Exclusive Interview: Gay Chorus Deep South filmmaker David Charles Rodrigues, Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir’s Terrance Kelly & San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus Artistic Director Tim Seelig “the whole point of this tour was for us to lift up our brothers & sisters across the South”

In the wake of the 2016 election and the heightened divisive climate, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (SFGMC) was joined by the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir (OIGC) on a 2017 tour of the Southern States with the most discriminatory anti-LGBTQ laws. The tour was documented in the emotionally potent, thought-provoking and ultimately uplifting Gay... Continue Reading →

December 18, 2020 0

Exclusive Interview: Queer Japan クィア・ジャパン filmmaker Graham Kolbeins on exploring “the breadth & originality of Japanese queer culture in the contemporary moment”

LA-based Canadian queer filmmaker, writer, and designer Graham Kolbeins spent four years directing and editing his vibrant and frequently fascinating debut feature documentary, Queer Japan (クィア・ジャパン), which introduces us to a diverse range of contemporary LGBTQ+ artists and activists through 100 interviews. It is released in the US and Canada on Friday December 11th. Kolbeins'... Continue Reading →

December 10, 2020 1

DOC NYC 2020 Film Review: Wojnarowicz: F**k You F*ggot F**ker ★★★★★

In examining the life of artist, photographer, writer, actor, musician, filmmaker, and AIDS activist David Wojnarowicz, using his own words, imagery, and music, director Chris McKim (Freedia Got a Gun, Out of Iraq) has created a rich and riveting work that captures Wojnarowicz's unapologetically queer spirit, and serves as a testimony to the enduring power... Continue Reading →

November 27, 2020 0

NewFest 2020 Film Review: Keith Haring: Street Art Boy ★★★★

Despite its relatively short running time of just 53 minutes, or perhaps because of it, director Ben Anthony's made-for-television documentary Keith Haring: Street Art Boy, which premiered at NewFest, manages to cover a lot of ground. In fact a parallel emerges of a prolific artist with an intense creative drive, and the film's style which,... Continue Reading →

October 29, 2020 0

LFF 2020 Film Review: I Am Samuel ★★★★

Peter Murimi's I Am Samuel, which has its European premiere at the London Film Festival on October 10th, is an intimate portrait of Samuel, who lives in Nairobi, Kenya, and his partner Alex. Shot in verité style, the documentary opens with footage of the two men visiting a beauty spot, a waterfall in a forest,... Continue Reading →

October 8, 2020 0

64th BFI London Film Festival LGBTQ+ highlights

The 64th BFI London Film Festival (LFF) runs from October 7th-18th, and like many other festivals, Covid-19 restrictions mean that it's taking a different form this year. Given current circumstances the 2020 programme offers a reduced number of feature films, just 58, plus collections of short films and experimenta, but with an expanded reach across... Continue Reading →

September 20, 2020 0

Outfest 2020 Film Review: Cured ★★★★

Patrick Sammon and Bennett Singer's riveting feature documentary Cured, which had its world premiere at Outfest last week, examines the fascinating chapter in queer history that saw gay liberation activists successfully overturn the US psychiatric profession's classification of homosexuality as a mental illness. Using archive photographs and video footage, recently discovered audio recordings, as well... Continue Reading →

September 2, 2020 1

Outfest Film Review: Nelly Queen: The Life and Times of José Sarria ★★★1/2

“They always forget the ones who were first,” someone says in voiceover in Joe Castel’s remarkable documentary, Nelly Queen: The Life and Times of José Sarria. After watching this essential record of an important life in the LGBTQ+ community, I doubt anyone will forget him. Sarria’s list of accomplishments include establishing the Imperial Court System,... Continue Reading →

August 26, 2020 0

Forbidden Letters and Passing Strangers: The Adult Film Romances of Arthur J. Bressan Jr.

In 1977, Arthur J. Bressan Jr. was promoting his landmark documentary Gay USA (1977) on the gay-centered New York City television program Emerald City TV at the height of gay liberation. He dressed unpretentiously in blue jeans and a t-shirt with long-hair and a mustache that made him look more 1960s San Francisco Haight Ashbury... Continue Reading →

August 15, 2020 0

Exclusive Interview: the ACLU lawyers at centre of The Fight for LGBTQ, abortion & immigration rights – Chase Strangio, Joshua Block, Brigitte Amiri & Lee Gelernt

The filmmaking team behind 2016's critically acclaimed, BAFTA nominated Weiner, proved that they were adept at capturing rivetingly unselfconscious, humanising, and often very funny, footage of the former Congressman turned New York mayoral hopeful Anthony Weiner. Next for The Fight, directors Eli B. Despres, Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg, joined by executive producer Kerry Washington,... Continue Reading →

July 30, 2020 0