The Writer (2024)

Valentina

A trans girl and her mother move to a new town in order to start fresh, but quickly face dilemmas when the local high school needs a second parental signature for enrollment.

Narcissus and Goldmund

In the dark middle ages, young unruly Goldmund is sent to a monastery by his father to atone for the sins of his mother, who abandoned them. There, he meets Narcissus, a brilliant, scholarly novice who is introverted and aloof. A unique and deep life-long friendship is born. Narcissus chooses to remain detached from the world in prayer and meditation. Goldmund, passionate, sensual and impulsive, runs away from the monastery to live a picaresque wanderer’s life, his amorous and artistic adventures leading him to discover the extremes of both ecstasy and pain. Several thrilling years pass until one day these friends cross paths again...

12 Points

Jonas's father expresses his enthusiasm about Conchita Wurst's victory at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014. Hence, his 18-year-old son works up the courage to come out as a homosexual and introduce his boyfriend to his parents unexpectedly, his father's euphoria about the tolerance and open-mindedness displayed at the Song Contest comes to a sudden end.

Albino

Yashima is a woman who works as a plumber. She is also uncomfortable with her own sexuality. One day she visits a home for a job and meets Kyu. Yashima senses Kyu's eyes watching her. They become intimate, but a dark secret is soon revealed.

100m Freestyle

Polo and Domingo spend their last days together between Ciudad Mendoza and Cordoba, in Veracruz, Mexico, before Domingo moves to another city for college. Domingo has to say goodbye to his girlfriend, Mina; while Polo deals with his feelings towards his best friend in the little time they have left.

Give Up the Ghost

While doing their homework on a winter afternoon, schoolmates Charlie and Matt share a kiss. But Matt snaps and storms off. Later at a catechism lesson, Matt accuses Charlie of it not being consensual and an argument erupts.

Help

Ali, a delinquent, is living a chaotic life. His life changes when he meets Souraya, a prostitute threatened by Jacques, a mob guy who is having problems at home. One day, while driving him in his cab to his office, Maroun notices their extreme resemblance. The choices of some and the destinies of others meet and change their existences.

The Male Gaze: Bitter Sweet

Take a trip on the wild side with these six daring short films from Mexico, Portugal, Brazil, Spain and France that uncover the power of nature and mysticism, family ties that bond yet suffocate, the vagaries of same sex attraction, the pain of memory, the thrill of what's to come. The 6 short films are: Memory of An Afternoon On the Roof [Recuerdo de una tarde en la azotea] (2022); Afternoon Sun [À Tarde, Sob o Sol] (2020); Sweet Water [Água Doce] (2023); Cor Petit (2023); Haiku (2022); The Boy Who Wanted to Fly [El niño que quería volar] (2018).

Broken Sky

Gerardo is deeply in love with longtime lover Jonas. When Jonas falls for a stranger he met at a local nightclub, heartbroken Gerardo soon seeks solace in the arms of Sergio. Despite other interests, Gerardo and Jonas can't bring themselves to end it.

Drive Inside

KYRIE and SHAKA come from two different worlds. Kyrie insists that no one picks him up directly from his home in East Cleveland and Shaka, who is far more well off, is more than willing to flaunt what he has and throw out money on the newest games and sneakers. Still, they are best friends trying to get through life together. Kyrie struggles to come out to his best friend before leaving for college. Shaka doesn't know how to tell Kyrie that he is moving to a different state. It's a story about humanity, politics, fear, and its consequences, all told from the perspective of two teens in East Cleveland, Ohio.

Mehmet & Tim

Mehmet and Tim are best friends for as long as they can remember. However, they are at the foot of a major event. An event that will change their friendship forever.

To Be or Not to Be

A bad Polish actor is just trying to make a living when Poland is invaded by the Germans in World War II. His wife has the habit of entertaining young Polish officers while he's on stage, which is also a source of depression to him. When one of her officers comes back on a Secret Mission, the actor takes charge and comes up with a plan for them to escape.

The Cakemaker

Thomas, a young German baker, is having an affair with Oren, an Israeli married man who has frequent business visits in Berlin. When Oren dies in a car crash in Israel, Thomas travels to Jerusalem seeking for answers regarding his death. Under a fabricated identity, Thomas infiltrates the life of Anat, his lover’s newly widowed wife, who owns a small Café in downtown Jerusalem. Thomas starts to work for her, creating German cakes and cookies that bring her Café to life. Thomas finds himself involved in Anat’s life in a way far beyond his anticipation. To protect the truth he will stretch his lie to a point of no return.

Samira

Janosch, an interpreter, is called to help during a police deployment at the Port of Hamburg. A young African woman has barricaded herself in a container ship and threatens to commit suicide. In order to get her out, Janosch promises to help her, an offer which bears unexpected consequences.

Silence

After being discovered trying to escape, a woman must survive the night with her abusive girlfriend.

The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy

A close-knit group of gay friends share the emotional roller coster of life, relationships, the death of friends, new beginnings, jealousy, fatherhood and professional success. At various stages of life's disarray, these young men share humorous and tragic relationships and always have each other to rely on.

The Outlaw

Newly appointed sheriff Pat Garrett is pleased when his old friend Doc Holliday arrives in Lincoln, New Mexico on the stage. Doc is trailing his stolen horse, and it is discovered in the possession of Billy the Kid. In a surprising turnaround, Billy and Doc become friends. This causes the friendship between Doc and Pat to cool. The odd relationship between Doc and Billy grows stranger when Doc hides Billy at his girl Rio's place after Billy is shot.

Far Side of the Moon

After the death of his mother, a man tries to discover a meaning to his life, to the universe and to rebuild a relationship with the only family he has left: his gay brother.

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

Two drag performers and a transgender woman travel across the desert to perform their unique style of cabaret.

American Gigolo

Julian makes a lucrative living as an escort to older women in the Los Angeles area. He begins a relationship with Michelle, a local politician's wife, without expecting any pay. One of his clients is murdered and Detective Sunday begins pumping him for details on his different clients, something he is reluctant to do considering the nature of his work. Julian begins to suspect he's being framed. Meanwhile Michelle begins to fall in love with him.

And the Band Played On

The story of the discovery of the AIDS epidemic and the political infighting of the scientific community hampering the early fight with it.

Testosterone: Volume Three

The third volume in a collection of the hottest gay shorts from around the world takes us from a teen’s dangerous affair with an older man, to a resurfaced love at a circuit party, an awkward first gay experience, a father and son’s tumultuous relationship, and the effects jealousy has on a relationship. The 5 shorts include: 1992 (2016); Just Me (2018); Silverlake Afternoon (2018); Tellin' Dad (2017), The Jealous Sea (2018).

Two of Us

Nina and Madeleine have been sharing their lives and the landing between their two apartments for decades. After more than 20 years of loving in the shadows, Madeleine promises Nina she will tell her family the truth. It takes an unexpected event to show her the importance of living your truth.

G O'Clock

Alex is a paramedic who saves lives on London's gay chemsex scene, but can he save himself from it?

Fat People

Due to many reasons, ranging from insecurity to trauma, a group of people have gained a lot of weight in recent times.

The End of the Rainbow

Uwe Friessner’s first feature, At the End of the Rainbow, follows the exploits of a West Berlin teenager named Jimmi who ekes out a living through petty theft and part-time hustling, hangs out in punk clubs, and who, for reasons which this film subtly details, is thoroughly unemployable. Drawing on his own experience in trying to help a young runaway who eventually committed suicide, Friessner wrote into Jimmi’s story several older students who attempt to find work for him, and who give him shelter for a time in their commune.

Two Fish

Max is spending his summer on campus. A lonely place in maintenance. His best friend Taylor comes back from Europe and their relationship takes a new turn.

15

Five troubled teens, abandoned by society and family, form a bond in a world of violence, drugs, and self-destruction, facing harsh realities of modern Singapore.

The Map of Sex and Love

Young Chinese-American filmmaker Wei-ming travels from New York to his childhood home on Lamma Island to make a video documentary about the imminent opening of a Disneyland theme park in Hong Kong. While doing research for the project, he meets Larry, a dancer/choreographer.

The Commitment

Kasal is a slice of life drama of a gay couple whose resolve to stay together is challenged as they attend a wedding. It also is an examination on how a gay couple navigates through the different institutions in Philippine society.

The Flock

Two teenage outcasts, who resent their schoolmates and teachers, resolve to spread panic in school through a series of anonymous vandalism acts. Little by little, the game loses its innocent approach and the boys find themselves absorbed in a dangerous spiral of violence that seems to have no limits.

Stonewall

A group of gay friends try to live with dignity and self-respect while events build to the opening battle in the major gay rights movement.

Budapest, Closed City

Peter takes his British friend Adam on a personal but political tour around Budapest. In an underground club, Adam makes a move at Peter — who now has to come clear with his own feelings.

Happy Endings Sleepover

American CIA Field Operative, Johnnie Allen, is assigned to Denmark for his first mission. An American spy highly placed in the Kremlin is to be spirited out of Russia, and it is Johnnie's job to get him safely to Antwerp where the agent will board a freighter. Johnnie, who is a young gay man, meets and falls in love with a Danish lad named Sander, who is apparently straight. Wanting to keep his friend close to him, he makes the mistake of bringing him on the mission. What will become of their friendship if Johnnie confesses his love to Sander? And is the Russian agent all he seems to be? Set against a backdrop of European espionage, Happy Endings Sleepover is a celebration of gay youth in a world where love should never be Top-Secret.

Atoms

Hugo, 34, an educator at the boarding school, finds is daily life disrupted by Jules, a provocative teenager.

Glen or Glenda

A psychiatrist tells two stories: one of a trans woman, the other of a pseudohermaphrodite.

Who Am I Now?

New friends Erin and Alex discover a mutual attraction that neither of them have ever felt before. While Alex tries to navigate her feelings, Erin refuses to acknowledge that she might be gay and heads down a path of self-destruction. Faced with Erin's denial, Alex must decide whether to follow her own path, or fight for the first person she's ever loved.

Green Butterflies

Mateo is an intelligent boy who falls in love with Daniel, but when everyone reveals that relationship, Mateo is at a crossroads, and he will have to decide between fighting his adversities or giving up everything, even his life.

The Memory of You

Adam is going to dinner with his wife, when he is disrupted by something from his past. 'The Memory of You' is a story about a love that never was, and the promise of what could have been, shot in one single take during a quiet night on a Stockholm side street.

Get Real

Sensitive rural town model student Steven Carter hides his gay feelings, except with his neighbor and best friend Linda. Suddenly his desperate search for partners leads to a blind date with golden boy John Dixon, bound for an Oxbridge career.

Discretion

Derek's picture-perfect life as a family man and college professor is compromised when he falls for Trysten, a handsome new student.

A Kid Like Jake

On the eve of the admissions cycle for New York City kindergartens, Alex and Greg Wheeler have high hopes for four-year-old Jake. The director of Jake's preschool encourages them to accentuate Jake's gender expansive behavior to help him stand out. As Alex and Greg navigate their roles as parents, a rift grows between them, one that forces them to confront their own concerns about what's best for Jake, and each other.

The Catcher Was a Spy

Former major league baseball player Moe Berg lives a double life working for the Office of Strategic Services in World War II Europe.

Colours

In the aggressive and often hostile world of youth grass roots football, Adam faces an ultimatum from the team captain when they discover Adam's best friend Tom is gay.

Coming Home

Gay high school couple - Ivan, a well-behaved local Taiwanese, and Eric, a rebellious international student from the US, take a road trip down the most dangerous highway in Taiwan. Their trip is cut short when Eric reveals that he must return home after graduation, forcing Ivan to confront his darkest demons.

Crossroads

After the death of his wife, a father finds out his son is gay and confronts him leading to devastating consequences.

Salt

In a big city, a solitary computer technician meets an intriguing man on a website, where people share their fantasies.

The Angry Toy

Silvio, a young poet and inventor, struggles to find employment and to give meaning to his life. Silvio has a homosexual relationship, which leaves him traumatized.

Like Love

An offbeat love story about campus life around the An Zi Yan and Mai Ding who start military training as college acquaintances, Mai Ding was the one who made the first move to An Zi Yan, they have a good relationship and gradually felt sparks. After their relationship strengthens, their relationship is obstructed by their family and friends, like An Zi Yan’s sister Ansul who has a difficult attitude. An Zi Yan secretly asks help from his ex-girlfriend Bai Xiao Si. Based off the best-selling novel of the same name by Angelina.

Savage Fire

In the city of Cajamar, in the middle of ruined nature, lonely characters deal with the police, rodeos and mysterious fires.

He Won't Belong

In the midst of a storm, on a desolate strip of California's lost coast, two strangers begin to uncover each other's past.

Venena Bibas

In a Catholic seminary, Brother Nestor is found dead and his best friend, Brother Esteban, tells the story of the events that preceded his death. There, a repressed and unhealthy love is discovered.

Wolves

Teenager Josh lives alone with his father in a remote corner of the British countryside. Their relationship is strained, and Josh spends much of his time exploring the nearby woods, but his life takes an unexpected turn when he meets a mysterious boy, wearing nothing but his underwear, shivering with cold and unable to speak.

Sipping

Santiago and Jared , two teenagers of opposite personality spend an afternoon together looking for ways to overcome their differences. After an act that begins as a game their senses will find the space to coincide.

Poster Boy

When the victim of a violent hate attack joins a gay gun club, he finds himself caught between two rival gay rights activists seeking to manipulate his story for their own agendas - one the club's charismatic leader, the other his domineering partner.

Yossi & Jagger

A sociological study of two men in the Israeli army who are lovers. The others in the unit react to their situation, suspecting, but not always understanding. One will leave the military soon, a few months away, as a snowy and desolate outpost is guarded from attack.

Poster Boy

The gay son of a conservative senator who is also the poster boy for his father's re-election unknowingly befriends a gay activist bent on destroying the hypocritical campaign.

The Fluffer

Self-effacing, boyish Sean moves to LA to pursue a career in movies but finds it tougher than he imagined. He stumbles onto porn star Johnny Rebel - a handsome, muscled dream of men and women alike - who awakens Sean’s deep obsession.

Where the Day Takes You

King is a young man, but he's already a veteran of life on the streets of Los Angeles. The de facto leader of a group of teenage runaways, King acts as a mentor to troubled kids such as gay hustler Little J and junkie Greg. When Heather, a beautiful girl from Chicago, starts hanging out with King and his crew, it changes the dynamic of the gang. However, it seems as though nothing will alter their dangerous lifestyle.

Trio

When a polyamorous trio seems to be living its peaceful everyday life, the arrival of a girl is ready to upset their balance and change their destinies forever.

Skipping Stones

After trying his luck in Berlin, Mitja returns to Slovenia where he is greeted by his boyfriend Bojan. The reunion turns out to be less than ideal as Mitja struggles to tell Bojan a secret that could cost him their relationship. But before he finds the right moment, things quickly get out of hand.

A Stranger to Myself

Ben satisfies his longing for closeness and love with strange men and sex dates. But every time he feels empty. How can he break that circle?

Late for Break Time

During a football training, two friends celebrate a goal effusively, which causes an unexpected reaction in one of them.

Swans

By living his entire life fearing the prejudice of others, Aksel inadvertently made himself the source of true bias. Now, the real victims of prejudice will be revealed, as his secret is laid out for the world to see.

Pornographer: Continued Spring Life

After overcoming differences, Rio Kijima and Haruhiko Kusumi grow closer. But tensions rise when family secrets and outside questions threaten their deepening bond.

What Did You Eat Yesterday?

Kenji is overjoyed when his usually thrifty boyfriend takes him on a trip to Kyoto for his birthday, but the trip ends up uncovering a painful topic.

Cut!

Marcos, an unsuccessful film director, is immersed in the shooting of his new film, a queer giallo, when a series of terrible murders starts to happen in Barcelona.