Roger Walker-Dack at www.queerguru.com

Despite the title’s reference to the original vogue movie PARIS IS BURNING this French documentary serves up a vibrantly haphazard fresh slice of chic. It builds on, rather than just borrows from, the African American ballroom scene.  If you like your intersectionality joyful, human and juicy rather than dry, theoretical and earnest this stiletto kick against the French establishment is en pointe. It is a behind the scenes exploration of the world of DJ Kiddy Smile following on from his controversial invitation from French President Emmanuel Macron to perform at the Elysee Palace. In the home of French tradition Smile and his […]

This is the stories of three middle-aged sad and depressed Iranians trying to cope with the reality that love has simply passed them by..  In this very bittersweet comedy from writer-director ALI JABERANSARI we see how these lonely individuals cope with the lack of a romantic relationship . Overweight Mina (FOROUGH GHAJABAGLI) ironically is the receptionist at a busy beauty clinic which helps people change their bodies.  She uses her job to copy down any good looking man’s phone number and sets about cat-fishing them.  She gets off hiding in the cafe she has arranged to meet her latest handsome victim so […]

This is the film that all MONTGOMERY CLIFT fans have waited for since his death at the far too early age of 45, and also the one to introduce to millenials who have never had joy of knowing of his existence, This wonderful queer actor, one of the most handsome Hollywood stars ever, has been the subject of so much scandalous and misleading sensationalism that has overlooked actual real facts that he may have made only 20 movies. but he was actually nominated  for an Oscar for his performance in 4 of them. The reason for the excitement and relief is that […]

FIlmmaker CHRISTIAAN OLWAGEN’S enchanting coming-of-age musical dramedy set in his homeland of South Africa takes a trope of extreme obstacles facing gay men in the 1980’s with such an inspired touch that makes this such a sheer joy of a movie. It’s the tale of teenage Johan Niemand (SCHALK BEZUIDENHOUT) who although he lives in a remote one-horse country town where he is bullied by the local youth for his effeminacy, he is also  encouraged by his gal pals to dress up in drag and dance to the music of his beloved Boy George.   When he gets drafted to do his compulsory […]

DANIEL NOLASCO’s intriguing documentary “Mr. Leather”  is a very affectionate profile of Brazil’s growing  gay leather community. He kicks off his tale with a highly amusing parody that hints at some dark political intrigue that ended up making Barbudo the very first winner of the Mr Leather title, and now the de-facto organiser of the second ever competition that is the subject of the film. Thirteen years ago when the mysterious  Mr D started the first leather night in Sao Paolo only one other person turned up.  Barbudo.  Now it is one of the most important leather parties in the […]

When the camera starts rolling on Birds of the Borderlands it is initially hard to work out if Australian genderqueer filmmaker /activist JORDAN BRYON is foolhardy or brave or equally part of both.  Bryon who prefers to use they, them, their pronouns on a whim took it upon themself to up and move to the country they had been named after. Their planned three month stay in Amman stretched to 18 months,  and they actually spent the next 5 years flitting all over the Middle East getting immersed in the lives of several LGBTQ people who’s sexuality was creating them major problems. […]

The openly gay Irish writer/director JOHN BUTLER follows his charming award-winning coming out tale HANDSOME DEVILwith an intriguing movie set in Los Angeles.  It’s the story of a good-looking local TV weatherman Sean (Matt Bomer) who we first meet when he is having an on screen meltdown on live TV.  His very understanding producers hustle him off and insist he takes a long earned break which he reluctantly agrees to do. Back home in one of those spectacular only-in-Hollywood homes with a view to die for two landscapers are waiting for him to take away the large potted tree that sits in the […]

For those of us in the LGBTQ community in the  US who have recently been looking North enviously at the positive and refreshing liberating leadership of PRIME MINISTER TRUDEAU may be shocked to discover that there is also long history of oppression that the Canadian authorities rigidly imposed on anyone suspected of being gay.  Particularly on those who had chosen to serve the Government or Country in any way.   It was Trudeau’s Prime Minister father  PIERRE who, following the UK’s lead in 1969, finally dicrimanlised homsoexuality paving the way for the ending of the witch hunt of gays and lesbians. SARAH FODEY’S compelling and rather […]

Velvet Buzzsaw that went straight from the SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL onto the Netflix is probably the campiest movie we have seen for some time. Written and directed by DAN GILROY and packed with a A list cast that included JAKE GYLLENHAAL, RENE RUSSO, TONI COLLETTE, TOM STURRIDGE and JOHN MALKOVICH  it’s a  psychological sci-fi thriller about how greed in the art world can have fatal consequences. Everyone is decked out in their best fashionista outfits and living in spectacular contemporary L.A. mansions with the exception of Josephina (ZAWE ASHTON) a junior Art Gallery agent who lives in an old apartment downtown. When one of her reclusive neighbors dies she discovers […]