lgbtq-and-film

[lgbtq-and-film]

“Over the past 25 years, Wolfe Video has worked to put gay media within mainstream culture. One of the few exclusive distributors of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender films in the United States, the company has helped to bring such award-winning films as “Big Eden,” “Brother to Brother” and “Desert Hearts” before television, movie theater and festival audiences across the country. The company, based in San Jose, currently offers 215 titles under the Wolfe brand, as well as thousands of DVDs from other distributors. . .

   “The mere existence of Wolfe Video has been incredible,” said Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, an advocacy organization. “Inside the gay community, Wolfe films have raised awareness of the reality of our lives and our place in popular culture. They’ve also made gay issues much more visible in the culture at large.”” 

[lgbtq-and-film]

Closet Monster (2015) dir. Stephen Dunn

[lgbtq-and-film]

[lgbtq-and-film]

Closet Monster (2016)

A fresh take on the coming-of-age story, this surreal tale follows the artistically driven Oscar (American Crime’s Connor Jessup) hovering on the brink of adulthood. Struggling to find his place in the world after a rough childhood and haunted by images of a tragic incident, Oscar dreams of escaping his small town. After he meets a mysterious and attractive new co-worker, Oscar follows the guidance of his pet hamster Buffy (voiced by Isabella Rossellini) and faces his demons to find the life he wants.

Directed by:   Stephen Dunn

Starring:   Connor Jessup, Aaron Abrams, Aliocha Schneider

Release date:   August 19, 2016

[lgbtq-and-film]

It’s becoming increasingly clear that ‘Stonewall’ does no justice to Stonewall. No one’s claiming you can get all of LGBT history from one film, of course, but if you did want a crash course in queer history on film — whether through fictional narrative, documentary form or mixed-genre — then there are a few films that can jumpstart your education.

[lgbtq-and-film]

“And LeFou is hardly alone. LGBT viewers have recognized their own in Disney films since the Evil Queen first saw the fair Snow White in the magic mirror. The sexual orientation and gender identity of these characters have never been as explicitly stated as today’s example — but then again, the same holds true for people in the real world.

Historically, many of the more obviously LGBT characters have been villains: The Lion King’s Scar, Aladdin’s Jefar, The Little Mermaid’s Ursula, Sleeping Beauty’s Maleficent, and Pocahontas’s John Ratcliffe, just to name a few. These power-hungry women and sly and effeminate men are in many respects hangovers from the Hays Code — rules of censorship that prevented Hollywood from portraying obviously gay characters from the early 1930s to 1966. In this period, villains, while closeted, took on queer attributes — gender-nonconforming in clothes or demeanor, or an obsession with a character of the same sex. It’s no coincidence that there is more than a passing similarity between Rebecca’s Mrs. Danvers and Cinderella’s Evil Stepmother.

But heroes in Disney films are also queer. The Little Mermaid’s Ariel is a trans character. Despite the disapproval of her father, she pays a price to become human, knowing in her heart that she was born to be one. Moreover, her song “Part of Your World” is an anthem — sung at gay bars around the world — about the longing to fit in and love freely without judgment from society.”

- Daniel Reynolds of The Advocate

http://www.advocate.com/film/2017/3/09/sorry-russia-there-have-always-been-gay-disney-characters

[lgbtq-and-film]

“Much is being made of what [Bill] Condon [director of Beauty and the Beast] is calling “a nice, exclusively gay moment in a Disney movie.” But his earlier description of the character sounds in line with the sort of ambiguous, are they/aren’t they characters Disney has presented in the past—such as Lion King life partners Timon and Pumba, Divine–inspired Ursula from The Little Mermaid, and the isolated and repressed Elsa from Frozen. . .

Though he doesn’t draw a direct line to Gad’s LeFou, Condon, who is openly gay himself, points out that the gay community has a long history with this Disney princess tale in particular. Howard Ashman, the brilliant lyricist who co-wrote the first film’s songs with his creative partner Alan Menken, was fighting a losing battle with AIDS as he worked on Beauty and the Beast. As Ashman was battling for his life, the stigma of being both gay and sick in the early 90s crept into his work. “It was his idea, not only to make it into a musical but also to make Beast one of the two central characters,” Condon explained. “Until then, it had mostly been Belle’s story that they had been telling.”

“Specifically for him, it was a metaphor for AIDS,” Condon continued. “He was cursed, and this curse had brought sorrow on all those people who loved him, and maybe there was a chance for a miracle—and a way for the curse to be lifted. It was a very concrete thing that he was doing.””

[lgbtq-and-film]

“I’ve been told I’m clingy, but I really don’t get it.”

[lgbtq-and-film]

Moonlight just won Best Picture at the Oscars, with it being the first all-black cast, LGBTQ film to win this award. It’s literally made history, and it made me so happy when it won! (Despite the confusion and mess on-stage when the award was mistakenly given to La La Land).

This article from CNN describes the recap of the blunder. Even though it’s awesome that Moonlight snagged the Oscar win for Best Picture, it’s unfortunate how it’s now forever linked to this mishap. It’s a great example of how the “underdog” manages to overcome the obstacles in its wake, but it just sucks how the disappointment of La La Land will always seem to linger in the backdrop, not giving Moonlight the attention that it fully deserves.

[lgbtq-and-film]

everything is gay and getting gayer by the minute

[lgbtq-and-film]

Impressive

[lgbtq-and-film]

homophobes be like

[lgbtq-and-film]

♪ Hello stranger. It seems so good to see you back again. How long has it been? It seems like a mighty long time. Oh, I’m  so glad you stopped by to say hello to me. Remember that’s the way it used to be? ♪

[lgbtq-and-film]

"'Moonlight' doesn't fit the precedent of any film that's come before it," said Awards Circuit editor Clayton Davis, who is a fan of the film and believes it can compete in the Best Picture, Director and Supporting Actress categories at next year's Oscars.

The film, some say, could even end the #OscarsSoWhite rebuke that has plagued Hollywood's highest honor during the past couple of years”

[lgbtq-and-film]

finally watched moonlight ಥ_ಥ