Boys' Shorts
In these sexy, fun and darkly entertaining boys shorts, we see the hilarious terrors of gay childhood, an Internet hook-up with unexpected motivation and what happens when you hate musicals. You might wonder if theres hope for a gay Lothario, and sometimes you'll see that when you go home, the end is just the beginning.
Mark Christopher
Stephen Cummins
Laurie Lynd
Michael Mayson
Chris Newby
Marlon Riggs
Also Directed by Mark Christopher
A pizza deliveryman develops a bond with a girl nearly half his age.
It's the 1990s. Toby, just out of college in Wisconsin, comes to Manhattan to spend the summer with his older cousin, Packard, a gay man whose lover John R. has just died of AIDS. Toby is shy, the openly-gay society around him makes him nervous. Packard gives Toby a pair of John R.'s shoes; when Toby puts them on, he has powerful visions of the pre-AIDS scene in the 1970s, as if he's there. He also takes on a different personality when he wears the shoes, more sure of himself, able to express his interest in men. Wearing the shoes, Toby goes to a bar, hooks up with Dick, and wakes up in Dick's bed. How will he handle it? And what will happen to the shoes?
H.G. (Corey Sorenson) living a happy and openly gay life in New York must return to Iowa to help his alcoholic father save the family farm. He no longer feels he is a member of his family tribe but digs into the work along side his father and a hired hand, Ryan (Lachlan Neiboer), who has his own set of problems raising his younger brothers and sisters following the death of their parents. He comes out to his high school sweetheart, Dawn (Taylor Gwynn) who raises a ruckus at the nrews and outs him to the whole town, forcing his father to take to his bed with a bottle. Alone one night in the most desolate part of town he runs into Ryan and discover the farm hand is not exactly the ladies man people think he is.
Anthonlogy of four gay-themed stories centered around the idea of first-time crushes.
Shane, a Jersey boy with big dreams, crosses the river in hopes of finding a more exciting life at Studio 54. When Steve Rubell, the mastermind behind the infamous disco, plucks Shane from the sea of faces clamoring to get inside his club, Shane not only gets his foot in the door, but lands a coveted job behind the bar – and a front-row seat at the most legendary party on the planet.
Compilation of four short films about homoerotic situations involving young men. In "Trevor", by Peggy Rajski, a teenager faces homophobia and falls in love for the first time. Tom DeCerchio directed "Nunzio's Second Cousin", telling the story of a gay cop who forces a gay-basher to come to his house and have dinner with his family. In "Alkali, Iowa", by Mark Christopher, a young gay man finds out some of his father's past secrets. And "Must Be the Music", by Nickolas Perry, follows four teenagers looking for love in nightclubs.
On his family's farm in rural Iowa, young Jack Gudmanson is wrestling with his sexual identity, not an easy thing to do in the macho world of the Midwest. But things become clearer for him when he discovers via a rusty old lunch box filled with gay magazines that his father, killed in Vietnam, led a double life down on the farm. But as liberating as the discovery is for Jack, it is painful for his grandfather and mother, who have tried for years to keep it a family secret. Now Jack must decide whether to share this new information with his younger sister or allow it to remain buried a while longer.
Also Directed by Stephen Cummins
Two men are on an elevator when fantasy intervenes. Going up? Going down?
A stylized, wordless look at two men in Sydney: a gay man and a man who leads a gay-bashing gang. The gay man, recovering from his beating, practices dance that is sometimes tai chi, sometimes ballet, sometimes modern jazz. The man who rescued him from the beating is his teacher, his lover, and his dance partner. We also see his attacker, who, trapped in machismo, mistreats his own girlfriend as well. By the end, the male couple is joined by a third dancer, a woman, suggesting an artistic and social harmony
Also Directed by Laurie Lynd
A look into the insular world of Gay Men's culture during the AIDS crisis, RSVP is a lyrical piece woven together with a song. As Sid returns home from his lover Andrew's funeral, he flips on the radio to find the DJ announcing Andrew's call in request for the song from weeks before his death.
A little boy found wandering the streets is taken in by Bob and Joan, a kindly couple. The boy is cold, wet and desperate for shelter, but Bob and Joan are perplexed by his claims that he was once a rat. Meanwhile, rumours are rife at the newspaper about the prince's new love: a girl who captivated everyone at the palace ball.
Eric and Sam have been in a committed relationship for four years. Eric's a former hockey player turned sportscaster and Sam's a sport's lawyer. But when Sam's adventure seeking brother Billy, takes a job in South America, his ex-girlfriend, Julie, is discovered dead from a drug overdose leaving her son Scot (not Billy's son) to Billy.
The story of two young lovers...
Brash humor and genuine emotion make up this original series revolving around the lives, loves, ambitions, careers and friendships of a group of gay men and women living on Liberty Avenue in contemporary Pittsburgh, PA. The show offers an unapologetic look at modern, urban gay and lesbian lives while addressing the most critical health and political issues affecting the community. Sometimes racy, sometimes sensitive and always straight to the heart.
Sometimes it takes something special to bring a mother and daughter together. For thirteen year-old Lucy and her mom, Holly, it took a little magic. One day a strange computer glitch causes Holly to transform into a teenager leading to craziness, fun and ultimately true friendship.
Skilfully revealing the homophobia behind the headlines, this doc traces the devastating impact of the 1980s AIDS epidemic and clears the name of the Québécois flight attendant who was infamously known as “patient zero.”
Tom comes to Toronto for a reading of his poetry. Tom's ex-lover Michael lives in Toronto but is now married. At Michael's home, surrounded by Michael's wife and dinner guests, the two men sing their secret thoughts to one another.
Comedy - Daniel MacIvor, Ben Cardinal, Patricia Collins House centers around Victor and his short takes on the walking wounded that illustrate man's inhumanity to himself. Fresh from group therapy, a man (Daniel MacIvor) shares odd anecdotes with 10 others inside a church.
When a recently retired military officer Colonel is tapped by his old friend to take over the military division to help save declining Stone Creek Academy, he immediately clashes with academics dean, a civilian woman whose "touchy-feely" methods are at complete odds with his.
Also Directed by Michael Mayson
Billy's gay. He has a lover, Gregory, but he can't bring himself to come out to his roommate and best friend, Rufus, a macho homophobe who also mistreats Natasha, his live-in girlfriend. When Natasha's sister Evelyn pays an unexpected visit, she catches Billy and Gregory fragrante delicto. Billy tries to buy her silence, but after collecting several bribes, she contrives to force the issue into the open. Rufus's response is just as Billy feared, the friendship ruptures, and then Rufus picks a fight with Nasasha that gets physical. She dumps him. Rufus is bereft and starts to get a clue about himself. Will Billy forgive him?
Also Directed by Chris Newby
Enter the medieval world of Christine Carpenter, a visionary girl who is to become an Anchoress (walled-in recluse) so that she can "live in the Virgin's house forever." Based on actual letters that were written about such an Anchoress in 1325, the film follows Christine as she awakens to her own sensuality and explores her own female, earth-based spirituality
The life of Charles Dickens recreated using puppets, live action and animation,
This is the story of Harry and Flint, an unlikely couple. Harry is a shy young gay man who can't seem to fit into his local bar scene. Flint is a crusty, older, and seemingly straight man with a questionable background. They meet on a gorgeous coastline, and evolve from distrust to deep love.
"Taste in the human tongue has five receptors: Salty, Bitter, Sour, Sweet and Umami. Umami is to be found in bacon. I imagined a great deal of this film while sitting on the end of Southend Pier which in itself is a kind of tongue or spit. I always set out to make jolly films but somehow they always go sinister on me. This one is no exception." Chris Newby
Rituals of prayer in the Norfolk countryside.
An old, bedridden man plays games that have a hint of the sinister about them.
A short film about kissing
The journey of a long distance swimmer becomes a voyage through all four elements.
Also Directed by Marlon Riggs
A collage of erotic images and a call to arms, with a feverish hip-hop energy that celebrates the lives of African American men.
Marlon Riggs and Peter Webster’s thesis project reflects on the heyday of Oakland blues in the late 1940s and ’50s, when an influx of African American shipyard workers mostly hailing from Louisiana and Texas arrived in the Bay Area. Combining vintage photographs, archival footage, interviews, and performances at venues like Eli’s Mile High Club, Riggs and Webster chronicle Oakland’s vibrant past while revealing an uncertain present.
From Amos 'n' Andy to Nat King Cole, from Roots to The Cosby Show, blacks have played many roles on primetime television. Brilliantly weaving clips from classic TV shows with commentary from TV producers, black actors and scholars, Marlon Riggs blends humor, insight, and thoughtful analysis to explore the evolution of black/white relations as reflected by America's favorite addiction.
Five gay Black men who are HIV-positive discuss how they are battling the double stigmas surrounding their infection and homosexuality.
Marlon Riggs, with assistance from other gay Black men, especially poet Essex Hemphill, celebrates Black men loving Black men as a revolutionary act. The film intercuts footage of Hemphill reciting his poetry, Riggs telling the story of his growing up, scenes of men in social intercourse and dance, and various comic riffs, including a visit to the "Institute of Snap!thology," where men take lessons in how to snap their fingers: the sling snap, the point snap, the diva snap.
A look at what it's like to be gay and black in America.
Marlon Riggs directed this independent documentary about black experience. Featuring Angela Davis, bell hooks, Michele Wallace, Cornel West, and others.
This documentary traces the deep-rooted stereotypes which have fueled anti-black prejudice.