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The Male Gaze: First Kiss

The Male Gaze is a new series of releases from New Queer Visions that showcases short LGBTQ films from across the world. The first instalment, First Kiss, brings together five shorts that are based around men experiencing romantic and/or sexual interaction with other men for the first time. It takes in films from Sweden, Indonesia, USA, Australia and France giving a rounded look at how similar experiences are depicted across the world. The films are: Naked [Naken] (2013); Pria (2017); Walk With Me (2018), One Night Only (2018); Michel's Mouse [Tapette] (2016).

City of God

In the poverty-stricken favelas of Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s, two young men choose different paths. Rocket is a budding photographer who documents the increasing drug-related violence of his neighborhood, while José “Zé” Pequeno is an ambitious drug dealer diving into a dangerous life of crime.

Wild Strawberries

Crotchety retired doctor Isak Borg travels from Stockholm to Lund, Sweden, with his pregnant and unhappy daughter-in-law, Marianne, in order to receive an honorary degree from his alma mater. Along the way, they encounter a series of hitchhikers, each of whom causes the elderly doctor to muse upon the pleasures and failures of his own life. These include the vivacious young Sara, a dead ringer for the doctor's own first love.

It's a Wonderful Life

A holiday favourite for generations... George Bailey has spent his entire life giving to the people of Bedford Falls. All that prevents rich skinflint Mr. Potter from taking over the entire town is George's modest building and loan company. But on Christmas Eve the business's $8,000 is lost and George's troubles begin.

The Lockpicker

A teenage thief tries to leave town to escape the violence that threatens him and he people he loves.

West Side Story

In the slums of the upper West Side of Manhattan, tensions are high as a gang of Polish-Americans compete against a gang of recently immigrated Puerto Ricans, but this doesn't stop two romantics from each gang falling in love.

Nowhere

In Los Angeles, a colorful assortment of bohemians try to make sense of their intersecting lives. The moody Dark Smith, his bisexual girlfriend, her lesbian lover and their shy gay friend plan on attending the wildest party of the year. But they'll only make it if they can survive the drug trips, suicides, trysts, mutilations and alien abductions that occur as one surreal day unfolds.

Secrets

An enjoyable story of a 13-year-old girl, Louise, who lives alone with her widowed mother. Louise is sent off to a boarding school, but not before she discovers some secret documents kept hidden by her father. A curious look reveals that her father was a member of the secret order of Freemasons. When she finally gets to school, she tries to explain to her friends what the Freemasons are. Later, Louise's mother discovers a box of condoms in her daughter's room and wrongly presumes that the girl is sexually active.

Never Me

“Never Me” is a student film about Serafina, a 16-year-old girl who endures the tribulations of attempting to receive an abortion in her home state of Texas after the overturn of Roe v. Wade. The story explores the importance of friendship and family as they journey through love and loss. Serafina treks a narrow path, but in the end became closer to those who matter most and gained a newfound respect for adulthood.

Boys on the Bridge

One day during the summer vacation before high school, Lil Fish skips the orientation and wants to hang out with his buddies. Still, to get the junior high diploma, all his friends are cleaning up the campus to remove their demerits. Only Lychee pals around with him in their fishing village, as they always do. Lil Fish thinks such kind of life will never change, but what happens that day makes him realize he and his friends have embarked on a different future.

Pleasantville

Geeky teenager David and his popular twin sister, Jennifer, get sucked into the black-and-white world of a 1950s TV sitcom called "Pleasantville," and find a world where everything is peachy keen all the time. But when Jennifer's modern attitude disrupts Pleasantville's peaceful but boring routine, she literally brings color into its life.

Big

When a young boy makes a wish at a carnival machine to be big—he wakes up the following morning to find that it has been granted and his body has grown older overnight. But he is still the same 13-year-old boy inside. Now he must learn how to cope with the unfamiliar world of grown-ups including getting a job and having his first romantic encounter with a woman.

Lajjpal

"Lajjpal" is a compelling narrative following the journey of an ordinary individual seeking divine empowerment to combat the malevolence of evil forces. Fueled by a deep sense of purpose, our protagonist embarks on a transformative quest, delving into the realms of spirituality and courage. As he navigates through trials and tribulations, he discovers the latent strength within himself, bestowed by the benevolence of the divine. With newfound powers, he confronts the darkness that threatens to engulf humanity, embodying the timeless struggle between good and evil. "Lajjpal" is a poignant tale of resilience, faith, and the triumph of righteousness over adversity.

The Library at the End of the Universe

Mildred must choose between authenticity and safety when the only world she knows is the inside of a Library.

Hello?

After a sleepless night Lara steals her husband's phone to make a call. When she's not met with the reception she expected, things take an even darker turn.