Projects in genres: LGBTQIA+

Synopsis

8.5 Hours is an intense, contemporary drama about one day in the working lives of four software workers in Dublin. On one particular Monday, each of the characters finds their lives are in turmoil and each undergoes a gruelling series of events between the hours of 9 to 5.30, the 8.5 hours of the title.  

Synopsis

Set in and around the women’s prison at Millbank in the 1870s, Affinity is an eerie and utterly compelling ghost story, a complex and intriguing mystery and a poignant love story with an unexpected twist in the tale. Following the death of her father, Margaret Prior has decided to pursue some 'good work' with the lady criminals of one of London’s most notorious gaols. Surrounded by prisoners, murderers and common thieves, Margaret feels herself drawn to one of the prison's more unlikely inmates – the imprisoned spiritualist Selina Dawes who weaves an enigmatic spell. Is she a fraud, or a prodigy? Sympathetic to the plight of the innocent-seeming Selina, Margaret sees herself dispensing guidance and perhaps friendship on her visits, little expecting to find herself dabbling in a twilight world of séances, shadows, unruly spirits and unseemly passions. By the time it all begins to matter the viewer will find themselves desperately wanting to believe in the magic.

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A sequel to 1976's The Naked Civil Servant, An Englishman in New York tells the story of Quentin Crisp's years in self-imposed exile in New York until his death in 1999.

Synopsis

'identities' charts the multicoloured, multicultural transgender community in Ireland. Five personal stories give shape to the vibrant, parallel worlds of Transvestism, Transsexualism, Drag, Sexual identity, and Gender Dysphoria. Intercutting black and white interviews with fly on the wall footage, each character's daily experience is laid bare. Vivid art performances offer more abstract and deeply personal self-representation. Opening our eyes to the potential of existing in fantasy, reality is thrown into sharp relief. At its heart, this is a film about the human spirit. Overcoming stereotype and categorisation, the gender construct breaks open, allowing personality and human emotion a path to expression.

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Peter Kandinsky, a freelance journalist and documentary film maker has decided to invest his own resources in a project - an interview with an openly gay politician and an ex-MP, Jeremy (Gerry) Robertson, to examine his personal life and views. The viewers are led on a narrative journey - sometimes misleading sometimes mischievous - by ever evolving characters. Although the storyline is entirely fictional, the film is reflective of the youtube and myspace generation, where almost anyone can have access to publishing their own (including partial or deliberately misleading commentary) video films and online web contents. Interview with a Politician is a fictional and yet racy, seemingly topical exploration of the ups and downs in mainstream politician’s life, as if through a stage-managed docu-drama.

Synopsis

Madrid 1922. A city wavering on the edge of change as traditional values are challenged by the dangerous new influences of Jazz, Freud and the avant-garde. Salvador Dalí arrives at university: 18 years old and determined to become a great artist. His bizarre blend of shyness and rampant exhibitionism attracts the attention of two of the university’s social elite - Federico García Lorca and Luis Buñuel. Salvador is absorbed into their decadent group and for a time Salvador, Luis and Federico become a formidable trio, the most ultra-modern group in Madrid. However as time passes, Salvador feels an increasingly strong pull towards the charismatic Federico – who is himself oblivious of the attentions he is getting from his beautiful writer friend, Margarita. Finally, in the face of his friends’ preoccupations – and Federico’s growing renown as a poet – Luis sets off for Paris in search of his own artistic success. Federico and Salvador spend the holiday in the sea-side town of Cadaques. Both the idyllic surroundings and the warmth of the Dalí family sweep Federico off his feet. Salvador and he draw closer, sharing their deepest beliefs, inspirations and secrets, convinced that they have found a kind of friendship undreamt of by others. It is more than a meeting of the minds; it is a fusion of souls. And then one night, in the phosphorescent water, it becomes something else. A seemingly innocent kiss throws Federico and Salvador into the realms of the taboo. In the world of Spanish Catholicism, homosexuality is an affront against God and man. On their return to Madrid the two embark on an unspoken, secret affair. When Luis visits, he is appalled to realise that Federico is in love with Salvador. He leaves the city in shock rather than confronting his one-time friend. Salvador visits Luis in Paris and returns determined to separate himself from both Federico and Madrid – Luis has convinced him that both are proving detrimental to his career. Federico, increasingly fearful of his emotions, now becomes terrified of the thought of losing Salvador. One fateful afternoon the situation escalates as, frustrated and manipulated, Federico has sex with Magdalena whilst Salvador watches. The episode leaves Federico distraught as Salvador becomes colder than ever and leaves for Paris. Alone in Madrid, Federico struggles against his psyche, tortured by the damning implications of his own religious beliefs and the undeniable voice of his flesh. He is haunted by news of Salvador who is collaborating on a Surrealist film with Luis and has embarked on an affair with a married woman – Gala. Finally Margarita forces Federico to admit to himself his homosexuality and carry on with his life. He departs for America, never expecting to see Salvador again. Madrid 1936. Spain is teetering on the precipice of civil war. Federico, now a highly acclaimed and controversial playwright, receives an invitation to dinner from Salvador and Gala. But the hosts have a rather unusual agenda and the evening is a disaster. A week later, Salvador is hosting a party when he discovers that Federico has been assassinated in the outbreak of war. The walls of self-denial that surround the artist come crashing down as he realises, too late, the depth of his love for Federico.  

Synopsis

A story of ritual, sexuality and relationships, through the life and work of one of the UK's most exciting dancers. Classically trained, Bharatanatyam in India and ballet in London, Mavin Khoo is a household name in many of the international opera houses and clubs of London through his diverse work.

Synopsis

Love is like a hired suit. It often doesn't fit. Charlie wakes up the morning after the night before with an unexpected houseguest. They both just need to make it to the church on time. A bittersweet comedy about two guys with jobs to do this morning.

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Daz is looking for love. Saleem is looking for sex. Cruising at an underground archway, these two worlds collide. Back at Daz' bedsit, Saleem embarks on a dangerous, thrilling sexual adventure. Both characters disparate worlds overlap and collide to tell a tale of loneliness and longing in a city late at night. Flirting with danger, the dialogue erodes to a series of images of tenderness, violence, power and control.

Synopsis

As Alison waits for her lunchtime appointment, a familiar figure enters the restaurant - it's Laura, her first love. Without warning, Laura drops a bombshell: she still loves Alison and wants her back. Before Alison can catch her breath, Sara, her girlfriend, rushes into the restaurant and wonders how Alison knows Laura, her mother. She has a choice. Does Alison make the right one?

Synopsis

Worlds collide as the lives of Cal and Olivier intersect in SHANK, a gritty coming of age/rites of passage drama. Cal, an 18-year-old Scally lad and gang member has nothing in his life except drugs, sex, random acts of violence and a secret that he keeps hidden from his mates. An online hook up for sex with a stranger, Scott (36), temporarily satisfies but fails to dampen his unspoken desires for his best mate, Jonno. Nessa, their twisted, foul-mouthed and controlling, de facto gang leader, suspects that there is something going on between them but she can't put her finger on it. Jonno, putty in Nessa'a hands, can't express his own deep rooted and unrequited attachment to Cal. Manipulating situations that bring her closer to having her suspicions confirmed, Nessa sets out about dividing loyalties and encouraging conflict.

Synopsis

Ever wondered what men get up to alone at home? More than a few great minds have worked up a head of steam over this one. Here is a surprisingly sexy hymn to domesticity and the male state.