Queer Cinema(s)

Synopsis: Ralf König, one of the most successful German cartoonists, became famous with his comic book “The Most Desired Man,” which was made into a film starring Til Schweiger back in 1994. Wittily playing with queer clichés, he also reaches a wide heterosexual audience. In King of Comics, busy filmmaker Rosa von Praunheim (The Einstein of Sex, I Am My Own Woman, Rent Boys) portrays an unpretentious and modest man whom, with brilliant observational skills, has left his outlandish, yet intelligent, incredibly fun and delightfully graphic mark on an entire generation.Read More »

Often described as “the Spanish A Clockwork Orange”, this controversial shocker is set in a violent near-future world. Honest citizens live in terror as gangs of leather clad, whip-wielding sadists roam the nighttime streets. Meanwhile, in a top-secret laboratory, strange mind control experiments are being conducted. Against this background a beautiful nurse tries to ease the pain of those condemned to die. But who really is this angel of mercy and what is the purpose of her mission?Read More »

Filmmaker and teacher, Stéphane Marti has been researching experimental cinema as an art form liberated of aesthetic codes and the economics of big budget cinema. His work is primarily focused on the themes of the sacred and the human body. An avid supporter of the Super-8 format, he has been fighting for its merits as a tool. He has used this format film after film and has been sharing his experiences with new filmmakers during his workshops at the Sorbonne’s College of the Arts (Paris I).Read More »

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Actions have consequences. When 18-year-old Andrej is admitted to a youth detention centre, he has to fight for his place within the group of inmates. As he works to prove himself to the group’s leader Zeljko, the pair get closer, and dangerous desires emerge. Blinded by his love for Zeljko, Andrej finds himself falling into an unsettling world full of dangerous men and heartless crimes. As Andrej comes to terms with the man he loves and the thing he’s become, it slowly dawns on him; there will be consequences…Read More »

Synopsis:
Deadwood, Dakota Territory, is largely the abode of men, where Indian scout Calamity Jane is as hard-riding, boastful, and handy with a gun as any; quite an overpowering personality. But the army lieutenant she favors doesn’t really appreciate her finer qualities. One of Jane’s boasts brings her to Chicago to recruit an actress for the Golden Garter stage. Arrived, the lady in question appears (at first) to be a more feminine rival for the favors of Jane’s male friends…including her friendly enemy Wild Bill Hickock.Read More »

After finishing a strict and traumatizing education at a Jesuit seminary, young Roberto is offered a post by the priest of his village: The local count is looking for a new teacher for his eight year old niece, Flora. Roberto accepts the post and soon finds himself traveling to the remote estate of the count by the seaside which is taken care of by the old housekeeper Mrs. Antonia. In the beginning, everything is well but with the arrival of Flora’s elder brother Mikel who has been expelled from school, things start to get disquieting. In his attempts to find out why Mikel was expelled, Roberto soon unearths unsettling secrets – about himself and about Cristina, his deceased predecessor and Pedro, a former servant of the count who now seems to lurk within the dark corridors of the mansion. Could it be that these two sinister beings are trying to get back to life by the souls of the children?Read More »

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Compulsion is a compelling, stylish thriller, loosely based on the famous 1924 murder trial of thrill-killers Loeb and Leopold, two homosexual students who murdered a young boy to demonstrate their intellectual superiority. Artie Straus (Bradford Dillman) is a sadistic, mother-dominated bully. Judd Steiner (Dean Stockwell) is a submissive, introverted sissy. Having been raised by wealthy, arrogant families, both Artie and Judd consider themselves above conventional morality. Unfeeling and conceited, the boys, after thRead More »

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There’s magic and mastery aplenty in “The Wolf’s Mouth,” a docu-fiction hybrid that represents a breathtakingly impressive debut from Pietro Marcello. Though running a bare-minimum feature length of 70 minutes (six shorter than the press notes and Berlinale catalog claim), it packs multiple layers and subjects into its densely intricate but enticingly accessible structure. A highly unusual love story between a macho ex-con and a transsexual former drug-addict, it’s also an exploration and celebration of their home city of Genoa, delicately examining the past’s interactions with the present.Read More »

Robert Horton, Amazon.com wrote:
Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins–a pair of actresses who hated each other–re-mix their chemistry from The Old Maid in Old Acquaintance, an entertaining adaptation of John Van Druten’s play. The action begins with Davis, a semi-famous author, returning to her small town and the home of old friend Hopkins. The later has opted for the settled life of husband and pregnancy, and she doesn’t much hide her envy of Davis’s success. Then the tables turn, as Hopkins pens a series of potboilers that sell much better than her friend-rival’s. The movie keeps checking up on these two as the years pass, each wanting what the other has. Read More »