14th Annual NCGLFF - Featured Films

“It's not too hard to see why Robert Pattinson was chosen – months before he put the gleam in 20 million Twilight fans’ eyes – to play the young Salvador Dalí in Little Ashes.”
– Entertainment Weekly

Love. Art. Betrayal... Little Ashes brings to life the long-hidden, highly controversial relationship between the young Salvador Dali and the doomed poet Federico Garcia Lorca. This is a brilliant Spanish-British drama film, set against the backdrop of Spain during the 20s and 30s, as three of the era's most creative young talents meet at university and set off on a course to change their world. Little Ashes follows a young Salvador Dali (Robert Pattinson) from his beginnings living in the Residencia de Estudiantes, leading to his dynamic relationship with poet Federico Lorca and their increasing infatuation with each other. Set across a timeframe that spans the roots of fascism to the beginning of General Franco's dictatorship, Little Ashes depicts love in a time where homosexuality was deemed immoral ---ndash a point particularly reinforced by Matthew McNulty's portrayal of surrealist filmmaker Luis Buñuel, a man notorious for his contempt regarding the matter. Luis watches helplessly as the friendship between Salvador Dalí and the poet Federico García Lorca develops into an unusual love affair.

One of the most prolific filmmakers at NCGLFF, Rob Williams’ previous films include Back Soon, 3-Day Weekend, and Long-Term Relationship. Make the Yuletide Gay marks his fourth feature film to debut in North Carolina. This is a sweet and frothy confection that will put audiences in the holiday spirit, even in the middle of summer. Nathan Stanford (Adamo Ruggiero) and Olaf “Gunn” Gunnunderson (Keith Jordan) are out-and-proud college boyfriends whose campus life consists of flirting with their professors, dishing with their friends and making out in their dorm room. As classes break for the holidays, the boys head in separate directions to spend Christmas with their families. But when Nathan’s parents abandon him for a holiday in the Holy Land, Nathan decides to surprise his boyfriend and shows up on the Gunnunderson family’s Wisconsin doorstep. Gunn’s parents welcome his “friend” with open arms and plates laden with cookies. It quickly becomes apparent to Nathan, however, that there is one major problem with this perfect picture ---ndash Gunn has never come out to his family! As Nathan urges his boyfriend to break open the closet door, Gunn’s mother busily tries to reunite her son with his high school sweetheart, Abby. With a supporting cast that includes Gates McFadden (Dr. Beverly Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation), Ian Buchanan (The Bold and the Beautiful) and Alison Arngrim (Nellie Olsen from Little House on the Prairie), Make the Yuletide Gay is one Christmas present worth opening early.

A lighthearted comedic look at same sex parenting and marriage. Miranda Bliss is an evangelical Christian in rural Coover Corners, Georgia. Her husband Parker is a strong advocate against gay marriage. After seeing a documentary on TV, Miranda gets a message from God, telling her to become a surrogate mother for the married gay male couple from Boston who were the subject of the TV program: A Jewish doctor named Sandy and an African American dance choreographer named Terry (Orlando Jones). So, Miranda goes up to Boston to meet Terry and Sandy, agrees to have a baby for them, and ultimately becomes pregnant with an egg supplied by their lesbian friend who was herself unwilling to carry the child for them. Once Miranda gets back home, however, all Hell breaks loose when Terry shows up uninvited to micro-manage Miranda’s pregnancy – and he won’t leave!

Three sparkling gay couples flutter around the chic cafes, sweaty gyms and high-priced galleries of London's Soho and Brick Lane. They look like they have it all ---ndash including the requisite devoted female friend, Louise, who has a habit of inadvertently dating gay guys. Harry, a TV producer with posh roots, is living with Alex, an aspiring actor/waiter who comes from a poor family. Tom, a wealthy visual artist, is playing sugar daddy to model/singer Lars. William, an antiques dealer and single dad, is dating Lawrence, a minor TV star. But cynicism, suspicion and horniness upset the peer group's delicate balance. Feelings boil to the surface when the group gathers to meet Louise's latest boyfriend, and only the straight newcomer appears to enjoy the most awkward dinner party ever. Screenwriter David Morris isn't interested having his characters merely take off their shirts. He would rather show us how markers of status---money, looks, class, fame---are distractions from those things that are truly important: family, life goals and, God forbid, love. This beefcake gay rom-com debut is guided by its heart and is unexpectedly free of clichés.

Writer-director Mark Jones previously screened Eli Parker’s Getting Married (2003) and Fraternity Massacre at Hell Island (2007) at NCGLFF. This year, he’s back with a send-up of late-night soaps that plays like a gayer version of Dynasty and Knot’s Landing. Much like soaps, Happiness is divided into five episodes, each detailing the sordid lives of the Perkins and Van Linus clans. There’s gorgeous and slutty Sarah Perkins who’s about to marry Phillip, the only son of the filthy rich Van Linus empire. Phillip’s parents aren’t too thrilled about the upcoming marriage and have hired a private investigator to uncover the dirt about their son’s fiancé, including her tryst with an African-American businessman, Isaiah Truman! As it turns out, Sarah is now two months pregnant, but who’s the biological father? And to make matters more absurd, Sarah is blackmailing her gay brother, a closeted Reverend engaged in a hush-hush affair with a local hunk. On the day of Sarah and Phillip’s wedding, a gunshot is fired! The infamous “coma” scene is taken out of mothballs! Family secrets come tumbling out of closets like so many disentangled skeletons. Lust, love, greed, and betrayal! Who will survive when everyone’s lives teeter on the edge of happiness?

A touching crowd pleaser at festivals around the world, including Centerpeice Selection at the 2009 Frameline San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Film Festival! Goran and Sven are the perfect gay couple; they have a beautiful house in the suburbs, a solid relationship, a home full of love and warmth. Newly approved for adoption, they believe that baby Patrik, age 1.5, is on his way. One tiny decimal mistake later, they find themselves saddled with a 15-year-old homophobe... who may have a criminal past. The guys struggle to make it work as Sven reaches out, Goran’s trepidation escalates, and Patrik flat-out refuses to live with his new parents. As the tug of war between three very human and flawed personalities begins, an intriguing yet subtle series of events plays out, and it’s not apparent who is going to win the battle. This beautifully shot feature by Ella Lemhagen is a heartwarming drama – dark in parts, sweet in others – but always extremely genuine.

From the director of Rock Haven comes this romantic drama set amidst the splendor of the Russian River. Redwoods portrays the difficult choices one faces when confronted with an unshakable love. Everett and Miles share a comfortable but uneventful domesticity, sleepwalking through the mundane motions of daily life. It is clear to anyone that the intensity of their relationship has diminished, and all that holds them together now is a shared love for their learning disabled son Billy. When Miles and Billy go on a trip together, Everett meets Chase, a writer passing through town. Chase and Everett’s chemistry is evident from the start and Everett suddenly finds himself re-awakened to love. Questions of loyalty, family and desire become entwined as Everett and Chase discover their shared bonds. Director David Lewis deftly weaves romance and the very real concerns of the lead characters, using the beautiful setting of the Northern California redwoods to their fullest. Both Brendan Bradley (as Everett) and Matthew Montgomery (as Chase) display their full acting talents — Bradley as a stifled and awkward young man who eventually comes into his own, and Montgomery as a persistent but respectful suitor. The result is a rounded and tender account of the hard decisions that come with true love. In the short drama, Twoyoungmen, UT, Will Oberlain, a high school senior, sneaks into Salt Lake City’s only gay bar with a bad fake ID. When the cute bartender invites Will to a clandestine party, a strange, haunting and emotionally surprising road trip begins.

This gritty, cutting-edge drama is a part of a new genre from contemporary queer filmmakers that shows another side of gay life. Shank is no cozy affair; void of the cliché plot devices typical of a coming of age story, this is a film that is refreshingly shocking, very explicit and painful at times. Yet under the surface of violence, hatred and confusion there is also more than a streak of tenderness. Cal is an 18 year-old member of a gang that wiles its days away in a haze of drugs, sex and random acts of violence. He is desperate that the other members do not discover that he is struggling to come to terms with being gay. This becomes difficult due to his unspoken desire for his best friend, another, more violent member of the gang. A chance encounter with a French Student who treats him with love and kindness gives tough thug Cal his first meaningful relationship. The other gang members are reluctant to lose one of their own, and so engineer an explosive confrontation that leaves no one unscathed and everyone traumatized and transformed.

Just before closing time, a burly bear walks into The Back Room of a bookstore looking for a book about an obscure Italian artist, and the lovelorn clerk learns a thing or two that can't be taught in books. A farm son says too much in Shattercane. Two Men Kissing explores the intense beauty and physical pleasure of the kiss between two men. From Canada comes The Golden Pin, a story about an avid swimmer, who finds himself struggling between the expectations of his Asian family and the demands of his heart. His father wants him to marry soon, but his mother, haunted by a past romance, hopes her son will stand up for what he believes. A heart-pounding chase and a narrow escape from local thugs leaves two young athletes completely dependant on each other, stirring a mutual love that extends far beyond the football field in Chased. And a Londoner travels 10,000 miles to rural New Zealand to rekindle an old relationship, but a friendly teddy bear will decide his fate in Teddy.

Here’s a collection of dark drama shorts that are certain to get your pulse racing! Non-Love-Song is set on the last day of summer as two 18-year old best friends attempt to connect as adults and for the first time in their lives share a real moment. In Love Bite, Noah and Gus smoke weed after school, but as the munchies kick in Noah feels compelled to share a secret desire that has been tormenting him. Love’s labor is lost on a used car lot when misplaced affections lead to self-discovery in Bloom. A man finds himself in a steam-room wearing nothing but a towel, but he is not alone. Another man in a towel is with him. After a brief encounter, they realize they can’t find the door out in Steam. Promise finds Stu and Chris about to be married. However, the night before their nuptials, things take a bad turn, and the truth culminates in a physical attack that neither man will be able to forget. In Weak Species, two alienated high school classmates begin a dangerous gravitation toward sex and violence in order to feel.

Brad and Sally get more than they expected when they go to the beach on a beautiful sunny day in the gorgeous animated film, A Day at the Beach. In Kurdish Spring Break, Hunter and Luke, are party boys who head to Kurdistan to meet Hunter’s brother for a kegger. But when they arrive, Hunter meets Mia, an undercover operative, and discovers that his brother is missing! Now, Hunter finds himself between “Iraq and a hard place.” It’s either beer or his brother. Mano-A-Mano is a head-spinning short, about two guys competing for a coveted position in an unconventional call center. Sean, the bisexual 20-something lead of Cocktales, is attending Megan’s dinner party, intending to woo her in his own bumbling way. But when her new friend Gabriel joins the festivities, Sean is upstaged in ways he never expected. In Dish, Israel and Louie walk around their East Los Angeles neighborhood dishing about their high school classmates. After listening to Louie boast about his sexual escapades, Israel decides he has some catching up to do. Neurotica is a hilarious inside-look at the minds of the patrons of a gay bar. And it’s not pretty. And two gay boys from Salt Lake City set out on a quest to find the perfect outfits for the Sundance Film Festival in Vapid Lovelies.