OUT on DVD/VOD: House of Z

 

HOUSE OF Z chronicles the meteoric rise of fashion designer Zac Posen at the age of 21 and then his brand's falling out of favor several years later and his challenge to rebuild his company and his reputation. It is both a portrait of an artist as a young man, and a look behind the glamorous curtain of one of the most distinguished brands in the world, revealing the tenuous dance between art and commerce that informs every move.

OUT on DVD/VOD: Kept Boy

Breaking Glass Pictures has acquired North American rights to writer/director George Bamber’s (The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green, ‘Bloomers’) second feature film KEPT BOY. Breaking Glass acquired the rights to the film in January in a deal negotiated between Breaking Glass CEO Rich Wolff, and writer/director George Bamber and Kept Boy, LLC. The film is slated for a DVD/VOD release August 8, 2017.

Based on the novel of the same name by Robert Rodi, KEPT BOY is the second feature film directed by George Bamber, who is well-known for his successful AD career on films such as Pitch Perfect, The Lincoln Lawyer, Jeepers Creepers, and Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. The film is proudly produced by Laura Reich, Haley Christensen, and Ben Simons.

KEPT BOY follows interior designer/reality show star Farleigh Knock, who has a knack for keeping beautiful things, like adonic Dennis, around his home. But when Fairleigh gives Dennis an unthinkable ultimatum for his 30th birthday, to get a job or get out, Dennis goes from Kept Boy to Lost Man. George Bamber directs this dark gay comedy that shows life with a sugar daddy is bittersweet and poses the question: what is love and what is the price to keep it?

OUT on DVD/VOD: Rift

Set in the bleak landscape of rural Iceland in the fall, and with a gay couple at its core, this Hitchcockian thriller Rift stars Björn Stefánsson, Sigurður Þór Óskarsson,
Guðmundur Ólafsson.

Rift follows Gunnar, who receives a strange phone call from his ex-boyfriend, Einar, months after they broke up. Einar sounds distraught, like he's about to do something terrible to himself, so Gunnar drives up to the secluded cabin where Einar is holed up and soon discovers that there's more going on than he imagined. As the two men come to terms with their broken relationship, some other person seems to be lurking outside the cabin, wanting to get in.

“I’m so proud of our gay horror drama, and I’m excited to see how an American audience responds to this little slice of Icelandic mystery”, said writer/director Erlingur Thoroddsen. “I am thrilled to be working with Breaking Glass Pictures to bring Rift to a large audience. I’ve been a fan of theirs for years, and I couldn’t be happier that Rift has found such a great home."

OUT on DVD/VOD: Tomcat

In Tomcat, Andreas and Stefan lead a happy and passionate life: together with their beloved kitty Moses, they live in a beautiful old house in Vienna’s vineyards. They work as a musician and as a scheduler in the same orchestra and they love their large circle of friends. 

But then an unexpected and inexplicable outburst of violence suddenly shakes up the relationship and calls everything into question.

OUT on DVD/VOD: The Freedom to Marry

The Freedom To Marry Trailer from Eyepop Productions on Vimeo.

The Freedom To Marry follows Evan Wolfson, the architect of the marriage movement, attorney Mary Bonauto, and their team through their decades long battle, culminating in a dramatic fight at the United States Supreme Court. More than the saga of one of the most importnant civil rights stories of our time, this is an inspiring tale of how a real change occurs, even against the biggest odds.

OUT on DVD/VOD: Bayard & Me

 

In Bayard & Me, award-winning filmmaker Matt Wolf shares the little-known story of civil rights activist Bayard Rustin and the lengths he went to legalize his relationship with his partner Walter Naegle.

The civil rights activist is best known for organizing the March on Washington and advising Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In the 1980s, Bayard adopted his younger partner Walter Naegle for legal protections. In this intimate love story, Walter remembers Bayard, who died in 1987 at the age of 75, and a time when gay marriage was inconceivable. He also reflects on the phenomena of intergenerational gay adoption and its connection to the civil rights movement.

OUT on DVD/VOD: Finding Kim

Finding Kim - Official Trailer from Random Media on Vimeo.

Finding Kim, an honest, intimate and inspiring documentary that follows three years of a transgender man’s journey as he transitions from female to male, makes its highly-anticipated debut on digital platforms on June 6, 2017, from Random Media. The groundbreaking film showcases the incredible and honest story of a truly remarkable individual managing the beginnings of gender re-assignment. Documenting the entire process including top surgery, it navigates the delicate world of friendships and the torment of what to tell one’s family; finally offering the chance to share joy as Kim experiences life the way he always felt he should: as a happy, confident, human being.

OUT on DVD/VOD: Political Animals

 

Award-winning LGBT documentary POLITICAL ANIMALS will release on DVD and digitally on June 6th in the U.S. and Canada via Gravitas Ventures.

POLITICAL ANIMALS celebrates the legendary civil rights victories of the first four openly gay elected California state politicians - all women - who took the fight for equality from the streets and into the halls of government to create social justice and equality. Fierce and determined, these women had the courage to create lasting social change.

OUT on DVD/VOD: Handsome Devil

HANDSOME DEVIL follows Ned, the bullied outsider, and Conor, the new boy and star athlete, who are forced to room together at their boarding school. The boys take an instant dislike to each other, and seem destined to remain enemies until an English teacher, Mr. Sherry, begins to drill into them the value of finding one's own voice. This lesson, however, isn't appreciated by everyone, particularly rugby coach Pascal, who has his own agenda and harbors some deep suspicions about the boys' teacher.

Breaking Glass Pictures has acquired North American rights to John Butler’s jaunty, entertaining comedy/drama HANDSOME DEVIL starring Andrew Scott (Sherlock, SPECTRE). Breaking Glass acquired the North American rights to the film in March in a deal negotiated between Breaking Glass CEO Rich Wolff and Peter Van Steemberg of ICM Partners. Breaking Glass is planning a limited theatrical in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, and other select cities on June 2; the film streets on DVD and all major North American TVOD platforms June 6, 2017.

OUT in Theaters: Do You Take This Man

Breaking Glass Pictures has acquired North American rights to Joshua Tunick’s heartfelt, socially-relevant drama Do You Take This Man starring Anthony Rapp (Star Trek: Discovery, RENT, BWOY) and is planning a July limited theatrical followed by a VOD/DVD release.

Along with Rapp, Do You Take This Man also stars Jonathan Bennett (MEAN GIRLS), Alyson Hannigan (How I Met Your Mother, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, AMERICAN WEDDING), Thomas Dekker (MY SISTER’S KEEPER, KABOOM!), and Mackenzie Astin (The Magicians). 

The movie focuses on an intimate group of friends and family as they gather at the home of two gay men (Anthony Rapp and Jonathan Bennett) to celebrate their nuptials. When the wedding hits a snag, this group helps the grooms to see that all marriages have their challenges, and love is just the beginning. 

“The Supreme Court’s decision on marriage equality came down on the last day of filming “Do You Take This Man”, said Producer Eric Kops. “With the recent shift in the political climate, the story is as timely as ever.”

“Writer/ Director Joshua Tunick has crafted a beautiful, heartfelt romantic drama about the challenges surrounding the concept and commitment of marriage”, said Richard Ross, Co-President of Breaking Glass. “Anthony Rapp leads a talented cast in a film that will resonate with everyone who’s ever been in love.”

OUT on DVD/VOD: Paris 05:59 Théo & Hugo

Shortbus meets Weekend in the critically acclaimed gay French romance Paris 05:59 Théo & Hugo, to be released by Wolfe Video on DVD, Blu-Ray, and DVD on April 18th.

An erotic and dazzling real-time story of love and intimacy between two young Frenchmen who meet at an underground Paris sex club, Paris 05:59 Théo & Hugo presents in detail their passionate sexual encounter, and ensuing courtship and budding romance over one night roaming the deserted streets of Paris.

Shifting from a lengthy explicit sequence to dialogue driven territory reminiscent of Richard Linklatter's Before Trilogy, Paris 05:59 Théo & Hugo lyrically follows the main characters in real time as they wander Paris, discussing jobs, family, HIV test results and relationship history, and their possible future together. Featuring remarkably intuitive and natural performances from young film leads Geoffrey Couët and François Nambot.

Winner of the prestigious Teddy Award at the 2016 Berlin Film Festival, the film was written and directed by veteran filmmaking duo Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau (Côte d'Azur).

OUT on DVD/VOD: Counting for Thunder

Counting for Thunder from Wolfe Video on Vimeo.

Featuring nuanced performances from two American acting icons - Mariette Hartley and John Heard as parents coming to terms with gracefully growing older and reconciling family expectations with the complications of real life. Counting for Thunder is an original and heartfelt look at Southern family culture and the unique experience of finding your voice and coming out later in life.

Inspired by his own life experiences, actor/director/writer Phillip Irwin Cooper tells a story of a son's return home to Alabama, where he is faced with caring for his ill mother (Mariette Hartley) and reconciling with his supportive father (John Heard) while also coming out later in life and discovering romantic feelings for a childhood friend from a life he left behind in the deep South.

OUD on DVD/VOD: Orange Is the New Black: Season Four

The drama in Litchfield is “better than ever” (The Boston Globe) in the fourth season of the groundbreaking hit series, Orange Is the New Black: Season Four, arriving on Blu-ray™ (plus Digital HD), DVD, and Digital HD May 9 from Lionsgate.

OUT on DVD/VOD: Utopians

Breaking Glass Pictures has acquired North American rights to the LGBT/Drama Romance UTOPIANS (aka Tung lau hap woo), the newest feature film from Hong Kong LGBT auteur SCUD (Amphetamine, City Without Baseball).
 
UTOPIANS held its world premiere at the New Director’s Film Festival in Japan. The film later held its US Premiere at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, and went on to play at Outfest FUSION and the Chicago International Film Festival.

Richard Wolff, CEO of Breaking Glass, and Amanda Rae Simon, Esq. negotiated the deal with writer/director SCUD and Nicky Ma of Artwalker Limited located in Hong Kong.

“My last four consecutive films were in the Chicago International Film Festival, and a friend once told me he saw one of my films looped on TV the whole night in a famous club in New York”, said writer/director SCUD. “If I could see my work on the street as well, watched by the people I adore and admire, it would be a dream come true.”

“We have long been admirers of the beautiful films from SCUD”, said Richard Ross, Co-President of Breaking Glass. “Utopians is sleek, sexual, literate and an immensely engaging work of art.”

Breaking Glass is planning a premium VOD and DVD release in early May.

OUT on DVD/VOD: Bwoy

Bwoy follows Brad O’Connor, who, after the death of his son, becomes entangled in a chaotic and passionate online love affair with Yenny, a young Jamaican man (newcomer Jimmy Brooks). With both Brad and his wife Marcia seeking solace in destructive ways, their lives and relationships are pushed to the brink, culminating in tragic confrontations that no one can avoid.

Breaking Glass Pictures will release Bwoy in theaters on March 31, 2017, and on DVD/VOD April 4, 2017.

OUT on VOD/DVD: People Like Us

Here TV, Pilgrim Pictures and Cheo Pictures have announced the VOD release of Leon Cheo's "People Like Us". Co-developed with Action for AIDS Singapore, the first season of Cheo's series follows the lives of Joel, Ridzwan, Rai and Isaac: four gay men living in Singapore whose lives interconnect in eye-opening ways.

It's Friday night, probably the most important night on the gay calendar. Joel is a 26-year-old public relations exec who lives with his parents and is out to everyone who cares to know. After a night out clubbing, Joel meets Ridzwan, a closeted accountant with a very healthy sexual appetite. Their relationship slowly blossoms but differing expectations about sex and coming out create complications. Rai is a 20-year-old army recruit and new to the scene. After a bad date, he continues searching for Mr. Right and meets Isaac on Grindr. Isaac is a 45-year-old senior private banker who led a double life when he was married but is now enjoying his newly found freedom. When Rai finds out what Isaac does in his spare time, he loses faith in finding love in a world where sex is on everyone's mind. Will Joel, Ridzwan, Rai, and Isaac find what they are looking for?

OUT on DVD/VOD: Departure

Departure from Wolfe Video on Vimeo.

Set amidst ravishing landscapes of Southern France, DEPARTURE creates a sophisticated emotional and aesthetic palette to create a cinematic meditation on language, silence, and secrets. Written & directed by acclaimed British filmmaker Andrew Steggall, DEPARTURE is his feature directorial debut.

An intimate and restrained story of an English mother (Juliette Stevenson) and her son, a teenaged, would-be writer (Alex Lawther) who is exploring his dawning sexuality. When they take an emotional journey to the South of France, they become embroiled in a love triangle with a rugged, handsome French boy. Both mother and son are compelled to confront their own desire, family secrets, and a complicated relationship with each other.

OUT on DVD/VOD: Akron

Akron from Wolfe Video on Vimeo.

AKRON offers a gay coming-of-age tale with a refreshing twist-none of its characters are in search of self- or familial acceptance, because they've all already achieved it. Set against the backdrop of midwest Ohio suburbia, where familial cohesion and domestic stability are cultural commodities, the film instead explores the damage that can be done by other kinds of buried secrets, and the resilience and forgiveness it takes to heal that damage.

A sensitive and nuanced film that puts a progressive, Midwestern spin on a classic family drama: Benny and Christopher, college freshmen, meet playing football and begin a relationship. They fall in love supported by their family and friends. As their love for each other grows, a past tragic connection involving their mothers comes to light, and this revelation tests their own love and Benny's close-knit family.

OUT on DVD/VOD: Bwoy

 

Bwoy follows Brad O’Connor, who, after the death of his son, becomes entangled in a chaotic and passionate online love affair with Yenny, a young Jamaican man (newcomer Jimmy Brooks). With both Brad and his wife Marcia seeking solace in destructive ways, their lives and relationships are pushed to the brink, culminating in tragic confrontations that no one can avoid.

OUT on VOD (and in Select Theaters): Kiki

 

25 years after Paris Is Burning introduced the art of voguing to the world, Kiki revisits New York City's thriving underground ballroom scene. It's a larger-than-life world in which LGBTQ youths of color are empowered by staging elaborate dance competitions that showcase their dynamic choreography, fabulous costumes, and fierce attitude. It's also a safe haven for struggling, at-risk teens who find acceptance, support, and friendship within the Kiki community. Granted intimate access to the scene, filmmaker Sara Jordenö introduces viewers to some of Kiki culture's most prominent personalities, going beyond the glamour of the balls to highlight the serious challenges facing queer black and Latino young people. Bringing together heartrending personal stories with incredible displays of creative expression, Kiki is "exhilarating...an indelible, must-see ode to gay New York" (Manohla Dargis, The New York Times).

Written and directed by Sara Jordenö and co-written by Twiggy Pucci Garcon, Sundance Selects will release Kiki in select theaters and on VOD on February 24th.