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Tag: BFI Flare

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  • Looking for something to do? BFI Flare has loads of free LGBT+ content to watch

    Looking for something to do? BFI Flare has loads of free LGBT+ content to watch

    The BFI Flare film festival, the annual LGBT+ BFI film festival in London has released lots of free archive content from the BFI National Archive, giving viewers an unprecedented view into the history of LGBT+ life in Britain from the early 20th century onwards. It will be available to watch until the 30th March 2020.

    The line up of over 40 films includes news coverage of the AIDS epidemic, the politics surrounding gay and lesbian people as well as documentaries of celebrities such as Larry Grayson and Quentin Crisp.

    BFI Flare at Home will sit alongside great short work from BFI Flare Five Films For Freedom short films, made available in partnership with the British Council to roll out over 10 days from Friday 20th March. The BFI’s existing collection of favourites from previous BFI Flare Festivals, much loved queer film classics, and the free BFI National Archive curated LGBT Britain on Film Collection,  will also be available, giving access to over 230 films in total.   

    The new BFI Flare at Home programme will be available to be enjoyed in the safety of homes around the UK via BFI Player, the BFI’s VOD service. A special offer for BFI Player’s subscription service will be offered to audiences who had booked for BFI Flare, with general audiences invited to sign up for a free two week trial of BFI Player as well as existing BFI Player subscribers to take advantage of the enhanced BFI Flare collection. Most content will be available as part of the SVOD collection, with some additional titles available for rental/TVOD. 

  • The Best of Flare 2019 – LONDON’S LGBT FILM FESTIVAL

    The Best of Flare 2019 – LONDON’S LGBT FILM FESTIVAL

    BFI Flare, London’s LGBT+ Film Festival, had a successful 33rd year with over 50 features and more than 80 shorts, with special events, guest appearances, club nights – it was a very busy 9 days!

    It is hard to compile a ‘best of’ list as myself, and everyone I know, did not actually watch ALL the films – but herewith are the best films that I saw at Flare, some of which will soon be at a theatre near you.

    ‘Mapplethorpe’ – the controversial American photographer Robert Mapplethorpe’s life is given a dramatic re-telling, and it’s just as sensational as it’s subject matter. Matt Smith gives it his all, and then some, for a movie that is just about perfect – a film that was lucky enough to get permission to use all of the sexy and dirty images that Mapplethorpe created in his lifetime. This film is already in limited release in the U.S., however, no UK release date has been announced, but this is a must see film for THE GAY UK readers.

    Also a must for GAY UK readers is ‘Jonathan Agassi Saved My Life’ – a documentary about sexy Israeli gay porn star of the same name. We are taken on a ride, and whatta a ride it is, in a documentary that’s emotional (we loved his mother), sexy (lots of gay sex is shown) and hard-hitting (drugs). Directed by Tomer Heyman, the man who brought us the excellent ‘Whose Gonna Love Me Now’ in 2016, ‘Jonathan Agassi Saved My Life’ is both erotic yet car crash cinema.

    ‘Consequences,’ starring the very sexy Matej Zemljič, who plays a teenager with behavorial problems. When his parents send him to a juvenile correctional facility, he bonds with a group of men who are violent yet fluid in their sexuality. He falls for the ring leader, who instructs Matej’ character to rob and steal, but consequences ensue until one final incident that changes everyone’s lives.

    I am really glad that I saw ‘Transmilitary,’ a documentary about the lives of four soldiers who risk dismissal or demotion to fight for Transgender rights in the U.S. Armed Forces. Very very current – this documentary takes us up to early 2018 – it’s also very timely in light of President 45’s ruling to ban certain Transgender people from the military. And I guarantee you will fall for Senior Airman Logan Ireland; he’s sexy, muscular and with the most amazing smile and eyes. And he used to be a woman.

    Another military-based documentary that also deals with discrimination – The Fruit Machine – is an historical account which exposes decades of governmental criminalisation of LGBTQ+ members of the Canadian Armed Forces. Yet many many years later, many of these members say that after being kicked out, disgraced, and, according to the Canadian Government at that time, criminalistic, they all agreed that they would proudly go back and serve their country.

    ‘Jose’ is a cute and light story of a young Guatemalan man who lives with his struggling mother all the while looking for love in, literally, all the wrong places. Kudos go to filmmakers Li Cheng and George F. Roberson for immersing themselves in Guatemalan culture and hiring locals for the film, which was all shot in Guatemala.

    Another great documentary was ‘Light in the Water,’ a look at the West Hollywood Swim Team. Of course we get to see many men and women in tight swimming costumes, but it’s the people in the swimming costumes that we really get to know and bond with, including a man in his late 40’s who was previously married with kids, then divorced, came out as gay, joined the swim team and met friends for life. Footage of previous Gay Games, as well as lots of shots in the California Sunshine, are an extra bonus. An overall feel good film.

    ‘Papi Chulo,’ starring Matt Bomer, is a sentimental film about a television weatherman who has a breakdown after the end of a relationship with an older Latino boyfriend. He instantly falls in love with the older migrant worker he hires to paint his deck. It’s a bit silly and sentimental, but the migrant worker, played by Alejandro Patino, is excellent.

    ‘The Heiresses’ was just delicious. An older Lesbian couple are separated due to the actions of one of them, which gives the other one time to explore new experiences and venture into new territory, and this includes meeting a younger attractive woman who lights a spark in her. Both leads Ana Brun and Margarita Irun are superb.

    This is just a small taste of what was on offer at Flare this year. And now only 6 more weeks until the Cannes Film Festival!

  • What to watch at the BFI Flare: London’s LGBT+ Film Festival

    What to watch at the BFI Flare: London’s LGBT+ Film Festival

    BFI Flare, London’s LGBT+ Film Festival, is back in its 33rd year and will take place from 21st – 31 March 2019.

    It will be ten days of films and events for our community, a celebration of all things LGBT that promises to offer a vibrant space for all of us who are able to attend. Flare will also be ten days of seeing people you only see during this festival – and a time to meet up and grab a drink or a cup of coffee in between screenings. It will also be a great opportunity to meet new friends and some of the filmmakers and actors.

    BFI Flare will present over 50 features, more than 80 shorts, and a wide range of special events, guest appearances, club nights and much much more. Here is a very brief summary of some of the highlights:

    Flare will open with the period drama Vita & Virginia, charting the passionate relationship between Virginia Woolf (played by Elizabeth Debicki) and aristocrat Vita Sackville-West (Gemma Arterton).

    A must-see for the gay male crowd will most definitely be Mapplethorpe, which stars sexy Matt Smith as the legendary photographer in this no-holds-barred exploration of the controversial and one of the most feted photographers. Another one for the boys is Papi Chulo which stars Matt Bomer as a heartbroken gay television weatherman who forms an unlikely friendship with an older straight migrant worker.

    Another must-see will be the closing night gala screening of JT Leroy. Starring Laura Dern and Kristen Stewart, the film tells the story of how Savannah Knoop (adapted from her memoir) became JT Leroy – a fictional character who came true to life and bedazzled New York’s downtown scene for years.

    The UK premiere of Jonathan Agassi Saved My Life takes place during the festival and paints a portrait of one of the world’s most successful gay porn stars – Agassi – in a life of highs and lows.

    Anna Paquin and Holliday Grainger portray two women who fall in love in 1950’s Scotland in the film Tell it to the Bees, while in Rafiki two young Kenyan women attempt a relationship despite it being illegal in their country.

    On the documentary front, a queer Lucha libre wrestler is profiled in Cassandro, The Exotico, while Halston is a portrait of the American Fashion legend, complete with rare archive footage. Another legend, Montgomery Clift, is profiled in the self-titled film in the search to discover who was the real Clift. Tongues Untied features the work of black gay filmmaker Marlon Riggs, while in Transmilitary, four soldiers risk dismissal to fight for transgender fights in the U.S. armed forces.

    Events/debates include: Trans Creative at the Movies: a discussion that will feature transgender moments in film; At Lethal Lesbians will be a talk about how queer females are deadlier than the male species. In Operation Spanner: Then and Now – 16 men were prosecuted in the late 1980s for their participation in consensual S&M sex sessions, will be explored in two short films and in a discussion.

    The Big Gay Film Quiz is back as well as the very popular Club Nights that take place in the BFI Southbank’s Benugo Bar & Kitchen – great weekend nights out to let your hair down and boogie the night way.

    Also, don’t miss The 25th-anniversary screening of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert which will take place during the festival.

    Full details, and to buy tickets, please go to this link:

    https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/flare/Online/default.asp

  • The best at BFI Flare – London’s LGBT Film Festival

    The best films of BFI Flare: London LGBT Film Festival 2017

    It was always going to be hard to choose. There were so many wonderfully well-done, and in some cases, amazing films that were shown at the film festival – one of the biggest, and best, in the world. There were over 50 features and more than 100 shorts shown, as well as a wide range of special events, guest appearances, discussions, workshops, club nights and more. And while it was virtually impossible to watch all of the features and shorts, I did manage to catch most of them. So herewith is my non-exhaustive list of the best of Flare:

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    1:54 is an explosive film that stars the excellent Antoine-Olivier Pilon (Mommy) which goes from a simple gay love story to an unexpected and shocking direction. It touches on all the relevant themes (bullying, young love, etc.) and first-time director Yan England excellently pulls it all together. A must see!

    Pushing Dead, directed and written by Tom E Brown, is a lighthearted comedy about an HIV+ man (a very good James Roday) and his trials and tribulations in getting his medication, finding love, and dealing with his boss and female roommate in San Francisco. It’s bittersweet, funny and lighthearted and will tug at your heart.

    Dear Dad is an excellent Indian film about a middle-aged father who comes out to his son while driving him to boarding school. It’s heartwarming and funny, with great performances all around.

    Eight long-term HIV+ survivors discuss their fears, challenges and milestones in the relevant and timely documentary Last Men Standing. With the HIV+ population getting older, these men celebrate life as they remember the past.

    The Trans List is an important documentary where several prominent trans and nonbinary people get to tell their story. Well known celebrities Laverne Cox, Caitlyn Jenner and Buck Angel are featured, but it’s the less well-known who make more of an impact; lawyer and activist Kylar Broadus, teenage student Nicole Maines who won a landmark lawsuit in America after she faced discrimination for wanting to use the girl’s bathroom, and Bamby Salcedo, founder of the Los Angeles-based TransLain Coalition and who faced lots of issues growing up. There are a total of 11 interviews in this documentary, but I could’ve watched a dozen more. It’s an important and relevant documentary.

    Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four, another important documentary, is about four Lesbians who were tried and convicted of sexually abusing children in the 1990’s. Fast forward and the women are finally exonerated for their alleged crime, and this documentary shows – through interviews and news footage – the women’s journey of their nightmare. Gripping, and bittersweet.

    Chilean film Jesús starts out as a buddy movie where the two young leads hang out with their friends and then have sex with each other, but their lives are changed, and the film takes a surprising turn, when they are involved in a crime. This event will tear their lives apart and the ending packs a wallop!

    Lauren (Velinda Godfrey) has to deal with the death of her girlfriend in the film Heartland. She also gets kicked out of the house they shared, so she has to move in with her bigoted mother, while her brother and his long-term girlfriend are visiting in order to set up a local wine business. But Lauren and the girlfriend develop more than a friendship in an event that tears the whole family apart, and brings up bad memories.

    Blow Job 2017 is a reimagining of the Andy Warhol classic, directed by Charles Lum and Todd Verow, that, for it’s four full minutes, focuses on David J. White, getting, as you guessed, a blow job. Why remake the 1963 classic? Because it was time to do so, and Lum and Verow do it in an excellent, grainy style.

    A film with commercial potential is Handsome Devil. Out gay student Ned (a wonderful Fionn O’Shea) is faced with another year in boarding school. His new roommate, lucky for him, is the star rugby player. But most memorable is Andrew Scott who plays a gay and sympathetic teacher. Scott is brilliant (and extremely handsome) as always.

    A film that will astound you is the documentary Out of Iraq. It’s amazing that this film was even made as it’s the true story of two Iraqi soldiers who fall in love, but of course, living in a country where gay men are killed is not the ideal place for a gay relationship. So one of them is lucky enough to move to the U.S. and it’s a four year wait for them to be back together. Their long-awaited reunion, and eventual wedding, will leave you in tears.

    This was just a few of the highlights of the BFI Flare film festival.
    The entire program can still be found on the link below and hopefully, some of these films will find their way to the cinema, or to the BFI website, or anywhere online. Let’s support and celebrate gay cinema.

    http://www.bfi.org.uk/flare

  • London’s LGBT Film Festival, Flare Is Underway

    London’s LGBT Film Festival, Flare Is Underway

    Flare turns 30 this year. And what is Flare you might ask? It’s London’s LGBT Film Festival. Flare starts on Wednesday March 16th and continues up until Sunday March 27th. That’s ten jam-packed days of films, seminars, parties, and just plain lots of fun!The Pass

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  • FILM REVIEW | 52 Tuesdays, Uplifting and Optimism For Trans Issues

    The closing gala film of the B.F.I. Flare LGBT film festival was an inspired choice and a fitting end to a spectacular program with a wide range of films including the premiere of Lilting with Ben Whishaw and James Franco’s intriguing Interior Leather Bar. The festival attracted huge audiences, great acclaim and was sponsored by big names such as American Airlines, showing how industry now has a commitment to supporting LGBT people.

    ★★★★

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  • BFI Flare London LGBT Film Festival wrap up

    The BFI Flare London LGBT Film Festival has unfortunately come to a close after a highly successful nine days of films and events. It was perhaps the best festival in a long time. Tim Baros takes us through the highlights:

    – Dior and I: An exquisite (and nail biting) documentary of Raf Simon’s first eight weeks as artistic director of Christian Dior, in which time he has to put together a collection. Director Frederic Tcheng uniquely blends voiceovers of an actor speaking excepts from Dior’s memoir intertwined with the pressure Simons and his staff are under. Dior and I is one of the better fashion documentaries ever made. It is now in wide release.
    Read our review of Dior And I

    – Portrait of a Serial Monogamist: Canadian Directors Christina Zeidler and John Mitchell’s tale of 40-something year old Lesbian Elsie (a perfectly cast Diane Flacks) who breaks up with her girlfriend but is not so sure that she’s done the right thing, especially after meeting another woman right away who appears to be ‘the perfect one.’ Portrait is funny and clever and will leave you laughing out loud of its portrayal of Lesbian relationships amongst friends.

    – Drunktown’s Finest: 34-year old Native American Director Sydney Freeland’s well done portrait of three Navajo Indian characters all coming of age and exploring not only their identities but also their relationships with their families and their culture. An amazing job by Freeland, who also wrote the script.

    – 54: The Director’s Cut: A highlight of the festival – this is the film that gay director Mark Christopher shot and intended to release in 1998 but was not able to due to pressure from the studio to ‘degay’ it. Literal cutting room floor and lost footage has been incorporated into the original version of this story of a young man (Ryan Phillippe) being accepted into the historic NYC club’s inner circle, and includes the gay scenes originally taken out. This film still takes us back to a time when it was all about the music and the dancing.
    Read our review of 54

    – Tiger Orange: A sweet tale of two gay brothers, one – Chet (Mark Strano) who looks after the family hardware store in a small town in California while younger brother rebel Todd (porn star Johnny Hazard – real name Frank Valenti) comes back home because nothing’s happening for him in Los Angeles. Chet and Todd are opposites in every way – Chet is very subdued and simple and plain looking, while Todd is hot and sexy with a body to die for and a naughty personality to match. Valenti is the true star of this film – not only does he light up the screen when he’s one, but he can act as well.

    – Match: Sir Patrick Stewart is an older dance teacher (Toby Powell) whose life is shaken up when a straight couple show up one day on his doorstep to supposedly interview him about his life as a dance teacher. But what they really want from his is to find out if he’s the father of the husband. Stewart has never been better in a film that’s stretched a bit too long and with a cast that can’t quite match Stewart in the acting department.

    – The Last One: Unfolding the AIDS Memorial Quilt: A film, half about the AIDS quilt and the other half about statistics and other AID’s organisations, it would’ve worked better if it stuck to its main subject – the quilt. We’ve seen so many documentaries about AIDS and statistics, as well as the quilt, and this documentary gives us nothing new.

    – The Golden Age of the American Male: This film is just a series of images and videos from the archives of the Athletic Model’s Guild, which was created by Bob Mizer. The Golden Age is pretty much 65 minutes of soft porn, if that’s your thing.

    – Frangipani: The first LGBT Sri Lankan film, it tells the tale of two men (very good Dasun Pathirana and Jehan Sri Kanth) who fall in love with each other in spite of one of them getting married to a woman. Beautifully shot and easy to identify with – Director, Writer and Producer Visakesa Chandrasekaram) has made a lush film that is highly recommended.

    – Everlasting Love: A strange, eerie Spanish film that can be best described as Stranger on a Lake (without the Lake) meets Twilight. Throw in some flesh eating and many boring moments and what you have is a film that should be missed.

    – Fulboy: A documentary about the unseen world of football, Director Martin Farina was given full access to a professional Argentinean football team. He speaks to them in their hotel rooms and in their locker room, when, lucky for us, they are not shy about displaying their athletic bodies, from head to toe, for the camera. Not much a narrative on this one, but it’s worth watching as you feel like a fly on the wall in a very straight male environment.

    There was an excellent selection of shorts, and a few stand out:
    – Hole: Gay disabled actor Ken Harrower plays a man who frequents video booths but gets frustrated when he’s unable to receive sexual pleasure, so he enlists the help of his male carer to get it.

    – Limanakia: The strangest yet sexiest short film I have ever seen. Gay men frolic on the rocks of a beach somewhere in Greece, all naked and all having sex, shot in motion-moving imagery with the sun providing a hint of gold on the bodies and on the rocks.

    – been too long at the FAIR: Who would’ve guessed that there is a gay cinema in Queens, New York? This short documentary exposes the FAIR Theater in Jackson Heights as one of the oldest continuing running gay establishments in New York City.

    All in all, it was a great festival and we’re looking forward to next year. Well done FLARE gang!