Tag: short film

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Radio Show: The Randy Report On @BlogTalkRadio

Check out my latest radio show on BlogTalkRadio where I recap the week’s top pop culture and political news for the LGBT community, including:

• Out country singer Billy Gilman makes a splash on THE VOICE

• After 14 years, lesbian news and entertainment site AfterEllen shuts down

• This was Bi-Week (they only get a week?) and openly-bi Andy Mientus, of Broadway’s Les Miserables and Spring Awakening, shared his thoughts

• “Sexually fluid” hottie (Dancing with the Stars, America’s Next Top Model) Nyle DiMarco dropped a campaign spot for Hillary Clinton: “Your vote is the greatest voice we have.”

• Short film “American Male” examines hyper-masculinity and internalized homophobia to a chilling effect

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Short Film “American Male” Explores Internalized Homophobia Through Hyper-Masculinity

This chilling short film, American Male, from director Michael Rohrbaugh explores the inner monologue of one hyper-masculine frat bro that becomes an unrelenting stream of consciousness afraid of any social perceptions that are less than masculine identifiers.

Steroids, working out, practicing beer pong, chugging beer and more become the daily routine in an effort to avoid any possible personality traits that could be perceived as gay or feminine.

The film’s off-screen narration consists entirely of the rules of the masculine road:

“Order beer. Not wine. And beef, not chicken. Never light beer, though. And tofu. Can’t get more gay than tofu.”

“At a young age, I began to closely observe the people around me. The way they talked, the way they walked, what they said, where it got them. Now, I am no longer a person, but a set of social cues.”

The film was a winner in MTV’s Look Different Creator Competition, which invited emerging filmmakers to create groundbreaking videos on the topic of privilege.

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Short Film: “I Am Syd Stone”

Award-winning short film I Am Syd Stone, a film written and directed by Denis Theriault, produced by Colin Davis.

Official pick at Miami & Fort Lauderdale Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, Atlantic Film Festival, North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, Torino Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, Melbourne Queer Film Festival and many, many more.

Via press release:

Hollywood heartthrob, Syd Stone, returns home to attend his 10-year high school reunion. The only person granted access to his grandiose suite is Brent, the other half of Syd’s closeted high school relationship. From the moment they reconnect, the past comes back to throw them into an emotional tailspin.

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Short Film: “If I Could Talk”

Beautiful short film by Shawn Welling.

From his official website:

Welling is an American photographer and film maker who began his career as a dance choreographer and theatre performer.

He is the founder and current sole owner of the Planet Funk Dance Academy in Houston, Texas. Planet Funk an organization whose dance teams have toured globally.

As a filmmaker, Welling features well know dancers in documentary,feature length, and web series films. Shawn Welling is winner of over 30 accredited IMDB Film Festival awards including awarded Best Film in 2009 and Best Director 2011 from Houston Press and the coveted WOD Industry award for Best Film Director in L.A.

This short film received just a little bit of acclaim last year:

2015, Best of Festival Award for “If I Could Talk” at Gulf Coast FF

2015, Audience award for Best Short Film for “If I Could Talk” at Charleston International FF

2015, Audience award for Best Short Film for “If I Could Talk” at East End Film Festival, UK

2015, Best Houston Production for “If I Could Talk” at WorldFest International FF

2015, Best Director Special Jury Award for “If I Could Talk” at WorldFest International FF

I’m kind of obsessed with his talent right now. Head over to his extensive website to learn more about him.

He’s pretty easy on the eyes, too.

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Short Film: “MUM”

 I’ve written about my short attention span many times here on The Randy Report. As such, I have developed a fondness for short films and web series that take you on a journey in a minimal amount of time.

Today I came across a beautiful short film, MUM, which I found not only impactful but beautiful.

Written, directed and edited by Alex Bohs, the story is told in flashbacks interspersed with moments from William’s daily life – sitting at home, working as a house painter, swimming at his local pool.

The story explores the fallout of a recent incident in the life of William, the details and impact of which are not clear until end.

I’m not the only one who liked MUM – the film found it’s way across the U.S. and around the world:

Official Selection for:

NFFTY 2014 (Seattle, Washington)
8th Annual Rainier Independent Film Festival (Ashord, Washington)
2014 North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (Durham, North Carolina)
2014 Reel Q: Pittsburgh International LGBT Festival (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Frameline38: San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival (San Francisco, California)
2014 ImageOut: The Rochester LGBT Film & Video Festival (Rochester, New York)
2014 BFI Flare: London LGBT Film Festival (London, United Kingdom)
2014 Inside Out: Toronto LGBT Film Festival (Toronto, Canada)
2014 Taiwan International Queer Film Festival (Taipei, Taiwan)
2014 Filmreihe Homochrom (Cologne, Germany)
2015 Melbourne Queer Film Festival (Melbourne, Australia)
2015 Reelout Queer Film + Video Festival (Ontario, Canada)
2015 Roze Filmdagen: Amsterdam Gay & Lesbian Film Festival

Not only is the imagery striking, but the use of music and sound play very important roles in the story-telling.

Congrats to Alex Bohs and his creative team for touching and thoughtful storytelling.

Take a few minutes and watch MUM.

(h/t NewNowNext)

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Viral Mashup Video: Characters From A Dozen Movies Meet Up In Same Dance Club

Director Antonio Maria Da Silva sets this short movie mashup in a nightclub far, far away club with characters from over a dozen movies getting their groove on to the Bee Gees’ ‘Stayin Alive’.

Via The Nerdist:

The entire short film is a genius example of both editing and compositing, and is also a bit of criticism on how in so many Hollywood films with a nightclub scene in it, every one of them is seemingly shot and lit the same, whether it’s on another planet in a galaxy far, far away, or one set firmly in the Disco ’70s.

So just who’s partyin’ at Hell’s Clib? We’ve got Anakin and Obi-Wan of course, but also Tom Cruise, as both his character from the movie Cocktail and the movie Collateral (Tom seems a bit freaked out upon seeing his double, I must say.) He’s not the only actor appearing in Club Hell as two different characters” John Travolta appears as both his Saturday Night Fever and Pulp Fiction roles. And then there’s Pinhead from Hellraiser, Arnie as the Terminator, Robocop…the list goes on and on.

Wait till the end, and you might even get a cameo from someone in a much anticipated movie that’s not even out yet.

My favorite moment is when Tom Cruise spots Tom Cruise.

(h/t JMG)

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Short Film: “One Minute Time Machine”

I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of time travel. Haven’t you ever wished you could jump back in time? Even just one minute ago?

Every time the beautiful Regina rejects his advances, James pushes a red button and tries again, all the while unaware of the reality and consequences of his actions.

Directed by Devon Avery. Selected for the Sploid Short Film Festival, a celebration of coolest short films and the filmmakers that make them.

(h/t JMG)

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Short Film: “Dylan”

DYLAN is a short film written and directed by Elizabeth Rohrbaugh and is based on a interview done with Dylan Winn Garner.

The film follows a young trans man as he explains his story, his exploration in the trans community, his family’s acceptance of his identity, and ultimately his physical and emotional transformation.

Shot in Coney Island at dawn, the film shows as Dylan literally sheds the layers that have been weighing him down for so many years, and finds a freedom in self love and acceptance.

Rohrbaugh hopes that Dylan can show transgender individuals, (particularly youth), who may be struggling, that they are not alone in this process and that what is waiting for them on the other side is worth it.

An official selection at several important film festivals like Outfest (this coming July 12th) in Los Angeles, the Boston LGBT Film Festival, the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, and the St. Louis International Film Festival, the short is timely and relevant as transgender rights and understanding come front and center in the LGBT world.

Watch the compelling film short below and find more about the film’s journey on Facebook here.

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Video: “Nowness”

Very cool experimental movement short film about physical interaction between male friends.

“It’s based on them being friends, exploring the intimacy of physical interaction between guys; of their ‘bromance,’” says director Bertil Nilsson of dancers Beren D’Amico, Charlie Wheeller and Louis Gift from the experimental acrobatic company, Barely Methodical Troupe, which won the Total Theatre Award at Edinburgh 2014 for its live performance of Bromance.

“The concept of the film was to set something unusual in the real world, almost a documentary in the most abstract of senses.”