God Save the Queens

It’s hard being a drag queen in LA, that’s why retreats are so important. In one of those care-vacations we meet Rock Rita (Laganja Estranja) and Stevie (Alaska Thunderfuck) – a former successful duo that fell apart over a mutual ex. They are joined by Marmalade (Kelly Mantle) an aging veteran queen who is struggling to stay relevant in a culture that idolizes youth and beauty and Gigi (Jordan Michael Green) a young queen desperate to get her big break with a show no-one wants to see.
Actress Jordan Danger (TV series “Eureka”) in her debut film as a director brings a fun dramatic comedy that offers a funny and loving look on the artists beneath the make-up and the eleganza.
Other notable performances in the film by Luenell (“Hacks”), Peter Facinelli (“Twilight”) and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” stars Michelle Visage, Manila Luzon and Honey Devenport.

Mama Bears

Director Daresha Kyi has created a moving and intimate documentary of how a mother’s love can change the world.
Mama Bears” is the story of women who let almost every aspect of their lives be completely remodeled by love. Even though they grew up in an Evangelistic fundamentalist Christian communities, the “Mama Bears” group members are willing to risk the loss of family, friends and their religious community in order to keep their children safe, even if by doing so they challenge their own entire belief system and tear apart their own whole world view of politics, religion, faith and love.
The result is a gripping social documentary about the battle against LGBTQ-phobia these brave women lead.

Additional screening: Rosh Pina Cinematheque 29.10, 18:00

Chrissy Judy

Everyone has this friend that can’t seem to get their life in order, but you can’t help loving them despite the trail of mess they leave in their wake. For 30-something drag queen Chrissy it’s her BFF Judy, a perpetually messy drag queen who always drinks more cocktails than she should. After spending years in the bar scene of New York, Judy is convinced that this summer their drag show will get the break they’ve been waiting for, but Chrissy has different priorities, which force a very disappointed Judy to take a hard look on her own life as a drag artist and rediscover her true self.
This dark comedy gives us a glimpse into the underbelly of queer culture and struggles gay men face in the pursuit of love, acceptance, romance and identity. While exploring the universal pain of drifting apart from your best friend, the question of “What do you do when the family you’ve chosen doesn’t choose you back anymore?” arises.

Unidentified Objects

An unusual road-trip comedy with a unique charm. Peter, a “college graduate gay midget” by his own words, is a recluse in his book-laden apartment, mourning the loss of his best and only friend. His crushing loneliness ends when his weird neighbour Winona knocks on his door with an unusual request – she wants to borrow Peter’s car to go to Canada, where she believes that in a faraway field aliens will beam her up to their spaceship.
The resulting film is directed with exceptional visual talent by Juan Felipe Zuleta and provides its viewers with a unique queer film. “Unidentified objects” benefits from wonderful performances by Sarah Hay and Matthew August Jeffers (“New Amsterdam” TV series) in the leading roles, which earned the latter the acting award in the Los Angeles queer film festival.

Before We Move

3.11 screening includes Q&A with the director and the cast.
5.11 – director in attendance

This film brings to the screen the story of queer tango dancers in St. Petersburg, who dance in the hope of making a change for the LGBTQ community.
The queer tango movement takes the popular, sensual dance and reinterprets it. Otar and Misha are a couple, both professional dancers and choreographers, and members of the movement that challenges the conventions of traditional tango. While there is a feeling of euphoria and happiness in the dance lessons and the meetings between the company members, there is always the worry and danger of living in a country where homophobia is widely spread and the LGBTQ community members get absolutely no protection. This situation leads Otar and Misha to make a dramatic decision and immigrate to Israel.
This gentle and moving film follows the couple in the months and weeks before they leave the country and their goodbyes to the people they care about the most.
Before We Move” is the new documentary film by Aleksandr M. Vinogradov. His previous film “Bare” followed the rehearsals of the bold dance piece Anima Ardens (Burning Soul) that screened at the 2021 TLVfest.
Before We Move” will screen in Tel Aviv, right after its world premiere at the Sheffield International Documentary Film Festival.

Additional screening: Jerusalem Cinematheque 2.11, 17:00

Blessed Boys

In the sunny Sanita quarter of Naples, Italy, a working-class neighbourhood, where everyone knows each other, two inseparable friends live in a protected bubble until their friendship is put to the test.
Mario (Vincenzo Antonucci) and Lino (Francesco Pellegrino) are two young men, born and raised in Sanita. They still never left the city to explore the world. When Lino’s younger sister convinces the locals she’s a saint, who can perform miracles, and gains their admiration, Lino’s destiny changes abruptly. Free from the financial responsibility for his mother and sister, he is able to imagine a life outside the slums for the first time. Meanwhile, Mario is experiencing an increasing attraction towards his best friend which he didn’t notice before now.
Director Silvia Brunelli’s debut film is Italian cinema as we love it: funny, bold and housing a plethora of colourful and humane characters. This is a film that confronts us with the differences between sacred and secular, old world and new world.

Dodo

Dodo” is the new film by Greek master Panos H. Koutras, who brought us queer groundbreaking Greek films such as “Strella” (2009 TLVFest opening film) and “Xenia” (that screened during the 2015 TLVFest).
This time Koutras delivers a surprising melodrama, full of twists and highly entertaining. Dodo is the name of a bird that had been extinct for over 300 years. One night the bird mysteriously appears in a fancy villa of a down on its luck Athenian family. In two days they will celebrate the wedding of their daughter – a wedding that is critical to saving the family’s bleak financial situation. The presence of the long extinct bird rattles the family, the villa’s staff and others who cross its path.
Imagine the early 80’s great soap operas “Dallas” and “Dynasty” meet an extinct Dodo, throw into the mix queer characters and lots of plot twists and you get the very entertaining melodrama “Dodo”.

Additional screenings:
28.10, 19:45
Haifa Cinematheque
4.11, 21:00
Cinematheque Herzliya

All Man: The International Male Story

More than scandalous fashion, hot male models and underwear that leaves nothing to the imagination, ”All Man: The International Male Story” is a three decades journey of an era when the The International Male magazine influenced the world of fashion, perceptions of masculinity and gay rights. In its heyday, the magazine brought in over 120 million dollars, and reached a circulation of over 3 million copies of each issue. The International Male target audience was both gay and straight men. Pictures of sensually dressed men were the gateway to a fantasy world that gave the perfect escape from homophobia and the AIDS pandemic. For straight men the magazine gave the opportunity to take fashion risks and enjoy a freer expression of sexuality without threatening their masculinity and sexual identity.
All Man: The International Male Story” is an aesthetic and uniquely cultural nod to the 80’s & includes unseen before photographs.

Additional screening: Rosh Pina Cinematheque 4.11, 14:00

The Last Chapter

Bernard is a French man on the verge of his twilight years, he is moving into a new apartment, probably his last. Director Gianluca Matarrese documents without any filters himself and his much older lover. He is documenting them reminiscing and having sex, playing control and submission games, master and slave. A young and curious filmmaker and his older BDSM fan lover, who lost his greatest love during the AIDS pandemic of the 80’s and suddenly, years later, found himself falling for a younger man. What at first started out just as a sexual adventure, turned out to be much more.
This is a film about the generation gap, friendship, life, death, sex, love adn dealing with the fast approaching inevitable end .
The Last Chapter” is a courageous, unfiltered documentary.

Viewing is 18+ due to explicit sex scenes.

In association with the French Institute

Wet Sand

Wet Sand” is the second feature film by Georgian director Elene Naveriani. It deals in a very delicate and moving way not only with the homophobia engrained in the Georgian society, but also with the generation gap between the older closeted queers and the younger generation who refuses to hide.
In a quaint fishermen’s village, on the shores of the Georgian Black Sea, live friendly people who are sure that they know each other well. One day, Eliko, one of the village elders, is found hanged. His androgenous looking granddaughter Moe, a city girl, arrives at the village in order to organise her grandfather’s funeral. She clearly doesn’t fit in the conservative community that sees her as an outsider, but the locals fake a warm reception. Moe befriends the old tavern owner who used to be very close with her grandfather and the village spinster bartender working for him. The more Moe delves into the mystery that is her grandfather’s life, the more she uncovers the web of lies and the tragic consequences of Eliko’s secret love life.
Pay attention to the perfect and addictive soundtrack, which will surely send you straight to Spotify to look for the songs afterwards.

Additional screening: 3.11, 20:30 Cinematheque Herzliya