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…]

We’ve had a few gay-themed horror movies, but they haven’t been altogether successful. Hopefully the comedy horror You’re Killing Me will have more luck. It’s due to screen out Outfest in LA in July 15th, but the trailer is already here for us to take a peek at.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘An intriguing mix of horror, camp and romantic comedy, You’re Killing Me demonstrates what happens when narcissistic, wannabe Internet star George meets Joe, a monotone serial killer. George catches Joe’s attention and they immediately begin dating. While all of George’s friends agree that Joe seems a bit strange, George claims his new beau “isn’t scary, he’s gorgeous.”‘

Gay comedy luminaries such as Drew Droege, Matthew Wilkas, Sam Pancake, and Jack Plotnick pop up in the movie, with Jim Hansen directing. You can watch the trailer below. [Read more…]

Boys On Film is still the most successful short film series in the world, and hopefully it won’t be an unlucky 13 for its latest instalment, Boys On Film 13: Trick & Treat (although with a title like that, you have to wonder why it isn’t come out at Halloween).

The trailer for the release has now arrived, which you can see below, but it you want to know more about the gay-themed short film that it includes, keep reading.

Boygame – dir. Anna Nolskog (Sweden) 14mins 2012
Best friends John and Nicolas aren’t confident about having sex with girls, so to avoid embarrassment; they decide to get some practice – on each other.

Remission – dir. Christopher Brown (UK) 18 mins 2013
Two young men and a boy roam the overgrown English countryside, seeking to escape a deadly virus. The two men are forced to take a horrific decision after the boy’s behaviour puts them in increasing danger – but is it too late to cheat death?

Caged – dir. Lazlo and Dylan Tonk (Netherlands) 13 mins 2014
David and Neils spend most of their time working out together on the local sports ground. Meanwhile their gang of friends harass a local boy for being gay. But their tight friendship is about to be thrown off balance by a secret Neils has been keeping.

Middle Man – dir. Charlie Francis (UK) 4 mins 2014
After a misunderstanding, Nathan tries to get in contact with his hearing impaired boyfriend through a type-to-talk service. Will the middle man be able to fix the situation or will Nathan have to find another way to communicate?

VIS-A-VIS – dir. Dan Connolly (Australia) 16mins 2013
When a government official comes to inspect Richard and Martin’s relationship for visa approval, it is clear that all is not as it seems. Cue hilarious consequences as the two men will stop at nothing to hide their true identity. Will Martin get visa approval or will things turn out for the worst?

A Last Farewell – dir. Casper Andreas (Sweden) 12mins 2013
A Last Farewell looks at an aging author’s sorrow over the death of his long-term partner. Haunted by visions of his late husband, and in conflict with his daughter who is trying to renew the ties between them, how will he move on and find peace?

Mirrors – dir. Neil Ely (UK) 11mins 2014
In a toilet of a Manchester nightclub, two young men (SHAMELESS’ Jody Latham and SKINS’ Liam Boyle) catch each other’s eye. As they reveal their feelings to one another, they find that their lives mirror each other in more ways than one. The only thing left to do is face the person staring back at them.

Followers – dir. Tim Marshall (UK/Australia) 8mins 2014
When an elderly woman sees a vision of Jesus on the swimming trunks of a young African man at her class, she befriends him as she believes God has sent her a sign for him to free her of her loneliness.

Kissing Drew – dir. Philip J. Connell (Canada) 8 mins 2013
A dreary school day in 1992: ‘Cool kid’ Drew is James’ sexual fantasy, but Drew is also James’ bully. In a single moment, James faces off against both Drew the bully and Drew the fantasy, but is it enough to reclaim his dignity?

Surprise – dir. Leslie Bumgarner (Canada) 9 mins 2015
After misbehaving at school it’s time for young Jack to confess to his mother, but the solution to his ‘problem’ is not like anything he could have imagined.

Take a look at the trailer below. Boys On Film 13: Trick & Treat will be released on DVD in the UK on July 13th. [Read more…]