FESTIVAL FILMS
IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER
All I want for Christmas is You…Gone!
A music video for the opposite of a romantic Christmas song.
Karla Guy – Director
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Amor – the tune of love
Malayalam music video which carries the emotional elements of gay romance, the enticing feel of belongingness and missing. The music video is a dedication to everyone who believes in the power and love and campaign for human rights of the LGBTIQ community.
Jijo Kuriakose-Director
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And What if I Am?
Bullied by classmates and lacking support from his parents, Tim is suspended from school and left at home alone. Rebelling against his mother’s instructions, Tim chooses to spend the day with Josh, a mysterious new student in his class.
Bryan Powers – Director/Writer/Producer
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At Home Among Strangers
This intimate portrait of Sasha Smirnov, a gay asylum seeker, explores the steep price he pays for freedom after coming out publicly in Russia. As a 40 year old journalist without English language skills, Sasha fights to find his place In the US.
Asya Gorbacheva – Director/Producer
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BROTHER
With his wedding to Carlos approaching, Tony, a young immigrant to the US, invites his conservative elder sister to the ceremony — a fateful decision that forces Tony to choose between his family and his happiness.
Aleksei Borovikov – Director/Writer/Producer
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Book of Dan
Dan, a gay dad, struggles with his son’s decision to take on an unusual job for the summer.
Don Scime – Director/Writer/Producer/Cast
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Catfight
Catfight is the story of a love and hate relationship between childhood friends SONIYA and VEDICA, who do not know how to express their true feelings and emotions for each other.
Keshhav Panneriy – Director
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Don’t Say Butterfly
Sam is working on a science project about butterflies. That night his mom leaves him in the apartment by himself for a few hours, the perfect time to explore another side of him.
Sebastian M. Olivier -Director
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Faith
Set in a small New England town during the height of the witch hunt: a fearless and absent-minded teenage girl, Faith, is accused of being a witch by her jealous ex-girlfriend. Faith’s current girlfriend and love of her life now must overcome impossible odds and rescue her from Puritanical prosecution.
Oliver Schaffer – Director/Writer/Producer
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Fury Has An Anthem
A musically fueled martial-artist has to fight off toxic masculinity while searching for new love.
James Newman – Director
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One Love
“One Love” is a collaborative and sustainable fashion short celebrating fluidity and universal love for each other and our planet, with underlying environmental and social messaging surrounding topics of water protection and gender equality. This film narrates our talent Lauren Bailey’s gender journey and depicts the honest emotions, thoughts, and experiences of navigating a gendered society and fashion industry as a non-binary person.
Nahlia Loren Couto – Director/Writer/Producer, Lauren Bailey -Talent
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Polywood
A playful, tongue-in-cheek jab at the modern dating scene, serial singleton Clayton’s first date nerves wane within minutes of meeting August. But as Clayton’s confidence grows, August drops a bombshell – he isn’t single.
Alessio Mineo – Director/Writer
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Pressure Makes Diamonds
When all the other kids in Port Chester, New York went outside to play after school, young Anthony Valbiro raced to his basement rec room… to grab a microphone, turn on the reel-to-reel and croon his heart out. In this film, based on an autobiographical one-man play of the same name, Anthony draws us into the “quest for fame” that was his 1960’s childhood. Along the way, we ponder questions about how the people who raise us shape us, what constitutes “success,” and at what cost do we pursue our deepest dreams.
Stephanie Schleicher – Director, Anthony Valbiro – Writer/Lead Actor
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Sapling
A writing session quickly goes from creative to uncomfortable as a young writer is asked to participate in an uncomfortably edgy game of ‘Truth Or Dare’ by her mentor.
Dhwani Shah -Director/Writer
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Somewhere Over That Rainbow
Coming out is hard, and no one said that once you’re out, life gets any easier. Somewhere over that Rainbow follows the journey of six young people searching for acceptance and freedom.
Rhiannon Williams – Director/Writer
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There Are Things To Do
Urvashi Vaid, an outspoken immigrant, lesbian and woman of color was an LGBTQ+ superhero who believed in human rights for all people and helped shape the modern day gay rights movement. Her vision for the movement serves as a roadmap of initiatives & tools for generations of activist as they face the anti-LGBTQ+ backlash. Her life in Provincetown, Massachusetts and decades-long relationship with partner Kate Clinton inspired her call to action to achieve equality by creating community.
Mike Syers – Director
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The Exploding Boy
Alex Silver dreams of becoming the next Jim Henson. Unfortunately, his life is no happy puppet show. His dad is overbearing, his school is oppressive, and even people in the neighborhood seem out to get him. But everything changes when Julius, a mysterious transfer student, enters his life. With Julius’ upbeat optimism, Alex slowly learns to better himself, step by step.
Monty Wolfe + Ian Southworth – Directors
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The Glamour is Gone But Not for Long
When conservative President Bichael Showles announces that “glamour” and all forms of “glamourism” are now illegal in an effort to stop the corruption of the country’s children, self-proclaimed filthy drag performer Mx. Ology takes this news as an opportunity to start illegally creating and selling the abstract concept of glamour as an act of resistance and self-interest.
Jamie Hager – Director/Writer
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The Little Piratemaid
The Little Piratemaid is about what it’s like to discover yourself as a trans person in a cis-normative world—even if that world is one of pirates and mermaids! This short film focuses on the moments of realization, the initial stages of transition, and the courage it takes for a little pirate girl to simply be herself.
Luke Beatrice – Director
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The Outing
Claire plans a vacation to come out as gay to her conservative family, but whenever she gets close, they come out to her first.
Carolina Ratcliff – Director/Writer
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The Reflection of the Cranes
Lucia, a 45-year-old woman, leads a routine life in her roadside inn, when one day Amelia, a young traveler trying to find part of her past in some local waterfalls, shows up at her reception. When an immediate attraction arises between them, the insecurities of one and the fears of the other will hinder the contact between them. It is only through a game of reflexes that one will be able to approach the vulnerabilities of the other.
Juan Ballesteros – Director/Writer
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Tina Town
Three young gay men who are best friends, two of them married to each other, find the memories of their individual childhood traumas so painful they turn to crystal meth, “Tina”, their “painkiller.” After years of using they all descend to a world that might be imaginary or real called Tina Town where residents are met immediately with two choices: stop using the drug which would allow for possible escape and a chance to continue living or use and face the wrath of the town’s unofficial leader, Mr. Jones, who, upon catching a young resident, rapes and kills them. Two of the characters, Sammy and Andy who are married to each other, must mourn the loss of their friend, Ashtyn, who was recently captured. Sammy and Andy are left and faced with the two choices which they find almost impossible to make. Tina Town explores crystal meth addiction, trauma, the horrors of the passage of time but at heart the film is a love story of two gay men and the lengths they will go to save each other thereby saving themselves.
Michael Hyman – Director/Writer/Producer
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Unnamed
Zainab is a successful girl who supports her family financially, but considers herself a boy in spirit, and now she has decided to undergo gender transition, but in addition to her family’s opposition and the society’s inappropriate view of this issue, she has more difficulties There is something more important to come. she, who played in the country’s national volleyball team for a while and is now in the Bartar league, if she does this, she will be removed from professional volleyball forever due to her short stature compared to men, and not only will she lose her professional future, but also her livelihood and her family who are under her care will be in trouble.
Iranmehr – Salimi – Director/Writer/Producer
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