allegedly).

So far, Hernan’s only response to Singer’s dismissal motion is to say, “I do have a response, but I am restricted in that I can only talk about what is in the court record. Many of the things being reported are being taken out of context or you’re only hearing one side of the story. At the appropriate time and in the appropriate venue, we will respond.”

That will presumably be on July 28th, when the judge is due to officially hear the motion. It’s certainly not a slam-dunk that Bryan Singer will be successful in getting the charges dismissed, as the judge may feel that if Egan now says he was in Hawaii, that’s enough to allow a trial where there will be a fuller disclosure of facts and any explanation of the discrepancies. However with the publicity and pressure surrounding the case, she may decide that nipping it in the bud is the best idea, especially if she feels there’s no realistic prospect of Egan winning (at least on fair grounds).

While all this is still hanging over Bryan Singer’s head, he can at least take solace in the fact many expect his new movie, X-Men: Days Of Future Past, to have a $100 million plus US opening this weekend.

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Orange is the New Black Writer Says The Show Helped Her Realise She Is Gay

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orange-is-the-new-black-bd-coverMuch has been written about how wonderfully LGBT friendly Orange Is The New Black is – including recently on this site – and that side of the show got very personal for one of the writers, Lauren Morelli, as she says working on the Netflix series helped her realise she was gay, even though she’d recently married a man.

Writing on Policymic, she says “[From my] first episode of Orange, my life fell into a parallel rhythm with Piper’s story in a way that went from interesting to terrifying in a matter of months”.

“The sound stage for Orange, where we proudly employ what has to be at least 64% of lesbians in the New York City metro area, is not a place where you can shy away from women or sexuality.

“As we started to shape our characters and debate fictional Piper’s ‘true’ sexuality that first season, we engaged in long discussions about sex, gender and our own experiences.

“I was finally forced to consider a question that had never, ever occurred to me before: Holy shit, am I gay?

“While it certainly would have been disorienting to begin to question my sexuality after three decades of knowing myself, it was particularly blinding because I’d gotten married only a few months before.

“It’s now a punch in the gut every time I have to say, ‘I’m getting divorced because I’m gay’. It’s a sentence I’ve said approximately 5,223 times in the last six months.

“I am now out to my family, my friends and most of my co-workers on Orange.

“Now, when I am in the writers’ room or on set, I no longer feel like I am stuck in the middle of two truths.

“I belong because my own narrative fits in alongside the fictional stories that we are telling on the show: stories of people finding themselves, of difficult paths and of redemption.”

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First Clip From Gay-Themed Miners’ Strike Brit Flick Pride Arrives

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A few weeks ago the first image from the gay-themed British movie Pride arrived, along with the news it will close the Directors’ Fortnight at the 2014 International Cannes Film Festival on 23rd May.

With just a couple of days to go until that premiere, the first clip from the movie has arrived (via Pathe France’s Youtube channel), which you can watch above.

The movie is set during the summer of 1984, when Margaret Thatcher is in power and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is on strike.  At the Gay Pride March in London, a group of gay and lesbian activists decides to raise money to support the families of the striking miners. But there is a problem. The Union seems embarrassed to receive their support.

But the activists are not deterred. They decide to ignore the Union and go direct to the miners.  They identify a mining village in deepest Wales and set off in a mini bus to make their donation in person. And so begins the extraordinary story of two seemingly alien communities who form a surprising and ultimately triumphant partnership.

Director Matthew Warchus (best known for his theatre work such as Matilda: The Musical and God of Carnage) has also written a piece for The Guardian, talking about why he wanted to make the film – which was not least because the picket lines of the Miner’s Strike were part of the background of his youth. It’s well worth a read. [Read more…]

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Ryan Murphy Says Mark Ruffalo & Matt Bomer Were ‘Terrified’ Of Their Normal Heart Sex Scenes

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It’s just a few days until The Normal Heart debuts in the US (unfortunately it still doesn’t seem clear when those in the UK will get to see it), and the movie’s stars and director have been out in force to promote it.

That include Ryan Murphy, who helmed the movie, as he’s been talking (via HuffPo) about the movie and says that the sex scenes were particularly problematic. He’s says that initially Matt Bomer and Mark Ruffalo were both actors were ‘terrified’ of the scenes, as neither had done anything like it before.

“Mark, I believe, had never kissed a guy, ever, on camera,” Murphy says. “And he had certainly never had that level of sexuality. And I don’t think Matt had either. So I had a gay actor [Bomer] and a straight actor [Ruffalo]. And they were both terrified. But I just threw them into it.”

To get it right they even hire an on-set sex choreographer.

On the first day of shooting Murphy decided to challenge the guys, filming a scene that involves Ruffalo coming of a sauna where two guys are going at it. He walk by Bomer, pretty much ignoring him, as Bomer looks on lasciviously.

“We shot that almost as an homage to the bathhouse ads they used to run in New York in the early ’80s,’ he says. ‘So we just got into it, man. We just got into it. And they were nervous but they were game. They knew it was an important part of the story. They went for it.”

You can hear the full interview below and watch a new clip from The Normal Heart above.

[Read more…]

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