Poly 2023 Archives - Page 3 of 3

Till the End of the Night

Leni, who is serving time for dealing drugs, is being released from prison by the police in order to help Robert, an undercover detective, to gain the trust of Victor, local mafia head. Leni and Robert move in together as a couple and start attending dance classes alongside Victor and his partner. Leni is a transgender woman who had begun her transition while in prison while Robert is her ex and in fact the one who got her arrested. Leni hopes to succeed in her mission so she could leave Germany and Robert just wants to do his job. Past feelings are threatening to surface and put the fake couple’s life at risk.
Director Christoph Hochhäusler and his two excellent main actors create a portrait of a couple trapped in a loop that, if they don’t break, might choke them both.
“Till the End of the Night” takes inspiration from Film Noir, and the witty script by Florian Plumeyer is keeping the viewers on edge with surprising plot twists. The film was nominated for a major award at the 2023 Berlinale Festival and has rightfully won his star, transgender actress Thea Ehre the Silver Berlin Bear Best Supporting Performance award.

Cora Bora

A surprising comedy from director Hannah Pearl Utt starring queer actress Megan Stalter (Kayla from “Hacks”).
Stalter is Cora, who arrived in Los Angeles in pursuit of her dream to become a successful musician, but for now has to settle for coffee house gigs. In a spur of the moment she decides to go back to her hometown Portland in order to get her ex-girlfriend Justine back. Not everything goes according to plan and Cora finds herself searching for a lost dog, meeting a childhood friend with a grudge and in the midst of a pansexual orgy. Cora is a little like Phoebe from “Friends” (only bisexual) who entangles herself in much more extreme, sexual and embarrassing situations.
Megan Stalter takes the screen by storm in the lead role. Next to her you can find stand up comedian Margaret Cho, veteran comedian Darrell Hammond (“SNL”), Manny Jacinto (“The Good Place”) and Heather Morris (“Glee”), who make up a part of a very colorful cast and the sassy characters in this hilarious and unexpected film.

Equal

From ‘That’s Wonderful’ productions by Jim Parsons (“The Big Bang Theory”) and Grag Berlanti (“Love Simon” and DC comic TV shows) comes a series that explores the birth of the LGBTQ activist movement in the USA.

Episode 1: The birth of a movement
America of the 50’s sees homosexuals as illegal, sick and immoral. As a retaliation two gay and lesbian movements rise up and fight back. The LGBTQ rights movement begins!

Episode 2: Transgender pioneers
The 1966 Compton riots in San Francisco were led by a community of transgender women, drag queens and other people who don’t fall into regular gender assumptions. This episode brings the stories of three remarkable transgender people.

Episode 3: Black is beautiful, gay is good!
The joining of LGBTQ rights and human rights – fights on the national, local and personal levels. We meet three very different activists- Lorraine Hansberry, Bayard Rustin and José Sarria and learn of the first big LGBTQ protest (and no, it’s not the Stonewall riots)

Episode 4: Stonewall: From rebellion to liberation
The Stonewall riots- one fateful night that began a week long of riots that led to the modern LGBTQ movement. After a year of militant activity that changed history- the first Pride Parade went out to the streets.

Additional screening: Be’er Sheva Pride House

In association with the Embassy of United States of America

Mutt

After going through a gender affirming surgery it seemed easier for Feña to just cut every tie to his past and start fresh. Dealing with the changes he’s been through was bad enough, not to mention his family’s reaction. But when he runs into his ex-boyfriend and gets a surprise visit from his father and his little sister, life forces him to deal with the past.

“Mutt” is the debut film of director Vuk Lungulov-Klotz who creates a cinematic piece full of compassion, intimacy and honesty, taking us through the journey of a man who tries to reconcile his past with his present so he could have a better future.

A special praise goes to the cast of previously unknown actors, which makes the viewing experience a real joy. Above all others shines transgender actor Lío Mehiel as Feña.

The screening is in association with Project Gila & part of the earnings are a donation to the project.

Gila Project for Trans Empowerment (AKA Transgenders for Social Justice) was founded in 2010 by and for the transgender community. It began as an activist group working to change the lives of transgender people, with a focus on personal empowerment, advocacy for rights, and demanding access to resources and opportunities. The Project grew into a strong trans-led nonprofit that continues to uphold these values and goals, and works in the field of LGBTQ rights, human rights, and social justice.

Drifter

22 years old Moritz is moving to Berlin to be with his boyfriend, Jonas. Jonas is a sexy photographer who prefers a non committal way of life and an open relationship.
Much to Moritz’s surprise the relationship ends and he’s left alone and broken. He searches for solace for his aching heart and finds himself making new friends, going to the gym, developing a sense of fashion and discovering drugs. Moritz is turning into a party animal and begins to act on his deepest desires.

Hannes Hirsch’s debut film describes a new beginning for an inexperienced young man in Berlin’s nightlife scene with sensitivity and authenticity. “Drifter” touches many subjects such as body image, fluid sexual identities and addictions. The film takes a deeper look into the world of the nightlife characters and exposes their vulnerability and layers.
Viewing is 18+ due to explicit sexual content and nudity.

In association with the Embassy of Germany

Three Nights A Week

The surprising funny and romantic drama of the year brings to the big screen a refreshing and stigma breaking character.
Cookie Kunty is a talented Parisian drag queen. Everyone who is familiar with the world of drag knows how hard it is for drag queens to find love. Therefore, when Cookie meets 29 years old Baptiste, she finds it hard to believe that he’s interested in her, but Baptiste is immediately mesmerized by Cookie. At first he’s driven by the idea of creating a photography project with Cookie and sinks into her world, but eventually starts to develop a relationship with Quentin, the young man behind the drag queen. The problem is, Baptiste has never been in a relationship with a man before and he is in a long term relationship with Samia, a hospital nurse, who also works at the HIV clinic.
In his debut film director Florent Gouëlou provides the audience a cinematic experience rich in colors and music, and featuring a different and surprising love story, which is also a coming out story, the likes of which was never before seen on the big screen. Actor Pablo Pauly is wonderful as Baptiste and Romain Eck as Cookie/Quentin builds a moving and complex character.
The result is pure enjoyment and it is certainly no surprise that “Three Nights a Week” was chosen as the opening film of the 2022 Critics’ Week of the Venice Film Festival.

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