The Male Gaze: Risk Appeal (2023)

Get Real

Steven spends his school days longing for all-star athlete John. But John has a gorgeous girlfriend, and Steven is still in the closet. Steven's sole confidant is his friend Linda. After a curious run-in with John in a public restroom, Steven starts to wonder if the jock is straight after all. When they begin a romance, it threatens to expose the truth about both of them.

The Male Gaze: The Boy Is Mine

We wish to make him ours, to keep and to hold forever - but will the boy reciprocate? And is he everything we expected him to be? In these five tales from the UK, France, Sweden, Mexico and the USA, a variety of characters throw caution to the wind and take their chances on a fleeting moment. The short films are: Uneven [Impar] (2016); Wolves (2016); Johnny (2018); Debut (2016); Guardian (2018).

The Deep End

With her husband Jack perpetually away at work, Margaret Hall raises her children virtually alone. Her teenage son is testing the waters of the adult world, and early one morning she wakes to find the dead body of his gay lover on the beach of their rural lakeside home. What would you do? What is rational and what do you do to protect your child? How far do you go and when do you stop?

My Old Ass

An 18th birthday mushroom trip brings free-spirited Elliott face-to-face with her wisecracking 39-year-old self. But when Elliott’s "old ass" starts handing out warnings about what her younger self should and shouldn't do, Elliott realizes she has to rethink everything about family, love, and what's becoming a transformative summer.

Hormones and Other Demons

Eduarda (Eddi) wants to become a woman, but what makes a woman? Maybe breasts help? She goes on holiday with her family and meets Lukas. Unfortunately, she is not the only family member who wants to feel attractive. Are we really defined by what others see?

Love in Country

It's 1968. Ian and John, two young point men in love in the midst of the Vietnam War, lead their squad in a desperate attempt to survive a botched Phoenix Mission, despite their Captain who has lost his humanity and who will use any means to win, including sacrificing the squad.

Good One

On a weekend backpacking trip in the Catskills, 17-year-old Sam contends with the competing egos of her father and his oldest friend.

My Partner

Two high school boys from different social worlds experience romantic feelings for each other. Edmar, a high-performing Filipino student, and Pili, a Native Hawaiian student-athlete, learn that navigating self-growth and teenage love in Hawaiʻi is as complicated as their understanding and love for Hawaiʻi and it’s ever-changing cultural landscape.

Runs in the Family

In this witty father-son story, we are introduced to Varun, a former scammer, and River, a trans drag performer, as they venture on a road trip across South Africa to rescue River's long-lost mother from a rehab clinic in eSwatini. River’s only worry is missing Her Majesty’s Drag Competition and the opportunity to win the prize money to pay for his top surgery. With secrets bubbling to the surface and a competition to win, their relationship will be tested like never before.

Midnight Tod

Due to his rebellious personality, Hao gets fired from his work. He takes all his belongings to stay at Tod's place. Unsatisfied with the current situation but remaining hopeful to the future, they try to do something to get back against the world and get what they deserve, even they have to go separate ways.

...Deserter

This film is about life at a country health resort seen through the eyes of Christos, a young man from Athens who has just been discharged from the army. Christos is there because he is enthralled by the rebellious Manolis, a three-time army deserter his same age. Now, conflicted Manolis grapples with overwhelming feelings and forbidden desires.

Red Yellow Pink

The story of a son and his mother. He: homosexual. She: strictly Roman Catholic. Two different worlds - a conflict is starting. Can love overcome all prejudices? A film against discrimination. A movie for acceptance.

Five Ways to Get Rid of a Hickey

Being caught at school giving each other a hickey, Manu (14) and Toña (15) begin a journey of desire, guilt and goodbyes.

Destiny Calls

It has been a year since Tod's death, yet Pla Thong still cannot move on.

Dogfriend

A date takes an unexpected turn in this meditation on race, politics, and history in Germany.

It Was Yesterday

Giò, a 13-year-old girl living in the south of Italy, is the head of a boys' gang. She's secretly in love with young Paola, and she's ready to compete with male opponents to win her heart. In the last day of summer, innocence ends.

In My Own Image

A son fails to feel sorry for the death of his father, a homophobic and bigoted man mainly due to his religious upbringing. The son has never confessed his homosexuality to his father and, desperate, he makes a very strong gesture to shout his homosexuality to God, the church and his father.

Antarctica

Set in Tel Aviv, focuses on an interconnected group of friends and their various relationships. At the center is the adorably bookish Omer, about to turn 30, who still hasn't found himself, and his free-spirited best friend Miki, who both end up inadvertently dating the same handsome journalist, Ronen.

The Children's Hour

An unruly student at a private all-girls boarding school scandalously accuses the two women who run it of having a romantic relationship.

Cowboys & Angels

This story concerns a hapless civil servant who gets more than he bargains for when he moves into an apartment in Limerick with a gay fashion student and becomes a star on the catwalk. A contemporary story embracing the essence of what it is to be young in today's Ireland.

7 Mujeres, 1 Homosexual y Carlos

Carlos (Mauricio Ochmann), 21 years old, decides to get married to Camila (Adriana Fonseca), his 18-year-old girlfriend, when he finds out that she was pregnant while he was away for five years.

Mapplethorpe

A look at the life of photographer Robert Mapplethorpe from his rise to fame in the 1970s to his untimely death in 1989.

Fallen Fruit

A heartbroken 20-something reluctantly returns to his childhood home in Miami, where he's forced to reevaluate his relationships in the face of a looming hurricane.

Desert Hearts

While waiting for her divorce papers, a repressed literature professor finds herself unexpectedly attracted by a carefree, spirited young woman named Cay.

Everything Is Illuminated

A young Jewish American man endeavors—with the help of eccentric, distant relatives—to find the woman who saved his grandfather during World War II—in a Ukrainian village which was ultimately razed by the Nazis.

Summer Storm

Tobi and Achim, the pride of the local crew club, have been the best of friends for years and are convinced that nothing will ever stand in the way of their friendship. They look forward to the upcoming summer camp and the crew competition. Then the gay team from Berlin arrives and Tobi is totally confused. The evening before the races begin, the storm that breaks out is more than meteor-logical.

Mala Noche

Walt is a lonely convenience store clerk who has fallen in love with a Mexican migrant worker named Johnny. Though Walt has little in common with the object of his affections — including a shared language — his desire to possess Johnny prompts a sexual awakening that results in taboo trysts and a tangled love triangle.

Bend It Like Beckham

Jess Bhamra, the daughter of a strict Indian couple in London, is not permitted to play organized soccer, even though she is 18. When Jess is playing for fun one day, her impressive skills are seen by Jules Paxton, who then convinces Jess to play for her semi-pro team. Jess uses elaborate excuses to hide her matches from her family while also dealing with her romantic feelings for her coach, Joe.

My Own Private Idaho

In this loose adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry IV," Mike Waters is a hustler afflicted with narcolepsy. Scott Favor is the rebellious son of a mayor. Together, the two travel from Portland, Oregon to Idaho and finally to the coast of Italy in a quest to find Mike's estranged mother. Along the way they turn tricks for money and drugs, eventually attracting the attention of a wealthy benefactor and sexual deviant.

7 Virgins

Tano is 16-years-old and is already sitting in jail. In 48 hours he’s a free man and off to the wedding of his brother. In the two days he recounts his neighborhood in a section of Sevilla.

Fire

In a barren, arranged marriage to an amateur swami who seeks enlightenment through celibacy, Radha's life takes an irresistible turn when her beautiful young sister-in-law seeks to free herself from the confines of her own loveless marriage.

Beauty Mark

A door-to door cosmetics saleswoman in 1986 finds a new customer.

My Young Prince

Pole - a mentally ill 17-year-old - lives in a luxurious estate, leads a profligate lifestyle and shows an unhealthy affection for his mother Sofia. Soon in the life of Pole and Sofia appear a young boy Antuan and his father Mark. Pole has a relationship with Antuan, and Sofia with Mark. But no matter how successful everything seems to be, the appearance of Antuan and Mark leads everyone to tragedy.

Doesn't Fall Far

A Father and a Son each have a secret. When both secrets come to light in the span of an evening, the two men must decide how to move forward in an attempt to salvage their relationship.

My Dad Works the Night Shift

Felix, fourteen, starts a relationship with an older boy, hoping to get caught by his conservative father so he can confront him.

The Bathhouse of Malatily

The film is an adaptation of the novel Samar Habib by Ismåeel Walieddin. author of Female Homosexuality in the Middle East: Histories and Representations. The main character, Ahmad, leaves rural eastern Egypt for the city hoping to become economically self-sufficient, gets an apartment for his parents, and obtains a law degree. He and his family are refugees from a town occupied by the Israeli army, Ismaåilia. Ali, the owner of the Malatily Bathhouse, offers to let him stay there for free. Ahmad encounters several characters there, including Naåeema, a prostitute who he becomes obsessed with, and Raouf, a homosexual man.

Old Narcissus

An old picture book writer named Yamazaki, having been handsome as a young gay man, grows narcissistic of his beauty. But now, can't bear his own aging. One night, Yamazaki meets a young and beautiful man named Leo. Yamazaki collapses during an S&M session with Leo, and reveals his agony. But it's lost on young Leo. Yamazaki turns to hurting himself in order to bear his own reflection in the mirror...

God's Own Country

A young farmer in rural Yorkshire numbs his daily frustrations with binge drinking and casual sex, until the arrival of a Romanian migrant worker.

O Princípio do Prazer

In a financially troubled farm in the 1930's, its depraved owners become attracted to their new handsome and young handyman.

Nowy świat

Three stories of immigrants trying to start new lives in Poland: an Afghan traumatised by the war, a Ukrainian lost in her own body, and a Belarusian running away from painful love. The Afghan, Azzam, works as a translator for the Polish army. In his homeland he is treated like a traitor. Having been evacuated to Poland, he is unable to shake off the war experiences. The Ukrainian, Wiera, escapes to Poland to undergo sex reassignment surgery in secret from her family. An unexpected visit from her father and little son will make her face the question of her own identity once more. Żanna, the Belarusian, leaves her husband, a dissident, and lives together with her daughter at her sister’s in Warsaw. She wants to move out as soon as possible and make a normal home. Things get complicated when her husband gets arrested again.

Quiet

Ali must lie and say she is her wife's sister so she can be with her in the hospital. Through Ali's memories, we see the women's relationship develop as Ali faces the truth in the present.

Electric July

In the burning heat of July, Thomas and Victor, two 14 years old teenagers, are bored to death and want to escape. Victor decides to take Thomas to an abandoned bridge. He will have to confront his fears and desires.

Out Now

Tom, 16, lives in a small town in Bavaria and is about to admit his homosexuality to society. Being mobbed and threatened in school and after some exiting experiences he overcomes his own barriers and makes his dream come true: getting into contact with others.

Tennessee Queer

Religion, politics and gay pride clash in a small Tennessee town when out, proud and living in New York Jason Potts returns home to make life better for the LGBT teenagers.

Latter Days

Christian, a hunky, 20-something, West Hollywood party boy gets more than he bargains for when he tries to seduce Aaron, a sexually confused Mormon missionary who moves into his apartment complex.

Boy Culture

A successful gay male escort describes in a series of confessions his tangled romantic relationships with his two roommates and an older, enigmatic male client.

Love & Human Remains

In a Canadian metropolis, failed actor David shares a place with the bookish Candy, whom he dated before coming out as gay. While David, who now waits tables, pursues an aimless romance with a younger coworker, Candy dabbles in both same-sex and heterosexual affairs. As David and Candy's odd assortment of friends — including a telepathic sex worker and an ill-tempered yuppie — pass in and out of their beds, a serial murder stalks the city's women.

Adored

South of France: Riki Kandinski and his elder brother Fredrico, come back to their family castle for their father's funeral. Fredrico knows nothing about his younger brother, but he notices that he is making big money and living in luxury all for a few days work a week. By pure chance, Fredrico gets his hands on a gay porn magazine and sees his brother in it.

Jeremiah

An Asian-American high school football player is forced to confront his deepest fears after a strange encounter with a mysterious figure.

The Trip

When 19-year-old gay-rights activist Tommy and 24-year-old Alan first meet in 1973, they find themselves on the opposite sides of the political coin...

T

Meghna, born as Vishnu, is subjected to abuse for exhibiting feminine behavior. She later turns to sex work in the Kinnar locality to explore her sexuality. After getting a corporate job, Meghna is terminated when her transgender identity is discovered. She undergoes sex reassignment surgery and starts working as India's first transgender taxi driver. Meghna becomes an advocate for the kinnar community and engages in social work to help improve their lives. Despite facing opposition and violence, Meghna remains dedicated to her cause and becomes a leader of her community.

The Bubble

The movie follows a group of young friends in the city of Tel Aviv and is as much a love song to the city as it is an exploration of the claim that people in Tel Aviv are isolated from the rest of the country and the turmoil it's going through. The movie looks at young people's lives in Tel Aviv through the POVs of gays and straights, Jews and Arabs, men and women.

Backspot

Riley, a mid-level cheerleader, lands on the All-Star squad, Thunderhawks. With a competition looming, Riley must navigate her crippling anxiety, her relationship with her girlfriend, and her desperate need for approval from her new coach.

Maybe... Maybe Not

The heterosexual man Axel is thrown out of his girlfriends home for cheating and ends up moving in with a gay man. Axel learns the advantages of living with gay men even though they are attracted to him and when his girlfriend wants him back he must make a tough decision.

Outlaw

Gay teen Nikita is in love with the most popular boy in his school, Alpha. Rebellious Outlaw, to whom anything appears to be permissible, watches on as their relationship develops. Simultaneously, we follow the tragic love story of a transgender dancer Nina and a Soviet general, set in 1985.

The Christmas Setup

Follows the story of New York lawyer Hugo who heads to Milwaukee with his best friend Madelyn to spend the holidays with his brother Aiden and his mom Kate, who is also in charge of the local Christmas celebrations. Ever the matchmaker, Kate arranges for Hugo to run into Patrick, Hugo’s high school friend and secret crush, who has recently returned after a successful stint in Silicon Valley. As they enjoy the local holiday festivities together, Hugo and Patrick’s attraction to each other is undeniable and it looks as though Kate’s Santa-style matchmaking is a success. But as Hugo receives word of a big promotion requiring a move to London, he must decide what is most important to him.

Wretched Things

A first-time model, a webcam sex worker, and a power-hungry homophobe journey through their insecurities and vulnerabilities. This hedonistic and seductive feature film challenges toxic hyper-masculinity and the abuse of power through three vignettes.

Phantom Project

Waiting for his big dream (a film role) to come true, Pablo works as a training actor in a patient-care programme at a medical faculty and a paid participant in group therapy sessions. To make ends meet, he sublets a room in his apartment in a suburb of Santiago de Chile. However, he seems to have lost control when his housemate departs, leaving him with rent arrears, a collection of plants, a dog, a woolly jumper, and... a house ghost. Pablo is 30, and when it comes to romance he is also chasing apparitions. He is secretly still in love with his ex-boyfriend, a popular YouTuber.

My Emptiness and I

Raphi, from France, fantasises about romances with princes, and about starting a traditional family. But in reality, things aren’t like that. She works in a call centre in Barcelona, struggles with at times embarrassing dates, and is diagnosed by her therapist as having gender dysphoria. During this confusing, yet valuable period, we follow this trans woman as she makes her transition, as well as in her everyday life. She talks candidly with colleagues, queer friends, and the men she meets through apps. In spite of all the advice she receives, it turns out that it is mostly time and experience that will help her embrace her place in this world.

Every Waking Moment

Inspired by the true story of Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears, 'Every Waking Moment' is a snapshot in the lives of two musicians, a composer and a tenor, who must hide their forbidden love away from the eyes of the public.

Via Appia

Frank, a HIV infected former Lufthansa steward, goes back to Rio from Germany with a film crew to look for Mario, a young man with whom he had a one night stand. Before Mario departed the morning after, he left a message scrawled in soap on the bathroom mirror: 'Welcome to the AIDS club'. Frank and his director hire a fast talking hustler named José (Guilherme di Padua) to help them to find Mario who seems alway to have just left whenever they arrive. Via Appia is the nickname of a Rio district where male prostitutes hang out...

Why Not!

A threesome becomes a foursome in this sensitive drama. The tale begins with the relationship between a recently divorced man and woman (from different marriages) and the bisexual they get involved with. At first all three are happy in their new arrangement, but then the divorced fellow suddenly leaves and those remaining in the relationship become quite tense. Fortunately the fellow returns with another, more conventional fellow. Eventually the three persuade him to join them.

The Eighth Sense

In Seoul, a senior and freshman confront their inner demons as they embark on a transformative journey of self-discovery, anchored by a bond of the transformative power of human connection.

Ladyboy

Kristian, who is a transvestite, still lives at home with his mother Emma, because she loves him just the way he is. Life as a transvestite offers many humiliations from the outside world, but with his mom, Kristian feels that he can be himself. Until one day when Emma meets the alcoholic Søren, who does not have the same tolerance...

Rope and Boys

Yuji is an university student living with his older brother. When he runs into an old acquaintance on the street, the two begin an affair and Yuji ends up getting drawn into the world of S&M clubs, where men put up elaborate and decadent shows for their customers.

Coming of Age: Vol. 6 - The Roger Lambert Anthology

Puberty is an ordeal and a joy. Children become adolescents: how do they react to this development? With the help of four different short films, the Brit Roger Lambert succeeds in wonderfully fathoming this important time. In "Split" (1974), a boy with behavioral difficulties tries to make life bearable with imaginary aliens. In "I Want To Be Famous" (1976), it's Steve, the youngest and smallest in his class, who creates a fantasy world for himself until his best friend Stuart, down-to-earth and clever, forces him to face reality. "Follow You Follow Me" (1979) observes the vulnerable friendship between two boys: shy Joseph and confident Peter. But Joseph's father is Peter's father's employer. With "A Seaside Story" (1986) we meet again two friends, this time they are seventeen, who are vacationing together at the sea: the self-confident Martin and Sam, the dreamer. At a beachfront guesthouse run by an eccentric lady, the two have an unforgettable time.

A Wonderful Day

During the Sydney Olympics, a young drag queen runs her own race.

Chasing Amy

Holden and Banky are comic book artists. Everything is going good for them until they meet Alyssa, also a comic book artist. Holden falls for her, but his hopes are crushed when he finds out she's a lesbian.

Yank! A World War II Love Story

Set during World War II, Yank! chronicles the romantic relationship between two servicemen long before don't-ask-don't-tell was part of the national discussion. With a lively score inspired by the pop sounds of the 1940s, Yank! captures the spirit and exuberance of the era even as it explores questions of prejudice, courage and survival. It tells the story of Stu—a photographer for Yank magazine—and Mitch, an Army Private, who fall in love and struggle to survive in a time and place where the odds are stacked against them. - Broadway World

Manong Konstru

A young man struggles with his burgeoning homosexuality. As his best friend starts to drift away, he develops a crush on a laborer that works for his father. He pursues his affections, to dangerous results.