Filipina filmmaker and actress Isabel Sandoval caught the attention of international critics when her stunning third feature film—which she wrote, directed, produced, edited, and starred in—Lingua Franca premiered at Venice in 2019, making her the first publicly identifying trans woman of colour to screen work in competition at the festival. The acclaimed film, which immerses... Continue Reading →
Lauren Howes appointed new executive director of Canada’s Inside Out
Inside Out, one of the largest LGBTQ film festivals in North America and the largest promoter and distributor of LGBTQ content in Canada, has announced that Lauren Howes has been appointed the new Executive Director for the organization, effective March 1st 2021. Howes, who identifies as non-binary, is a veteran leader in the nonprofit world... Continue Reading →
Sundance 2021 Film Review: The World to Come ★★★★
Part of Sundance 2021's Spotlight program, director Mona Fastvold's Queer Lion-winning The World to Come, adapted from a short story by Jim Shepard, immerses us in the bleak daily life of a contemplative mid-nineteenth century woman, Abigail (Katherine Waterston), living on the stark, unforgiving Northeastern frontier with her husband Dyer (Casey Affleck). The film opens... Continue Reading →
LGBTQ+ highlights at Sundance 2021
This year's week-long Sundance Film Festival, which opens on Thursday January 28th, will run digitally via a custom-designed online platform (festival.sundance.org) alongside drive-ins, screenings at independent arthouses, and a network of local community partnerships. All films in the program will be available online in the United States, with certain titles opting for global availability. The... Continue Reading →
Film Review: Crisis Hotline ★★1/2
Director Mark Schwab's LGBTQ thriller Crisis Hotline (now streaming on Amazon Prime) tells the story of Simon (Corey Jackson), a man new to his job at the titular location. He expected to be talking people through the worst times of their lives, but after a week on the phones, he's bored because for the most... Continue Reading →
Outfest 2019 Opening Night Film Review: Circus of Books ★★★★
Rachel Mason’s Circus of Books, which had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in April, opens the Outfest LGBTQ Film Festival tonight at the Orpheum Theatre, Los Angeles. Acquired at Tribeca by Netflix, the documentary's lead subjects, Karen and Barry Mason, are the filmmaker’s parents and the unlikely owners of the titular long-running Los Angeles gay porn store,... Continue Reading →