The Teddy Award is one of the most prestigious gongs in the LGBT film calendar. An official part of the Berlin Film Festival, the prize has been given to plenty of great movies, including Ira Sachs’ Keep The Lights On, Marco Berger’s Absent, Lisa Cholodenko’s The Kids Are All Right, John Cameron Mitchell’s Hedwig And The Angry Inch, the wonderful The Way He Looks, and Sebastian Silva’s Nasty Baby, starring Kristen Wiig.
As proof of what a good springboard it can be, last year it was won by A Fantastic Woman, which had its world premiere at the 2017 Berlin Film Festival. It is currently competing for Best Film Not In The English Language at the Oscars.
This year’s award has now been handed out and has gone to the Brazilian movie, Hard Paint (Tinta Bruna). The film comes from directors Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon, who have previously worked together on LGBT projects such as the movie Seashore, and the provocative short film, The Last Days Of Zanzibar.
Here’s the synopsis for Hard Paint from the Teddy website: ‘Pedro earns a living in chat rooms. The image resolution may not be perfect but when Pedro transforms himself into NeonBoy in front of the webcam he still manages to create the desired impression. Slowly, this young man dips his fingers into pots of coloured paint and glides them across his naked body. Glowing in the dark, NeonBoy follows his users’ commands until he agrees to meet one of them in a private chat room for money. But things change when Pedro’s sister Luzia moves out of their shared apartment and he notices that somebody is imitating his performances.
‘He agrees to go on a date with his mysterious rival. This rendezvous will have far-reaching consequences. As with all of the previous films by directing duo Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon, we find ourselves again in Porto Alegre in northern Brazil, where we encounter young queers in search of intimacy, community and security. The elegantly interwoven virtual images and protagonists’ stories may take us away from the real world, yet in actuality we remain in an increasingly homophobic Brazilian society to whose misfits this sensitive, affectionate portrait in three acts is dedicated.’
Take a look at the full list of Teddy Winners below. You can also head over to the awards’ website here. [Read more…]
Michael Feldman and Michael Rachlis went slightly viral a few years ago with their marriage proposal, which took place during the curtain call of a play. Now they’re planning something a little different, with a six-part web series called Michael And Michael Are Gay, which will look at various things, most notably the issues that arise from open relationships.
Since he quit hosting QI and moved with his husband to LA, we haven’t seen quite as much of British national treasure Stephen Fry as we have before. He also recently stepped down from hosting the BAFTA Film Awards for the first time in several years, being replaces by Joanna Lumley. It turns out one of the reasons he’s been quieter in the last couple of months is because he’s been dealing with protate cancer, which he has desribed as an “aggressive little bugger”.
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Synopsis: ‘It is summer 1962, and England is still a year away from huge social changes: Beatlemania, the sexual revolution and the Swinging Sixties. Florence (Saoirse Ronan) and Edward (Billy Howle) are just married and honeymooning on the dramatic coastline of Chesil Beach in Dorset. However, the hotel is old fashioned and stifling, and underlying tensions between the young couple surface and cast unexpected shadows over their long anticipated wedding night.
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The UK is very lucky to have the British Film Institute, which has long believed that one of the key parts of its mission is to collect moving images that document the breadth of British life. Best of all is that they have collected and commissioned solely what’s popular or morally mainstream, which means that they have been archiving LGBT content even before gay male sex was legalised, and have continued to broaden their collection.
Synopsis: ‘Millie (Berry) is a hardworking single mom with a soft spot for strays. When Kings begins, she already has eight children living in her house and will soon bring home another. Her neighbor Obie (Craig) is the local loose cannon, and the only white man in an area largely inhabited by African Americans, Latinos, and Koreans. With racial tensions running dangerously high, Millie and Obie would appear to be unlikely allies. Yet following the acquittal of four of the officers accused of beating Rodney King, these two must navigate the gathering chaos in the city to bring Millie’s kids home safely.’
If any of you out there were hoping that one day Rusell Tovey would be your husband, I’m afraid you’re out of luck. The Quantico and Looking star has revealed he’s now engaged to his boyfriend, Steve Brockman.
The 2018 Academy Award ceremony will feature a couple of landmarks for trans representation. Firstly, Yance Ford is the first openly transgender man to be nominated for an Academy Award, and also the first trans director. He’s up for Best Documentary Feature.