| Riverside Studios' season celebrating the best in cinema for gay men returns this February for its third successive year. Along with classic and rarely-screened titles, Deep Desires & Broken Dreams presents new features including premieres of eCupid, Kink Crusaders and Judas Kiss. There'll also be Q&A's with directors and performers, together with a special exhibition of male photography commissioned from leading London photographers. | |
| The season opens with the London premiere of Kink Crusaders, a skilfully crafted documentary which goes behind the scenes at the annual International Mr Leather competition in Chicago. |
| This uplifting and entertaining exploration of male sexuality and the leather scene is directed by Mike Skiff who'll be taking part in a Q&A together with IML participants. | |
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Other films chronicling
the real lives of gay men include The British Guide To Showing Off celebrating the Alternative Miss World contest and its creator and organiser Andrew Logan; and We Were Here a
deeply moving documentary about the impact of the AIDS epidemic on the gay population of San Francisco, which has just been shortlisted for an Oscar.
This year Deep Desires & Broken Dreams will include films chosen by three celebrity co-curators. Paul O'Grady selected the compelling drama A Love To Hide set in Nazi-occupied France in 1942. |
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Also making a selection was Stephen Fry who chose the Derek Jarman classic Sebastiane, while Holly Johnson picked a film starring three movie legends Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Clift and Katherine
Hepburn in the 1959 adaptation of Tennessee Williams' gothic melodrama Suddenly, Last Summer.
Once again the season features a clutch of UK premieres. eCupid is a gay romantic comedy about dealing with the seven-year itch in the smartphone era; while their closing night feature Judas Kiss is a contemporary fantasy drama. Tight direction, an excellent screenplay and former porn star Brent Corrigan in the cast have made this a current festival favourite in the US. This year's Deep Desires & Broken Dreams features two excellent British films. Like It Is made in 1998 is a powerful coming-out tale set in the overwhelmingly macho environment of backstreet bare-knuckle fighting and stars Roger Daltrey. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Paul Oremland. | |
| From 2011 comes Weekend - the British romantic drama film directed by Andrew Haigh telling the story of a Friday night out in Nottingham when Russell meets Glen but a one night stand turns out to be something far more intense. This movie has been a gay film festival favourite around the world. |
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There's also the full spectrum of US gay cinema from the past two decades. Johnny Depp stars in the masterly Before Night Falls a compelling account of political, artistic and sexual
repression in Cuba; gay party boy tries to seduce straight Mormon boy for a bet but both get more than they bargained for in the touching Latter Days; while we are pleased to be reviving the seminal
Greg Araki road movie The Living End which kickstarted the whole New Queer Cinema genre in the early 1990's.
Keeping relationships and sexuality hidden remains a timeless theme in gay cinema across the world. Undertow is set in a Peruvian fishing village and is a moving and poetic ghost story involving a secret gay relationship which has already won a Sundance audience award. | |
| American life is represented amongst the Deep Desires & Broken Dreams here as well, with strong performances and an intelligent script in the young romantic High School drama Dare. It's a bumpy ride of high emotion, betrayal, heartbreak, and sexual experimentation. |
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Coming Out is a groundbreaking
East German film about a closeted teacher which was released the night the Berlin Wall came down; from today's Germany comes Sasha a refreshing take on the coming out tale;
and from France is the impressive Close To Leo which deals with a rural
family's reaction to the news their eldest son is gay and HIV+.
As part of the season in the Gallery space next to the Riverside Restaurant & Bar, there's a special exhibition of male photography commissioned from leading London photographers. Riverside Studios is a friendly and atmospheric venue just a few minutes walk from Hammersmith tube and boasts an award-winning restaurant and cafe-bar. Book tickets online or call the Box Office on 010 8237 1111. |
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