Film

  When leading choreographer Jamal Sims came across the underground dance movement known as ‘bucking’, he was so taken with it that he decided that this would be the subject of his documentary directing debut. The result is a wonderfully energetic and a rather joyful movie that centers of a group of dancers,  and one in particular who is known as Big Anthony. As Sims explains ‘bucking’ was appropriated from scores of female cheerleading troupes in the South by groups of black gay men, who the women now admit, are not only more creative but better at it too.  It was Big Anthony who not only […]

  Life in The Doghouse is one of those documentaries that will touch the heart of the coldest of souls.  It’s a wonderful love story between two exceptional gay men and their ever-growing four-legged family which have taken over every semblance of what once passed as their ‘normal life’. Ron Danta and Danny Robertshaw, both in their 60’s, live on a horse farm in North Carolina where they very successfully train show horses.  How they have the time and energy to do this is never made that clear from the film, as most of their days (and nights) are occupied by the menagerie of […]

  This intriguing made-for-TV Australian drama directed by Jeffrey Walker is based on the real story of how Sydney’s famous LGBT Mardi Gras came into being.  This tale of how a very marginalized community struggled to win acceptance and basic equal rights may be well known to its home audience but is probably news to the rest of the world. The action starts back in early 1970’s when divorced father-of-three Lance Gowland (Damon Herriman) is now an openly gay man and ardent communist living in a commune and aggressively agitating for gay liberation.  As passionate as he is about ‘the cause’  he finds it enormously difficult to get other gay men involved […]

  For his documentary feature debut filmmaker, Jethro Patalinghug has turned his cameras on one of the oldest LGBT organizations in the country, the Imperial Council also known as the Imperial Court System.  Patalinghug takes a look at its glorious history as it celebrates its 50 year anniversary and now starts to question if there is still place for it in today’s LGBTQ community. The Imperial Court System was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1965 by José Sarria. In those dark days it was considered illegal for homosexuals to congregate in public together, but the owner of the Black Cat Cafe where Sarria worked as a drag queen, fought and won […]

  The social media star and model/actor Max Emerson courageously took on the pressing topic of homeless LGBT youth for his feature film writing/directing debut.  This fictionalized story was evidently inspired by the countless troubling emails Emerson received from when, at the grand old age of 25, he published his own memoir Hot Sissy – Life Before Flashbulbs.  He launched a Crowdsource Fund to make his film in a way that 50% of any profits would be passed to charities such as the Albert Kennedy Trust who specifically work with this too often neglected part of our community. His film is the story of a very good […]

  Trans filmmaker T Cooper’s new documentary follows four men as they prepare to compete in Trans Fit Con the only bodybuilding competition in the US  specifically for the trans community.  The contest rules simply state that everyone must identify as trans and as such they allow contestants to enter regardless at what point they are of their physically transitioning. Of the four, Mason is probably the one who takes the bodybuilding the most serious and follows a strict diet regime that would test the patience of a saint let alone his very supportive wife.    The two had dated sometime time ago and then broke […]

Scotty Bowers is a 94-year-old white-haired rascally old man who can remember the old days when he was the procurer that used to feed Hollywood stars’ insatiable appetite for all sorts of forbidden sex as if it was yesterday.  However, with most of the people he names in his rather mind-boggling stories being long dead, it is left to us to attempt to decipher what actually is the truth. For this new documentary filmmaker Matt Tyrnauer (Valentino: The Last Emperor ) takes Bowers’ own memoir as his source ‘Full Service: My Adventures in Hollywood and the Secret Sex Lives of the Star‘ yet extremely […]

  At last an iconic fashion designer finally gets a documentary that has been crafted in a style that truly matches his visionary clothes and is completely faithful to the integrity of his inspirational work.  The story of Alexander McQueen as portrayed in this new detailed profile from filmmakers Ian Bonhôte (AlleyCats) and Peter Ettedgui (son of legendary UK Fashion Retailer Joseph) shows a unique and remarkably talented genius whose dark side constantly troubled him and finally made him cut his own life so short. Born into a blue-collar family in London’s East End, Lee’s passion for making clothes ….. and […]

For his sophomore feature film Goya Award-winning director, Carlos Marques-Marcet chose to tackle a relatively new predicament that of a gay couple who are not on the same page about having a baby together. Salsa teacher Eva (Oona Chaplin ) and her Spanish girlfriend part-time bartender Kat (Natalia Tena) seem to have a rather idyllic life living on a barge as they cruise up and down the Regent Canal in London.  Then when Chorizo their cat dies, Eva announces that instead of replacing the pet, she would rather have a baby to make them into a real family. This is obviously not the […]