OUT on DVD/Streaming: Give Or Take

 

GIVE OR TAKE will be in select theaters on February 11and DVD & Digital platforms on February 22.

Martin (Jamie Effros), a pragmatic FinTech guy in New York City, is crushing life yet feels disconnected, especially from his father, Kenneth, a distant man Martin could never figure out. Their relationship got more complicated when Kenneth, a retired lawyer living on Cape Cod, came out after his wife died and quickly found love with a younger man, Ted (Norbert Leo Butz), a local landscaper, who eventually moved in. When Kenneth unexpectedly dies, Martin heads up to the Cape where he’s forced to finally deal with Ted and a house full of memories. After a few rounds butting heads and sizing each other up, Martin and Ted slowly make space for each other and their own grief while reconciling how to remember Kenneth, the different man they both loved, and the significance of what he left behind.

OUT on DVD/Streaming: HOMOSAYWHAT

Craig Bettendorf, an LGBTQ+ activist, early signatory on the 1996 National Freedom to Marriage Resolution and author, has parlayed his unique perspective into a TV series, Treading Yesterday, and now a feature-length documentary. HOMOSAYWHAT explores the origins of homophobia against men that became institutionalized in the 1950s and how that continues to negatively affect all genders and sexualities to this day. The feature length documentary, which won awards at film festivals including South Texas Underground, Colorado International Activism and Queen City - will be out on DVD and Streaming on June 2.
 
Homophobia didn’t just happen. Orchestrated campaigns by cultural institutions and public figures have systemically instilled anti-LGBTQ prejudice into American culture by shaping public opinion.

In the 1960s, propaganda films warned parents of “predatory characters” at local parks under the guise of public service announcements. Anita Bryant’s Save Our Children campaign in the 70’s galvanized a coalition of conservative religious groups that spread the idea that sexual abnormalities would corrupt the nation and its children. The 80’s AIDS pandemic further exacerbated fears about homosexuality and “making fun” became a way to marginalize those who were different, which subsequently generated anger, fear, violence and even murder against targets deemed inferior.

OUT on DVD/VOD: 15 Years

In 15 Years, Yoav, a successful architect, has everything he’s ever wanted. Dan, his lover of 15 years - a younger lawyer who adores him, and his best friend, Alma – a successful artist, who is like a mother and a sister to him. 

However, when Alma announces she’s pregnant, it ignites Dan’s desire to become a father himself. But Dan’s parental urges have the opposite effect on Yoav who is haunted by long buried demons. Yoav’s tight grasp on his life begins to come apart, leading him to self-destructive behavior that threatens to destroy his life with Dan, unravel his friendship with Alma, and cost him everything.

OUT on DVD/VODF: In Full Bloom: Transcending Gender

In Full Bloom: Transcending Gender follows the courageous journey of thirteen transgender and two gay actors as they transform their lives through the use of monologue, dialogue and performance art while preparing for the world premiere of the original stage play, Lovely Bouquet of Flowers: An Exploration of Non-Traditional Gender Voices, written by Jazzmun Nichcala Crayton and David Hays Gaddas.
 
Behind-the-scenes, rehearsal and performance footage are interwoven with candid personal interviews with the cast, who talk about how they deal with family, inner conflicts, discrimination, coming out, surgery, hormones and the complexities of sexual identity and orientation. By sharing their own journeys, the actors transcend gender and challenge us to move past stereotypes and see what we all have in common as human beings.

OUT on DVD: Church & State

 

A surprise federal court ruling in 2013 legalized gay marriage for Utah - triggering a fierce battle in a state where Mormon church values control the Legislature and every aspect of public life.

Church & State is directed by Holly Tuckett and Kendall Wilcox and chronicles the improbable story of a brash, inexperienced gay activist and a tiny Salt Lake City law firm that joined forces to topple Utah's gay marriage ban. It is a story of trump, setback, and a little-known lawsuit that should have failed, but instead paved the way for a U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized same sex unions nationwide.

Out On DVD/VOD: Drive Me Home

On DVD & VOD September 24, Drive Me Home follows Antonio and Agostino, who grew up together in a small town in Sicily, where they dreamt of living a different life, somewhere, anywhere, else. 

Now 30-year-olds, they both live abroad but lost touch with each other years ago. When Antonio discovers that the house he grew up in, which has been empty for a long time, is about to be sold at auction, he decides to leave and reconnect with his childhood friend. But their lives have changed a lot. Old conflicts and new revelations bring them through Europe on a truck journey that will change their lives forever...

OUT on DVD/VOD: All Male, All Nude: Johnsons

Breaking Glass Pictures and OUTshine Film Festival are proud to announce the World Premiere of the alluring documentary All Male, All Nude: Johnsons, sequel to the beloved documentary All Male, All Nude from director Gerald McCullouch. All Male, All Nude: Johnsons will premiere on Sunday, September 15 at 6:30PM at the Gateway Theater. A pre-reception for VIP guests will begin at 5PM at the Modern Sixties Wine Lounge next to The Classic Gateway. An exclusive catered VIP afterparty at Johnsons, complete with open bar where guests are welcome to mingle with the chiseled centerpieces of the film, will follow the premiere. Finally, guests will be front and center to a special performance by acclaimed NYC musician Corey TuT performing songs from the film's soundtrack.

Journey into the unique world of male stripping at a small gay strip club located in America’s Second Gayest City per capita in this follow up to the popular 2017 feature documentary All Male, All Nude.

All Male, All Nude: Johnsons is set in Florida’s newest gay strip club, Johnsons, located in Wilton Manors, Florida and new home to the creator and owner of Johnsons - Matt Colunga, an award-winning body builder, who has been in the male entertainment industry for 23 years and was introduced in the first film.

From 42-year-old Matt, to 26-year-old Alexander, who spends his days dressed as Spider-Man creating early memories for children at kid parties and spends his nights stripping down to his G-String for gay men, to single fathers and young men putting themselves through college with their stripping income, to entertainers in the adult film world - the men who compose the heart of Johnsons are diverse, unique and captivating.

Directed by award-winning filmmaker Gerald McCullouch (Daddy, the BearCity franchise, CSI). McCullouch has spent over 10 years uncovering the world of male stripping with this second Cinéma Vérité feature length documentary. Best known for his 10 seasons as “Bobby Dawson” on CSI and his critically acclaimed performances as “Roger” in the Bear City franchise McCullouch recently guest starred on FBI, Tyler Perry’s The Haves And The Have Nots and will appear in an upcoming Netflix series.

OU Ton DVD/VOD: Bathroom Stalls & Parking Lots

On DVD & VOD September 10, Bathroom Stalls & Parking Lots follows a Brazilian transplant and his friends as they take to the streets of San Francisco to pursue an American fling begun on Grindr, doing whatever it takes, even if it means trekking through the seedy club scene with clandestine meetings in bathroom stalls and parking lots. Along the way, these men discover truths about themselves and the reality of modern dating. 

Featuring award-winning crew members including colorist Edo Brizio, (“Kong: Skull Island”, “Lego Batman”), and Russian music producer and DJ Same K, who composed the original soundtrack for the film, which features queer artist Dilmond Meeks and Terrell Carter – cast member of FOX's Empire. Premiered at qFLIX Philadelphia where the film took home the Audience Award, as well as Best Picture and Best LGBT Film at IFS Film Festival.

OUT on DVD/VOD: The Most Dangerous Year

From tension-filled Senate hearings in Olympia to intimate household settings of the families involved; from thought provoking conversations with key lawmakers to elucidating facts explained by leading scientists, The Most Dangerous Year explores the transgender civil rights battle in all its richness and complexity. While the film follows the story and outcome of anti-transgender legislation in Washington, the heart of the film lies in the stories of the families who made the decision to accept and support their kids for exactly who they are.

In early 2016, when a dark wave of anti-transgender "bathroom bills" began sweeping across the nation, The Human Rights Campaign published a report identifying 2016 as the most dangerous year for transgender Americans. In Washington State alone, six such "bathroom bills" were introduced in the State Legislature. Filmmaker Vlada Knowlton captured the ensuing civil rights battle from the perspective of a group of embattled parents as they banded together to fight a deluge of proposed laws that would strip away the rights of their young transgender children. With the help of a coalition of state lawmakers and civil rights activists, these families embarked on an uncharted journey of fighting to protect and preserve their children's human rights and freedoms in this present-day civil rights movement. As one of these parents, Knowlton presents an intimate portrait of her own struggle to protect her transgender daughter from laws inspired by hate and fear. 

The Most Dangerous Year premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival, receiving a runner-up award for Best Documentary, and went on to win a Best Social Issue Documentary award at the Atlanta International Documentary Film Festival. The film had a successful limited theatrical run in April 2019, and is currently 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

OUT on DVD/VOD: Southern Pride

 

In 2006, Malcolm Ingram’s award-winning documentary Small Town Gay Bar explored gay bars in rural Mississippi. Gay bars are often the only safe communities for small-town LGBTQ people in the Deep South’s Bible Belt, and bigoted forces—Fred Phelps, Tim Wildmon, and more—have long tried to shut them down. 

Now, after the election of Donald Trump has emboldened anti-LGBTQ hatred in the region, Ingram returns to document the travails of running a gay bar in Mississippi, with a profile of lesbian bar owners in Biloxi and Hattiesburg.

Lynn Koval, the white owner of Just Us Lounge, the oldest gay bar in the state, and Shawn Perryon, Sr., the black owner of the nine-year-old Club Xclusive, decide separately to hold their cities’ first Pride celebrations in 2017, as a rebuke to the “open-season” mentality encouraged by Trump, as well as to Mississippi’s Religious Liberty Accommodations Act, the Pulse nightclub terrorist attack, and the murders of three Gulf Coast transgender women shortly after the 2017 inauguration. 

Just Us Lounge restored their community after Hurricane Katrina leveled Biloxi and nearly destroyed the bar. Can they and Club Xclusive organize a Pride event in the face of homophobia and racism? Months of preparation yield fundraising fiascos, unexpected road repairs, and the comical hustling of indifferent spring breakers. But the power of community should never be underestimated, and the brave efforts of the two gay bars are an inspiring example of real Southern pride.

OUT on DVD/VOD: Everything is Free

Breaking Glass Pictures has acquired World Wide rights to Colombian/American writer/director, and Will & Grace mainstay, Brian Jordan Alvarez’s dramedy love story Everything Is Free.

Alvarez’s sophomore directorial venture following his successful TV series The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo, Everything Is Free will open theatrically in Los Angeles just in time for Pride Month, followed by a DVD & VOD release on June 11. Breaking Glass acquired rights to the film in May in a deal negotiated between Breaking Glass CEO Rich Wolff and Executive Producer Justin Berns on behalf of the film.

Everything Is Free held its World Premiere at Frameline 42. The film stars Alvarez alongside indie darling Peter Vack (“I Believe in Unicors”, “CBGB”), Morgan Krantz, (CW’s The Dark), perpetual scene-stealer genderqueer actor Jason Greene (perhaps better known as Aunt Freckle), Danièle Watts (Weeds), and Bruce Bundy (“The Hunger Games”). Producers include Brian Jordan Alvarez, Peter Vack, Daniele Watts and Morgan Krantz, with Justin Berns as the sole executive producer.

“Writer/Director/Star Alvarez brings a smoldering tale of sexual tension in his new film about a man’s lust for the brother of his best friend”, said Richard Ross, Co-President of Breaking Glass. “Smart, sexy and thoroughly entertaining.”

Ivan is an American painter residing in Colombia. He is visited by his best friend, Christian, along with his younger brother, Cole. Somewhere along the way, Ivan and Cole hit it off although Cole is not gay (so he says). Will older brother Christian be okay with that? As they say, true love conquers all, even if it takes years…

“I am so grateful to finally share this movie with the world”, said Alvarez. “There were times when I thought it would never get made. We've been working on it for years, and the people in it and the people who helped me make it mean the world to me; I dedicate the film to them. “

OUT on DVD/VOD: Before Homosexuals

 
Trailer "Before Homosexuals: From Ancient Times to Victorian Crimes" from After Stonewall Productions on Vimeo.

John Scagliotti, producer of the landmark films Before Stonewall and After Stonewall, guides us in a wondrous tour of erotic history, poetry and visual art in his new documentary on same-sex desire – from ancient times to Victorian crimes - in Before Homosexuals, available on DVD, iTunes and Amazon VOD June 11.

Traveling all over the world and talking with dozens of experts on history, art and sexuality, he revels in lesbian love spells from ancient Rome, censored chapters of the Kamasutra, Native American two-spirit rituals and much more.

A prequel to Before Stonewall (which is being released theatrically this June in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots), Before Homosexuals unearths the diverse and fascinating garden of human same-sexual desire.

OUT on DVD/VOD: Devil's Path

 

Opening in Los Angeles on March 1 and out on DVD & VOD on March 5, Devil's Path follows two men who meet up in a popular wilderness park for a casual hookup. What seems like an innocent and random meeting quickly descends into a horrific nightmare as the two men soon find themselves in the terrifying position of being the next victims in a deadly game of cat and mouse.

OUT on DVD/VOD: Hot To Trot

Mad Hot Ballroom meets Paris is Burning ... or is it RuPaul's Drag Race meets Dancing with the Stars? Whatever your reference, the award-winning and crowd-pleasing documentary Hot to Trot offers a deep-dive look inside the fascinating but little-known world of same-sex competitive ballroom dance.

This lively, poignant film follows an international cast of four magnetic men and women over several years, on and off the dance floor, as they journey to the quadrennial Gay Games. Along the way, dancing is revealed to be both a means of overcoming personal hardships – from drug addiction to familial rifts – and a joyous opportunity to merge passionate artistic expression with proud sexual identity.

On iTunes January 29 | On DVD February 5

OUT on VOD: 1:54

 In 1:54, Tim is a shy sixteen-year-old athlete with a natural gift for running, dealing with the loss of his mother as well as his sexuality. However, the last four years of high school have been tough on him because of Jeff and his crew. In his last year of school, Tim is sick and tired of feeling like a loser, and wants to shine for once. He decides to stand up to Jeff by dethroning him in the 800m championship, the event Jeff is known for in school. But behind the competition and rivalry, a secret is wreaking havoc. After a personal video is shared on social media, Tim’s private life is about to explode into the public eye. Soon Tim finds himself pushed to the edge because of the pressure he endures, the edge where human limits reach the point of no return.

OUT on DVD/VOD: A Moment in the Reeds

 

The feature debut of Finnish writer/director Mikko Makela is a moving gay romance between a young Finnish academic and a struggling Syrian refugee,set against an idyllic Finnish summer. Filled with nuanced and sexually charged performances from the film's two openly gay leads, Finnish theatre actorJanne Puustinen, and openly gay Syrian actor Boodi Kabbani (who fled Syria and eventually settled in Finland, where he is based - he is one of the very few openly gay Syrian actors in the world), A Moment in the Reeds is a potent, inherently political, and remarkably mature exploration of an LGBT immigrant refugee's experience in today's world.

One of the first LGBT-themed films made in Finland, Makela's intimate drama places at its center the freedom and acceptance of sexual and ethnic minorities, amidst the backdrop of breathtaking Finnish lake country.

Indiewire called it "one of the best queer international films of 2018," and Edge said the film is "a fresh new voice in queer cinema...pitch perfect performances." Film Inquiry wrote "one of the most moving gay romances of recent years...full of sexually charged, intimate moments."

After world premiering at the 2017 London Film Festival and a year of critical success on the worldwide festival circuit, the film was nominated for The Discovery Award at the British Independent Film Awards. It also opened theatrically to critical acclaim in Finland this past summer. A Moment in the Reeds will now be available for all U.S. and Canadian audiences.

OUT on DVD/VOD: Scaffolding

Breaking Glass Pictures will release the award-winning, festival favorite, Israeli drama SCAFFOLDING in North America. The film debuts on all digital VOD platforms January 1, including iTunes; Amazon Prime Video; Google Play; Vudu; FandangoNOW; iNDEMAND; Direct TV and more, as well as on DVD.

Described as "a fully absorbing character study (Los Angeles Times) and "a tough and moving educational drama" (The Hollywood Reporter), this “small film with a big heart” (Screen International) earned the title of  “one of the most beautiful and interesting films that were ever made in Israel” (Avner Shavit, Walla) when it held its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in the prestigious ACID showcase. The film went on to win numerous awards, including Best Israeli Feature and Best Actor awards as well as an honorable mention for Best Cinematography at the Jerusalem Film Festival, and received 8 Israeli Film Academy nominations and won the prize for Best Supporting Actor.

“Matan Yair's debut feature is both dazzling and wonderfully literate”, said Richard Ross, Co-President of Breaking Glass. “Newcomer, and non-actor, Asher Lax delivers a mesmerizing, assured performance in this complex tale of a boy and his difficult relationship with both his father and teacher.”

17-year- old ASHER has always been the impulsive troublemaker, from primary school, all through junior high and high school. It's hard for him to concentrate in class, and he is compelled by a lot of rage and violence; yet he is also endowed with a considerable amount of charm and street wisdom. While his strict father sees him as a natural successor to the family's scaffolding business, Asher finds a different masculine role model in his gentle literature teacher Rami and forges a special connection with him. Torn between the two worlds, Asher looks for a chance for a new life and new identity. When a sudden tragedy occurs, he has to take the ultimate test of maturity.

SCAFFOLDING played a number of film festivals, including the Toronto Independent Film Festival, the Chicago International Film Festival, the Philadelphia Film Festival, and the Raindance Film Festival.

OUT on DVD/VOD: Male Shorts International V2

Breaking Glass Pictures is proud to announce the release of the LGBTQ short film compilation Male Shorts International V2 on DVD December 11, 2018. In this followup to last year's provocative Male Shorts International V1, Male Shorts International V2 brings a select offering of acclaimed world cinema that is sure to captivate audiences.

OUT on DVD/VOD: Martyr

For Hassane, a young man from an impoverished neighborhood, life has stopped making sense. All he has left is a close group of friends, brought together by a shared sense of marginalization and hopelessness. Hassane's strange sudden drowning at Beirut's rocky shore sparks a mob procession and strips apart the bond of youth and friendship, forcing his friends to grapple with loss and powerlessness, and with the cold heavy truth of their friend's dead body. The funeral is transformed into a heartfelt farewell to the beauty and sensuality of life, youth, friendship, and love.

OUT on VOD: Denial

Before Christine Hallquist was running for Governor of Vermont, she was David Hallquist, the CEO of the largest locally owned electric utility in Vermont. A self-described “closet environmentalist” Hallquist is dedicated to addressing the way electricity use in America contributes to climate change. But his mission is balanced with the utility’s charge to provide affordable and reliable service. For Hallquist, increasing the efficiency of the grid is the only meaningful route to merging these priorities.

He implements one of the country’s first ‘smart’ grids, decreasing outages, increasing the capacity for renewable sources and building a national reputation as an energy pioneer. Resistance, however, comes in many forms – traditionalists balk at the renewable intermittency, solar and wind advocates think Hallquist is dragging his feet, and the public fears that ‘smart’ meters on their homes will send private information about their energy use to the government.

As Hallquist struggles to build the kind of transparent company whose honest approach can get stakeholders to accept the realities of how we generate and deliver electricity, he realizes he must apply that same transparency to his personal life and reveals to his son a lifelong secret. Dave Hallquist, who presents as a chainsaw-wielding, hard hat-wearing CEO in a male-dominated industry is a woman inside.

Now, Derek’s family must face facts that feel far more immediate than the melting of the polar ice caps and denial emerges as a common theme linking all of these issues. Ultimately the personal and the societal come together as Derek learns that his father, newly named Christine, is still indeed his father – and that Christine’s unique perspective as the first American Transgender CEO to transition in office, may be just the what the limiting, binary worldview on energy and the environment needs.