Tag Archives: lesbian film

Leighton Meester Talks ‘Life Partners’, LGBT Fans and Working With Gillian Jacobs

In media that feature lesbians, by far the biggest trope that we see is lesbians sleeping with straight men. But, this uncomfortable plot point is rivalled by lesbians falling for straight women.

We’ve seen it everywhere from films (Imagine Me and You), TV shows (Faking It) and it’s even been talked about in songs (Te Amo by Rihanna). But where is the media that just features good ol’ fashioned friendship between lesbians and heterosexual women?

New movie Life Partners is one such breath of fresh air, with the movie focusing on a gay woman Sasha (played by Leighton Meester) and her straight best friend Paige (played by Gillian Jacobs). Sasha and Paige’s biggest source of conflict is trying balance the time they have for their friendship and their love lives rather than the feelings they have for each other.

Now, Leighton Meester has spoken about the movie in a brand new interview. Speaking to shewired, the actress explained that Life Partners’ portrayal of women was “a huge reason” for her taking the part:

“I think, you know, it makes a lot of sense that female characters aren’t written as complex, three-dimensional people and that we’re pitted against each other on-screen. And we’re thought of as competition and put in very unrealistic settings in which the only time we’re on the screen with another woman is talking about men. I think it makes a lot of sense, because films are not made by women very often — as often as they are by men — not written by women as often. …

I think people have this assumption, based on I don’t know what — nothing [laughs] — that women don’t go to movies, and we do. It’s the perpetuation of a stereotype that really comes from something not true, which is that women are competitive with one another, and I think that should stop.”

Leighton Meester

But, while we’ll always champion female friendship (and a movie that passes that Bechdel Test with flying colours at that), the chemistry between Meester and Jacobs is also more of a reason to watch the movie. The actress explains:

“I think both of us really came into it saying we’re going to just be as open and free and as honest as possible with each other. We knew walking in that you never know who you’re going to get, and I think that it was the all-over energy of Susanna and Joni [Fogel and Lefkowitz, the director and co-writer of the film, respectively] and our producers and our crew, which were a lot of women…

Everyone was just friendly and open. When I met Gillian it was pretty much immediate. We were both willing to be open with each other and to take the walls away and to get close and geek out. And so that was very fun.”

Leighton Meester

Meester also says she was keen to buck stereotypes when she was working on Life Partners:

“I would say that when I took on the role and when I was working on the film I definitely wanted to steer as far away as possible from any kind of stereotype or cliché. It’s in the writing and the character that Sasha is gay and that’s the end of the story.

It’s not that she has to come out, it’s not like she has to figure out her sexuality or who she is. It is what it is and she has dates and they don’t work out. And just because she discovers who she is doesn’t mean that it shifts back. … And I think that was refreshing.”

Leighton Meester

She further added that she hasn’t heard feedback directly from LGBT fans but judging by the film’s quality, once she does it will be overwhelmingly positive.

Life Partners is in cinemas now.

Jane Anderson Discusses the Legacy of ‘If These Walls Could Talk 2’

Although she’s had career in Hollywood since the early 1980s, writer, producer and director Jane Anderson is perhaps best known for her work on ‘If These Walls Could Talk 2’.

A movie that aired on television in 2000, ‘If These Walls Could Talk 2’ starred Sharon Stone, Vanessa Redgrave and Ellen DeGeneres (along with several other well-known names) as three lesbian couples in several different time periods. The director of the 1’961′ part of the film, Anderson’s third focused on an elderly couple and when one half of the couple falls ill, the laws of the time meant that she couldn’t see her partner in the hospital and when she passes, she has no rights to the possessions or the house that she left behind.

But a lot has changed since 1961 and Anderson notes that:

“I can’t tell you how far we’ve come. I’m so impressed with our community. It’s breathtaking. What happened with the supreme court last summer that was one of the greatest days of our lives. [If These Walls Could Talk 2] is still quite relevant. We need to be reminded of these things. The lack of validity and the sense of shame back then was overwhelming.”

Jane Anderson

She also gives praise to shows like Transparent, which has many scenes dedicated to showing the stigma towards (trans lead) Maura several decades ago. Anderson explains that it’s “still really important” to tell these stories to show gay millennials just how far the LGBT community has come since then.

As for her future projects, her TV miniseries Olive Kitteridge aired on HBO earlier in the month whilst she is also working on another film similar to ‘If These Walls Could Talk 2’.

Whilst Anderson didn’t offer much about the project (she told AfterEllen that it hasn’t been greenlit yet) she did say that it would be set in the 1950s, so we’ll keep you posted on that.

Katherine Heigl’s Lesbian Wedding Movie to Make it to the Big Screen

Katherine Heigl’s gay marriage film ‘Jenny’s Wedding’, is set to be picked up by a distributor at the American Film Market.

The lesbian feature tells the story of Jenny (played by Katherine Heigl), who has led an openly gay life – except with her conventional family. When she finally decides to start a family of her own and marry the woman they thought was just her roommate, her family’s world will be turned upside down.

The film – written and directed by Mary Agnes Donoghue (Beaches, White Oleander, and Deceived) – recently attracted attention for launching a crowdfunding campaign for completion funds. Fans pledged $96,000 towards post production costs via a campaign on indiegogo.

Donoghue said the production wrapped in Cleveland last year, however post production has only recently been completed thanks to the fundraising efforts of fans who helped raise the money for the films final grading, sound mix and titles.

The director says she didn’t make ‘Jenny’s Wedding with the intention of it being a blockbuster hit. She is telling the story of her niece, also named Jenny, who came out to her sister and told her that she wanted to marry a woman. This film is chronicling the journey that they went through together as a family and the personal courage it took Jenny, as well as each of her family members, to live outside of their comfort zone and explore a new world together in order to come back together as a family.

“There is a Jenny in my life and family but this really isn’t her story, but the people who inspired the story have told me that they felt that we had captured them in the film.”

Mary Agnes Donoghue

Donoghue is hopeful that Heigl’s increased profile (thanks to the pick up ofher new TV series State of the Nation by NBC), will bode well for a cinema release of Jenny’s Wedding.

Rose Troche and Guinevere Turner Discuss Their Cult Classic Lesbian Film ‘Go Fish’

Director Rose Troche and writer-actor Guinevere Turner discuss the origin story of Go Fish after its 20th Anniversary retrospective screening at Frameline38: San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival.

Not only was Go Fish one of the first film projects to receive support from the Frameline Completion Fund, it was also the festival’s Opening Night film in 1994 and a watershed moment for lesbian films in the festival. Following its theatrical release that summer, the film paved the way for a host of subsequent US lesbian indie releases over the course of the 1990s including The Watermelon Woman, The Incredibly True Adventures of 2 Girls in Love, High Art, All Over Me, But I’m a Cheerleader and many more.

About the film

Go Fish is a simple and somewhat old fashioned love story, which was shot like an art film. Turner played Max, a young student who hasn’t had a girlfriend for ten months, but is ready to get back into the dating scene. Her roommate is Kia (T. Wendy McMilan) teaches women’s studies at the university, tries to fix her up with Ely (V.S. Brodie). At first, Max shows no interest in Ely – looks and old relationships get in the way. However, drastic measures are taken. Ely gets a her hair cut, becomes a little butch and succeeds in getting Max’s attention. Bomb we have fireworks between the two ladies and a hot sex scene.

However ‘Go Fish’ is not your usual love story. The film broken up by a number of discourses, both serious and comic, that address various lesbian issues. The film begins with a classroom discussion in which Kia asks her students to add to a list of women known, or believed to be, lesbians. Kia’s Latino girlfriend, Evy (Migdalia Melendez), is outed to her old-world mother by her ex boyfriend. Ely’s bed-hopping roommate, Daria (Anastasia Sharp), sleeps with a both men and women. It is modern, as it is as much relevant to today’s audience.

The film is charming and infectious. There is subtle realism that allows the film to resonate with its audience.

#OutfestLA Girls’ Shorts – 6 Lesbian Short Films to See

From exposing secret identities to weathering storms to eating pot cookies left by a one-night stand, these ladies have got a lot going on! So sit down, strap in (or on?), and let’s process these feelings together.

Things aren’t always what they seem for girls-who-like-girls. This year Outfest has wonderful selection of Lesbian Short Films, and here they are

Code Academy

Directed by Nisha Ganatra, this short is about the future, where girls and boys are separated until the age of 18 and can only interact in virtual spaces – but for an awkward teen girl, the virtual world is more liberating than expected.

Disaster Preparedness

Directed by Melissa Finell, and named an “Audience Favorite” at Palm Springs International ShortFest, this 15 minute short is about a couple dealing with the crossroads of commitment, disaster and the art of being prepared while hunkered down in their apartment when a hurricane hits. Website: www.disasterprepmovie.com

Secrets and Toys

Directed by Quentin Lee, Secrets and Toys is a short film about a mother and daughter who discover each other’s secrets through a comedy of errors, and learn to accept them selves and each other.

Website: www.secretsandtoys.com

The Night Is Ours

Directed By Aubree Bernier-Clarke – The Night Is Ours follows tomboy Morgan, to her best friend Olivia’s wake. Discovering Olivia has come back to life, the two escape into the night on a road trip past boundaries of friendship into a dark, uncertain future.

Be Here Now-ish: Episode 2

Directed by Alexandra Roxo, this short story line is not so simple. A girl gets way more than she bargained for when her one-night stand refuses to leave and throws a party.

Website: www.beherenowish.com

Alone with People

Directed by Drew Van Steenbergen, Alone with People is about a high school girl from the South seeks the help of a therapist to come out to her family and friends. This film is a hilarious and touching, coming-of-age tale.

NewFest 2014 – New York’s LGBT Annual Film Festival

NewFest 2014 (the sister event to LA’s Outfest) is New York’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender annual Film Festival that showcases the best of LGBT cinema from both renowned filmmakers as well as exciting discoveries.

With a lineup of 16 narrative and five documentary features, this year’s group of films continues to carry out the festival’s mission of supporting diverse film communities and voices from around the world.

“This marks the fourth year of having NewFest at Film Society and we couldn’t be more happy to continue our collaboration with Outfest. LGBT films and filmmakers are a vital part of cinema worldwide, and we are thrilled to offer this showcase on our screens each year.”

Lesli Klainberg, Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Executive Director

Kicking off the 2014 festival is the New York City Premiere of Karim Aïnouz’s Futuro Beach, a visually stunning, emotionally resonant tale about three Brazilian men struggling across oceans of love, loss, and heartache. Closing out the festival is the New York premiere of Bruce LaBruce’s highly anticipated Gerontophila, a profound comedy about a handsome teen who refuses to feel shame about his unquenchable appetite for older men.

Among the many other highlights from the 2014 feature lineup are Stephan Haupt’s The Circle (winner of the Teddy Award at the 2014 Berlinale); Hong Khaou’s Lilting (a Sundance 2014 selection starring Ben Whishaw); Patrik-Ian Polk’s Blackbird (starring Mo’Nique and Isaiah Washington); Carter Smith’s Jamie Marks is Dead (a Sundance 2014 selection starring Cameron Monaghan, Judy Greer, and Liv Tyler); Sophie Hyde’s 52 Tuesdays (Sundance 2014, Berlinale 2014); and the world premiere of Kate Kunath’s We Came to Sweat: The Legend of Starlite (a timely documentary about Brooklyn’s oldest gay bar).

“In the year following spectacular LGBT civil rights advances across the country, the dynamic and fresh slate of 2014 NewFest films decisively demonstrates that artists and storytellers lead the charge in creating social change,”

Kristin Pepe (KP), Outfest’s Director of Programming

Show your Support for Lesbian Film Project – Love Is All You Need

Based on the award-winning short film of the same name, the proposed feature film Love Is All You Need? challenges society by exploring bullying and prejudice in a new light. Based on the premise of the ‘reversed world’ – where social roles are inverted – ‘gay is straight and straight is gay’ – this unique viewpoint allows viewers to ‘walk a mile’ in another’s shoes.

Inversed, mainstream norms are thrown into chaos as we follow multiple story-lines of everyday people who are bullied for the opposite-sex partners they love. This inversion is a powerful learning tool that has created an overwhelming response from people all over the globe. Translated in 15 different languages, the filmmakers receive emails daily about how the film has helped ‘change minds’ and open otherwise close-minded people to understand that ‘Love does not define who you are’.

The original short film was released in 2011, and went on to win numerous festival accolades, be viewed over 30 million viewers online. This project has created an overwhelming response from people all over the globe. Translated in 15 different languages, the filmmakers receive emails daily about how the film has helped ‘change minds’ and open otherwise close-minded people to understand that ‘Love does not define who you are’.

The writer and director – Kim Rocco – has now started an Indiegogo campaign to raise money to turn the short film into a feature-length film. Rocco is just 21, but became one of LA’s most coveted union script supervisors, working closely with notable mentors such as J.J. Abrams and Gore Verbinski.

The film has also gained the support of GLSEN (Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network) and From The Heart Productions.

To support the project go too www.icantstopbullying.com.

Watch the original short film – Love is All You Need?

Open Your Eyes to new LGBTQ film ‘Be Your Wo/Man’

Be Your Wo/Man – An optometrist’s assistant strangely obsessed with eyes falls in love with her roommate’s split-personality.

My goal is to tell a story about acceptance. After viewing the film, I hope for others to embrace the idea of keeping their eyes open to the world. There is so much beauty in diversity, which I believe we often just look past. We don’t crack open our eyes, and we often tint them with glasses. I think if we opened our eyes more, we may discover things about the world that we are otherwise blind to see.

Joe Wielosinski

Film synopsis:

Aislinn Celia is a 24-year-old aspiring photographer obsessed with eyes. After relocating from Honolulu to Chicago in hopes of moving on from her past, Aislinn begins work at an optometrist’s office. There, she meets her overbearing boss, Dr. Brianna Navarro, and her quirky, overexcited coworker, Sue Ellen Locke.

Even more conflict rises when Aislinn meets Dillon Alter, a cute guy in her apartment complex. A romantic tryst finds Aislinn waking the following morning next to a woman with features similar to Dillon. Aislinn learns that Dillon has a female split personality named Charlotte Belle, triggered when he is sexually active or aroused. In an ironic twist of fate, Aislinn and Dillon/Charlotte are roommates.

At first, Charlotte annoys Aislinn. Not before long, an intense romance is developed between the two. Charlotte is open, fun, free-spirited; everything Aislinn desires in a relationship. Soon, she finds herself madly in love with Charlotte, craving her more than Dillon. Not all is fine, as Dillon’s therapist has a plan to help “cure” Dillon of his issue.

It’s a love triangle between two people. Which one will end up with a broken heart?

I hope viewers of the film will be more willing to open themselves to others, even if they are different. I’ve found that the people with ideas and backgrounds opposite of mine are the ones I often get along with the most.

Joe Wielosinski

Have you seen Molly’s Girl?

Have you seen Molly’s Girl? It is one of the many LGBT films Netfilx are featuring under the gay and lesbian genre section. Molly who is played by Kristina Valada-Viars, is a “misfit” who engages in a one night stand with a lesbian LGBTQ activist named Mercedes (played by Emily Schweitz) .

The film takes a surprising turn when Mercedes learns that Molly’s father is the State Senator who also happens to be a homophobe. Mercedes sees this as an opportunity to get to know Senator Tom Cranston and change his mind about gay marriage.

Synopsis

Molly, an emotional misfit, believes she’s found love in a drunken one-night stand with a lesbian /gay marriage activist named Mercedes who has just broken it off with her fiancée…

Once sober, Mercedes discovers she cannot escape the clingy and desperate Molly. As she’s about to call upon all of her legal options to rid herself of Molly, Mercedes learns that Molly’s father is actually an influential state senator opposed to gay marriage.

Seeing this as a golden opportunity to drive a stake into the senator’s politics, Mercedes convinces Molly (who turns out, after all, to be straight) to get her parents’ attention by pretending that they are an engaged lesbian couple. Mercedes poses as “Molly’s girl”.

But, as she gets to know Molly’s family (and especially her controlling mother, Ginger) Mercedes begins to understand who Molly really is and why they surprisingly have so much in common.

This movie is a definite must watch. You can check it out on Netflix.

Official trailer for Clouds of Sils Maria – Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart, Chloë Grace Moretz

Clouds of Sils Maria is the hotly anticipated upcoming film drama written and directed by Olivier Assayas, and starring Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart, and Chloë Grace Moretz.

The Plot – Juliette Binoche headlines as Maria Enders, a luminous talent in early middle-age who once rose to fame playing 18-year-old Sigrid in a lauded lesbian drama. Now a new director wants to re-stage the play, this time casting Maria in the role of Helena, the bitter, brittle older lover. Maria is reluctant but the director insists. “Sigrid and Helena are one and the same person. And because you were Sigrid, only you can play Helena.” Enter Jo-Ann (Chloe Grace Moretz), a Hollywood starlet, fresh out of rehab o play Sigrid.

Yet, this story is not the focus of the film, the interest lies in the dynamics between Maria and Val (Kristen Stewart), the actor’s personal assistant. The relationship here is quite beautifully drawn, with Stewart again demonstrating what a terrific performer she can be away from the shadow of Twilight.

It is immediately apparent that these two women are close. Maria and Val love each other and live together, but their friendship has never been on an equal footing – and here is the twist….

Watch the Official trailer for Clouds of Sils Maria

Watch The Trailer for Upcoming Lesbian Film, Anatomy of a Love Seen

Watch the trailer for the upcoming lesbian film, “Anatomy of a Love Seen”. The film has been written and directed by Marina Rice Bader.

Marina Bader is the driving force behind independent film company – Soul Kiss Films, whose aim is to make movies by and for women. Projects include Elena Undone, which is already one of the best selling movies in its genre. The second project was the stunning A Perfect Ending, which was submitted to the Sundance Film Festival.

Watch The Trailer for Anatomy of a Love Seen (courtesy of OML)

Premiering this summer – details coming soon.

Synopsis

Love remarkable…

Naked, in bed, and surrounded by a room full of people, Zoe and Mal fell deeply in love with each other at exactly the same moment in time. The circumstances were unusual, but love can sneak up on you anywhere. This just happened to be on a movie set, while filming a love scene, with an audience of crew members…and the moment was captured on film. The movie’s director Kara thought it miraculous, given the fact that the name of her film was “A Love Seen”.

Love brutal…

Five months later, with an Alexander Payne film in the can, rising star Zoe was living the life she’d worked for since age 13. She always had big dreams, and never wavered in her faith that they would be realized. At the top of the list was marriage and kids, which now seemed closer than ever. The night of the Alexander Payne wrap party Zoe was giddy, joyous, walking on air – until Mal disappeared from the party, and then from her life. The email simply said “I can’t do this, I’m sorry.”

Love ironic…

During filming, Kara had taken Zoe under her maternal wing both professionally and personally, so when Zoe’s world came crashing down it was Kara’s couch she landed on. After the shock wore off, the calls and messages to Mal went unanswered, and the unnerving anger passed, Zoe did little but cry and sleep for three weeks. It was somewhere in week four that Kara delivered the news she had been sitting on for days, waiting for the right time, waiting for Zoe to get stronger. There was a broadcast deal in the works, one that would greatly benefit everyone involved with the project. There was just one thing that had to be done…re-shoot the love scene.

Spotlight | Gina Gershon – sex and violence and rock & roll

In the past 30 years Gina Gershon has earned her place as one of the best-loved camp movie stars, although you might know her better from mainstream productions such as P.S. I Love You. She is known as a huge gay icon, having played several feisty queer characters.

We at KitschMix decided to take a look at the movies that made Gershon such an undisputed part of American gay imagery.

Showgirls camp fame

KitschMix crew can always appreciate a true kitsch classic! Showgirls (1995) is Paul Verhoeven’s steamy cult film that dives inside the world of Las Vegas showdancers and prostitutes. Here, Gershon plays a predatory bisexual diva Cristal Connors. This might not be her most affable role, but it is the one that first defined her as a revered camp actress.

Bound

In the year 1996 we got to witness Gershon collaborating with another enticing actress Jennifer Tilly in The Wachowskis’ debut feature film Bound. The two queer icons joined their strength to play a pair of criminally minded women, who become lovers and devise a plot to steal $2 million of mafia money.

Bound could be fairly called Thelma & Louise on speed: The movie was harshly criticized for its gratuitous violence. But later it has been also lauded as the first mainstream feature film to present lesbian relationship without homosexuality actually being the focus of the plot.

Prey for Rock & Roll

Prey for Rock & Roll (2003) was a drama film about the fictional female punk band Clam Dandy who decide to take one last shot at the big time. The band’s charismatic leader is of course played by Gina Gershon. Again, she chose to play a sexually deviant outcast – a role she seems to enjoy.

Well then, is Gina Gershon gay?

No, she is not.

Everyone was wondering if Gershon might be into girls after portraying such an array of lesbian and bisexual characters. However, she came out as straight lately in Austin America-Statesman.

For KitschMix crew Gershon is still a full-on idol. Not only for all the entertaining movies she has made. Not even for the whimsical fact that she likes to play jew’s harp. But because she has been an important part in making gay movie characters an accepted part of the mainstream.

By the way, did you know that lately Gershon played Donatella Versace in the TV biopic House of Versace? She gave a fine performance that definitely didn’t diminish her gay appeal.

Sapphic Cinema Sensations: 10 Essential Lesbian Movies 

The last decade has seen a number of films deal with lesbians and lesbianism in a mature and insightful way. From light-hearted romantic comedies to tragic social dramas, Sapphic cinema has never been so healthy.

1. Sea Purple (2009)

This stylish Italian historical drama is about a lesbian called Angela in 1800s Sicily who is forced to change her identity and pretend to be a man in order be with the woman she loves. The ethereal atmosphere of the cinematography and scenery belies the film’s angry critique of patriarchy and state-sanctioned homophobia.

2. Affinity (2008)

Set in Victorian London, this BBC TV movie tells the tale of a miserable gentlewoman’s (played by Anna Madeley) attraction to an enigmatic spiritualist (Zoe Tapper). Adapted from Sarah Waters’ bestselling novel.

3. Imagine Me and You (2005)

Viewers were wowed by this film’s twisty-turny plotting and hilarious reimagining of a long-established genre. Piper Perabo and Lena Headey are perfectly cast as two women with very different attitudes to their attraction to one another.

4. Fingersmith (2005)

Another gem from the BBC, the “fingersmith” of the title refers to two 19^th century female pickpockets who fall in love, despite coming from radically different social backgrounds. The quality of the acting and the beauty of the narrative structure will keep you glued to the screen.

5. Puccini for Beginners (2006)

Maria Maggenti’s second outing as director sees New York classical music expert Allegra (Elizabeth Reaser) starts dating a banker called Grace (Gretchen Mol), only to discover that previously they both dated the same male academic, played with poise and subtlety by Justin Kirke.

6. The Kids Are Alright (2010)

Perhaps the most high-profile lesbian motion picture of recent years, The Kids are Alright has an intriguing premise: what happens when the children of a long-term lesbian couple go seeking out the man who donated the sperm to create them? Although a critical and commercial success, the movie was not without its detractors who claimed that this nominally lesbian film was in fact more interested in satisfying a straight audience.

7. Pariah (2011)

This brave and unflinching film highlights the obstacles that an African-American lesbian must overcome in order to find happiness and acceptance. Adepero Oduye’s lead performance as the troubled and conflicted Alike is nothing less than masterful.

8. Kiss Me (2011)

A vividly realist portrayal of two women who fall in love. It should be that simple, but the fact that they are about to become step-sisters means that it really isn’t. Director Alexandre-Therese Keining handles the story with genuine empathy and respect.

9. Circumstance (2011)

As a recent blog entry on KitschMix showed, Iran is not the easiest place to be gay. Circumstance offers viewers an unsettling insight into what it is like to live in a society that treats women as second-class citizens and lesbians as something even worse.

10. Bloomington (2010)

A lesbian variation on the timeworn theme of teacher-pupil romance, Fernanda Cardoso’s meditation on the affair between a maternal psychology lecturer and a former child actress in need of a parental figure is intriguing stuff.

Official Trailer for New Lesbian Film, Concussion

Director Stacie Passon (The Kids Are All Right) tells the steamy tale of a bored suburban wife and mother who begins a secret life as lesbian escort. Watch the trailer here at KitschMix.

Concussion is in cinemas on 16 May.

Synopsis

For Abby, life can’t just be about the school run, gym classes with the other mums and frustrated nights in bed with her wife who falls asleep during sex. After an accidental blow to the head she realises she wants more. First she revives her career by renovating an apartment in the city with her friend Justin, but soon she is searching for something more adventurous to satisfy her. Abby becomes Eleanor, a lesbian ‘Belle de jour’, her apartment the perfect backdrop for secret trysts with paying customers. Weigert is excellent as the frustrated Abby, her sexual reawakening completely believable, and is ably supported by Siff as the client for whom Abby feels a little too much. Passon has crafted an eloquent film about female sexuality and the lengths one woman will go to feel alive again. Funny and very sexy.

“Passon’s impressive debut is a landmark, not just in LGBT cinema, but in cinema as a whole, taking an unflinching look at sex, parenting, privilege, feminism and boredom, from the point of view of a middle-aged lesbian couple,”

Joanna Benecke, DIVA Magazine

Reaching for the Moon – Watch the Trailer for New Lesbian Romance

Academy Award nominated filmmaker Bruno Barreto returns with a sophisticated tale of an unlikely romance between two extraordinary artists.

Grappling with writer’s block, legendary American poet Elizabeth Bishop travels from New York City to Rio de Janeiro in the 1950s to visit her college friend, Mary. Hoping to find inspiration on Mary’s sprawling estate, Elizabeth winds up with much more – a tempestuous relationship with Mary’s bohemian partner, architect Lota de Macedo Soares, that rocks the staid writer to her foundation.

Alcoholism, geographical distance and a military coup come between the lovers, but their intimate connection spans decades and forever impacts the life and work of these two extraordinary artists. The attraction of two polar-opposite women has rarely been so volatile and so erotically charged on the big screen

Bored of the Hollywood Spin, then here are 5 Lesbian Films to Consider

In honor of queer cinema (that is, cinema made by, starring, or directed by LGBT people) here are five lesbian films that capture the lesbian experience.

But I’m a Cheerleader!

One of my favourite actress, Natasha Lyonne, stars in this film is unabashedly camp romantic comedy, But I’m a Cheerleader is the directorial debut of well-known out-filmmaker and screenwriter Jamie Babbit. It tells the story of a pretty high school cheerleader who is sent off to an ex-gay camp by her family. The conversion therapies used are awkward, and the technicolor sets and pervasive use of neon pink add an utter flamboyancy to the whole romp.

Room in Rome

Room in Rome is unlike most LGBT films out there — for better or worse. It attempts to delve into the realm of art house cinema as it tells a melancholic story of two strangers meeting and falling in love in over the span of one night in a hotel room .

Mosquita y Mari

The award-winning debut film from openly queer director Aurora Guerreo, Mosquita y Mari is a story of first love and self-discovery. Coming to terms with and exploring your sexuality is a major experience for anyone, but it takes on a different significance when a relationship is same-sex, and cultural and political environments limit your freedom and safety.

Kyss Mig (translated as With Ever Heartbeat)

A Swedish movie that came out in 201; it stars Ruth Vega Fernandez and Liv Mjönes. Part family drama and part romance, Kyss Mig (translated as With Ever Heartbeat) tells the story of Mia and Frida, women on their way to becoming step-sisters after the engagement of their parents. Further complicating their story is the fact that Mia is also engaged to a man, a situation that forces the two women to make some very difficult and confrontational decisions.

I Can’t Think Straight

A solid, light-hearted rom-com, I Can’t Think Straight has everything you would want in a date-night movie: a little bit of drama, a lot of cheesy, heartfelt moments, and the happy ending you’d expect.