Swingin' (2020)

The Jump Off

Nigel and Malik have been in a secret romantic relationship for several weeks. Nigel seems content with their unofficial status, but as times goes on, he longs for more. One evening, Nigel decides to take matters into his own hands before thinking of the consequences.

Ixe

“Ixe (written X and pronounced EEKS – as it is pronounced in French –, like a scream, a wound) is an imploded, crucified film. Made to be projected on four screens at once, X is drawn and quartered. At the four points of the compass, at the four ends of the cross, War, Sex, Religion and Drugs, the double exposures, the colliding glimpses the eye barely recognizes, the skilful repetitions of themes, remind us that Sex is also the war of bodies, and the pope, the Drug of the people. And the story of this young man, shooting up in order to experience all the horror of the world in front of his TV set, reminds us that the heroin orgy is indeed the subjective locus of the monsters of the modern unconscious.” - Guy Hocquenghem

The Black Balloon

An alien in a crowded land searched for some semblance of companionship after losing all of its friends.

All the Crows in the World

18-year-old Shengnan is invited to a mysterious party by her cousin. Upon arrival, Shengnan finds herself surrounded by greasy middle-aged men, with the exception of Jianguo, who is different. Shengnan and Jianguo decide to bail on the party, embarking on a night of adventures in the adult world.

Cicada

Chang-hyeon, a transgender prostitute encounters a visitor who seems both familiar and alienated to him.

The Last Two Lovers at the End of the World

On New Year’s Eve of 2029, a six-mile wide asteroid is headed for Earth and set to wipe out humanity and the repressive society that now plagues Los Angeles. One young couple aims to survive this catastrophic event together while simultaneously transforming their civilization into the utopia they desire.

Dog Eat Dog

Silje wants to leave her boyfriend, but when she finds him in a half-hearted attempt to hang himself she has to reconsider, in fear of acting reckless.

Candid

In the midst of college application season, Ace struggles with the choice between going off to California to pursue her passion for photography at an art school or staying at home with her father in Atlanta after the recent death of her mother. Ace’s late mother’s memory remains a strong presence as she takes a surreal journey through the city to reconcile her future and her relationship with her father.

Fingers After

Right after the sex. Suddenly the assistant doesn't open the door.

The Beginning of Winter

When a young boy decides to hitchhike to get to a nearby village, he has no idea of the driver's true intentions.

Queerpanorama

A gay man impersonates men he has had sex with and brings this new persona with him to his next hook-up. Only by pretending to be someone else can he be truly himself.

Pepijn

Plot unavailable

Can I Buy Your Love from a Vending Machine?

A quiet office life shifts when Ayumu falls for the man who refills the vending machine.

The Symphony of Silence

17 year-old writer Zach struggles to survive in the 'dog eat dog' world of high school where he is tormented by bullies. There is no chance of finding comfort at home as one of the bullies happens to be his 18 year-old brother, Sean. In order to escape his bullies at school, he resorts to hiding in the restroom during his lunch breaks.

Magic Bullet

Over the course of a night, Rachel, a bereaved clinical psychologist, combats her grief with elaborate self-soothing rituals while Lia, a regional shopping network host, tries to obliterate hers in a self-destructive haze. They collide in a televised confrontation.

MER

A paralyzed girl finds difficulty living a normal life, so she participates in a ritual to metamorphize into a mermaid to replace her useless lower half.

Fili di memorie

Plot unavailable

Tickle Where It Hurts

Nicolás's irreverent night plans change when he meets up with Luka again; an attractive and carefree ghost of his past.

Mecate

Ernesto, a 12-year-old boy, flees from a town violated by drug traffickers and heads to the city in search of a new life. Two merchants that he will meet along the way will accompany him but the ambition of both will endanger Ernesto's destiny.

Yes or No 2.5

Roommates Wine and Pii find their lives turned upside down when two more ladies move in next door, bringing up past heartaches and new attractions.

Control

In this shockingly dark but utterly poignant comedy from Alison Becker and Kimmy Gatewood, a depressed woman contemplates ending her life, if she could just get everything in order first.

Summer of 85

What do you dream of when you're 16-years-old and in a seaside resort in Normandy in the 1980s? A best friend? A lifelong teen pact? Scooting off on adventures on a boat or a motorbike? Living life at breakneck speed? No. You dream of death. Because you can't get a bigger kick than dying. And that's why you save it till the very end. The summer holidays are just beginning, and this story recounts how Alexis grew into himself.

Trunks

Steve knows he's straight but under the water at his local swimming pool, he feels gay. Will he tell his ex-girlfriend the entire truth and what does he dream of?

My Loyal Audience

A socially insecure teenage girl begins to suspect the unimaginable - that her most personal, embarrassing thoughts may not be as private as she had hoped.

Sweet Release

Two best friends set out on a summer road trip with a young man, hoping for adventure and escape. As the journey unfolds, their bond grows stronger, leading them to unexpected discoveries about love, desire, and themselves.

Girl

A promising teenage dancer enrolls at a prestigious ballet school while grappling with her gender dysphoria.

Anna & the Asteroid

A fatalistic woman is being stalked by an incoming, four mile-wide (talking) asteroid who has fallen in love with her.

An Ode to Solitude

Exploring the duality between friendship and loneliness, this intimate narrative short tells the story of David, a bright young boy struggling with a broken home life, as he tries to reconnect with his childhood best friends as they search for something to do in their small suburban town.

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.

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.

NOISE

Set in 2022, NOISE follows a young man as he quickly becomes engulfed by notifications from work, life, and anything else that is downloaded on his phone. Whenever he finds some quiet, the noise follows. It isn't until he finally realizes what brings him peace that the noise is quieted.

Liuben

Victor has a nice life in Madrid with his partner, José. However, after returning to his childhood home in the mountains of Bulgaria for his grandfather's funeral, he decides to stay for the summer. While reconnecting with his father and the village way of life, he unexpectedly finds love in the form of Liuben, an 18-year-old Roma boy. Despite their differences, and the conflicts surrounding them, Victor and Liuben find refuge in each other, while a romance begins to take form.

Crack of Dawn

The farmhouse of a rural family is declared unfit for habitation. While part of the family fights to save the space their ancestors built, the younger ones imagine where they could go.

Holden

A rainy-night clash in a boarding-school dorm forces a swaggering teen to confront his insecurities and the price of rebellion.

Lucky Fish

Two Asian-American teenagers meet in the bathroom of a Chinese restaurant while having dinner with their families.

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 meteorological.

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 a tangled love triangle.

Miss Fortunate

If luck is a lady, grief is a bitch. A young woman loses her mother and finds herself.

Carne

After a dreadful incident coupled with an ungovernable paroxysm of violence, a butcher will fall into a downward spiral that will burn to the ground whatever dignity still remained in him.

Les Biches

A bored bisexual millionaire picks up a young destitute street artist and whisks her away to her villa in Saint Tropez. They meet a dashing local architect and both fall for him, setting in motion a ménage à trois of deception and betrayal.

Velvet Goldmine

Almost a decade since larger-than-life glam-rock enigma Brian Slade disappeared from public eye, an investigative journalist is on assignment to uncover the truth behind his former idol.

An Empty Bed

In his twilight, a lonely gay man reflects on his life and the three loves of his long-lost youth one woman and two men. Forced into early retirement by a heart attack, he wanders aimlessly through the graffiti-marred streets of his New York neighborhood. Familiar haunts trigger flashbacks of happy and not-so happy times.

Women in Film: BBC Introducing Arts

Cultural historian Janina Ramirez presents a collection of intriguing and exciting short films by emerging women directors and artists. Each film gives a female perspective on modern-day topics from body image and new love to grief and belonging. Expect honest and refreshing storytelling that will make you laugh, make you cry and make you think. In a Room Full of Sisters; Blood Stains; Bridging the Gap; Cake; Ding-Ding, Next; Fruity; In Perpetuum; Owulide; White Dwarf; Cosmic Domestic; The Dead Are Jewels to Me; The Presence of Absence

Promise of a Wild Love

After crashing into a party, a young man discovers that this will be his last night.

Sangam

Two men from South Asia meet on a New York subway train. One is seeking the American dream and in the process has abandoned his family and culture. The other, now disillusioned by material dreams of success, yearns for meaning and memories from his childhood. Prashant Bhargava’s award-winning short film was described as “an elegant and poetic evocation of immigrant angst, memory and haunted spirituality” by the Village Voice.

Sevilla

Three youngsters take a road trip to Seville that will change their lives forever.

The Last Ride

Desperate to secure a dowry for his sister's wedding and escape his exploitative boss, Aman – a migrant ride-share driver in Mumbai – decides to steal his boss's taxi. But his plan spirals into a nightmare when his last minute passenger turns out to be a Chudail (a demonic witch).

Philadelphia

Two competing lawyers join forces to sue a prestigious law firm for AIDS discrimination. As their unlikely friendship develops their courage overcomes the prejudice and corruption of their powerful adversaries.

Nature

Water, earth, air, fire – and two children at the height of summer.

The Opposite of Sex

A 16-year-old girl visits her gay half-brother and ends up seducing his boyfriend, thus wreaking havoc on all of their lives.

Cabaret

Inside the Kit Kat Club of 1931 Berlin, starry-eyed singer Sally Bowles and an impish emcee sound the clarion call to decadent fun, while outside a certain political party grows into a brutal force.

Water Lilies

Set during a sultry summer in a French suburb, Marie is desperate to join the local pool's synchronized swimming team, but is her interest solely for the sake of sport or for a chance to get close to Floriane, the bad girl of the team? Sciamma, and the two leads, capture the uncertainty of teenage sexuality with a sympathetic eye in this delicate drama of the angst of coming-of-age.

An Unusual Affair

Jochen Wenzel, a young teacher, married with two kids, one day surprisingly falls in love with a young male colleague, Tom Leuthner and they begin an unusual affair (= "Eine aussergewöhnliche Affäre"). While Ina, Jochen's wife, worries about Jochen's distanced behavior without having a clue of her husband's affair, Jochen and Tom seriously fall for each other. Torn between his family and his new love, Jochen has to make a decision. Written by Smoothhoney

Likeness

For Mia, beauty is everything. A trophy, a promise, a ball and chain, a wish upon a star. A life sentence.

X. La mise en croix

Part 10 of Alexandre Promio's Passion Play, in which Jesus is nailed to the Cross.