Exclusive Interview: star of Outfest 2020 Closing Night film ‘Two Eyes’ Nakhane “I’m drawn to the whole idea of play in queer identity”

This year's Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival closes on Sunday August 30th with both drive-in and virtual screenings of Travis Fine's exceptional Two Eyes. It's an ambitious, stirring, rich cinematic tapestry that weaves a triptych of narratives exploring the spectrum of queerness and gender identity over more than a hundred years. Set in the... Continue Reading →

August 29, 2020 1

Outfest 2020 Film Review: Minyan ★★★★

A gay Brooklyn teenager (The Inheritance’s Samuel H. Levine) charts his own sexual awakening and the complexities of his Russian Jewish family in documentarian Eric Steel’s narrative debut Minyan. The work of James Baldwin is certainly in the zeitgeist again as, much like Tomasz Jedrowski's brilliant debut novel Swimming in the Dark, Giovanni’s Room provides... Continue Reading →

August 28, 2020 0

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 1

Outfest 2020 Film Review: The Carnivores ★★★1/2

Over the years, too many LGBTQ+ films have relied on tired tropes to tell our stories. Coming out angst, U-haul lesbians, and drugged out circuit queens have seemingly been done to death. Imagine my surprise while watching writer/director Caleb Johnson’s The Carnivores, which on the surface trots out the old chestnut of Lesbian Bed Death,... Continue Reading →

August 21, 2020 0

Outfest 2020 Film Review: Gossamer Folds ★★★★

UPDATE: Indican Pictures will release Gossamer Folds in select theaters on August 12th 2022 and on VOD on August 23rd 2022. Director Lisa Donato’s Gossamer Folds focuses on the heartwarming friendship between two Kansas City suburban neighbours in 1986. When his parents decide to move the family away from the city in an attempt to... Continue Reading →

August 21, 2020 3

Exclusive Interview: Stage Mother star Allister Macdonald “not only is it such a queer story, but it was so queer making it”

One of the standout performances of Thom Fitzgerald's uplifting comedy Stage Mother, which opens in select US theatres and on demand this Friday August 21st, comes from queer Canadian actor Allister MacDonald who portrays a talented San Fransisco drag queen with an inspired name, Joan of Arkansas. MacDonald appears in the movie alongside Oscar-nominee Jacki... Continue Reading →

August 19, 2020 1

Exclusive Interview: Alexandra Grey on her new film Gossamer Folds “I hadn’t seen a lot of roles specifically written for Black trans women”

UPDATE: Indican Pictures will release Gossamer Folds in select theaters on August 12th 2022 and on VOD on August 23rd 2022. Lisa Donato's heartwarming drama Gossamer Folds, produced by Yeardley Smith, played in competition at last week's Bentonville Film Festival and will be available to stream for a limited time from this Thursday August 20th... Continue Reading →

August 18, 2020 3

Exclusive Interview: HBO Max’s Legendary judge the Wonder Woman of Vogue Leiomy Maldonado “the balls started with trans women”

When HBO Max launched on May 27th, part of its opening day lineup was the first two episodes of the nine-part Max Original dance competition Legendary. Inspired by the world of ballroom, the show pits eight Houses against one another in weekly vogue battles in the search for a Legendary House. With a different theme... Continue Reading →

June 18, 2020 12

TV Review: Love, Victor ★★★★

Yesterday’s landmark Supreme Court decision on LGBTQ protections in the workplace is reason for us to breathe a sigh of relief and celebrate. It also reminds us of the need for more mainstream LGBTQ+ representation as we continue the fight for full equality and societal acceptance. As Sam Feder’s Netflix documentary Disclosure released this Friday... Continue Reading →

June 16, 2020 3

Film Review: Pier Kids ★★★★

Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic — boy, am I tired of starting articles with those words — film festivals around the world are finding new methods of distributing movies to fans. An unexpected benefit of the situation is that festivals, which are by their very nature dependent on geography, open themselves up to film fans... Continue Reading →

June 16, 2020 4