Swimming in the Dark (2022)

Gone West

It's been one year since Xander was dealt a sudden and tragic loss - the loss of his friend Tobin. Now, he must confront the people from his life he has since pushed away.

Chlorine

Two different moments in his life. The first love and the real love. Traumas from the past stick like chlorine in water.

PALOMA

Paloma is a young adult who finds herself living in automatic mode, following every imposed social norm, already working in an office and living alone in a studio apartment. Her daily life passes fleetingly and with little taste, until one night, after a long day of work, she receives an email titled FOR MY FUTURE SELF, which prompts her to change her life.

Late

Emil, a light-hearted 18-year-old, and his neurotic Mamá await a lunch guest. The guest is late. And the later it gets, the more anxious Mamá becomes.

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.

Paula

At only fourteen years old, Paula hates her body. In an attempt to express what she feels, Paula creates a blog and becomes part of a large virtual community that shares her problems. Shelter in anonymity, she uploads content recorded with her cell phone, exposing her friends and family. The feeling of belonging blinds Paula, who begins to walk a lonely path in which bulimia and anorexia lurk as alternatives in the search for self-acceptance.

To Err

237 years after mankind's extinction, an android longs for a past it can never experience.

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).

Sacred Journeys

Marco is a mess. He's lonely, depressed, and just barely going through the motions of life. When a surprise visit from his past turns him upside down, he discovers what's been holding him back all this time.

Eddie

Deep underground, a lone scientist mans a discarded research facility struggling to deal with extreme boredom, a desperate voiceless companion and a mystery he'd really rather not have to solve.

When You Wake

Johan is busy destroying his relationship to his girlfriend Julie. He's no longer himself, and he behaves egoistically and without emotions towards her. It is only a question of time before the love, that once was, is gone. Early one morning after a night out Johan meets a stranger. A man who confronts Johan with his cynical and destructive path.

Anecoica

Ana, a poor woman, agrees to be locked in an anechoic chamber, the most silent place in the world.

Soft Plants

Naked, on the back of a sheep, soft office worker Willie rides trough the forest. His body is still in the office, but his mind wanders between dangerous flowers, li-los and an imaginary friendship for a soft sheep.

The Tree

In a world of drought, an old man spends his days collecting drops of water to quench the thirst of a dead tree.

Wilde

The story of Oscar Wilde, genius, poet, playwright and the First Modern Man. The self-realisation of his homosexuality caused Wilde enormous torment as he juggled marriage, fatherhood and responsibility with his obsessive love for Lord Alfred Douglas.

Cinema Paradiso

A filmmaker recalls his childhood, when he fell in love with the movies at his village's theater and formed a deep friendship with the theater's projectionist.

My Beautiful Laundrette

A Pakistani Briton renovates a rundown laundrette with his male lover while dealing with drama within his family, the local Pakistani community, and a persistent mob of skinheads.

Male Shorts: International V1

The first volume of an international collection of LGBTQ short films focusing on men. The 5 short films are: Just Past Noon on a Tuesday (2018); The Mousetrap [La tapette] (2016); The Storm [La tempête] (2017); P.D (2014); Neptune [Netuno] (2017).

Lingua Franca

Olivia, an undocumented Filipina immigrant paranoid about deportation, works as a caregiver to a Russian-Jewish grandmother in New York. When the man she’s secretly paying for a green card marriage backs out, she becomes involved with a slaughterhouse worker who is unaware that she’s a trans woman.

Diary of an Unexpected Journey

A young woman receives a diary as an inheritance from her father, in which he tells her that she must take a trip to Chiapas, a requirement for access to all his possessions.

Crossed Destinies - A Short Film About Climate Change

A papercut stopmotion animation in which human Travelers from 2053 travel 30 years into the past to warn "foundlings" of the future that awaits them. The story follows Jonah and his Traveler, learning about the possible chaotic future that could happen if such measures are not applied.

True

While he's receiving an enigmatic phone call from his girlfriend Francine, Thomas remembers the milestones of their relationship, from the very moment they met in a really strange way. A segment of “Paris, je t'aime” (2006).

Mr. Dorothy

A fairytale revenge story by Gabriel Bisset-Smith.

Mariana Mariana

The story runs in the 1940s Mexico City. A schoolboy (Carlos) falls in love with his best friend's mother (Mariana). Carlos is impressed because this family is not like the ordinary mexican families of the time, because they have many expensive American things, although they are not rich. The drama begins when Carlos gets out of school to go to declare his love to Mariana, and is discovered by his teachers.

Unclenching the Fists

In a former mining town in North Ossetia, a young woman struggles to escape the stifling hold of the family she loves as much as she rejects.

Hello Carter

Recently sacked and interminably single, Carter is in a rut. So when he spies his beautiful ex-girlfriend through a library bookshelf, for a brief moment, things promise to get a whole lot better. But she is nine months pregnant. And about to go into labour.

Boys On Film 15: Time & Tied

Embark on a magical journey through time with Boys On Film 15: Time & Tied — featuring a brand new selection of sensational gay British short films that showcase some of the UK's best emerging talent. This compilation features nine complete films: Lloyd Eyre-Morgan's "Closets" starring Tommy Knight and Ceallach Spellman; Brian Fairbairn & Karl Eccleston's "Putting On The Dish" starring Steve Wickenden and Neil Chinneck; Mitchell Marion's "G O'Clock" starring Marc Rovira Cenar and Phillip Weddell; Charlie Parham's "Nightstand" starring Nicholas Gleaves and Amrou Al-Kadhi; Simon Anderson's "Morning Is Broken" starring Matthew Tennyson, Nigel Allen and Jack Hawkins; Tom Frederic's "Sauna The Dead: A Fairy Tale" starring himself and Kumar Muniandy; Leon Lopez's "CrossRoad" starring Marc Rovira Cenar, Ashley Campbell, and Calum Ewan Cameron; Jake Graf's "Dawn" starring Nicole Gibson and Harry Rundle; and Kristen Bjorn's "Trouser Bar" starring Denholm Spurr, Scott Hunter, and Zac Renfree.

Where The Shadows Fall

The Man wanders a barren purgatory, seeking those he lost.

1500 Steps

1500 Steps is a transforming journey towards self-belief and brilliance. A cross between Chariots of Fire and The Karate Kid, this high school drama is set in the beautiful, Sydney, beach suburb of Cronulla. Jonas "Jobe" O'Brien, a homely, sixteen year old boy, lives in a struggling single parent family. His mother dead, his father is an alcoholic, who was once a champion runner. Jobe, a misfit and loner, has inherited his father's athletic ability and love for running. After a fatal mistake at a party, Jobe seeks revenge against the perpetrator, as an emotion and power wells within him that he has never experienced before. A retired ex-Olympian, Harry White, sets about mentoring his athletic ability when by chance he sees Jobe run. It is now up to Harry White to encourage Jobe to dig deep and decide what type of man he wants to become.

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.

Making Luck

Two boxers meet for a fight in a closed gym. With one boxer well prepared for the fight ahead the other tries making his own luck to better his opponent.

Naptha

Faraz’s quiet life working at an isolated petrol station is turned upside down when his ageing father Malik begins to speak in a long-forgotten language and insists on returning back home.

Party Day

Mena lives alone with her daughter Clara. Today is Clara’s seventh birthday. Despite her limited financial resources, Mena still manages to organise a birthday party. But after a phone call from her mother, she becomes distraught and anxious.

Driving Mr. Blue

Heartbreak. Loneliness. No love for one's own self.

Glue

Procida, a little Island in the gulf of Naples. Last days of summer. The adolescence of Domenico is coming to an end, just like his tormented relationship with Marcello. Domenico looks for hospitality at Antonio's house, his best friend, but soon he finds himself alone with the thirteen-years-old Antonio's brother, Lallo. A journey of discovery starts, between adolescence and maturity. The meeting with Sara, a transsexual woman, will bring to light the desires of the two young boys.

Spring

Fernando is attracted to his best friend. They skip class together and go camping in the woods.

Eyes to the Sun and to the Shadow

Mari is a 17-year-old girl who meets the love of her life at the bus stop, what she doesn't know is that this boy hides too many secrets.

Nasty Old People

Member of a neo-Nazi gang, her day job is to take care of four crazy old people that all are just waiting to die. Her life becomes a journey into a burlesque fairytale, where the rules of the game are created by Mette herself. Mette is indifferent about her way of life, until she one night assaults a man, kicking him senseless. Waking up the day after, she realizes that something is wrong.

Over the Edge

A group of bored teenagers rebel against authority in the community of New Granada.

Glen or Glenda

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

Mickey's Descent Into Madness

The film follows three Vietnam war veterans in the post-war period, who happen to be well known Disney characters. This choice that combines with the aforementioned atmosphere creates a delectable piece of work.

Like a Brother

An unspoken conflict is affecting the relationship between two brothers. Will Simon and Robin find the courage to talk about their issue?

Community Gardens

A grown-up son goes on a countryside trip with his ageing parents in the hopes of reigniting the relationship, but there is nothing left to reignite. This story of familial dysfunction is set against the picturesque backdrop of a dacha community (instantly recognisable to every post-Soviet native), rendered by Vytautas Katkas with irony and a rare sympathy for his hapless subjects.

Lucia in Limbo

Sixteen-year-old Lucia wants to get rid of two things more than anything: her lice & her virginity.

Tuesday From 8 to 6

Névine, a secondary school monitor, is fully committed to her somewhat thankless day job, dealing with teachers, administration and students. Logan, a pupil she is found of insists on getting a cap back from lost and found. She has no idea of the consequences of her gesture.

She Runs

A teenager resorts to desperate measures in her efforts to quit her school's aerobic dance team and assert her independence.