A Stranger to Myself (2017)

Tom of Finland

Touko Laaksonen, a decorated officer, returns home after a harrowing and heroic experience serving his country in World War II, but life in Finland during peacetime proves equally distressing. He finds peace-time Helsinki rampant with persecution of the homosexual and men around him even being pressured to marry women and have children. Touko finds refuge in his liberating art, specialising in homoerotic drawings of muscular men, free of inhibitions. His work – made famous by his signature ‘Tom of Finland’ – became the emblem of a generation of men and fanned the flames of a gay revolution.

New Queer Visions: Right Beside You

In times of strife it's important to have someone by your side. Whether it is a shoulder to cry on or a source of confidence, an imaginary friend or a distant lover, these six tales from Mexico, Brazil, France, the UK and the Netherlands prove that the search for companionship is a journey worth taking. The short films are: My Mother's Lovers [Los novios de mi madre] (2020); Bootyful (2019); Only What You Need to Know About Me [Apenas o Que Você Precisa Saber Sobre Mim] (2018); Junk (2011); High Tide [Stille Dorst] (2018).

Hooked

Jack an 18-year old hustler and his boyfriend Tom are an item, close and very much in love. Otherwise, Jack is impulsive and explosive with few redeeming qualities. Ken, a married man who hasn't come out of the closet, takes Jack from NYC to Miami with the intention of helping him.

Abrase

The fading love of two men, remembered. A relationship once vivid, now dissipating into a fog of partial remembrance; the memories of heartbreak and loss that bend and change as the years go by.

Sorry You're Sad

When an old flame passes through town, Julian is confronted by the lingering memory of lost love. In an attempt to decipher nostalgia from his present feelings, Julian opens closed doors to explore new possibilities.

Hong Kong Night Club

Shibata and Tategami are Japanese journalists hiding out in the Lost City Night Club to elude the triads. Shibata falls in love with the club's hottest singer, Cora, but is hampered by his disguise - as a woman. She in turn loves Tachikami, who is gay, and desires Shibata.

Peter von Kant

Peter von Kant, a successful, famous director, lives with his assistant Karl, whom he likes to mistreat and humiliate. Through the great actress Sidonie, he meets and falls in love with Amir, a handsome young man of modest means. He offers to share his apartment and help Amir break into the world of cinema. Several months later, Amir becomes a star. But as soon as he acquires fame, he breaks up with Peter, leaving him alone to face himself.

South of Heaven

When his boyfriend shows up unannounced, Elias' religious family learns their son's darkest secret.

Truck Driver

In a boarding school, Raidel is witness to the abuse suffered by his schoolmate Randy.

Shower

A man enters the shower after his workout, but is soon sidetracked by a noise he cannot identify. He decides to seek out the source of the sound, and enters a situation that will leave him completely exposed.

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.

Fag

Thomas, a 17-year-old high school student, finds himself attracted to Esteban, another boy from his school. The rumor of Thomas's homosexuality is spreading fast, and he begins to suffer the gaze of others.

El noi del 98

Marc lives with his girlfriend, with whom he hardly communicates, and trains for a soccer team with an abusive coach. Faced with the challenges of his daily routine, and not accepting his sexuality, Marc tries to take refuge fighting against his internal conflict.

The Tower

André is a broken man, who lives isolated in a forest. The forces of nature embrace his body as he drowns in his effervescent inner world. Between the insomnia and the dreams, André is haunted by his past. He wishes to deconstruct himself, heal his sorrow and take the responsibility from his acts. He puts himself before the abyss where he must embrace his ghosts and change his skin in order to survive.

Discretion

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

What She Likes

An emotional coming-of-age drama centered around Andou Jun, a gay student who is not out. He accepts a confession from his fujoshi classmate Miura Sae and they start dating. However, Jun is also seeing Makoto, but fails to tell Sae about his male lover.

Colorful Picture

The script and the background of the film are inspired by the current situation of LGBTQ+ community in Poland. This is a story about two young men, their mutual love and the difficulties it brings. But first of all it is a story about art, how it is influences the people we love, and how through it we can pass on the love that surrounds us.

Lazarus Come Out

45 year old Don Valter is a traditional priest who still wears an old fashioned black tunic out of nostalgia. One day young Claudio and his exuberant troupe of actors appear, proposing to perform an avant-garde show based on the Gospel's miracle of the rebirth of Lazarus*. The powerless priest is overwhelmed by this young upstart, who stirs within him emotions that will, whether he likes it or not, pull him into the modern era.

The Curiosity of Chance

It’s the ‘80s once again, new wave angst and genderbending fashion are all the rage, but new kid at school, Chance Marquis, is trying to find new ways to stand out. Being an odd and somewhat awkward teenager makes him the target of the school bully. To deal with this dilemma, Chance turns to the opposite ends of the high school spectrum for help. On one side is the flamboyant drag queen and at the other, the varsity jock, Levi Sparks with whom Chance develops a unique friendship.

Burning Blue

Two Navy fighter pilots find themselves in the midst of a forbidden relationship throwing their lives and careers into disarray.

Boys On Film 19: No Ordinary Boy

As Boys On Film reaches the end of its teenage years, we take a look at those unique boys who go one step further, who excite, invigorate, and always impress, who break boundaries, shape their worlds and are more than what they appear. Volume 19: No Ordinary Boy includes ten complete films: Scott T. Hinson's "Michael Joseph Jason John" also starring Eric Robledo; Abhishek Verma's animated "The Fish Curry"; Ben Allen's "Blood Out Of A Stone" starring Alex Austin and Oisín Stack; David Färdmar's "No More We" starring Jonathan Andersson and Björn Elgerd; Jannik Splidsboel's "Between Here & Now" starring Francesco Martino and Peder Bille; Amrou Al-Kadhi's "Run(a)way Arab" also starring Ahd and Omar Labek; Dean Loxton's "Meatoo" starring Calum Speed and Warren Rusher; Jake Graf's "Dusk" starring Elliott Sailors, Sue Moore, and Duncan James; Leon Lopez's "Jermaine & Elsie" starring Marji Campi and Ashley Campbell; and Marco Alessi's "Four Quartets" with Laurie Kynaston.

The Private War of Joseph Sargent

Porn Star Grayson Lange along with Addison Graham and Robby Valls star in a film about two mercenaries on a secret mission in the jungles of South America. Once captured, their last night together will reveal dark secrets and create sexual tensions. So much so that it will cause unforeseen collateral damage that stretches well beyond the jungle. This highly provocative and erotic film was part of Eroddity(s) 2. Now re-worked as a stand-alone short the film seems to take on new meaning.

Some of My Best Friends Are...

Regulars gather at The Blue Jay, a gay bar in Manhattan's Greenwich Village, to celebrate Christmas Eve 1971 with people they consider family.

The Male Gaze: First Kiss

The Male Gaze is a new series of releases from New Queer Visions that showcases short LGBTQ films from across the world. The first instalment, First Kiss, brings together five shorts that are based around men experiencing romantic and/or sexual interaction with other men for the first time. It takes in films from Sweden, Indonesia, USA, Australia and France giving a rounded look at how similar experiences are depicted across the world. The films are: Naked [Naken] (2013); Pria (2017); Walk With Me (2018), One Night Only (2018); Michel's Mouse [Tapette] (2016).

Drive Me Home

Antonio and Agostino grew up together in a small town in Sicily; they dreamt of living a different life, somewhere else. Now thirty-year-olds, they both live abroad but they lost touch years ago. When Antonio discovers that the house he grew up in, which had been empty for a long time, is about to be sold at auction, he decides to leave and reconnects with his childhood friend. But their lives have changed a lot. Old conflicts and new revelations bring them through Europe on a truck journey.

Sonnet 23

A modern reimagining of 'Sonnet 23' by William Shakespeare.

Time to Leave

Romain, 31, a fashion photographer with terminal cancer, elects to die alone, preparing others to live past him rather than prolong the inevitable with chemotherapy or be smothered in sympathy by those who know him.

Pastel

Elisabeth catches her son James kissing a young man. As she now faces a life struggle, Elisabeth decides to fight for what she believes in and cure her only son from his presumed homosexuality. While James in subject to conversion therapy, Elisabeth begins to realize that appearances can be deceiving.

Ode to Pablo

Pablo and one of the boys, who first taunted and teased him, strike up an unlikely rapport over Pablo’s headphones. Their brief encounter quickly gets complicated. Ode to Pablo is a rare glimpse into the world of a queer, deaf Latino who’s learned to deal with bigoted preconceptions about who he is.

Requiem for a Dream

The drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island residents are shattered when their addictions run deep.

Reflections in a Golden Eye

Bizarre tale of sex, betrayal, and perversion at a military post.

River Made to Drown In

Thaddeus Mackenzie, a wealthy lawyer, learns that he is dying and decides to sell all of his property and visit his old friend Allen Hayden. Allen is a struggling artist with a passion for life who once survived by working the streets, but now is romantically involved with Eva, a wealthy European gallery owner living in L.A. Thaddeus implores Allen to find Jamie, a young street hustler that Thaddeus had once tried to rescue. Allen returns to the streets to face the dark corners of his past where he must choose between what he left behind and the uncertainty that lies ahead.

From Here to There

Two college boys were so closed to each other that they had to escaped from their relation after graduating from college. They met again in a wedding banquette ten years after that, sitting next to each other again, as in the past. Jae drove drunken Him to Him's far away home. The trip was long enough for them to review their relationship, but not good enough to repair it? Maybe the best distance for them to love each other is from wedding banquette to home.

Ménage

Bickering couple Monique and Antoine are interrupted by bisexual burglar Bob while fighting in a bar. With husband and wife in need of cash, Bob teaches them the most efficient house burglary methods. Monique is attracted to the charismatic thief, but Bob is more interested in Antoine, who eventually succumbs to his attentions. As the trio continues living together, Monique grows unhappy about being ignored by both men.

Law of Desire

Pablo, a successful film director, disappointed in his relationship with his young lover, Juan, concentrates in a new project, a monologue starring his transgender sister, Tina. Antonio, an uptight young man, falls possessively in love with the director and in his passion would stop at nothing to obtain the object of his desire.

Men of Hard Skin

Ariel is a good-looking farm boy who lives with his father and sister in a rural part of Buenos Aires province. He has become familiar with sex thanks to Omar, a priest with whom he has a secret affair.

You Like That

Lost in a hypersexual digital world, Joshua dreams of the kind of love he’s only read about in classic literature.

Stoma

The film follows an emotionally harrowing journey endured by young gay photographer Alex, after he is diagnosed with peritoneal cancer. Abandoned by his brother and his on-again, off-again lover, Alex is forced to face his mortality and the loss of his sexual identity through sheer resilience. A devastating, but ultimately hopeful story of survival and resolve.

The Binding

Binyamin moved to Tel Aviv after coming out as gay and facing the trauma following his brother death for which he feels responsible. Binyamin's life takes turn when his relationship with Avinoam, the pub owner where he works, grows closer.

Walk on Water

Eyal, an Israeli Mossad agent, is given the mission to track down and kill the very old Alfred Himmelman, an ex-Nazi officer, who might still be alive. Pretending to be a tourist guide, he befriends his grandson Axel, in Israel to visit his sister Pia. The two men set out on a tour of the country, during which Axel challenges Eyal's values.

The Wedding Banquet

A Taiwanese-American man is happily settled in New York with his American boyfriend. He plans a marriage of convenience to a Chinese woman in order to keep his parents off his back and to get the woman a green card. Chaos follows when his parents arrive in New York for the wedding.

World and Time Enough

Two men--a gay, HIV-positive artist and an adopted garbage collector--struggle in the face of stigma and loss to find meaning in work, love, and family.

I Love You Phillip Morris

Steven Russell leads a seemingly average life – an organ player in the local church, happily married to Debbie, and a member of the local police force. That is until he has a severe car accident that leads him to the ultimate epiphany: he’s gay and he’s going to live life to the fullest – even if he has to break the law to do it. Taking on an extravagant lifestyle, Steven turns to cons and fraud to make ends meet and is eventually sent to the State Penitentiary where he meets the love of his life, a sensitive, soft-spoken man named Phillip Morris. His devotion to freeing Phillip from jail and building the perfect life together prompts him to attempt (and often succeed at) one impossible con after another.

Service

A struggling family owns a Filipino porn theater where prostitutes conduct their business.

One More Night

The end of a love story between a young boy and a man with too many regrets which, for the latter, becomes an obsession.

Can't Live Without You

A gay gym teacher wants to be a father and when his boyfriend's sister, a former addict, comes back on the scene there is now a possible solution.

Fifth of July

Ken Talley, a Vietnam vet who lost his legs in combat, lives in a farmhouse in rural Missouri with his lover, Jed. Traumatized and bitter, Ken struggles to find meaning in his life. As he contemplates selling the farmhouse, old friends and family members descend for a vacation. Originally broadcast as part of the series "American Playhouse" (season 1, episode 9).

Torch Song Trilogy

Arnold is a gay man working as a drag queen in 1971 NYC. He meets a handsome bisexual man.

My Policeman

In the late 1990s, the arrival of elderly invalid Patrick into Marion and Tom’s home triggers the exploration of seismic events from 40 years previous: the passionate relationship between Tom and Patrick at a time when homosexuality was illegal.

Cavafy

An ailing, elderly poet reminisces about his life of unrest and homosexual urges.

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.

Milk

The true story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man ever elected to public office. In San Francisco in the late 1970s, Harvey Milk becomes an activist for gay rights and inspires others to join him in his fight for equal rights that should be available to all Americans.

A Wonderful Day

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

Burger

It's late night in a burger bar in Wales...

1:54

Tim, a shy 16-year-old athlete with a natural gift for running, is dealing with the loss of his mother, as well as his sexuality. After a personal video is posted to social media, Tim's private life is about to explode into the public eye.

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.

The Swimmer

A rich and frail boy receives a threatening letter of kidnapping. Kazama, a swimmer, is hired as the son's bodyguard. While protecting the boy from the evil hands of the kidnappers, he also instils the taste of men into the boy.

Boys On Film 8: Cruel Britannia

From the cliffs of the Isle of Wight to an abandoned swimming pool in Lambeth, Boys On Film 8: Cruel Britannia presents an eclectic mix of ten UK-set short films including: Harry Wootliff's "I Don't Care" starring Iwan Rheon; Ben Peters's "Downing" starring Jamie Brotherston and Ross William Wild; David Andrew Ward's "All Over Brazil" starring Iain De Caestecker, Frank Gallagher, and Gemma Morrison; David Leon and Marcus McSweeney's "Man and Boy" starring Eddie Marsan, Geoff Bell, and Eddie Webber; Aleem Khan's "Diana" starring Neeraj Singh; Jason Bradbury's "We Once Were Tide" starring Alexander Scott, Tristan Bernays, and Mandy Aldridge; Hong Khaou's "Spring" starring Chris O'Donnell and Jonathan Keane; Sybil H. Mair's "The Chef's Letter" starring Jonathan Firth, Ray Fearon, and Layke Anderson; Faryal's "What You Looking At?!" starring Rez Kabir, Michael Twaits, and Hussina Raja; and Dominic Leclerc's "Nightswimming" starring Harry Eden, Linzey Cocker, and Tim Dantay.

Boys On Film 9: Youth in Trouble

Youth In Trouble is the ninth edition to Boys On Film, the world's most successful short film series. This compilation features eight complete films: Bretten Hannam's "Deep End" starring Bailey Maughan, Gharrett Patrick Paon, and Denis Theriault; Caru Alves de Souza's "Family Affair" starring Cláudia Assunção, Kauê Telloli, and Ney Piacentini; James Cook's "Together" starring Lucas Hansen, Ben Owora, and Stuart Evans; Carlos Montero's "Easy Money" starring Mario Casas, Ales Furundarena, and Christian Mulas; Grant Scicluna's "The Wilding" starring Reef Ireland, Luke Mullins, and Shannon Glowacki; Dee Rees's "Colonial Gods" starring Cornell John and Said Mohamed; Benjamin Parent's "It's Not a Cowboy Movie" starring Malivaï Yakou, Finnegan Oldfield, and Garance Marillier; and Stéphane Riethauser's "Prora" starring Tom Gramenz and Swen Gippa.

New Queer Visions: The Last Days of Innocence

When adulthood looms, naivety fades, and a whole new, strange world opens up. These four beguiling European stories, from acclaimed film festivals the world over, explore these years of youthful wonder with a deftness and artistry that lingers. The short films are: Ruins [Ruines] (2019); Aline (2019); Snake [Змија] (2020); The Touching [Dotýkání] (2020).

I Am My Own Woman

The life story of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, who survived the Nazi reign as a trans woman and helped start the German gay liberation movement. Documentary with some dramatized scenes. Two actors play the young and middle aged Charlotte and she plays herself in the later years.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

A visiting city reporter's assignment suddenly revolves around the murder trial of a local millionaire, whom he befriends.

Labyrinth of Passion

An array of outrageous people, including a desperate nymphomaniac and a terrorist with an acute sense of smell, seek love and happiness in Madrid.

Boys

17-year-old Nadav wants to serve in a combat unit, even though his mother does not approve. A surprising encounter with his coach changes his perspective.

Pashi

When his mom’s handsome friend unexpectedly shows up in the village, Ashish, a teenage boy living in a remote area of Himachal Pradesh, is swept in a whirlwind of desire and vivid fantasy. As he struggles to rein in his strong impulses, he learns about “pashi”, an ancient technique of trapping birds, and begins to practice it.

The Trace of Your Lips

Román is an actor who works in B-movies and who’s isolated in his apartment as a pandemic keeps the world on edge. Aldo, an indigenous young man, is an essential worker who’s allowed by the authorities to come and go. They live across from each other in an apartment complex. They meet online, and they can talk and even see each other in videocalls, but they can’t meet in person. Eventually, the temptation to break out of their lockdown comes up.

La León

Deep in the lush river jungles of Argentina, Alvaro lives a solitary existence fishing and harvesting reeds. What sets him apart from the rest of his village is that he is gay. There are no other gay men in his world, his only means of expression is with the occasional outsider who passes through. Most of these men come via the river taxi El León, whose captain El Turu is a mean man with a homophobic streak and a secret. When illegal loggers appear in the jungle El Turu accuses Alvaro of aiding them, a dispute which leads both men towards confrontation.

Ligaw Tingin

Plot unavailable

Beautiful Thing

Set during a long, hot summer on the Thamesmead Estate in Southeast London, three teenagers edge towards adulthood.

Wonder Boys

Grady is a 50-ish English professor who hasn't had a thing published in years—not since he wrote his award winning 'Great American Novel' 7 years ago. This weekend proves even worse than he could imagine as he finds himself reeling from one misadventure to another in the company of a new wonder boy author.

Loulou

Loulou is 13 years old. He returns from his training and finds the house empty. He enters his parents’ bedroom and opens his mother’s cupboards...

Supernatural

Science fiction about a future Thailand. Futuristic, experimental, homo-erotic and with elements of a political essay. With a richness of themes and impressions that wouldn’t get past the censor in Thailand. The maker doesn’t mince his words and isn’t afraid to look reality in the eye.

C.R.A.Z.Y.

A young French Canadian, one of five boys in a conservative family in the 1960s and 1970s, struggles to reconcile his emerging identity with his father's values.

Escaping Freedom

Foster siblings Vincent and Krystal have been estranged for many years. When they are forced to reunite, their polar opposite paths in life lead to an explosive outcome where each is made to come to terms with their own faults. Vincent is a pastor of a small church struggling with religious doubts and a burgeoning desire for another male pastor. Krystal, on the other hand, has devoted her life to full on exploration and hedonism through the arts yet struggles with the labels placed on her as a result. As each other's closest confidant as well as biggest critic, Vincent and Krystal attract and repel like magnets. When the siblings reunite, everything comes to a head, both within their relationship and within each of their individual lives.

Required Field

Serial killer 'NO1KNOWS' managed to elude the police for years. In fact they didn't even know he existed until, by chance, his video and audio recordings were found. By examining the recordings police were able to solve a number of murders around the world - although many men featured in the recordings were never found and it is unclear how many other victims there were since most of the video and audio recordings were destroyed (presumedly by NO1KNOWS himself).

Papilio Buddha

A band of displaced untouchables in Western Ghats of India embrace Buddhism in order to escape from caste oppression.