People love moviegoing for so many different reasons. Whether it’s the adrenaline rush, the exploration of different worlds and cultures, the pure fantasy, a good laugh or cry, or perhaps just the air conditioning and popcorn, seeing a film in a cinema can feel beautifully communal. Take the talkers and texters out of the equation... Continue Reading →
DOC NYC—the nation's largest documentary festival—returns for its 14th edition this month, running in-person from November 8th until 16th at Manhattan's IFC Center, SVA Theatre, and Village East by Angelika. The fest continues online US-wide until November 26th, with most films available digitally to US viewers. Ahead of opening night, we take a look at the... Continue Reading →
With their uplifting debut feature documentary, Summer Qamp, Toronto-based filmmaker Jen Markowitz invites us to spend a week at the LGBTQIA+ CAMP fYrefly in rural Alberta, Canada. As we get to meet their engaging queer and trans teenage subjects, refreshingly and powerfully Markowitz allows them to speak for themselves, unhurried and uninterrupted. For many of... Continue Reading →
Zeno Graton’s debut feature The Lost Boys (Le paradis) isn’t just a prison relationship drama, it’s a look at a group of boys struggling to become men in a system designed to restrain them. Joe (Khalil Gharbia) is three weeks away from freedom. Having served six months at a youth detention centre, he is starting... Continue Reading →
If you’re a queer person of faith, or have Christians in your life, then 1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture is a must-see film to add to your watchlist. Filmmaker Sharon “Rocky” Roggio fascinatingly breaks down the Biblical texts often used to attack the LGBTQ+ community by digging into a fateful mistranslation back in 1946... Continue Reading →
Luke Evans and Billy Porter deliver powerful performances in writer-director Bill Oliver’s gay divorce drama Our Son. Bringing to mind classics like Kramer vs Kramer and the more recent Marriage Story, Our Son adds the well-observed specificity of middle-class gay city life into the fraught mix. Gabriel (Porter) and Nicky (Evans) have a seemingly picture... Continue Reading →
Giuseppe Fiorello’s sun-drenched film Fireworks (Stranizza d'amuri) captures the essence of young queer summer love in the 80s. Impromptu dips in natural creeks; basking in the nighttime heat; the colours of fireworks lighting up the sky. The glorious visuals make the aggressive local culture and homophobia just a bit more bearable until Fiorello is ready... Continue Reading →
Nate Dushku's gay erotic thriller Birder may not be particularly thrilling, or erotic, but it does provide an abundance of nudity on screen. Think of it as The Talented Mr. Strip-ley. Kristian Brooks (Michael Emery, who put me in mind of James Norton with the voice of Jonathan Groff) is a drifter, lurking around campsites... Continue Reading →
As the groundbreaking, Grammy-winning rapper, singer, and songwriter Lil Nas X was about to embark upon his first tour last year, Academy Award-nominated filmmakers Carlos López Estrada and Zac Manuel were brought on board to document it. The co-directors were present to capture both the dazzling show itself—and the fans' poignant reaction to it—as well... Continue Reading →
Last night at the 35th annual New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival, filmmaker Todd Haynes was honoured with the NewFest Queer Visionary Award for his remarkable career to date. The award was presented to Haynes by his friend and fellow New Queer Cinema director Tom Kalin who spoke with him on stage at the SVA in Chelsea... Continue Reading →
