Gay 2024 Archives

“Mascarpone: The Rainbow Cake” & show by Tom Schneid

8.11 – Before the screening: Musical performance by Tom Schneid

Italian director Alessandro Guida returns with “Mascarpone: The Rainbow Cake”– a sequel that doesn’t fall short from its predecessor.
Antonio and Luca reunite for the first time after three years since the death of their good friend Denis. Luca had to close his bakery, and now works as youth counsellor, with his partner Tancredi, at an LGBTQ youth shelter. Antonio focused on his job and meaningless flings, and is now a celebrity chef. The meeting reignites their special relationship and Antonio realizes, for the first time, what a mistake he’s made leaving Luca behind.
“Mascarpone: The Rainbow Cake” manages to surprise and be a mature film about how to free oneself from the shackles that tie us to the past, so that we can look forwards to the future. The cast is wonderful, the plot is moving and of course there are a few delicious baked treats.

It is not vital to watch the first film in order to enjoy the sequel.

Tom Schneid IG

Haze

New film by the director Matthew Fifer. Like in his debut “Cicada”, Fifer gives us a complex, dark and sexy profile of a man in search for answers to his troubled past.
This time round Fifer doesn’t act, but leaves the stage to Cole Doman (“Mutt”) who plays Joe, an investigating journalist, who returns to his hometown after rehab.
Joe is struggling to find a steady job, and focuses on the big story that will put his career back on track: The mysterious death of eight gay men in the psychiatric hospital that now stands abandoned in his hometown.
At the same time Joe begins a new and thrilling affair with Luke (Brian J Smith, “Sense8”). But who is the new stranger that arrived in town at the same time as Joe? Does the death of Joe’s sister when they were kids have anything to do with the deaths of the men in the psychiatric hospital?

Viewing is 18+ due to explicit sexual content and violence.

Trick

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the film “Trick” with a 35mm screening!

Miss New York in the ‘90? Enjoy rom-coms about a slick flirt who meets an innocent guy? Then “Trick”, one of the oldest commercial gay rom-coms ever, is just for you.
Gabriel works in an office by day but dreams of being a Broadway composer by night. A chance meeting with Mark, a go-go dancer in a gay bar, will change the night’s plans for them both. As they head back to Gabriel’s place to hook-up, Katherine, Gabriel’s roommate and an aspiring actress, foils their plans. The couple embarks on a nightly odyssey to find a place to be alone and along the way meet plenty of colorful New York characters and learn a thing or two about themselves.
The role of Katherine is played by Tori Spelling, then at the height of her success. Another unforgettable performance is by legendary New York drag queen Miss Coco Peru.

Three Nights A Week

.
Cookie Kunty is a talented Parisian drag queen. Everyone who is familiar with the world of drag knows how hard it is for drag queens to find love. Therefore, when Cookie meets 29 years old Baptiste, she finds it hard to believe that he’s interested in her, but Baptiste is immediately mesmerized by Cookie. At first he’s driven by the idea of creating a photography project with Cookie and sinks into her world, but eventually starts to develop a relationship with Quentin, the young man behind the drag queen. The problem is, Baptiste has never been in a relationship with a man before and he is in a long term relationship with Samia, a hospital nurse, who also works at the HIV clinic.

In his debut film director Florent Gouëlou provides the audience a cinematic experience rich in colors and music, and featuring a different and surprising love story, which is also a coming out story. Actor Pablo Pauly is wonderful as Baptiste and Romain Eck as Cookie/Quentin builds a moving and complex character.

Undertow

15th anniversary of the film “Undertow”

A moving cinematic piece that takes place in an idyllic fishermen village on the coast of Peru.
Miguel is a handsome fisherman, married to Mariela and expecting their first child. Miguel is hiding from his family and friends his love for Santiago the painter, who is shunned by the village locals. An unexpected event will change their lives and will force Miguel to make a fateful decision.
“Undertow” is a thrilling and sensitive drama that will not leave you unaffected.

Dying Briefly

Sebastian joins an important dance company and meets Arsenio – a charming and experienced dancer. The two begin an intense affair and become a couple. The crisis arises with the arrival of a new and manipulative choreographer that shakes up the group dynamics. Now the couple have to compete with each other for the same role and yet stay true to themselves. Will their relationship (and the troupe) survive this competition?

Did you love “Black Swan” with Natalie Portman? Are you addicted to Netflix’s “Elite”? Juan Briseño’s debut film “Dying Briefly” manages to do the impossible and combine the two. The result is beautiful and thought provoking, dealing with issues of body image, bullying and self harm. Hypnotizing cinematography, sexy and talented actors and impressive choreography will sweep you away for 85 minutes.

Viewing is 18+ due to nudity, sexual content and violence (including sexual violence).

F.L.Y

Although it feels like a decade ago, it’s only been four years since we were all in COVID lockdown.
The comedy “F.L.Y” takes us back to that time with a lot of humour and music. Rafael had just moved to LA with big dreams of being the next big drag queen star, and finds himself stuck in lockdown with his ex Max, who’s now seeing someone new. The two must navigate between unresolved feelings, past traumas and a new and complicated reality. Even though there’s a pandemic going on this is still a comedy about two men who used to date, but in order to move on they must find a way to leave behind the vortex of jealousy, loaded family relations and their dealings with sexual and gender identity.
Trent Kendrick and Rafael Albarrán who wrote, directed and star in the leading roles, give the viewers an amused and sexy look on love, relationships and what it means to be a gay man in this current decade.

Unspoken

Jeremy Borison’s moving debut film provides a glimpse into the world of Noam, a religious high school student who comes from a very traditional Jewish-American family. Noam finds a love letter addressed to his grandfather by another man, written before the holocaust, and decides to look for the mystery man who wrote the letter and learn more about his grandfather as well as himself.
Charlie Korman is doing a wonderful job in the lead role. His best friend and love interest who helps him dig into his family secrets (that everyone seems adamant to hide) is played by Israeli actor Michael Zapesotsky (best known for his roles in TV series “Yellow Peppers” and “The Commander”).
“Unspoken” is a moving teen film that encompasses the past, present and the complex experience of being a religious teen in a conservative Jewish environment.

Additional screening: Haifa Cinematheque, 2.11, 17:00

Turtles

Since Thom and Henri met 35 years ago, their love has never wavered. They live a seemingly perfect life in Brussels. When Henri retires from his job as a police officer, the extra hours together start to shake the foundations of their relationship. Henri’s days seem to stretch endlessly and Thom is starting to lose his patience. They slowly drift apart from each other until the house becomes a battlefield. Thom’s love for Henri remains strong and he refuses to give up on them. He will do anything to save their relationship and reignite their love, even if it means asking Henri for a divorce.

This is a third film by David Lambert at the TLVFest and now he brings to the big screen a story of an elderly couple who’s been living together for decades, long before it was socially accepted to be LGBT, long before there were gay marriages or queer couples could legally adopt. Now the couple faces a new dynamic in their lives when they are suddenly both senior citizens, who need to adjust to a different rhythm of life and basically rediscover each other.

Riley

Dakota Riley is a beloved football star of his local high school. His dominant father and teammates have a clear plan for him, but Riley, who wants to be loved by everyone, is having a hard time loving himself. He does anonymous hook-ups, suffers from anxiety and lives in constant fear of being outed in a conservative town and a football team that is all toxic masculinity.
“Riley” is a fascinating film of the journey of a young man trying to figure out who he is, what he wants from himself and what is the life path he should be taking. The story focuses on his conflicted emotions and denied desires, all the while navigating adolescence.
“Riley” was written and directed by Benjamin Howard, and it is the director’s first full length feature, after he’s made several award winning short films. Howard is definitely a refreshing discovery and will surely find his place in Hollywood in the next few years. Jake Holley gives a powerful and complex performance as Riley.

Subscribe

WhatsApp

Gay 2024

“Mascarpone: The Rainbow Cake” & show by Tom Schneid

Haze

Trick

Three Nights A Week

Undertow

Dying Briefly

F.L.Y

Unspoken

Turtles

Riley

Festival

Community

Contact