Writer-director April Maxey's Work was one of the queer highlights at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, where it received its world premiere and was nominated for the Short Film Grand Jury Prize. Inspired by her own personal experience, Maxey set out to reevaluate the misconceptions and stigma surrounding sex work. The film, developed at AFI’s... Continue Reading →
Exclusive Interview: Outfest LA 2021 spotlight artist Justice Jamal Jones on How to Raise a Black Boy “I strive to push past the need for marginalized representation in the gaze of a normalized center”
Inspired by J.M. Barrie’s 1902 novel The Little White Bird, which introduced the world to Peter Pan, writer-director Justice Jamal Jones’ lyrical debut short film, How To Raise A Black Boy, reframes that tale of childhood and adulthood within a queer Black narrative. Following its inclusion in April’s Outfest Fusion QTBIPOC Film Festival, How To... Continue Reading →
Exclusive Interview: “we are queer creators pushing our way into a straight space” filmmakers Ng Choon Ping & Sam H. Freeman on their SXSW short Femme
Among the queer highlights at last month's SXSW Online 2021 was the short film Femme, by co-writers-directors Ng Choon Ping and Sam H. Freeman. The film stars I May Destroy You's Paapa Essiedu as Jordan, a femme queer man in London who leaves the safety of a night out clubbing with his friends and gets... Continue Reading →
SXSW Online 2021 Film Review: Femme ★★★★★
I May Destroy You's Paapa Essiedu gives a captivating performance as the fiercely femme queer Londoner Jordan in Ng Choon Ping and Sam H. Freeman's gripping and unsettling short film Femme which world premiered at SXSW Online 2021 today as part of the festival's Narrative Shorts Competition. Beautifully dressed in a sparkly top and studded... Continue Reading →
35th BFI Flare London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival unveils full lineup available digitally UK-wide
Tickets are now on sale at bfi.org.uk/flare for the 35th edition of BFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival which runs March 17th - 28th 2021. With 26 features and 38 free shorts from 23 countries, the UK’s longest running queer film event will deliver virtual premieres via BFI Player to audiences nationwide, making it the... Continue Reading →
Exclusive Interview: Timothy Ware-Hill & Arnon Manor on their powerful Netflix animated short film Cops and Robbers “Black Lives Matter can’t just be a saying it has to be an act”
The gut-wrenchingly powerful, deeply moving and ultimately hopeful animated short film, Cops and Robbers, directed by Arnon Manor and Timothy Ware-Hill, was written and performed by Ware-Hill in response to the murder of Ahmaud Arbery earlier this year. Ware-Hill had initially filmed himself reciting his own impactful poem and posted the video to social media... Continue Reading →
LFF 2020 LGBTQ+ Short Film Reviews
This year's London Film Festival has a larger-than-usual array of short films, all free to watch online in the UK until Sunday October 18th via BFI Player. Here are some favourites so far. Dungarees. Courtesy of LFF. Dungarees, written and directed by Abel Rubinstein, is a 5-minute 3-hander (now there's a phrase to conjure with)... Continue Reading →
Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival marks 38th year with virtual event Sept 24th – Oct 4th
The world's second-oldest queer film festival, Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival, will mark its 38th anniversary next week with its first virtual edition. Reeling38's programme will include 30 features and 54 short films from 21 countries, along with more cast and filmmaker Q&As than ever. As there will be no in-person screenings, over... Continue Reading →
Outfest 2020 Film Review: Boys Shorts
For many years, most LGBTQ+ festivals reserved their best short films for the Boys and Girls Shorts programs. Usually deemed the sexiest, funniest, or most cinematic of the bunch, they typically play to sold out audiences. Fortunately, shorts submissions have diversified and have showcased such incredible talent that festivals like Outfest offer a whole host... Continue Reading →
Film Review: Boys On Film 20 Heaven Can Wait
Peccadillo Pictures' hit LGBTQ short film series Boys on Film has introduced us to a wealth of emerging British and international queer talent over the past two decades. This Monday May 18th sees Peccadillo celebrate its twenieth birthday and the worldwide DVD and VOD (via Vimeo) release of Peccadillo's twenieth gay short film anthology, Boys... Continue Reading →