The Sundance Film Festival, which runs January 28th to February 3rd, has just announced this year's series of talks, panels, and events including the lineup for The Big Conversation, discussions that explore what's fuelling the imaginations of today’s independent artists. Among the program is Barbed Wire Kisses Redux which will see film scholar B. Ruby... Continue Reading →
November saw the US premiere of Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi's stunning limited series Veneno which lovingly and masterfully weaves an epic tapestry based on the life of Spanish trans icon Cristina “La Veneno” Ortiz. At the heart of the series, alongside the figure of La Veneno herself, is a compelling, beautifully layered performance by... Continue Reading →
Creators Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrosi, who also direct six out of the eight episodes in this stunning HBO Max co-production limited series, lovingly and masterfully weave an epic tapestry of the life of Spanish trans icon Cristina "La Veneno" Ortiz (Daniela Santiago, Isabel Torres), based on her memoirs, Not A Whore, Not A Saint,... Continue Reading →
Los Angeles-based British photographer, Magnus Hastings, has spent the last spent three years shooting images for his latest book, Rainbow Revolution, in London, LA, New York, and San Francisco. Hastings' elegantly simple concept—each subject was asked to strike a pose in a custom made white box—allowed for a wealth of creativity and individual expression of... Continue Reading →
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 →
Gil Baroni's Alice Júnior is a neon pink filled delight that stylishly puts the T in teen movie. The dynamic, fast-paced opening sequence, with some great aerial shots by cinematographer Renato Ogata, immediately takes us into the coastal city of Recife in North Eastern Brazil and into the bedroom of the charismatic and self-assured titular... Continue Reading →
Posy Dixon's debut feature documentary Keyboard Fantasies: The Beverly Glenn-Copeland Story is a delicate, nuanced and life-affirming tribute to the experimental folk-jazz turned synth singer-songwriter. With an interview with the musician, who now goes by Glenn Copeland, at its centre, the film paints an intimate biographical portrait focused on his emotional and creative journey, with... Continue Reading →
Equal is an ambitious, fast-paced, dynamic, creatively told, often gripping and frequently moving four-part docu-series landing on HBO Max this LGBTQ History Month to remind us that queer history in the USA did not begin and end with the Stonewall riots in June 1969. The final episode though, Stonewall: From Rebellion to Liberation, directed by... Continue Reading →
The second episode of HBO Max's impactful four-part LGBTQ+ rights docu-series Equal, focuses on stories of trans pioneers and trans resistance. Bookended by the Compton's Cafteria riot, we're presented with figures that might already be familiar like Christine Jorgensen as well as names we're far less likely to have encountered, such as Black trans socialite,... Continue Reading →
Following her work as director of photography on Sam Feder's groundbreaking documentary Disclosure, Ava Benjamin Shorr has now lensed the dynamic and stirring four-part LGBTQ+ civil rights docu-series Equal, which premieres on HBO on Thursday October 22nd. Her work on the series saw her collaborate with directors Stephen Kijak and Kimberly Reed to create visually... Continue Reading →
