Outfest 2021 Exclusive Interview: filmmaker Jeffrey Schwarz on Boulevard! A Hollywood Story “how many queer stories are buried in boxes, sitting in people’s attics & basements?”

Jeffrey Schwarz, the Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker behind Vito, I Am Divine, and Tab Hunter Confidential, returns to Outfest this month for the world premiere of his latest feature, Boulevard! A Hollywood Story. The fascinating film unearths the little-known attempt by actress Gloria Swanson to stage an original Broadway musical based on the movie she is... Continue Reading →

August 3, 2021 2

Exclusive Interview: Ailey director Jamila Wignot “I wanted the film to feel like an epic saga in the way that his dance works do”

Emmy-winning director Jamila Wignot's Ailey, a compelling and moving portrait of a towering figure in modern dance, Alvin Ailey, world premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. "Unlike many documentaries about artists, Ailey gives us a substantial insight into his creative process", writes James Kleinmann in his five... Continue Reading →

July 23, 2021 0

Film Review: North by Current ★★★★★

North by Current will show as part of POV’s 34th season, broadcasting on Monday, November 1st at 10 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings) and streaming online at pov.org. The film will be available to stream until December 31st, 2021. Angelo Madsen Minax's remarkable documentary feature North By Current—which world premiered at the 2021 Berlin... Continue Reading →

July 17, 2021 2

New York’s Lower East Side Film Festival announces 2021 virtual & in-person lineup

The 2021 Lower East Side Film Festival (LESFF) lineup of US and international features and shorts will screen in-person at New York's Village East Cinema (proof of vaccination required) from Thursday July 8th until Monday July 12th and virtually online from Thursday July 8th until Sunday July 18th. The 11th edition of the annual festival... Continue Reading →

July 2, 2021 0

Exclusive Interview: Jeffrey Friedman on his Oscar-winning decades-long filmmaking partnership with Rob Epstein

This Pride Month the Criterion Channel is showcasing the Oscar-winning work of filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman with the eight film collection, Pride and Protest. In 1977, Friedman, who was working as an assistant editor in New York, was struck by the power of queer filmmakers putting queer lives on screen when he encountered... Continue Reading →

June 23, 2021 9

Exclusive Interview: Sparks “there’s element of us – artistically at least – being outsiders maybe that’s something that resonates with some members of the gay community”

BAFTA-nominated British filmmaker Edgar Wright's debut feature documentary, The Sparks Brothers, about his favourite band, Sparks, which opens in theaters Friday June 18th, offers a fascinating insight into the lives of the enigmatic bandmates and siblings, Ron and Russell Mael and their creative process, which has resulted in 25 albums over their five decade career... Continue Reading →

June 17, 2021 0

Film Review: Changing The Game ★★★★★

Emmy-winner Michael Barnett's compelling feature documentary about transgender teen athletes Changing the Game, which launches on Hulu on Tuesday June 1st 2021, had its world premiere at Tribeca back in 2019, going on to be a hit at LGBTQ+ festivals across the US and internationally, winning audience awards at both Frameline and Outfest. The film... Continue Reading →

May 31, 2021 2

TV Review: Pride ★★★★★

Taking viewers on a journey through LGBTQ+ history, politics, and everyday life in the USA from the 1950s up until the present day, the ambitious six-episode docuseries Pride, which premiered on FX on Friday night and has begun streaming on Hulu, builds into something powerful, stirring, and monumental. Each episode is helmed by a different... Continue Reading →

May 18, 2021 5

LGBTQ+ highlights at Hot Docs 2021

North America’s largest documentary festival, Hot Docs, will present its 28th annual edition online at hotdocs.ca from April 29th to May 9th 2021, available for audiences across Canada to stream. With over 200 films from 66 countries in 12 programs, 50 per cent of the directors in the festival lineup are women. “Documentaries are vitally... Continue Reading →

April 23, 2021 1

SXSW Online 2021 Film Review: Disintegration Loops ★★★★

As someone who has lived in Manhattan throughout the pandemic, the black and white shots of the vacant city streets and landmarks which open David Wexler's Disintegration Loops—world premiering at SXSW Online 2021—struck me as one of the most evocative works I've seen so far that captures a sense of what being here was like... Continue Reading →

March 24, 2021 0